Our new carpet was the most expensive update to our home that we’ve done so far. Fortunately, we are very happy with the outcome! It was a much needed upgrade. The carpet in our home had been there for almost twelve years and was in pretty bad shape. Through talking to our neighbors, we found out that the original owner of the home had a german shepherd dog and a cat. The next owners had a golden retriever and four boys. And finally, there’s us. Aaron has very serious allergies (chronic hives). We’ve found he is especially allergic to pet dander, so it should be no surprise that with the history of the home, the carpet was a major priority for us. And in fact now that I think about it, I don’t think he has had hives since we got the carpet!
In addition to the lingering pet dander and old age of the carpet, it was also very worn, especially in the middle of rooms. There were quite a few large stains as well. When we originally looked at the home, we had our “rose-colored glasses” on, and thought the carpet was fine. (Word to the wise: always look at a home a second time before you make an offer!) If we had realized how bad it really was, we probably could have negotiated something. Ah well, hindsight is always 20/20 and God was gracious to us through the whole process so we really cannot have any regrets.
Getting new carpet was a huge chore! It was kind of a fun one for me though as I love to unpack and find new homes for things. Both of our upstairs bathrooms, the garage, and our downstairs living area were all filled to the brim with items from the upstairs. I enjoyed putting things back together, though, and we also got to do a little furniture rearranging in the case of our bedroom (we had positioned things a certain way to hide stains).
[An example of the mess we lived in for a few days]
[The old carpet in our bedroom]
[The old carpet in the loft]
As far as the actual carpet we chose, we went with Martha Stewart’s Winterthur from Home Depot, in the color Potter’s Clay. We love that the carpet is a mixture of high and low pile, meaning it should wear well over time. We also liked the fact that high-end home builders are putting this exact carpet in brand new homes. Hopefully it will stand the test of time, both aesthetically and functionally! We opted to have Home Depot’s installers do the entire thing as we bought when there was a $35 whole home install special running. We thought the money we paid to have them remove the existing carpet and haul away was worth the extra money. (We’ve had a very difficult time getting rid of/ recycling large items due to where we live, which is another story.)
This kind of carpet is very durable because the materials used are of high-quality. You can trust that it will last for a long time. Just mind the stains and dust, since the carpet is still vulnerable to them. Regular cleaning will get rid of dust, and immediate cleaning of spills with soap suds will hinder stains from penetrating the carpet fibers deeply.
ReplyDeleteBrain Ventris
Hm… Rearranging furniture just to hide the stains on your carpet doesn’t sound too good. If these are the type of hard-to-remove carpet stains, better use a steam cleaner. Follow the proper method, so the substance is not pushed further into the fibers of the carpet, and you won’t damage the material of the carpet.
ReplyDeleteLyda Tavorn