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Silly question about carpet and cats

post #1 of 28
7/15/11 at 4:29am
Thread Starter 
We have just conditionally purchased our first home!

The carpet needs to be changed upstairs because the colour is ugly.

Is there any type of carpet that either stands up better to cat claws, OR carpet that cats aren't as attracted to?

We cut her claws but it's not enough, she destroys everything and I am worried if we get new carpet for $4000 she will ruin it and then we'll have no choice but to kill her

(We have considered hardwood/laminate, but it's more expensive)

Any input appreciated!
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post #2 of 28
7/15/11 at 4:44am
I don't know of any type of carpet that's better, but I can tell you that Berber-type-loopy pile carpet just gets their claws caught in it. I have laminate, with area rugs, and once had a Berber rug. Never again. Also, those loops tend to un-ravel, and get wound around the vacuum cleaner head.

I'd really recommend laminate, which is what I used to replace the carpet in our house. I found that decent laminate was the same price or cheaper than mid-range carpet (though we did install it ourselves, so that kept the price down). It's easy-care, pet messes don't seep through it, and retain the odor (atleast with cats--large dogs may be another story!). Also, laminate usually has a 20-25 year warranty on it--carpet doesn't (?), and will outlast at least one more re-carpeting, so I think it may be cheaper in the long run.

Cons: you can't dump a lot of moisture on it, such as a bucket of water (I Swiffer mine, or use a slightly-damp mop). This is really no problem, though. I only had a slight problem when DH dumped a huge load of wet reenacting gear in the foyer--the edges of the planks got a tiny bit raised up.

Also, it does ding rather easily, but just don't drag furniture across it, and drop sharp objects onto it.

Congratulations on your new house!!! How exciting!!!!
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post #3 of 28
7/15/11 at 4:44am
Congratulations, Nat!

I'm afraid I can't help with carpet, because we have laminate in the bedrooms and parquet in the upstairs hallway, and IMO it's worth the extra price. You don't have to worry about damage, upchucked hairballs or shampooing, and you save on electricity because it's so much faster to vacuum the floors. A quick once-over with a broom is enough for in-between (Jamie's litter box is upstairs). I steam-clean once a week, but mopping would work,too, as long as you don't get the floor too wet. Ours has been in for almost 20 years, and we have maybe four scratches and two dings that aren't noticeable.
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post #4 of 28
7/15/11 at 4:59am
I'm with Tricia!!. Laminate is slightly more expensive, but it's the best thing i've had put down. I'll never have carpet again apart from the stairs

The cat hair at the moment with the heat is terrible, but a quick swiff around and it's gone in minutes. It's much better if they sick a furball up as well, because if you have a beige or cream plain carpet it's not good!!
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post #5 of 28
7/15/11 at 5:24am
Don't get a berber style carpet with the loops kind of visible as they seem to like sharpening their claws a bit on those types.

Did the home have pets before? Either way before the new carpet is laid (BTW never look at the back of carpeting after you pull it up as you will see all sorts of rings from prior stains) buy a can either a qt of gallon of water based clear polyurethane and paint a 12" strip around the perimeter of each room you are recarpeting. If there had been cats in the house they would pee at the perimeter and the polyurethane will block any odors. You can also buy odor or stain repellant padding for under the carpeting which is a bit more expensive but worth it for and human/pet accidents.
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post #6 of 28
7/15/11 at 6:18am
I agree with the laminate.... you dont want to have to pay to have carpet installed again because of carpet damage.

Berber actually worked better for me than regular carpet. Yes it did ravel some, but I could just cut that part off or the vacuum will pull it. There was an area of the carpet I had replaced (because the vacuum pulled too much) that was easier to camouflage the added piece with the berber (clipping nails are vital with berber) . Regular carpet has been horrible for me.

