Area Rug or Carpet? Which is Best for Your Home?

We sit, walk, stand, and sometimes sleep on the floor in our homes. So, floor coverings have not always been for beautification purposes only. They also offer protection, comfort, cushion where and when necessary in our apartments. However, one question many homeowners seem to always ask is “area rug or carpet?”

The debate between carpets and area rugs is a very tricky one that’s been ongoing for ages. Homeowners, from time to time, have always had to choose between the two.

Whether it is just a change of your floor covering or a complete makeover for your apartment, the decision to choose between carpets or rugs may be the biggest you have to make.

However, knowing their differences and similarities will help you choose either a catchy area rug and or a unique wall-to-wall carpet.

Let's get to it.

Similarities between Carpets and Area Rugs

Area rugs and wall-to-wall carpets have so many things in common. That is the primary reason people often get them mixed-up.  Besides being used as interior rugs to beautify and make any space more appealing, carpets and area rugs have other similar functions and characteristics. Here are a few:

Both Serve as Floor Coverings – Carpets and area rugs are used as a floor covering to protect the floor in our homes and provide warmth and soft cushion for our feet.

Carpets and Area Rugs Improve Home Decoration – We often use carpets and rugs to improve the interior decoration in our homes. Indoor rugs have some amusing and stunning features that make them almost indispensable in home décor.

Carpets and Area Rugs Provide Comfort –  The lushness and fluffy feel of area rugs and wall-to-wall carpets on your feet as you step out of bed or move around the house or s everything!!!

Carpets and Area Rugs Serve as Insulators - Indoor rugs provide insulation and also keep you warm, especially in cold weather.

Differences between Carpets and  Area Rugs

Carpets and area rugs have been misunderstood and used interchangeably for decades. Even though they serve a similar purpose (floor covering), carpets and rugs do not mean the same thing. They defer slightly in their functionality and appearance.

Digging further…

Area Rugs

Rugs, area rugs inclusive, are usually made with hand or machine woven materials. They are used to cover and beautify the floor but do not extend over the entire floor space nor attached to the floor.

It is almost impossible to deny the elegance of an antique Persian rug or the coziness of a fluffy woolen rug. Interior rugs are like a chameleon and can blend into almost any type of home decoration while also not losing themselves in the process. Rugs are portable and are easy to move from one place to another.

Pros of Area Rugs

For centuries, Area rugs have been used to cover floors and beautify the home. Area rugs create a feeling of class, elegance, and sophistication that you hardly get from carpets.

• Area rugs are very easy to install, clean, maintain, and remove, even though they are made with different materials.
• They help to define spaces such as the dining area, conversation area, etc.
• Area rugs can help to lighten and bring a dull room to life.
• A perfect instance is the beautiful patterns found on the Luxe Weavers Avalon Area Rug collection.

• They can act as complementary aesthetics or centerpieces in home decorations.
• Area rugs come in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and designs which make them very versatile.
• They can help to switch the tone and style in a room and make it more visually appealing.
• Area rugs are portable. Transporting them is easy.

Cons of Area Rugs

While area rugs can perform magic and make rooms look and feel cozy, they're not without flaws.

• Rugs are not usually pinned down like carpets. Hence, they tend to slide and move around. That may get people injured easily, especially kids and older folks.
• Area rugs do not unify spaces as much as wall-to-wall bedroom carpet.
• If you'd love to walk your entire room barefooted without experiencing the sudden flinching of walking on a cold hard floor, a unique wall-to-wall carpet is better.

Carpets

Carpets are defined as wall-to-wall floor covering made of heavy tufted or woven fabrics that extends over the entire floor space and is secured in place by a tacking strip or glue.

The best wall-to-wall carpets offer warmth, soft cushioning, and slip or trip resistance to the feet when installed at home. Several beautiful and unique wall-to-wall carpets have been in use for decades in the Pacific Northwest and other parts of the world.

In recent times, the use of carpets as a floor covering has been questioned due to the resurgence of hardwood flooring. However, they are still popular due to their ability to keep a home cozy and unified.

Pros of Carpets

Wall-to-wall carpets are beautiful, bold, and come in a variety of colors, and styles. Carpets remain the most popular form of floor covering. Here are some of the benefits attached to their continual usage.

• Carpets are usually tacked, glued, or cemented to the floor. They are also underlaid with cushion padding to increase softness. This makes them slip and trip resistant, as well as an excellent choice for kids and old adults.
• A unique wall-to-wall carpet can be used to create unity between the different styles, designs, and color schemes in a room.
• Wall to wall bedroom carpets keeps the entire floor covered. You need not worry about cold toes when you get off your bed in the morning.
• The best wall-to-wall carpets are often found in neutral colors, allowing them to be used in conjunction with a wide variety of color schemes.

Cons of Carpets

While carpets can be very warm, comfortable, and beautiful, they also give homeowners many things to worry about. Here are some.

• Carpets are usually difficult and expensive to install, clean, and maintain.
• Carpets often get worn in places that experience high foot traffic, which means homeowners would have to replace the whole section or unit of the carpets.
• A high level of gassing by carpets is another reason why most people avoid them.
• Carpets can’t withstand high humidity as they tend to trap moisture which may cause mold formation and release of toxic mycotoxin into the air.
• Carpets are not a good choice for people with allergies, as dust and dust mites can accumulate in the fabric, contributing to allergy symptoms.
• The glue, cement, or tacking used in securing carpets to the floor can cause damage to a hardwood floor.

Final Note

The decision to use either an area rug or carpet for your space may not be straightforward. However, considering the respective pros and cons, you should be able to determine the one that suits your need, budget, and home decor goals.