Area Rug Or Carpet: Which One Does Your Heart Desire?
Carpets and area rugs are two most well sought home decorations, but do you really know the difference between these two? Read on to find out.
Area rugs and carpets differ primarily in size. The former can be small or large pieces but still considerably slighter than carpets. Carpets cover the entire floor, that’s why there is the term “wall-to-wall carpeting.” Area rugs on the other hand, only cover a certain space. Area rugs are not secured firmly on the floor while carpets are held in place with carpet nails. You can break dance on a carpet all you want and it won’t budge a bit. Let us weigh some more differences between these two floor coverings.
Area rugs have more variety than carpets because of the choices in size, color, design, pattern, shape and material. Carpets are always huge and long for maximum coverage on the floor, the texture is practically the same, the shape is rectangular, there is no pattern as carpets are mostly in monotone colors and therefore, has limited choices in the rainbow category. Carpets are usually in neutral and dark colors. Furthermore, area rugs are transportable, easy to maintain and can be changed or removed in an instant. To these three, carpets are not. They are more permanent and require major work to have them removed.
Price – this one is relative based primarily on the kind of carpet or area rug. There are rugs that more expensive or more affordable than carpets, and vice-versa. Area rugs that are made of authentic materials, handmade and manufactured in the native country, such as Persian rugs from Iran, are more costly than imitations, machine-made and synthetic ones. Softer and more luxurious carpets are obviously pricier than less thicker ones. You can find carpets and area rugs with almost the same price range or miles long apart. It’s just about how much you’re willing to spend and on which floor covering. The rates can be as different or just the same.
Texture – area rugs differ in texture as they differ in materials. Cotton and wool fabrics are softer. Carpets’ too vary. Some are more luxurious than others are while some may have fine textile but can be a bit coarse to the touch. We know however, that we can step barefoot on both coverings and our feet will be cushioned well enough.
Cleaning a carpet though can be more tedious than just vacuuming or brushing, especially if you’re very particular about your chores. After all, you’re just dusting off the surface and not the floor underneath. To do so requires you to pull up the carpet and remove the padding, and that takes some amount of strength as carpets are quite heavy. Another downside is when it accidentally gets wet, like when there’s a flood, a leak from the ceiling or when your kids decide to spray it with water. It’s not that easy to hang the carpet on your front porch, as you would do with an area rug. You can’t just let it dry either. You really have to take it off to be washed and dried properly. In a worse case scenario such as flooding, you will need a new carpet altogether and disinfect the floor before installing it. Water, especially the filthy one can cause molds and mildews to grow under the carpet and that is very dangerous for your health. Plus, it’s disgusting to have fungi growing right in your living room!
Laying down the pros and cons of carpets and area rugs will hopefully give you a better idea which floor decoration suits your lifestyle, home interior and personal style. I hope this article enlightened you on which floor covering is perfect for your home.
