Benefits of Installing Carpet in Your Home

1. Carpet is cost-effective

When comparing the cost of different floor coverings, carpet almost always comes out cheapest, this is due to the relative ease of installation when compared to the preparation costs of sheet vinyl and hard flooring as well as the lower costs of materials. To fully replace an entry level residential carpet is around $50 a square meter, which includes uplifting the old carpet and installing new carpet & underlay. For a product like sheet vinyl you’re looking at closer to $100 per square metre which includes the preparation and installation of an entry level vinyl.

2. Carpet Adds Comfort To Your Home

Floors without sufficient insulation can account for between 10%- 20% of heat lost in a home. Carpet and underlay act as insulation to keep your home warmer and dryer due to its thermal resistance rating (R-Value), the insulation value of having carpet installed can be up to 10 times higher than hard floor coverings like timber or vinyl, keeping you warmer during cold winters while keeping your electricity bill down. Opting for carpet over other floor coverings gives you unmatched comfort, you don’t hear of people wanting to sleep on their newly installed tiles but with a soft carpet and thick underlay you’ll want to do just that.  

3. Softens Slips And Falls

Carpet is a great idea if you have children or elderly living in your home. In 2018 falling over was the most common injury in New Zealand and falls made up over 60% of all ACC claims in the 85+ age group, having carpet installed in the family home reduces the likelihood of people slipping over when compared to tiles or wooden floors, and if an accident does happen the impact is lessened by the carpet and underlay. If you care for an elderly relative or someone who needs wheelchair access there is even a special underlay we can install which allows the wheels to move over carpet easily whilst still adding that extra layer of protection for falls.

4. Carpet reduces noise levels by absorbing sound

Carpet is one of the best ways to reduce sound levels in a home and the only way to eliminate the noise produced by sudden impacts like dropped objects and loud foot traffic (especially heels!).

Carpet absorbs sound and dampens reverberations, this helps to reduce echoes and lower the overall ambient noise in the room making tv’s and sound systems sound clearer, it also makes it a lot easier to hear the other person when making phone calls as those working from home in a room with hard flooring will know. A timber floor has a noise reduction coefficient of around 0.09 as opposed to carpet installed over underlay which has a coefficient of around 0.65 which means the carpet absorbs approximately 65% of noise in the room!

Reducing the sound of foot traffic is especially beneficial in multi-level dwellings where excessive noise can be detrimental to those living in the floors below you, one of the best ways to even further mitigate this issue is using sound dampening underlay, we use Dunlop 12mm ‘Quietred’ underlay which has been specifically designed for its acoustic properties.

Having that extra layer of noise absorption makes it easier for you to sleep, work or relax in peace and quiet.  

5. Carpet enhances indoor air quality 

Almost all modern carpets are anti-allergenic as they resist mould & mildew making your home dryer and healthier. The construction of carpet helps to function as a filter, the high surface area of the fibres acts like a sink for dust and pollen and with proper maintenance and regular vacuuming your carpet will keep them out of the air you breathe.

Wool carpet is widely noted for its effect on indoor air quality, studies have shown that the fibres in a wool carpet will absorb some harmful molecules in the air and won’t re-release them even when heated. Another prominent feature of wool is its regulating effect on the environment in your home, wool fibres will absorb moisture out of the air which reduces the potential for respiratory illness, in the warm, dry summer months it will release this moisture which cools the air in your home.