Congratulations on the new home
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post #7 of 28
7/15/11 at 6:27am
Living in an condo and renting I had no choice on carpets so I bought one of those cheap little carpet rugs and put it in front of the balcony doors. Bijou scratches on that and never touches the main carpet. I think I may had just gotten lucky there.

I agree with Trish and Susan - the laminate may cost more up front but I think you'll be much happier in the long term and it will pay off. I think if we all knew what "stuff" is hidden in our carpets, we would never have them and we would never let a child lay on the floor.
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post #8 of 28
7/15/11 at 9:37am
The apartment we lived in had berber carpets and I HATED that stuff! It never seemed to come clean, and it didnt feel that good! If I have carpet I want the super plush kind! LOL!
Honestly I would spend the extra money and put down hardwoods or laminate. If you and hubby are slightly handy you can do hardwoords yourself. Its not that hard! (I learned to do it when I was 12 lol!) Still no how and have helped do a few more houses since! The value in hardwoods and laminate is there when you sell the house. They dont need to be replaced like carpets do, and they still look great years down the road! And honestly I prefer hardwoods that have some wear and tear on them! Makes the house seem more homey!
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post #9 of 28
7/15/11 at 10:01am
Congratulations on the house!! I hope everything goes smoothly with the inspections and the loan. We closed on our first house, gosh, I think it was a year ago yesterday maybe? It's about a year ago. (I know, how can i forget the day? I know we did the big move July 31 though.) Some friends who we used to live close to are also buying their first house, just a half mile away from us too. Exciting times!

Anyway, we only have carpet in the bedrooms, it's pretty old, I want to say 'regular' carpet? The cat's don't bother that. The rest of the house is hardwood floors, and I bought a $30 area rug from Kmart for the living room to add a bit of color. It's berber, and Genever scratches that ALL THE TIME. Besides just scratching it, she'll lie down, stretch out her front legs, dig in with her claws, and pull herself around the rug. It's hilarious. I don't even try to stop her anymore, because she won't, and because it was a cheap carpet. I cut off the pulled loops now and then, and it's still looking ok after 3 months, but I can't see it lasting more than a year.

So, no suggestions really except not berber. I agree, non-carpeted floors are much easier to keep clean. But if you really want carpet, maybe ask flooring people what they know and what they've heard from cat owners?
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post #10 of 28
7/15/11 at 10:38am
I'd give the ugly carpet a good steam cleaning, and then simply live with it until you save up enough for the flooring of your dreams. Rarely is your first home "move in perfect/ ready" and living with something ugly (which you will find endearing years later) is part of the process!

Congrats on the new home! I watch home shows and know buying a home in Canada is no small feat!!!!
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post #11 of 28
7/15/11 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires View Post
Rarely is your first home "move in perfect/ ready" and living with something ugly (which you will find endearing years later) is part of the process!
This is true! Our master bath is PINK. Pink double sinks, pink tub, pink toilet. And the ugly pink carpeting of the bedrooms extends into the bathroom too. Also the light fixtures are pretty gaudy, I'm not sure if it's more 'old lady' or more 'brothel'... haha. Anyway, we hated it and thought it was the ugliest room ever, but now both BF and I love it, we love its uniqueness and the tub is far superior to the white one in the other bathroom.
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post #12 of 28
7/15/11 at 1:08pm
Laminate, Hardwood, or Tile are gonna be the safest choices for your money! (You could find a nice plush rug at a place like Costco or Sam's Club at a reasonable price if you decide you want something soft down and have one of those stores near you!)

My oldest sister's husband builds custom homes and he gets a ton of his supplies from places like "Lumber Liquidator's" and other wholesale flooring places at a really low price; you should look into it! I know it's different in Canada, but I'd be willing to bet that if you shopped around different wholesalers, you can find a good deal (not every place requires you to have a tax ID number/business number to gain access, so you should definitely look around and try to find a discounted flooring place that will offer you a good price!).

