Linda Giovanniello

Home décor fashion changes just like clothing fashion changes:  things come in and go out of style and when they come back typically they've improved.  This applies to not only the style, colour and materials.  Probably one of the most affected areas in home décor is floor treatment.

Carpet (by carpet, I mean wall-to-wall installation) became popular mostly because of its comfort.  In the winter, it's warm and especially children liked to sit on the floor in front of the TV - which at the time was likely on the floor as well.  It became less popular as time proved it difficult to maintain as well as knowledge that it was never really clean.  Those of you with allergies know what I mean.  Thirty years ago, my doctor told me that if I wanted to improve my allergy symptoms I would get rid of any wall-to-wall carpet.  In addition, hardwood was expensive and alternative manmade hard surfaces were not appealing.  So, carpet was mainstream for years.

Today, almost any alternative to carpeting is more attractive to home buyers.  There are so many choices: hardwood, softwood, the 'green' bamboo, laminates, ceramic, slate, treated cement (yes!) and the newer manmade floors made of rubber. 

If you're considering putting your home on the market, pull up that awful carpeting and finish the floor with another alternative!  It will serve you well in both price and time on market - you won't be disappointed.