# Is carpeting on the way out? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606 "2017-09-29T19:27:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/21 "2017-09-30T01:34:59Z")
For the life of me, I don’t understand why hardwood-carpeting is an either-or. \ It’s wall-to-wall carpeting that’s problematic. My house has hardwood floors throughout, and in the living room, I have a ginormous, beautiful, soft, plush, comfy rug that fills the entire space in front of the sofa and chairs. It’s a muted woodsy leafy pattern that goes perfectly with the dark wood floors in my 1926 Craftsman house. Duh. After my sweet but incontinent cat Cleo died several years ago, I sent it out to be cleaned. A few years later when I was at jury duty all day and my dog Sweetie had massive diarrhea, again: sent it out to be cleaned. This seems obvious to me. If and when it wears out (it was only $800 on amazon), I’ll buy another one. The house I moved out of had wall-to-wall. NEVER. AGAIN. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/22 "2017-09-30T02:00:10Z")
Our house used to have carpeting throughout. Two years ago we did a major remodeling of the first floor and as part of it we tore out the carpet and put in hardwood laminate. We still have carpets upstairs where the bedrooms are. ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/23 "2017-09-30T02:44:07Z")
Used to have carpet, can’t stand it. Switched to laminate. If installed correctly, it doesn’t ever creak like hardwood floors either and is quieter to walk on. I like small throw rugs and mats, i’ll use those because it don’t have to deal with the chore of breaking out the vacuum and the steam cleaner. No matter what steam cleaner, or how properly you use it, it leaves moisture behind. We all know what that entails. I have never breathed better in my life by not having carpets. Cleaning house is so much easier as well. Not to mention, rolling chairs are really fun. On a related note, can all cars finally have carpeting removed too? Isn’t there something better this day and age? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/24 "2017-09-30T02:46:12Z")
My favorite heirloom is my grandmother’s braided oval rug. Its at least 8 ft across. She bought it in the early 1960’s It’s a nice solution if you don’t want wall to wall carpeting. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/25 "2017-09-30T02:48:45Z")
We have tiles through the main living room, kitchen, dining room, hallways, laundry, and bathrooms. The rest, bedrooms and rumpus room, are carpeted in a dark colour that doesn’t show stains. I’m not particularly concerned about the carpets being dust magnets - the world is a dirty place! If I was to build the house again I would put some more carpet in to help deaden the sound. The whole children’s wing would be carpeted throughout with the exception of their bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/26 "2017-09-30T03:20:15Z")
I don’t mind most floor-coverings. Flagstones — of the Bronte Sisters’ type mansions ---- seem ideal, but probably gave people a nasty crack on the head when they fell over. Every type has it’s disadvantages. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/27 "2017-09-30T07:21:14Z")
I do not understand the love for hardwood. It looks nasty and unfinished. Makes me half expect to see chamber pots or an outhouse instead of indoor plumbing. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/28 "2017-09-30T11:28:03Z")
You can tell how many posters here don’t live in apartments 😉 I’m pretty sure having hardwood floors in apartments is grounds for murder. Sure, hardwood can look great, and quality laminate can as well, but when someone else lives directly below, carpet is far more practical, unless you like feuds. I do draw the line at carpet in bathrooms and kitchens though, that is, indeed, ick. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/29 "2017-09-30T11:35:45Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > I do not understand the love for hardwood. It looks nasty and unfinished. Makes me half expect to see chamber pots or an outhouse instead of indoor plumbing. Different strokes. Love hardwood. It’s beautiful and natural looking. Hate carpet. Rugs are acceptable and can be beautiful, too. Grew up with carpet, but even my parents got rid of it about 25-30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/30 "2017-09-30T13:15:10Z")
Tile or laminate throughout, except the bedroom. Reason-scorpions. We live with the fuckers. They do not like carpet, especially deep carpet, which this is. They will avoid it. Not to say they will never get on it, but they avoid it. I am resigned to shoes or slippers throughout the house, but prefer not to stress quite so much in the bedroom. Thus luscious plush carpet. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/31 "2017-09-30T13:31:16Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > You can tell how many posters here don’t live in apartments 😉 > > I’m pretty sure having hardwood floors in apartments is grounds for murder. Sure, hardwood can look great, and quality laminate can as well, but when someone else lives directly below, carpet is > far more practical, unless you like feuds. … Huh. I don’t live in an apartment but have adult children who do and have not seen any of their units with carpeting. My guess is that it depends on the age of the building. Apartments built before the mid '50s had hardwood and that those after more commonly had wall to wall fitted carpeting after [DuPont developed bulk continuous filament nylon](https://www.bondproducts.com/americas-carpet-history/) that made for an inexpensive looped product. I think some owners carpeted over worn hardwood in the '60s rather than refinishing it as it was at that point cheaper to do that. As that carpetting wore out it was often pulled and the hardwood refinished in the '90s and beyond. Wall to wall carpeting to me screams “Mid-century Modern” through '60s as much as does an avocado and harvest gold themed kitchen. Personal preference is not wall to wall. In our current home our kitchen and family room redo used slate looking porcelain tile with underfloor heat. Bedrooms, living room hardwood with area rugs. Runner on the hardwood stairs and painted canvas cloth over hardwood in dining room. Which connects to one of disadvantages of carpeting beyond the issues with pet accidents, other stains, and the in general bigger deal to keep clean and maintain. Changing a color scheme is easy to do with hardwoods with a quick area rug swap and paint job; ripping out wall to wall is a bigger deal. Requesting hardwood instead of specified carpet in bedrooms of the unit that is being built that we are putting a contract on to move into next year. