In a world where hardwood and laminate flooring abounds, it can be easy to overlook a timeless classic: carpet.

Though every type of flooring comes with its set of advantages and drawbacks, carpet offers unique benefits that other options might lack.

Here are seven reasons why today’s carpet is still a great flooring option for your home.

Variety

Where hardwood flooring may be limited in colors and grains, when it comes to style, color and texture, carpet is the most versatile flooring option.

Whether you’re looking to blend with walls and furniture or make a bold statement of popping color to accent a room, experts say today’s carpet comes in many diverse colors and patterns to satisfy myriad personal choices.

In choosing a color, consider the atmosphere you want to create in your home. For a cozier feeling, dark colors work best, while lighter colors make rooms seem larger.

The style and texture will also affect the room’s overall tone, so The Spruce suggests short-pile, patterned carpets for formal rooms and longer carpets for casual spaces.

Looking for design tips? HGTV lists several basic designs that fit the needs of most rooms.

Durability

Carpets have come a long way in recent years with more durable fibers and stain-resistant coatings available than ever before.

It’s important to consider how much foot traffic or use a room will have when choosing the right style and fiber for durability. Loop pile carpets are the most durable, while nylon, olefin (polypropylene), and wool resist wear and tear much better than other fibers, according to How Stuff Works.

And don’t discount the value of regular maintenance. As long as you keep your carpet regularly vacuumed and clean, it should last decades.

Warmth

Carpet is a great way to insulate a home and potentially save in heating costs every year — provided it’s thick enough.

A study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Textile Engineering found that thicker carpets provide a higher insulation factor, particularly if underlay padding is used as well.

Sound reduction

If you value peace and quiet, carpet certainly has an advantage over hardwood floors. In addition to providing warmth, the insulation carpet provides also reduces noise by absorbing sounds and echoes through floors and ceilings.

Safety

It should come as no surprise that carpet provides a softer landing than hardwood if slips and falls are common in your home, such as with small children or the elderly. In most cases, having carpet will prevent slips and falls from happening in the first place.

Health

Although carpet used to be considered the “bad guy” for trapping dust and allergens in a home, recent studies have found carpet to be more beneficial than hard surface floors for those with breathing difficulties.

While it’s true that carpet traps certain allergenic particles, these same allergens can be found on hard surfaces, where the particles can be constantly swirled up into the air and inhaled. As long as you keep your carpet regularly cleaned and vacuumed, it will continue to keep airborne allergens at bay.

Cost

A major selling point for carpet is that it’s generally more cost-effective than hard surface flooring. While hardwood and vinyl may require special preparation before being installed, carpet can be installed over a variety of subfloors with far less stringent requirements, according to The Spruce.

To learn more about carpet and flooring options that best fit your personal style and needs, speak with the flooring specialists at Giant Carpet One today.

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