From the 60s to the early 2000’s, carpet was the leading floor option for homes. If you’ve purchased a home that was built during that time, it probably has carpet in a lot of places. There tend to be two big issues with that.

Carpet stains and wears down, and even if it’s in good condition, its style can become outdated quickly.

Carpet can’t really be repaired or revitalized. It must be replaced. The question is, do you replace it with carpet? Or do you get rid of the carpet altogether and go with a stylized hard floor?

If there’s a wood floor in good condition hidden under your carpet, it might be worth keeping that. If it’s concrete, however, you can stain and style it rather than placing a new layer of carpet over it.

Why would you want to do that? Let’s look at some of the differences between carpet and stained concrete.

Colors and Patterns

There are a lot of carpet options out there. There are different colors, patterns, materials, thickness, etc. But your options are limited by what stores are selling, and fancier carpets can get very expensive. Traditional carpet, meanwhile, kind of looks the same outside of color.

Stained concrete, on the other hand, provides truly unlimited options. Colors can be combined and patterned in infinite ways to create a floor that’s truly unique to you. It can also be utilized to mimic different material types including stone, tile, wood, and more.

Durability

As we mentioned before, carpet isn’t known to be highly durable. The more you walk on it, the quicker it wears down. It tends to show heavy trafficked areas, as well as places where furniture once sat. It stains and needs to be shampooed to truly be cleaned.

And of course, there’s the issue with it going out of style.

Stained concrete, on the other hand, is highly durable, and its appearance is timeless. Unlike concrete paint, stain penetrates the surface of the concrete, making it long lasting. You can also add a sealant or coating on top of it to increase durability, making it water and stain resistant while locking in the color.

Cost

Determining the actual cost of either of these options is a little tricky. On a basic level, stained concrete can run quite a bit cheaper than carpet, assuming there is already concrete in place. Carpet itself can have dramatically different price points.

As for stained concrete, prices can vary depending on complexity of style, finishing methods, and additional flourishes such as concrete stamping.

Comfort

This is one area where carpet is a pretty clear winner. Stained concrete cannot compare to the physical softness of carpet and carpet padding. There are areas where carpet is best utilized, such as a child’s bedroom or a play area.

However, you can easily add thick rugs to concrete flooring, adding an additional style while increasing comfort. Also, with concrete, you can have heated floors in places like bathrooms. This has been a popular trend in modern homes.

Using a Professional for Concrete Staining

Most people utilize professionals to install carpet, and we would definitely recommend doing the same for concrete staining. If staining is done incorrectly, you could end up with uneven coloring, chipping, and more.

Fixing a bad stain job is a lot of extra work and money that you don’t want to bother with.

Whether you need basic staining and sealing, or you’re looking for stamped concrete in Ohio, Select Flooring Systems has you covered. Contact us today!