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Original poster

How is a bedroom carpet an investment?

46 replies

LynetteScavo · 18/08/2021 15:40

I've been carpet shopping - first store (well known chain) had a wide range of plain carpets, no fancy patterns. It's for DDs bedroom, to replace the carpet DS totally trashed when it was his room (think putting a soldering iron on the carpet etc) and the cats have scratched at the door when DDs fallen asleep with them in there. So my logic is to get a cheapie replacement that I won't weep over if it gets trashed. We chose a few possibilities, all under £20

I then went to an independent local carpet shop, who had some beautiful carpets on display - really lovely patterns, and obviously very high quality.

When I said I'd seen some carpets for around £20 the sales assistant acted completely shocked told me she had no idea what the other shop had showed me, told me their cheapest carpet was £24 and carpet is an investment. She kept insisting carpet is an investment.

How is it an investment?

I don't even like carpet the other bedrooms have painted floorboards

OP posts:
Galassia · 18/08/2021 15:46

A highly quality carpet is an investment but a cheapo carpet under £50 is going to be rubbish and will not wear well so is hardly an investment.

That said, if the carpet is going to be treated badly for a couple of years then a cheap carpet would suffice.

Why don’t you have Lino and a rug?

Wimowehwimowehwimowehwimoweh · 18/08/2021 15:50

An actual carpet big enough for a room for £20?!

I’m not sure investment is the right word but, if you were going to sell, a decent quality carpet that looks good would make the room look nicer than a cheap carpet. A quality carpet would also last many years where as a cheap carpet would need to be replaced a few times in the same time frame.
However, if someone is going to trash it it does make sense to go cheap, although soldering iron in the bedroom doesn’t sound safe!

Brollypackedforscottishholiday · 18/08/2021 15:51

Maybe they meant a magic carpet??

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Home improvement
Ohsugarhoneyicetea · 18/08/2021 16:00

My recent experience of carpet shopping was similar to buying double glazing or conservatory blinds - Id take everything they say with a pinch of salt. There are huge margins to made if they sell them to you. Find a carpet you like by looking at other peoples or ordering samples from manufacturers, and once you have chosen get your trusted local fitter to order it for you directly. Id leave the carpet shop out of it completely, especially national chains. I did this and paid half the price the chain wanted. And the fitter gets paid properly and is accountable for their work. Unlike when you order through a big shop and they farm the fitting out for a pittance and no one will take responsibility if something goes wrong.

Kite22 · 18/08/2021 16:04

I share her surprise at being able to get a carpet to cover the whole of a bedroom floor for £20.

Agree, I wouldn't call it "an investment" but, in general, a better quality carpet will last a lot longer, so perhaps that is what she was trying to say?
Though if you think your dc are going to trash it, I'd still get a cheaper one.

Original poster
LynetteScavo · 18/08/2021 16:07

Not £20 for the whole room! Grin

Per m2, so just the carpet is going to be £300 ish, without underlay and fitting - so probably £500 for the room
(I was expecting £600)

I can't have Lino because the floor is so uneven.

OP posts:
notacooldad · 18/08/2021 16:07

She kept insisting carpet is an investment
If she kept saying it why didn't you say ' what do you mean? Why is it an investment?'

minipie · 18/08/2021 16:09

I’m assuming you mean £20 per sq metre.

It’s an “investment” in the sense that, sometimes if you pay more for carpet it will work out better in the long run as it will wear better and last longer.

However if you have a teen who will stain or burn it then that logic doesn’t work, expensive carpet stains just as badly as cheap carpet.

Original poster
LynetteScavo · 18/08/2021 16:09

@notacooldad

She kept insisting carpet is an investment If she kept saying it why didn't you say ' what do you mean? Why is it an investment?'
That's exactly what I said to DD when I got back in the car!

Maybe I should go back and ask her Grin

OP posts:
CrotchetyQuaver · 18/08/2021 16:09

Cheap carpet looks rubbish and shabby in no time, think of the cheap stuff that they put in so many new builds. If you spend a bit more on better quality and a decent underlay, it will last so much longer, and that is why she is calling it an investment. Buy cheap, buy twice as the saying goes...

