Off-Topic O/T: Replacing home carpeting/flooring?

Vintage VFer · 10-24-17, 12:13 PM

We need to replace our carpeting and flooring.

We haven't had the greatest of luck with assorted contractors which is why we have put it off too long.

I'm prepared for the horror stories, but is there any advice about how to proceed?

sbh · 10-24-17, 12:35 PM

We need to replace our carpet too. Two dogs, one cat, and lots of traffic have worn it out. We are thinking about berber carpet. That way we can install it ourselves and by having extra squares, we can replace specific areas when needed.

sciencelady · 10-24-17, 12:55 PM

I'm doing this project this fall/winter also. I'm using a designer who did my upstairs, and now doing my downstairs. For the basement, I'll need to redo the subfloor as it's past building codes (styrofoam and wood panels) and you can now see it pressing through my carpeting down there. A specific flooring guy is used by my designer and he's recommending a CoreTec or Quickstep laminates for the basement floors as they keep spills out of the subfloor (incontinent animals as they age

). I'm not a fan of built in carpet, so haven't used that when I've remodeled. The old stuff I'm replacing is shag rug in the bedroom, indoor/outdoor carpeting for the living room, and rolled vinyl for the kitchen. My basement is a MIL apartment.

When I did my upstairs, I did real wood in the living room, laminate wood flooring for the bedroom, real tile for the bathroom, and vinyl for the kitchen (again for spill protection from my dog's bowls). I'm very happy with the upper level flooring.

My project would go beyond just the flooring, which is why I'm using the designer (redoing kitchen and bathroom downstairs).

hotncmom · 10-24-17, 01:00 PM

We have gradually replaced all the flooring in our house. We now have hardwoods in every room but 3 bedrooms - including stairs and hallways. Tile in the bathrooms. Last year we replaced the carpet in the bedrooms.

I wanted Berber too, but since we have a dog we were strongly advised not to. We got a very short cut pile carpet that is beige and brown speckles that hides dirt but is a lot softer than Berber, and we don't have to worry about it "unravelling".

Laura S. · 10-24-17, 01:12 PM

We recently replaced the flooring in the living part of the main floor - living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen. When you entered the front door into the foyer, you could see 4 different types of flooring, which looked so bad. We had them match the hardwood we had already gone with in the bedroom part of the same floor.

We had a great experience. WE are getting ready to put our house on the market and we ended up going with the company our real estate agent recommended. They were the best price and they have been totally responsive and done what they said they would. We have known this real estate agent for 25 years and everyone she has ever recommended has been great.

Good luck in deciding what to do and finding someone.

Vintage VFer · 10-24-17, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laura S.

We recently replaced the flooring in the living part of the main floor - living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen. When you entered the front door into the foyer, you could see 4 different types of flooring, which looked so bad. We had them match the hardwood we had already gone with in the bedroom part of the same floor.

We had a great experience. WE are getting ready to put our house on the market and we ended up going with the company our real estate agent recommended. They were the best price and they have been totally responsive and done what they said they would. We have known this real estate agent for 25 years and everyone she has ever recommended has been great.

Good luck in deciding what to do and finding someone.

Glad you had a good experience!

How long did the project take? Do the flooring folks move the furniture or is it your job?

Laura S. · 10-24-17, 01:37 PM

We had a bunch of stuff done and it all took a week. The flooring part took the better part of one day. They started between 7:30 - 8:00 am and finished up around 2:00 - 3:00.

Our part was to move everything out of the room EXCEPT for the big furniture. They moved that to the sunroom and moved the furniture back after it was all done.

The worst part of it was the BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG that went on the whole time it was being installed. If you choose hardwood, it's not a quiet process. I worked from home that day, but went out for lunch and found several reasons to walk outside for a few minutes throughout the time.

donnamp · 10-24-17, 02:39 PM

Laura - Can you PM the list of folks that your Real Estate agent recommended - I have the hardest time finding responsible contractors who will come when they say they will and do what needs to be done. It is a never ending battle to get stuff done and I lose patience and momentum with it pretty quickly b/c of it.

I will take a list of everyone you have - I have quite a bit of work I want to have done over the next few years - kitchen/bath remodels, flooring, some minor construction, you a name it!

Donna

Patti S. · 10-24-17, 03:25 PM

From my experience, I will tell you:

DON'T use laminate planking - it will start popping up after 4 years
DON'T get patterned carpet - I mean the kind that is texture patterned, just.....no.

Izzy · 10-24-17, 03:38 PM

My two cents is avoid Berber carpet. It has something to do with the fibers. Once it gets dirty it's impossible to clean. It looks good the day you clean it and the next day all the dirt and grime rises back to the top. It also tends to pull away from the wall and unravel after it is installed.

I have mostly hardwood. I was thinking about this the other day when sweeping and mopping the floors. There is so much dirt on the floors and even after sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, then sweeping again when I went to wash the floors they were still dirty. If you think of this in terms of your carpet, it really doesn't get that clean. If you are going to get carpet get a commercial grade (which is not that pretty but they are coming out with some nicer commercial grade carpet designs) and make sure the padding is really good.