I honestly think you're going to be throwing your money away if you buy a new carpet knowing that she will shred it. Better to invest a little bit more at the front end and have your investment last you a while! I also think it'd be better on allergies and cleaning as well.
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post #13 of 28
7/15/11 at 1:50pm
The professionals can show you various cat-safe options. The twist and looped ones can potentially snag nails, or be attractive for scratching.

There are health benefits and downsides to hard flooring.

Most carpets outgas for quite some time, they harbor a lot of dust mites, it is less durable, its harder to clean, edges can fray, and the resale value is typically reduced since it ages and stains with time.

It is usually less expensive though, its much healthier for your feet as there is less abrasion and nice padding (you will find that if you have a all hardfloor house you should wear slippers else your feet will try out and initially also hurt), it reduces noise while walking making it attractive for second floors, and it reduces echo in rooms.

For a home with pets, I am definitely on the hardfloor fence, as accidents are so much easier to clean and vacuuming is a breeze.
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post #14 of 28
7/15/11 at 2:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires View Post
I'd give the ugly carpet a good steam cleaning, and then simply live with it until you save up enough for the flooring of your dreams. Rarely is your first home "move in perfect/ ready" and living with something ugly (which you will find endearing years later) is part of the process!
Having helped w/ the renovation of my parents home, you will save yourself tremendous headache if you get the things fixed you want to fix BEFORE you move in.

Removing carpet produces prodigious amounts of dust in the process, and moving heavy furniture is no easy feat, and the more you do it the more you open yourself up for possibility of damaging furniture and walls in the process of trying to get through doorways and hallways. An empty house will be much easier to work on, and I would recommend painting all the walls to your liking as well, otherwise chances are very good you'll just end up living with it due to the hassle.
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post #15 of 28
7/16/11 at 6:27am
well done on your new place

I am with the laminate gang so much easyer than carpet and just a bit warmer than tiles. At the farm we have a tiled floors downstairs and hardwood with rugs upstairs, but in my vacation rental I have laminate, its hard wearing, looks good and is easy to keep clean and it can cope with cats and large dogs.
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post #16 of 28
7/16/11 at 6:46am
Thread Starter 
I do feel like I want hardwood or laminate now...now to convince DH.

He loves the ugly green carpet and I hate it...what to do?!!?
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post #17 of 28
7/16/11 at 7:02am
Renovating after living in a space is a short term hassle, and the installers do most of the work. You just need to do the follow up cleaning. It's actually a good opportunity to sort through your belongings!

I had my ENTIRE house done in hardwood three years ago. It was messy, but nothing that a good cleaning didn't fix. And since the installers didn't do the downstairs correctly, we are in the midst of having that redone! Again, inconvenient, but nothing terrible.

Perhaps you could compromise and just do the master bedroom for now, and then the other rooms as you have the money. You would have the laminate in "your" space and dh would still have some of "his" green carpet!
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post #18 of 28
7/16/11 at 7:32am
I agree that if it's at all possible, have the flooring replaced before you move in - preferrably with laminate or engineered wood, if not real hardwood. You can always get area rugs. Looking back, I wish I'd had the money to do that when I moved and I didn't even have kitties then.

That said, if new carpeting is what you decide on, again, if possible, get it replaced before you move, and consult with carpeting specialists if you have them where you live, in addition to the big box stores. Carpeting has gotten somewhat more 'green' over the years, and some types of carpeting do work better with pets and kids. Or may consider FLOR carpet squares - then you can replace squares as needed. And invest in a good vacuum! And just know that accidents (pet and human) will happen - love is more important than perfect carpet, is what I've learned. I think I'd honestly have the old stuff cleaned and see if you can live with it while you save up for a hard surface floor, if now is not a good time to put in a new wood floor.

I do agree that no home is ever perfect - and a good steam cleaning can be very helpful. But it will be your home, and that's all that matters.

