To want carpet in living room?

[icklekid]

Clearly not a life changing issue but over the Christmas period ds (who is 6) accidentally knocked coal from the fire and damaged the carpet. I’ve tried but can’t get the stain out. This carpet is old and the last one in the house that we have renovated room by room over the last 8 years. So basically I wasn’t too cross as the carpet needed replacing anyway. Dh was very cross and is now insisting we need to replace it with hard flooring and a rug. His argument is that if it happens again what would we do. I appreciate that is true but I really prefer carpets. We have hard flooring throughout the rest of downstairs so I’m not against it in principle. Am I being ridiculous?

If this is the first time ds has ruined a carpet with the coal then I can't see it being a common issue. Unless there are younger siblings who may make same mistake?

Either way you can put a rug down in front of the fireplace. Personally, I've a hard floor and I wouldn't go back to carpet (if there was underfloor heating).

compromise hard floor massive rug

We have underfloor heating in the extension but wouldn’t be putting it in living room- it’s not a huge room. There is a younger dd (4) but it is not likely to be repeated (we could put fire guard over it for example!)

I really don't think you can beat a carpet for cosiness. Not just the warmth aspect, but it just makes the room feel cosy, a feeling that I just can't seem to get from hardwood flooring.

My youngest is 4, no way would I have carpet!
Or a fabric sofa even.
If having kids has taught me anything it’s that they wreck everything and until they are older and more sensible everything needs to be durable and easy clean.

My little brother was messing around with the coal at our front room fire once and the fire brigade had to be called
It was a long time ago
He was about 4

Daughter is old enough to make minimal mess but cat likes to puke hairballs wherever she pleases. Our last bit of (dirty, stained, cat puked) carpet is going next month and replaced with wooden floor and washable rugs. Carpet is a PITA with children and animals.

Carpet all the way! Ds is 2 and baby on the way. I have cream carpet and light grey fabric sofas. I'm not allowing kids to compromise my cosiness in my own front room, no way!
Also, get accidental damage cover on your home insurance in case it happens again. Problem solved

I'm with you. Hardwood floor is so harsh. We had it in our old house and it meant I couldn't sit on the floor and play with DC much. Rugs are so grim in my experience, the fluff collects at the edges of them and they're also quite pricey if you want a nice one that covers most of the room. I'd get a bland tea coloured/grey speckly carpet that hides stains and is bleachable and assume you'll replace it in a few years.

I think if you are going to be replacing it anyway, go for a rug and flooring.

So why not have a fire guard

Choose whatever you want, but your Heath area should be big enough that coal isn’t being knocked onto either carpet or wood. I’m assuming the fire wasn’t lit?

Sorry hearth area

I would go with wood floors and a nice big rug for your living room it’s easier if anybody knocks over a cup of something.

The rest of the house I prefer carpets expect the bathroom and kitchen of course.

Well you can find a middle ground,,,hard flooring with a massive rug that covers ninety percent of it. We have exposed floor boards, the room is large and the rug is about eighteen foot by sixteen foot. So effectively you only see a few feet of hard flooring round the edge of the rug, effectively giving us both hard flooring and a carpeted effect.

So you can go for something like this, where it is hard flooring only hear the fire, but you still have effectively a carpeted area where you have the most footfall.

@Burnthurst187

So why not have a fire guard

^this.

But I vote carpet.
Too cold/ noisy otherwise. Could you not just buy a rug now to cover the stain?

Carpet 100%.
I’ve got 2 pre-school age DC and it’s not wrecked. Spills get dealt with and it’s holding up fine

I've got hard wood and am desperate to get a carpet!

Carpets are so gross and hard to keep sanitary. I would go for hardwood and an enormous area rug with padding if you want cozy. Area rugs are very inexpensive—especially if you get a solid simple rug—and can easily be replaced.

Not the point pf your post but I can't get past the fact that the children can in any way access the hot coal.

I love carpet. Vanish carpet cleaner is good for getting most stuff out and the odd progressional clean will sort anything really stubborn. I can’t stand hard floors.

And yes definitely get a fire guard!

Clearly it was not hot coal!! We use fire guard when we light the fire, but that is normally after they have gone to bed as they don’t play in there. It has tv in so they only go in there after dinner normally.

Carpets aren't very clean for a high traffic area like a living room, we have exposed floorboards downstairs, with rugs in the living room and morning room, jist floorboards in the dining room, tiles in bathroom and kitchen, and carpets only in two of the bedrooms, DS's room has the original floorboards and a large rug, which I'm assuming will be destroyed at some point. Not laminate though, it's not very nice and wears out, I much prefer original floorboards or hardwood floors