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10-24-17, 12:13 PM
Vintage VFer VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001	O/T: Replacing home carpeting/flooring? We need to replace our carpeting and flooring. We haven't had the greatest of luck with assorted contractors which is why we have put it off too long. I'm prepared for the horror stories, but is there any advice about how to proceed? __________________ Goal:250 / Done:91 POSTURE CHECK!

10-24-17, 12:35 PM
sbh Join Date: Feb 2006	We need to replace our carpet too. Two dogs, one cat, and lots of traffic have worn it out. We are thinking about berber carpet. That way we can install it ourselves and by having extra squares, we can replace specific areas when needed.

10-24-17, 12:55 PM
sciencelady Join Date: May 2003 Location: Saint Paul, MN	I'm doing this project this fall/winter also. I'm using a designer who did my upstairs, and now doing my downstairs. For the basement, I'll need to redo the subfloor as it's past building codes (styrofoam and wood panels) and you can now see it pressing through my carpeting down there. A specific flooring guy is used by my designer and he's recommending a CoreTec or Quickstep laminates for the basement floors as they keep spills out of the subfloor (incontinent animals as they age ). I'm not a fan of built in carpet, so haven't used that when I've remodeled. The old stuff I'm replacing is shag rug in the bedroom, indoor/outdoor carpeting for the living room, and rolled vinyl for the kitchen. My basement is a MIL apartment. When I did my upstairs, I did real wood in the living room, laminate wood flooring for the bedroom, real tile for the bathroom, and vinyl for the kitchen (again for spill protection from my dog's bowls). I'm very happy with the upper level flooring. My project would go beyond just the flooring, which is why I'm using the designer (redoing kitchen and bathroom downstairs).

10-24-17, 01:00 PM
hotncmom Join Date: Jan 2009	We have gradually replaced all the flooring in our house. We now have hardwoods in every room but 3 bedrooms - including stairs and hallways. Tile in the bathrooms. Last year we replaced the carpet in the bedrooms. I wanted Berber too, but since we have a dog we were strongly advised not to. We got a very short cut pile carpet that is beige and brown speckles that hides dirt but is a lot softer than Berber, and we don't have to worry about it "unravelling".

10-24-17, 01:12 PM
Laura S. VF Supporter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC	We recently replaced the flooring in the living part of the main floor - living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen. When you entered the front door into the foyer, you could see 4 different types of flooring, which looked so bad. We had them match the hardwood we had already gone with in the bedroom part of the same floor. We had a great experience. WE are getting ready to put our house on the market and we ended up going with the company our real estate agent recommended. They were the best price and they have been totally responsive and done what they said they would. We have known this real estate agent for 25 years and everyone she has ever recommended has been great. Good luck in deciding what to do and finding someone. __________________ Laura Laura's Workout Mantras: Something is better than nothing The best workout is the one you will DO

10-24-17, 01:37 PM
Laura S. VF Supporter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC	We had a bunch of stuff done and it all took a week. The flooring part took the better part of one day. They started between 7:30 - 8:00 am and finished up around 2:00 - 3:00. Our part was to move everything out of the room EXCEPT for the big furniture. They moved that to the sunroom and moved the furniture back after it was all done. The worst part of it was the BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG that went on the whole time it was being installed. If you choose hardwood, it's not a quiet process. I worked from home that day, but went out for lunch and found several reasons to walk outside for a few minutes throughout the time. __________________ Laura Laura's Workout Mantras: Something is better than nothing The best workout is the one you will DO

10-24-17, 02:39 PM
donnamp Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Maryland, USA	Laura - Can you PM the list of folks that your Real Estate agent recommended - I have the hardest time finding responsible contractors who will come when they say they will and do what needs to be done. It is a never ending battle to get stuff done and I lose patience and momentum with it pretty quickly b/c of it. I will take a list of everyone you have - I have quite a bit of work I want to have done over the next few years - kitchen/bath remodels, flooring, some minor construction, you a name it! Donna

10-24-17, 03:25 PM
Patti S. VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Orange County, CA	From my experience, I will tell you: DON'T use laminate planking - it will start popping up after 4 years DON'T get patterned carpet - I mean the kind that is texture patterned, just.....no. __________________ "We are so fortunate we get to exercise" - Erin O' Brien

10-24-17, 03:38 PM
Izzy Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: West of Chicago in the Illinois Corn Belt	My two cents is avoid Berber carpet. It has something to do with the fibers. Once it gets dirty it's impossible to clean. It looks good the day you clean it and the next day all the dirt and grime rises back to the top. It also tends to pull away from the wall and unravel after it is installed. I have mostly hardwood. I was thinking about this the other day when sweeping and mopping the floors. There is so much dirt on the floors and even after sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, then sweeping again when I went to wash the floors they were still dirty. If you think of this in terms of your carpet, it really doesn't get that clean. If you are going to get carpet get a commercial grade (which is not that pretty but they are coming out with some nicer commercial grade carpet designs) and make sure the padding is really good.