Design trends are constantly changing, but there is one trend that will probably stick around for multifamily units - Carpet in Bedrooms Only. This option often means that flooring will need to be changed less often between tenants since more of the wear and tear will take place in the rest of the unit on the hard surfaces.
For the last couple of decades people have been gravitating to “open concept” floorplans. In terms of flooring, the trend is for more hard surface and less carpet, leading to the popular choice of “Carpet in Bedrooms Only”.
There are several reasons for this popular choice:
Cleaning: Carpet collects more dirt and pet hair. It also requires frequent shampooing, which means buying a Bissell or hiring a carpet cleaning service on a regular basis.
Hard surface flooring is easier to clean. It is a lot easier to wipe up dust or mop up spills, especially under large pieces of furniture.
Lifespan: Carpet needs frequent replacing. The lifespan of carpet can range anywhere from 5-10 years depending on such factors as location, number of occupants, pets, stains, etc.
Hard surface flooring can last as long as 5 years to lifetime, depending on type. On the low end would be sheet vinyl, which can get torn or lift. Meanwhile, a high end hardwood installation could last the lifetime of a home. Currently the most popular hard surface flooring is Luxury Vinyl Planks. Their lifespan can range from 10 to 30 years, depending on the product’s specifications and how well they are cared for.
We recently did a home estimate and measure for an elderly couple with a large home. The entire home was done in 20 year-old carpet except for the “wet” areas: kitchen, baths, and laundry. The owner's dog had recently died and they had waited to replace the carpet until after its passing. It came out in discussion that they were also thinking of selling so they could move closer to their grandchildren.
We could definitely sell an entire house of carpet to them, but we took the time to explain options to them. If they were serious about selling, their home would have improved resale value if they switched to hard surface throughout and install carpet only in the bedrooms. We provided options on how that could be financed without even a down payment.
Yes, making such a big switch can be pricey, but when you look at expenses for yearly carpet cleaning and replacing every few years, you could end up saving money in the long run.
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