Carpets or Hard Flooring? Here’s What Homeowners Are Choosing, and Why
It’s the age-old question: Do you choose carpets or do you opt for hard-surface flooring in your home? Which is better, and why? For decades, carpets have ruled the roost, so to speak, appearing in just about every single room of every single house built during a certain era. But lately, there has been a significant shift in the flooring choices of homeowners. More and more hard-surface flooring options are taking over. Why is this and is it truly the better option?
Sure, carpets provide a lush floor surface that feels nice underfoot and provide some comfort and warmth, especially during the colder months. They come in a range of lovely colours and designs, and various pile lengths. Furthermore, dust and dry dirt do not always show that quickly. These are all pleasant benefits, but hardly unique to floor-to-floor carpeting.
On the downside, they collect dirt easily, even if the dirt isn’t always visible. They require regular maintenance in terms of regular vacuuming and carpet cleaning. And some carpets show wear and tear prominently in high-traffic areas. Dents and colour changes are also very visible when furniture is moved around in a room.
Hard floors, on the other hand, offer a myriad of benefits. The most prominent of these is often the fact that the modern flooring products available today are so very easy to maintain. Many of them are scratch and stain resistant, and all that is required to clean them is a simple sweep to remove dust and dirt, or a damp cloth to remove more stubborn marks.
Aside from the practical implications, there is the very important aspect of visual appeal. Ultimately, we all want our homes to look beautiful, and our choice of flooring plays a central role in the look and feel of a room. Here, modern hard flooring products also rise to the occasion, further fuelling the shift from carpets to more contemporary choices.
Besides their durability, various hard flooring products are available in a wide range of colours, designs and styles, ranging from bold colours to authentic stone and wood-look options. In fact, wood-look flooring is probably the most popular, as it is extremely realistic and adds a certain sense of class, style and warmth to any space. This wide range of choice means that there is an option to match any style choice – from modern to rustic, minimalist to country, eclectic to industrial, and everything in between.
The current most popular modern hard flooring options include:
• Wood Laminates
Get the look and feel of genuine hardwood surfaces with wood laminate floors. Easy to clean and maintain, these affordable, yet elegant laminated flooring solutions have come a long way from the products of just a few years ago.
• LVTs
Extremely resistant to dents, moisture damage, heat and more, Luxury Vinyl Tile flooring (LVTs) is perfect for those who want durable floors. Its ability to withstand moisture makes it suitable for installation anywhere in the home.
• SPC/Rigid Board
It consists of various layers, which makes it exceptionally strong, highly durable, scratch and stain resistant, and waterproof. A vinyl layer makes an array of design options possible, and installation is quick and easy.
If you’re considering the move from carpets to hard flooring, know that there is a world of choices out there for you – all these are available at Top Carpets and Floors, South Africa’s largest flooring retailer. Make use of our handy Room Visualizer to help you compare products, and then visit one of our more than 130 branches nationwide. As an alternative, contact us to set up an appointment in the comfort of your own home.
