# Carpeting suggestion



## SingleGuy (Feb 13, 2012)

Hi all. First post here  I'm about to repaint my walls in my entire house using Benjamin Moor Titanium. I am also going to re-do my flooring. Since I can't really afford hardwood floors like I truly want, I'm opting to replace the worn carpet. Not only is it worn from traffic, it's actually pulled away from the wall in some areas and looks pathetic.

What style/color of carpet would look good with the Ben Moore Titanium paint? I want something not too bold, last for years, and yet be neutral enough to be able to blend into any other accents in the home.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## Michaelpro (Jan 25, 2012)

Love the color. Not white, but not something so distracting that you can't stand it after a month haha. 

I think anything would look great with that wall color except browns, blacks, and maybe greens.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Most likly you could lay engineered flooring for the same price as carpet.
Then you would have real wood.
An no I do not mean laminete.


----------



## SingleGuy (Feb 13, 2012)

Michaelpro said:


> Love the color. Not white, but not something so distracting that you can't stand it after a month haha.
> 
> I think anything would look great with that wall color except browns, blacks, and maybe greens.


Thanks! I thought the color was just right too. I am also debating on whether or not to also extend this wall color as the ceiling color. I'm anal about sharp lines and sadly cannot paint them  Since the color is so light, I thought it might do well as the ceiling color. That pretty much eliminates any lines. I know this trick works differently with different ceiling heights and I'm going to have to play with it a bit in different room.

Thoughts on this anyone?


----------



## SingleGuy (Feb 13, 2012)

joecaption said:


> Most likly you could lay engineered flooring for the same price as carpet.
> Then you would have real wood.
> An no I do not mean laminete.


I totally forgot about that option! I'll be exploring that this afternoon  Thanks!


----------



## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

I agree anything but w to w carpeting. In seven years you'll be looking to
do it again, and that would cost more than a wood floor.

Are you handy? You could do it yourself. We installed real oak flooring
(DIY) a few years ago, in our bedrooms and hallway.
It cost just about the same as w to w carpeting
that we had installed about 5 years earlier...and it's a lot easier to
take care of than carpet is. 

Our first floor was already hardwood, so
I already knew how nice it looked, and how much easier it is to care for.
Weight the options carefully, in the long run you will save a lot of money
and increase the value of your home.

Haven't seen the color you chose, but we did our stairwell and hallway
upstairs in a very pale beige and did the ceilings as well in beige, and it looks
great.


----------



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Not a big WtW carpeting person but do understand that sometimes it is the best option. Definitely not a laminate floor fan. As mentioned, a good engineered floor and area rugs might be worth looking into. Installation of many of the nicer engineered floor systems are within the capabilities of competent diyers willing to learn.

Back to carpeting. Three things I have learned through the years. 

1. Spend a bit extra to beef up the padding. It will extend the life of the carpet---whatever type and quality---substantially.

2. Track down your own installer. Most work independently anyhow and the good ones stay really busy. They will be extremely expert at seaming and stretching carpet to match the material you buy.

The good ones do not work for box stores. They will come out and help you measure accurately if you are not sure. Or if you have construction plans share those. You can do a nice floorplan that will come in handy for all sorts of things with a free, open source program like SweetHome 3D. Others on this site like SketchUp but I have not used it so do not know. 

3. I hate seeing local businesses forced out but if the national flooring chains or box stores are the only ones left in your neighborhood anyhow? They give nothing back to your community and may even cost services like police and fire revenue since they often do not pay full property taxes. So, shop around them online for better quality and deals. Some of the outlets attached to the carpet mills have started standing up to the big box retailers and go around them direct to you.

If you really want to fully explore your interior options, work with a good interior designer. Most work primarily on commissions of things they buy on your behalf. You will end up no more, and probably less, than even discounted retails on everything from floor coverings to lamps, furnishings and accessories. You will get exactly what you want too! No, "Sorry we don't carry that!" excuses. Working with an interior designer is not just for the rich and pretentious. You will really enjoy the experience.


----------



## SingleGuy (Feb 13, 2012)

sdsester said:


> Not a big WtW carpeting person but do understand that sometimes it is the best option. Definitely not a laminate floor fan. As mentioned, a good engineered floor and area rugs might be worth looking into. Installation of many of the nicer engineered floor systems are within the capabilities of competent diyers willing to learn.
> 
> Back to carpeting. Three things I have learned through the years.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tips. :thumbup:


----------



## SingleGuy (Feb 13, 2012)

Two Knots said:


> I agree anything but w to w carpeting. In seven years you'll be looking to
> do it again, and that would cost more than a wood floor.
> 
> Are you handy? You could do it yourself. We installed real oak flooring
> ...


I agree with the longevity of carpet. What I'm replacing is only 6 or 7 years old and it's horrible ( previous owners didn't take care of it ). I'm fairly handy. However, my walls aren't completely square and I'm afraid that no matter what I do, everything will look 'off'  I laid the hardwood down in my ex-wife's house when we first moved in it and it looks very good and it only took us about 3 or 4 days I think. In my new house however, it's a bit more complex since I have stairs leading up to the proposed new flooring and plan to also lay tile in a joining kitchen area that might make it more complicated for me to do solo. I'd certainly love the challenge though!

Glad to hear your paint scheme turned out well. It gives me more confidence in doing that myself! I just think it would also alleviate any crooked lines 

All-in-all, when I'm done, it's going to look a million dollars better! Can't wait.


----------



## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

So, singleguy... if you did it before, you can do it again. :thumbup:
Tackle it a room at a time. I prefer the finish on site hardwood.

For the sanding, the new circular sanders are easy to use as opposed to the belt sanders. 

Do some searches on the internet on how to tackle laying
hardwood on 'rooms that are not square.'

We bought a floor nailer at harbor freight for about 129.00...
if you make this purchase, you then can take your time, and tackle a 
room at a time.

Also, think about putting hardwood in the kitchen as well. It's a wonderful
look to have all the floors the same.


----------



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Or quality---not box store---bamboo. Harder than most domestic hardwoods. Strand bamboo harder than most exotic hardwoods. Nails down the same way or you can get it as engineered flooring. Comes in just about any color you can imagine. In theory, it is a renewable resource although over harvesting could change that. It does not take a hundred years of ring growth like growing a tree though.


----------



## SingleGuy (Feb 13, 2012)

sdsester said:


> Or quality---not box store---bamboo. Harder than most domestic hardwoods. Strand bamboo harder than most exotic hardwoods. Nails down the same way or you can get it as engineered flooring. Comes in just about any color you can imagine. In theory, it is a renewable resource although over harvesting could change that. It does not take a hundred years of ring growth like growing a tree though.


That's a great suggestion. I love the look and feel of bamboo.


----------



## SingleGuy (Feb 13, 2012)

Two Knots said:


> So, singleguy... if you did it before, you can do it again. :thumbup:
> Tackle it a room at a time. I prefer the finish on site hardwood.
> 
> For the sanding, the new circular sanders are easy to use as opposed to the belt sanders.
> ...


True. I'm sure I can do it again. Only problem is that my ex-wife's dad helped LOL. Ain't gonna happen again at this point  :huh:

I'll certainly look into Harbor Freight. That's a great price!

I am considering finishing it on site but it's very tempting to just pull it out of the box, lay it, and be done ya know? I've seen much better results with finish-on-site


----------