And congratulations!
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post #19 of 28
7/16/11 at 7:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires View Post
I had my ENTIRE house done in hardwood three years ago. It was messy, but nothing that a good cleaning didn't fix. And since the installers didn't do the downstairs correctly, we are in the midst of having that redone! Again, inconvenient, but nothing terrible.
2 houses ago, I had my hardwood floors resurfaced before we moved in, 1 house ago, I had carpet pulled up in the upstairs and had hardwood floors installed to match the 1st floor, before we moved in. There was dust everywhere.... I had to get professional cleaners to come in and get the dust off from every single surface. When they installed, they even used the machine that is supposed to suck up most of the dust and there was still dust everywhere.

I could not even imagine living there while they were doing the work.
Didn't you have dust problems when they installed?

Quote:
Originally Posted by darlili View Post
Carpeting has gotten somewhat more 'green' over the years, and some types of carpeting do work better with pets and kids. Or may consider FLOR carpet squares - then you can replace squares as needed.
That is an excellent idea...

Quote:
Originally Posted by darlili View Post
And just know that accidents (pet and human) will happen - love is more important than perfect carpet, is what I've learned.
So true
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post #20 of 28
7/16/11 at 8:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trouts mom View Post
I do feel like I want hardwood or laminate now...now to convince DH.

He loves the ugly green carpet and I hate it...what to do?!!?
Maybe compromise? Carpet in the bedrooms and laminate elsewhere? If you get some inexpensive carpet you will have more money for laminate.
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post #21 of 28
7/16/11 at 10:30am
Have we sold you the laminate then Nat?
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post #22 of 28
7/16/11 at 11:19am
My biggest problem with cats and carpet isn't scratching but vomit. Dyes in foods and medicines are hard to get out of a light colored carpet. We just extended the hardwood so all of the downstairs is now hardwood. It is so much easier to clean now.
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post #23 of 28
7/16/11 at 12:00pm
Pets & vomit just seem to go together.
I don't ever want to go back to carpets. We've got an area one (over parquet) in the living room, but that's it apart from some small throw ones under our desk chairs. Cleaning is a lot easier, and my allergies have been so much better since we got rid of the carpeting (which we had to rip out completely after having a very ill dog vomit and bleed on it).
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post #24 of 28
7/16/11 at 12:24pm
Another vote here for laminate! We have carpet, and I hate it with every fiber (heh heh) of my being. To me, carpet makes no sense... why cover your entire floor with something that stubbornly clings to every particle of dirt that touches it? And just imagine never having to deal with a vacuum cleaner again! Ahhhhh.....
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post #25 of 28
7/16/11 at 2:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarolPetunia View Post
And just imagine never having to deal with a vacuum cleaner again! Ahhhhh.....
We have hard (stone tile, parquet and laminate) floors throughout the house, and I vacuum them (with a canister-type vacuum).
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post #26 of 28
7/16/11 at 6:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosiemac View Post
Have we sold you the laminate then Nat?
YES! But Dh is being a butt.
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post #27 of 28
7/16/11 at 7:45pm
I'm going to be the lone voice here... I much prefer carpet! It's less cold in winter, nicer to sit on, nicer for kids to play on, and nicer to walk on. We have carpet through the bedrooms, stairs and living area, tiles in the walkway and kitchen, and laminate in the bathrooms. We have just low pile carpet, and I think it's relatively old (we've been here for 18 months), and it's worn very well. There is no cat damage anywhere, no major stains despite a baby, and all of my mum friends like coming over because they don't have to worry about the kids falling and hurting themselves (they all have tile/wood floors). Until I am done having kids, and they are older, I wouldn't get anything other than a cheaper, low pile carpet.
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post #28 of 28
7/16/11 at 8:19pm
We have carpeting in family room and all the bedrooms (plus the hallway). Ceramic tile in one bathroom and limstone tile in the other too. Hardwood in living room/kitchen/dining area. I think most people living in more northern climates tend to stick with carpeting.
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