When You Need to Replace Carpet

 When deciding whether to replace carpet, you should consider its age, as well as any stains, mold, or matting.

Continue reading to learn the signs your home is ready for carpet replacement.

1. Old Age

Normally, you can expect your home carpet to last between 5 and 15 years. How long your carpet lasts will depend on its quality, padding, and whether it was installed in a high traffic area. For example, bedroom carpet tends to last long because it has less foot traffic than hallways and entryways.

2. Matting

Over time, heavy furniture and foot traffic can matt down carpet. For example, the legs on your couch may have already made impressions on your living room carpet. While some impressions can be worked out with a carpet rake or professional cleaning, others create permanent dents in your floor. If you were to move all the furniture out, you would notice how your carpet is matted in the paths you and your family walk every day.

3. Stains

Are you guilty of moving furniture to cover stains? If your floor has more than a couple noticeable stains, it’s time to consider carpet replacement. When you have carpet flooring, it’s important to treat stains as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more time liquids have to seep into carpet fibers and stain the padding underneath.

4. Mold and Mildew

Mold loves to grow in moist dark places, like your basement carpet. If your basement has recently flooded, whether you’ll be able to keep carpet will depend on the extent of water damage. For example, wet padding underneath carpet should be replaced.

The type of water that flooded your home will also determine whether carpet is salvageable. Fresh water from a sink is completely different from a sewage backup. A basement flooded with contaminated water will need new carpet installation after it’s been dried out and cleaned.

5. Bad Odor

Does your carpet smell bad? Bad odor could be a sign of mold or pet stains that have seeped beneath carpet. If deep cleaning carpet doesn’t get rid of the smell, you’ll need to contact your local carpet company to ask about replacement.

6. You Don’t Like the Color or Pattern Any More

A flooring store will offer a variety of carpet colors for you to complement your home’s interior design. If you don’t love with the color carpet installed by the previous homeowners, now’s your chance to install new carpet. Over time, certain colors drop out of style and can make your home look dated. The great thing about carpet is that it comes in a wide variety of colors. Unlike hardwood flooring, you’re not limited to those colors that appear in nature.