Carpet and Carpet Padding/Bamboo

[huskermommy]

Just wondering is anybody had any advice for us!

We're completely redoing Ethan's room and we need to replace the carpet. Looking for opinions on carpet choices (berber, freize... Shaw, Mohawk) and of course padding (rubber??) or maybe even some bamboo hardwood and what your experiences were. Any thoughts??

THANKS!!

[MissAnnThrope]

I want some bamboo really bad. It is so nice. I asked th guy at Home Depot and he said that padding will need to be used under it. I'm trying to hold out for laminate bamboo. $1500 for less than 400sqft with out padding.. I'm going to be waiting for a while.

[Marsupialmom]

Anything but carpet and padding. It takes more work to clean. Needs to be replaced more often. Collects mold, dust, and dirt. Go with an area rug.

If you have to have carpet I wouldn't go with berber. Berber can snag. I have seen kids accidently snag it. Frieze is popular but I hate it. It reminds me of shag. Plus I don't think you could ever get Legos out of it...........ok I could never get all of my son's Legos.

Are you or your partner handy? You can do many floorings yourself.

[huskermommy]

Yeah, we could possibly do it ourselves except neither one of us are experienced so I have no idea what I'm doing lol!!

As for the bamboo, I never heard of padding underneath but I could see why. Sooo pricy! Here's a site I was looking at before I posted...http://www.becklerscarpet.com/bamboo_flooring.php I don't know why they have it so cheap... The actual Shaw site says something like $7-8.00 persqft.

[huskermommy]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Because it's their companies bamboo, not Shaw's.

[huskermommy]

What's the deal with laminate flooring?

[Marsupialmom]

Floating floors like bamboo and laminates have this foam underlayment (padding) it if for moisture protection and sound deading. Dupont real touch has it already attached. In some aplications you will need plastic under it (Slab houses or basements)

You roll it out. Use a little packing tape to help keep it together. Then you are done with that.

Many hardware stores have books and the such on how to do it. I know Home Depot has a pretty good one.

Laminate has this composited material with a picture (sometimes texture) on it. Then they put alumiun oxide on it making it more scratch reasistant that real hardwood floors. It is an easy snap and click installation. At any opening less than 48" you need some type of transition strip so the floor can float.

With any type of flooring before you start the process figure out how you are going to finish it and what type of transistions you will need.

Also USE FELT PADS. We constinantly here XYZ scratched by floor that is why I don't like that product. All woods, laminates, and bamboo recommend using.

Also if you do laminate of bamboo get silicon caulking for the 1/4 gab. This protects from moisture getting underneath it.

[huskermommy]

Are there any downfalls to laminate? I'm assuming it's cheaper, right?