Yes, this carpeting is 29 years old in July of this year. It is the original carpeting that the builder put in and it was the best thing we chose when we selected options for our new town home those many years ago.
Many vendors who have passed down this hallway (carpet installers and professional carpet steam cleaners) have told us this is excellent carpeting ... that you can't buy this quality carpet today no matter how expensive you go because carpet manufacturers don't want you to have carpet that lasts 30+ years!! Planned obsolesces, they call it.
It is silly, but I get attached to "things" - things that have served me well and that I have owned and used for a long time. And this stupid carpet is one of those "things." I didn't shed any tears when we replaced the xyz things (refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, front door, glass door sliders, storm door, washer/dryer, water heater, roofing, deck, bathroom flooring, toilets, bathroom sinks, furniture ... it is an extensive list ), but for some crazy reason, pulling the carpet out makes me a little sad.
But everything wears out and this carpet is ready to go to "carpet heaven." After all, it has been walked on, run on, spilled on, peed on, vomited on - you name it ... it has happened. Even red wine. It all came out - there is not one visable stain or wear path, but I can't get it really clean any more ... down below the rug surface into the pad where it really counts, and on humid days ... well, you get the idea.
The replacement?? ... No more rug for us. Hard wood floors! And it will be a dirty, noisy, intrusive job for about 2 days. Upstairs hall way, two and half flights of stairs and the first floor area - all hard wood. No more hidden areas I can't clean.
And when they complete the flooring job, we are contracting to paint about 60% of the interior of the townhouse. So the *#@%$ "fun" will just continue. But it has been almost 20 years since we painted and that is also long over due too. May as well get all the pain out of the way at one time!
I feel pressured to move forward with these jobs ... they are well passed due by many years and I now have this window of time without a mom-related emergency. Really, for the last 7 or 8 years I stalled at doing anything ... couldn't handle "just one more thing, don't want to disturb mom, too tied up with her assisted living care, need to focus on nursing home transition, etc. etc. etc."
But now the environment of my house is causing me stress and it is a problem I can do something about.
All I need to do is write the check!
Oh, yes, the check! There is another stressor! These folks don't work for free. But no matter. It has to be done.
We are doing it this summer!
And I will be joyful at the end! :-)
18 comments:
Oh how exciting. Don't get stressed, just enjoy your new floor and walls. It is going to be wonderful. I love redecorating!!
You will love hardwood, we have it all over the house now. Installation wasn't bad but the clearing the rooms and then back out again took awhile. Well worth it in the end. All part of getting your own life under control again in many ways.
Repeat after me (courtesy of my mom's training): "I can handle anything for one summer."
I'm SURE it will be worth it!
I don't have the knack for redecorating. I always seem to make the wrong choices. So this time when everything is fresh - including the walls, I will take my time decorating, Most of what is on the walls now won't be there again. I am going with the minimalist approach this time. Less is more.
I have never had hardwood floors so this will all be new for me. It is getting to the end result that I don't look forward to.
hahaha! Moms are so wise. Did she have any words of wisdom regarding unnatural attachments to old smelly 30 year old carpeting? :-)
Always exciting to do some reno's/redecorating....remember, we'll be waiting for photos..before and afters.
Ahh, yes, the before and after pictures. I should take a few right now before I start dismantling everything. :-)
The first thing we did when we bought this house in 2003 was to rip out the carpets. I was seriously allergic to them. The underlay had turned into a fine dust that was probably puffing up into the air as we walked. Our wooden floors are much easier to clean and still look good.
Yes, I am looking forward to easier cleaning. Right now to clean I must use my steam cleaner and I just don't think it does a complete job.
You will absolutely LOVE hardwood flooring. It's so beautiful and gives a warm. feeling to your home. I guarantee you will get many compliments!
I think you will like the hardwood floors. I'd like to do that to this house, though I like carpeting in the bedrooms. It must be nice to have someone come in and do it for you.
We always have to do EVERYTHING ourselves!!! : )
I so want to do what you are doing . . . all wood floors throughout . . .
I am sure you will love it . . .
and I will continue to save my pennies . . .
Well, down the road if it helps sell the house, that would be good too.
And we do NOTHING ourselves. We are the most unhandy people you have ever met. My husband likes to say that he is "checkbook man." :-) At least you guys save a lot of money.
Well, although we were happy with the carpeting for many years, I am now ready to be free of it. And we are sort of backed into a corner now to change it.
Your hard wood floor will be gorgeous, and definitely more clean than carpet (less of a home for dust, pollen, etc.) and then to have your home interior painted, great idea. I would like to do that.
I'm so excited for you. I do love a good makeover! We had an awful "cat 3" sewage back up a few months ago and had to go through the drying out process, the cutting out of the walls and cabinets and then replacing floors, walls, paint, cabinets, baseboards - all with mom in the house. It made me way more nuts than it made her. And everything is beautiful now! Good luck - post pictures!
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