April 3, 2009 11:45 pm

Area Rug Or Carpet: Which One Does Your Heart Desire?

By Louis Cantrell

Carpets and area rugs are two most well sought home decorations, but do you really know the difference between these two? Read on to find out.

Area rugs are large or small pieces of decorative material that aren’t fastened to the floor in anyway whereas carpets are always fastened to the floor with carpet nails and usually cover the entire floor in a single room. If you are trying to decide what you should choose, here is a simple list of the pros and cons of each that can help you make your decision.

Area rugs have more variety than carpets because of the choices in size, color, design, pattern, shape and material. Carpets are always huge and long for maximum coverage on the floor, the texture is practically the same, the shape is rectangular, there is no pattern as carpets are mostly in monotone colors and therefore, has limited choices in the rainbow category. Carpets are usually in neutral and dark colors. Furthermore, area rugs are transportable, easy to maintain and can be changed or removed in an instant. To these three, carpets are not. They are more permanent and require major work to have them removed.

Because of the decorative qualities and the specialty of the materials, area rugs can be a little more expensive than carpets. However, despite the price of area rugs, they are absolutely beautiful additions to any home or office. Area rugs have been known to be so treasured by families that they are passed down from generation to generation so that they are enjoyed for years and years.

Carpets are the tougher counterparts to area rugs. Carpets are durable and stain resistant. They can be fastened to the floor, are easy to clean and come in hundreds of different colors and patterns. Carpet comes in several different thicknesses. The thicker the carpet the more luxurious it feels under your feet. Carpets can come pretreated to fight stains and wear. Carpet can be bought in bulk from any area hardware store or carpet outlet.

The unfortunate side to carpet is that, carpet is harder to deep clean. If you really want to clean under your carpet, you are required to pull the carpet up off the floor and remove the padding underneath to get to the actual floor for cleaning. If your home floods, you’d better believe that your carpet will need to be replaced. This can be super expensive because, not only do you have to buy new carpet, you will have to have all the old carpet ripped up, the floors disinfected, and the new carpet put down. This isn’t something you can skimp on. Floods cause dangerous molds and mildews to grow under your carpet. Another downside to carpet is that, for one room, you can only have one color. Yes, there are carpets on the market that come in several different colors but these will tip the scales toward the more expensive side.

From the given points, both these floor coverings have their pros and cons. It’s about which one suits your home better, which one meets your budget and which one you prefer. - 23546

About the Author:

Our Number 1 tip for Home Decorating, is to use floor rugs - these transitional area rugs will suit any modern decor.