Is your carpet looking a little grimy or your hardwood looking a little lackluster? If so, it may be time to replace your kitchen flooring. Read on to learn about when to replace floors in your home.
Are your floors looking a little worse for wear? Do you not know the last time they were replaced? Those are reasons to replace floors.
There is a multitude of other reasons as well, some more specific than others. Some are obvious, like ugly colors and patterns and some more subtle.
Did you know outdated carpet could give you allergies? That’s right! Learn when to replace floors in the post below.
1. Outdated Colors and Patterns
Colored carpet and linoleum have been out for a while. The bright colors popular thirty years ago have faded and look stuck in the past.
If you’ve ever been house hunting and seen a house with bad floors, what do you call it going forward? The green carpet house or the ugly kitchen floor house.
That’s not how you want people to remember your home!
It’s not adding character to your home unless you have vintage hardwood floors in good condition. That’s one time we don’t recommend you replace floors, refinish them instead.
2. Cracks
A crack in your tile (unless you saw the cause) is a sign that things are getting weak. Cracks can cut your feet, cause more cracks and even lead to insect problems.
Bugs love these tiny, hidden, dark cracks to breed and live in. Don’t give them the home of their dreams in the home of yours!
If you notice one crack or a small area with cracking, start putting money aside for a new floor.
The next set of cracks will tell you when it’s time to replace your floors.
3. Ceiling Leaks
If there’s a water spot on the ceiling below a room with older floors, the two could be related.
Water damage under the surface of your floors can leak.
Along with making an ugly mark on your ceiling, water damage under your flooring hurts the structure of your home. The wood beams between the levels of your home need to stay dry.
In this case, you’ll want to call a water leak company or restoration specialist to find the root of the problem. They’ll let you know if the floor or sub-flooring is still in good condition.
Never ignore a leak!
4. Badly Stained Grout
There are all sorts of chemicals you can try to clean nasty, black grout. They’re strong bleach-type chemicals and not a healthy thing to bring into your house.
Sometimes you can try everything to remove these stains but nothing works. That’s when it’s time to replace your tile, grout and all.
Depending on the climate you live in, the gunk on the grout could be mold or mildew. It’s unattractive to potential buyers and gives the room a dirty feeling.
You know how your kitchen always looks so much cleaner all over when you clean your floors?
Getting new grout and tiles is like that on an even bigger scale.
5. Your Floor or Carpet is Peeling
Linoleum peels up when it’s old or when they’re moisture under the surface. It can also crack and bubble. All these are signs it’s time for a replacement.
If you’re lucky and the pattern is simple, you can have the floor restoration company find an exact match and only fix the problem area. Most of us aren’t that lucky.
The good thing about linoleum is that it’s cheap, as flooring options go. Don’t let the word linoleum bring you back to cheap shiny plastic floors of the eighties.
The advanced and quality linoleum options available now will blow your mind! You can get convincing wood-grain patterns, tile looks, or a beautiful matte finish. Read more here.
6. Your Allergies are Terrible
If you have old carpets and have pets, the dust and pet hair buildup could be hurting your sinuses. Even if the people before you had pets and you don’t, you could still be on the hook.
There’s a certain level you can’t vacuum away and vacuuming can bring microparticles into the air. The microparticles get into your sinuses and can make the allergies worse.
Once your carpet’s reached this point, it’s better for everyone to replace it. When you pick your new flooring, go for something hard if you want it to collect the least dust.
If you still want carpet, pick something with a low pile or a kind that’s made for people with allergies. Certain carpet fabric collects less than others, ask the floor specialist which option is the best for you.
7. Carpet Seams or Rips
You shouldn’t see the carpet tacks and the seams where they hit walls should be invisible. If you’re starting to see your carpet pull away from the wall, it’s time to replace it.
If you’re at this point, the damage to the carpet is already done. Dust and dirt can get under the carpet and you’ll never get the floor truly clean.
Plus, if it gets bad enough it can lead to folds or slips, which are dangerous for your family.
When to Replace Floors
If you have any of the issues on this list, it’s time to explore your options for floor replacement.
When people don’t replace floors, it makes the problem worse and more overwhelming when they finally deal with it.
Start looking at floor options before it gets worse and if you need to, start saving at the first sign of damage.
That way you’ll have the resources you need when the damage advances.
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