Friday, March 21, 2014

What is the Best Flooring to Buy?


When we moved into this home 16 years ago, we put dark green carpet in our family room. I loved it because it never showed any stains. I have to vacuum it all the time, however, because it shows every piece of lint.  We are getting our 15 year old couches covered so I thought it was time to get new carpet.

I went to a carpet store and there were thousands of colors and samples to look at. {This is simply overwhelming to me.} I told the owner, who had been there 35 years, what I wanted and the price I wanted to pay and he found a great one for me.

When he came over to measure my room, he told me that 35 years ago when he began selling carpet, 80% of the orders were carpet, 10% tile, and 10% wood. Now it is 70% wood, 20% carpet, and 10% tile. He said the tile hurts women's muscles and joints since it is so hard. Carpet looks bad after 10 years {especially after four or five washings} so it needs to be replaced. Carpet is made completely from toxic chemicals and gathers germs, bacteria, pollutants, and everything else that comes off the streets. Wood floors last forever. By the time someone has replaced their carpet one time, they could have gotten wood.  He said that no other place in the world do they use carpet like Americans do.  

I have wood floors in the rest of my home. I love having wood floors. We have not done one thing to them in 16 years and they still look great. They are easy to clean and even when they get a little knicked up, they look good.

I thought this was interesting information from a man who has dealt in flooring for 35 years. By the way, he gave me a really good deal because he said I "was so kind! Kindness goes a long way."  On a side note, I wanted to recover my couches because I loved them so much. Fifteen years ago, we spent $4500 on our couches. They are Taylor King and very well made, stuffed with down. They are so comfortable. I only needed to get new ones because the fabric is falling apart.

I told Ken I really want to just recover my couches instead of buy anything new. I went to the retailer where I bought them and could have them recovered for $6000 or brand new for $7800! I knew Ken would never let me spend that kind of money on couches. My neighbor told me of a woman who does it for so much less. I called her and she would cover them for $775! I thought it was a joke! I bought material for $700, therefore, it is only costing my under $1500 to recover them. I am so happy I get to keep my couches!

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, 
and cometh down from the Father of lights, 
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17

Comments (32)

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So why are you getting chemical filled carpeting instead of wood flooring?? Surely, you wouldn't want your grand babies crawling around on chemicals. As couches do need to be replaced every so often. Another breeding ground for chemicals, and dust mites. We aren't don't like the country look, we like our leather couches.

I love my tile in my bathrooms, linoleum is just cheap looking.
2 replies · active 360 weeks ago
I love country looks!!! Congrats Lori your home will look beautiful,!!!!
Lori, your home looks so comfortable, and I actually prefer carpet in the lounge/sitting room, feels warm and comfy, specially in the Winter!. Aren't prices shocking though?, thousands for settees, I understand yours and Kens reservations on spending that kind of money. I feel we have to be careful stewards of Gods money, it isn't ours is it?.
In Davids lovely prayer in 1 Chronicles 29 it includes these words, I have these typed out and in the kitchen and by the computer to remind us that everything we have belongs to God!

vs 11, 12 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things.

'Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand' vs 14b

Blessings
Helen UK
1 reply · active 573 weeks ago
Loving been his wife's avatar

Loving been his wife · 573 weeks ago

Hi Lori how are you today? Good I hope! I love your family room it is beautiful. I have decorated our home in Shabby Chic with a Country twist. I love the country look it suits our home because it is very small; like a cottage. I just love my little home and I am so grateful to both God and my precious Antony for it!
I love that you have gone with keeping your couches, that is something I would do! It looks like you have a lot of wood there too. We have a mixture of white painted wood an polished pine. I also love IKEA!!
1 reply · active 573 weeks ago
Have you thought about bamboo or cork flooring? It might be a bit more contrast that mismatched wood, so you wouldn't need to replace the other floors, and it's environmentally friendly.

I'm not a fan of carpet on a main floor, and only use it in our basement and bedrooms because of our cold climate. If I was in California, I wouldn't use carpet at all.

Are you thinking of slipcovers or removable covers for the couches at all? With grandchildren, it's good to know that you don't need to worry that new fabric is ruined if a child has a leaky diaper, or throws up, or has sticky hands, or spills grape juice. You just toss the cover into the wash. We have leather couches and wood floors, and happily host the whole family each week, including many small nieces and nephews, without stress because I know everything is so easy to clean.
1 reply · active 572 weeks ago
That green carpet looks exactly like my in-laws carpet that would have been put in at the same time period as yours....That stuff wears like steel! Haha. But my mother-in-law is so tired of it as well. I can't wait to see your room "makeover". We built our home 4 years ago and did tile and carpet. We wish we had done all wood and carpet just in the bedrooms!
2 replies · active 499 weeks ago
I have to say there's just something cozy about carpet. My husband and I have all bamboo floors, but we have to or our allergies go insane. I wish though that we could have carpet in the bedroom just because I hate stepping out onto a cold floor in the morning.
I like how your living room looks. It’s comfy and cozy. I also love how the plaid couches blend well with the green carpet. I guess the choice of whether to go with a carpet, wood or tile flooring depends on the homeowner. Carpets are definitely cheaper, but as you mentioned, it requires replacement every now and then. Depending on maintenance, it can last up to 30 years, so as long as you keep it clean, you won’t have to worry about replacing it too often. The usual troubles worth keeping an eye on are spills and pet pee.
I must say you have been given a sweet blessing from the Lord concerning the recovering of your couches! You are going to just love them. I love wood floors a little bit, but carpet is so much warmer and cozy! My children and grandbabies never got sick from my floors!!!
You are going to just love them. I love wood floors a little bit, but carpet is so much warmer and cozy! My children and grandbabies never got sick from my floors!!!
Hello Lori, I must say you have been given a sweet blessing from the Lord concerning the recovering of your couches! You are going to just love them.

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