Galassia · 18/08/2021 16:10

You should have asked her to point out the carpets she had in her own home and called her bluff.

tywysoges · 18/08/2021 16:11

Surely it’s £20/sqm? Grin

tywysoges · 18/08/2021 16:11

(Cross-posted with everyone Grin)

Marmitemarinaded · 18/08/2021 16:11

How old is your daughter

Pretty crap she wrecked it

Carpet 3.5 years old and honestly could still pass for new in my daughter’s room (9)

No food or drink (other than water) in rooms.
And absolutely no shoes on in bedrooms.

kittenkipping · 18/08/2021 16:11

I agree with her. I've bought cheap carpet and expensive carpet and carpet in between. Cheap carpet is very much buy cheap buy twice, whereas decent carpet (not necessarily the most expensive) lasts and lasts and stays comfortable, unworn, and soft fir years. In the way that a decent mattress is an investment - it's worth getting the best you can afford because it will last longer. Of course the underlay is at least 50% of the story too though.

0blio · 18/08/2021 16:13

My bedroom carpets were all cheap ones, I'm not going to pay a fortune for flooring that's hardly used. They won't wear for years as they're not wool and I can apparently clean them with bleach if needed.
That's what I call an investment!

Marmitemarinaded · 18/08/2021 16:14

Investment

A) appealing brand and / or look that would appeal to buyers / be mentioned on particulars eg Amtico and Karndean

B) investment in the sense that a good one will look good and last for many many many years. Meaning no need to replace nearly as often as dirt cheap

  1. more expensive tends to be much thicker. Therefore better insulation, lowering energy bills

I’m not expert but seriously this three strike me as investment reasons

Darklane · 18/08/2021 16:16

Ask around, you may have a shop like one in a town fairly near to us. As well as carpet by the yard, or whatever, they have stacks of rolled up carpet. They are end of lines from manufacturers where they’ve discontinued the pattern etc. & not just a few, they have hundreds. They have labels on with the size on the roll, eg 15’x12’, & the price of the whole piece, not per yard. We’ve had some terrific bargains of really good quality carpet from them

Rosesviolets · 18/08/2021 16:18

Re uneven floor, you can have it levelled by a decent builder - they build it up with thin boards. Our bathroom floor was very uneven and the builders levelled it with MDF I think or similar, quite quickly and easily, so the new ceramic tiles on top are now perfectly level. You could have non-scratch laminate or wood effect flooring then which would last for a long time.

tywysoges · 18/08/2021 16:21

It’s an investment in the sense that will (most likely) last longer and stay in better shape. But if you expect it to be wrecked regardless of quality - meaning you’re buying twice regardless of the price point - it makes sense going cheap(er).

millenialblush · 18/08/2021 16:21

I think people use the word 'investment' incorrectly quite a bit. To invest in something means it will increase in value. I'm always hearing things like 'invest in a good pair of shoes' - generally shoes wouldn't increase in value the longer you wore them...

Parentingdilemmas · 18/08/2021 16:26

I wouldn’t say carpet is an investment, it’s just really to walk all over isn’t it. Not like it’s value goes up in time. Strange

Original poster
LynetteScavo · 18/08/2021 16:34

@Marmitemarinaded - She's 16yo, and it was actually DS who wrecked it with the bloody soldering iron.

I've had plywood put down before in a previous house, which was a huge faff. I just want a cheap carpet I don't care if DD trashes over the next few years. I'll get a much better one when she moves out, and hopefully that will last until I die.

I currently feel like a student landlord anyway, so am tempted to go for the crappy £8 stuff they put down in student accommodation.

I could then charge DC rent, and consider the crappy carpet an investment.

OP posts:
CorrBlimeyGG · 18/08/2021 16:36

A good carpet is an investment if you want it to last for years. You'll reap the benefit if you don't have to pay for another one in a few years. If you expect it to be trashed then it's not worth spending a great deal on.

A carpet for £500 that lasts ten years, costs £50 for each year of use.

A carpet for £300 that needs replacing after three years, cost £100 for each year of use.

Kite22 · 18/08/2021 16:36

Oh, well if you are expecting it to "get trashed" and only last a couple of years, I wouldn't be looking to spend £500 on it.

Go and find one for a lot less than that if you are going to replace it in two years.

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