It is obvious to struggle between laminating and carpeting, especially when you want to remodel your room’s flooring to get the best return on your investment. You might wonder, “Does Replacing Carpet With Laminate Increase Home Value?”
But before you make a conclusive decision out of your wonder, you must know all the good and bad aspects of installing any of them. Because this significant decision can add on a lot of responsibilities on you related to budget, time consumption, installation procedure, return on invested capital, and many more.
This article will look into all the details of such installation and look at whether laminate increases home value or not. Also, we will give you a brief about what lamination actually means and then compare the cost and return on your investment afterward.
What Are Laminate?
Laminate flooring is a synthetic cover on the floor that was invented in 1977 by a Swedish company, Perstorp, to make use of waste wood effectively. It is made up of permanently assembled objects, using high pressure, heat, welding, adhesives, and chemical bindings altogether.
A laminated floor consists of multiple layers of materials with a wooden base on the top. That is why, it is frequently put-upon places where you want to resist the presence of excessive moisture, such as the kitchen, hallways, dining areas, etc.
However, millions of homes are predominantly using floor lamination on all the room floors. This is mainly because of its easy installation and low maintenance process. By this, we can say that it does not replace carpets from the floor but is an alternative of it.
Types Of Laminates
Laminate flooring is made up of multiple layers and 6 to 12mm of thickness, and due to this heavy nature, you can easily install it on floors in comparison to carpets. Other than this, its availability in the market with various forms, materials, and textures makes it a good option for buyers.
Laminate floors differ in cost, lifespan, thickness, models, and AC rating, which notes how dent and stain-resistant the laminate is. Now, you might be wondering what an AC rating is. Well, it signifies the quality of a carpet, such as if the rating rages between A1 to A5, then it is best quality flooring, and above it signifies bad quality flooring.
Let’s review a few of the most recommended laminating options according to their pattern with good AC rankings that you can easily use in your home.
Waterproof Laminate Flooring
As the name suggests, this lamination type is used on such floors that need high water resistance. It features a fiberboard core layer that swells when exposed to moisture and will not return to its original shape easily. That is why you have to be extra careful during its installation so that the water does not penetrate from the top layer of flooring. You can use it in your kitchen, bathroom, etc.
Water-Resistant Laminate Flooring
This flooring resists water penetration to some extent, but not as a waterproof laminate flooring. You need to wipe water from the floor from time to time and keep it dry so that it does not get into the surface of the floor.
What Are Advantages And Disadvantages Of Laminating A Floor Over Carpeting?
There are several advantages and disadvantages of laminate flooring, which can determine the increase or decrease of home value. Let’s look at all these pros and cons individually and then try to decide which one is better for your installation.
Advantages Of Laminate Flooring
- You can easily clean laminate flooring with a vacuum cleaner and a mop. You don’t have to wait for months to dust off and deep clean, as in the case of carpet cleaning.
- Carpet installation needs a lot of effort and materials, like padding, tack strips, duct tape, seaming tape, utility knife, staple gun, etc., which sometimes needs professionals to complete the installation process. But laminate floorings have floating installation, which can be glued or clicked together.
- If you have a pet in your home, then it is natural to get scratches on your room’s floors. A carpet can be ripped with those scratches easily, but a laminate floor resists scratches and maintains its natural smoot texture throughout the years.
- Laminate flooring has a lower resale value in comparison to carpet because it rips or holds discoloration over time. But this does not mean that a new laminate increases home value more than a carpet floor.
Disadvantage Of Laminate Flooring
- Laminate flooring cannot handle standing water; hence, its base can trap moisture easily. You can easily avoid this water trap by keeping the floors clean.
- The boards of laminate flooring may chip
- Laminate flooring is made up of melamine resin, a compound made with formaldehyde, which is not good for long-term health.
- Laminate floors are costlier in comparison to carpeted floors. A carpet floor can cost between $2 to $5 per sq foot, whereas a laminate flooring can cost you somewhere between $3 to $11 per sq foot.
Does Replacing Carpet With Laminate Increase Home Value?
A carpet gives a more elegant and luxurious vibe to the floor in comparison to laminate flooring, so it catches the buyer’s attention easily. Hence, by installing a brand-new carpet on the floor, you can increase your home’s value.
The shine of the new floor and carpet is undoubtedly a good investment that makes your home look up to the minute. But it does not imply that you have to replace your room’s carpet before selling if it does not have rips in places. Such installation will only increase your burden and will cost you a penny in increasing your home value.
So instead of this, you can make minor modifications to your carpet, such as vacuuming and scrubbing all the filths and entangled hairs present on the rug, deep cleaning the whole carpet, fixing torn areas with a similar fabric, etc.
Some people know the value of laminates and prefer laminate flooring over a carpeted one due to its longevity. Although laminate flooring does not add much value to the home, you can consider it as an improvement if you have an old house and the floor requires intense repair.
You can create a good mind image for your potential buyer by replacing the carpet with the laminate flooring underneath altogether. Also, replace the laminates of the kitchen, hallways, etc, where you don’t have carpet. Do not replace those laminations which are in good condition.
What Is Better On The Floor Among Laminate or Carpet?
Laminated lasts longer on the floor and can handle all the scratches easily, whereas a carpet brings warmth and comfort to a house. By this, you can easily state that both the laminate and carpet have their own features, and both of them bring different advantages to a home.
You can choose any of them according to your needs and use, such as placing a carpet in a living room and bedroom. Because these places majorly comprise your guests, pets, and children, and a carpet will provide great comfort to such places.
Besides, you can laminate a floor in your balcony and kitchen as people use these places roughly. Due to this, it has a high chance of causing food spills or soiled food traffic. You can easily clean a laminate floor in the occurrence of such cases.
What Type of Flooring Can Increase A Home’s Value?
Every buyer has their own mindset about types of flooring, which is why you can choose any flooring for your room’s floor as per the color contrast, the place where you live, and the location where you want to locate a carpet or lamination.
But before buying, just be considerate about the material you are choosing for your carpet and laminate to make it look appealing to your buyer. Also, analyze whether the carpet is cheaper than the laminate or vice versa.
Does Replacing Carpet With Laminate Increase Home Value? | Conclusion:
It is essential to ask, “Does Replacing Carpet With Laminate Increase Home Value?” when you are selling your home because this can create a significant impact on the price of your home’s resale value.
If you want to understand which is better among carpet or laminate, for your home renovation. Then, you have to consider the cost and other essential criteria altogether.
For this, go through the article thoroughly and understand the utility of both the floorings well. In addition to this, you must also know the laminate flooring over carpet problems.
Does Replacing Carpet With Laminate Increase Home Value? | FAQS:
Which flooring increases the home value the most?
If we consider all the flooring materials in one bucket, then hardwood will be a clear winner. Other than this, carpet and engineered laminations also add a great asset to a room.
Which part of the home is best for carpeting?
You can carpet your bedroom or living room floor as they are most used by you and your children. A carpet will unroll the comfort and safety of your children, which is not possible with hardwood or laminate flooring.
In how many years should I replace my carpet?
You can replace your carpet every 5 to 15 years because it gets dull over time. Buy a carpet free from VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and place it well on your floor.
Daleyza knows a lot about carpets! She has worked with carpets for over 7 years and can help with things like putting them in, keeping them clean, and replacing them. She really likes carpets and spends most of her time learning about new ways to work with them. When she’s not learning about carpets, she enjoys reading books. She’s really good at helping people choose the right carpet for their homes and making sure they’re happy with it. If you want to know more about carpets, Daleyza is the person to talk to!