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/32 "2017-09-30T13:56:57Z")
I know anecdote isn’t data, but my 80+y/o mother tripped over a throw rug, fell, and dislocated her shoulder. I frequently catch myself when the mat in front of the kitchen sink trips me up, tho I haven’t fallen yet. Nope, not a fan of throw rugs or area rugs. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/33 "2017-09-30T14:33:55Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I know anecdote isn’t data, but my 80+y/o mother tripped over a throw rug, fell, and dislocated her shoulder. I frequently catch myself when the mat in front of the kitchen sink trips me up, tho I haven’t fallen yet. Nope, not a fan of throw rugs or area rugs. I suspect you won’t be surprised to know that there actually is [data](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3591732/). Yes, rugs and other flooring to carpet transition points, are a fall risk for older adults, especially elder women. Basic cautions are reasonable: > [@](#): > > Fall injuries may be affected by securing rugs with adhesive tape or using non-skid backing, checking for and repairing curled carpet edges. Bathrooms, transitions between rug/carpeted areas and non-rug/carpeted areas, and wet rugs or carpets are particularly dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/34 "2017-09-30T14:40:35Z")
We live in a VERY cold snowy climate. And have dogs and a gravel driveway. I thought all of this would negate ‘hardwood’. We have done our entryway, kitchen, and dining area in a laminate (fake) hardwood and I’m stunned that it isn’t torn to shreds. We don’t take off our boots going in and out and they are often covered with snow with the odd rock/gravel stuck in the sole. As for the living room and bedrooms though, I’m for carpet all the way. As others have said, it’s a warmer feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/35 "2017-09-30T14:45:26Z")
I hated carpet even before knowing it was linked to my asthma. It’s uncleanable; it’s used because it’s cheap and easy to put down, but nobody bothers with the amount of upkeep that would be needed to actually have it in good shape. And very often in the southern US (where for starters it makes about as much sense as a bearhide coat in Guinea) it’s that horrid white nylon-6,6 shag which gets tons of static and is about as nice on the feet as walking on iron-bristle brushes. When traveling to hotels I try to select one with no carpeting in the rooms, if possible. Sadly it’s not always possible. My houses have tile or parquet (the nice kind, as the previous owner was a carpenter). The rugs are always large enough to cover all the open area and made of bamboo: to clean them, roll 'em up and give them a shower. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/36 "2017-09-30T14:45:44Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Which connects to one of disadvantages of carpeting beyond the issues with pet accidents, other stains, and the in general bigger deal to keep clean and maintain. Changing a color scheme is easy to do with hardwoods with a quick area rug swap and paint job; ripping out wall to wall is a bigger deal. On the other hand, I’ve had to punch through my slab foundation three times in fifteen years–once for plumbing repairs, twice to have the foundation worked on. Carpet you can pull back and reinstall. Hard flooring you have to destroy and I don’t know that it’s possible to match repairs–I suspect in most cases you have to redo a huge area. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/37 "2017-09-30T14:48:27Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > Tile or laminate throughout, except the bedroom. > Reason-scorpions. We live with the fuckers. > They do not like carpet, especially deep carpet, which this is. They will avoid it. Not to say they will never get on it, but they avoid it. I am resigned to shoes or slippers throughout the house, but prefer not to stress quite so much in the bedroom. Thus luscious plush carpet. Scorpions… Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. We get 30 feet of snow just about every year (September through April), and I’ll gladly take that over scorpions. We have moose and black bear, but at least they don’t hide in your shoes. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/38 "2017-09-30T20:07:00Z")
I see a lot of this sort of stuff as cyclic sales promotion. You have X in your house? But Y is the latest thing! Get rid of X and buy Y! A few years later it’s get rid of Y and buy X! You see this a lot in kitchen stuff. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/39 "2017-09-30T20:53:48Z")
Or people watch too much House Hunters ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606/40 "2017-09-30T22:35:54Z")
Hate wall-to-wall carpeting. Don’t want it. Now there are vinyl and ceramic tiles that look very much like hardwood, but are more affordable and durable. Throw rugs can be easily cleaned or replaced. After decades of renting apartments and houses, I am sick of carpets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-carpeting-on-the-way-out/797606.md?page=3)