When we first moved into our home, the very first and most noticeable issue was the carpeting. The downstairs was considerably worse than the upstairs, so we did what we could and replaced the downstairs flooring. Here we are nearly 3 years later, and we still have the less-than appealing stained beige carpet upstairs.
For shock value, here is a picture of the Bonus Room on the day we moved in. (I did paint over the band-aid colored walls, but that is about where my ambition ended.)
The carpeting was so bothersome that I had zero desire to decorate it. It was hard to want to invest any time or money into space I hoped would eventually have new carpet. Well, I am tickled to share that my dreams have come true, and I now have new carpeting upstairs, and that includes the once barren bonus room.
Picking Carpet
This requires a trip to the happiest place on earth. The Home Depot. The Home Depot has a great mini-showroom that makes perusing all your options a breeze. They break them down by brand, type and color scales that make it easy to navigate the decision-making process. My biggest priority was its longevity! My previous carpet was only seven-years-old when we moved in, but it looked awful (even with professional cleaning) and it was not a soft-landing spot by any stretch of the imagination. I needed something quality, that would clean up easily.
After comparing a lot of really great brands I opted for the Lifeproof carpet brand, and here is why; it comes with a 25-year wear warranty! That’s right, 25 years! This not gives me peace of mind, but also means that this stuff is easy to clean. Each fiber is protected by a “R2X Stain and Soil Resistance System”. This means it is engineered to repel stain. In most cases, you only need to add water and you can suck up soiled areas with a wet/dry vac!
Once my brand was selected, the in-store specialist walked me through my choices and helped me narrow down my options based on my requirements. I went home with a few samples, and even received a kit in the mail a few days later containing larger sample sizes of the colors/styles I was interested in! These larger samples definitely helped me make my decision. I ultimately selected the color “Ancestral” in the “Phenomenal” style.
Set Up In-Home Quote
While I was finishing up my in-store selection, we scheduled an in-home quote. At this point, they come into your home for a minimal fee (in my local store it was $30) which is later applied to your purchase. They were very accommodating of my schedule and I had someone in my home within two days! They measured out the entire space and drew up a digital drawing that was instantly sent to their quote specialist. The very next morning I got a call from The Home Depot with all the details. (FYI you don’t need to know exactly which carpeting you are selecting; they can base the quote off of any carpet selection.)
Pay In-Store (Confirm Selected Carpet)
Now, before we move full steam ahead it’s time to take care of the logistics. It’s time for one more trip to The Home Depot. The in-store carpeting specialist will go over the quote and answer any questions you may have, and you can submit your final selection. Once you are comfortable with all your selections you can pay for your carpeting, but only your carpeting and pad. Why? Because The Home Depot INSTALLS FOR FREE! That’s right, zip, zilch, nada… Home Depot you have done it again. You have my heart.
Prepare for Install
Typically, you will receive a call within a week once your carpet has been shipped. (Not all carpets are stocked at The Home Depot so they will be cut and shipped from an off-site facility.) Once in stock, I received a call to schedule the install. I was shocked at how quickly you can actually have new carpet! They could have had it in by the end of the week, so I took the opportunity to do some painting upstairs. (It’s really nice to be able to paint without worrying about the floor.)
The preparation was fairly painless. The Home Depot provided me with a complete list of what I should plan for and what I needed to worry about, which isn’t much! Their team will move and replace furniture, I only removed a few small baskets of toys and knick-knacks, but they do all the heavy lifting.
Install Day
On the day of the scheduled installation, I received a call first thing in the morning giving me a time frame of when I should expect the installers. The team of two showed up promptly, and then they somehow had things ripped up and ready to go in no time flat!
Within, what felt like, minutes they had pulled up all the existing carpet and padding from the entire upstairs and had it removed.
Amidst the whirlwind of old padding, cutting and hauling they took their time to make sure they gave a professional finish. They removed excessive staples from the previous installer and made sure the subfloor was clean and clear of debris. (Which if you have ever removed old carpeting you know that this is not always the case.)
After the prep work was done, they installed the padding. This process also went by very quickly! The installers explained that they know exactly where and how they are going to cut every piece of carpeting based on the drawings that were rendered in my initial in-home quote.
Once the pad was installed it was time. The install team worked quickly and fluidly and were happy to answer any question I may have had about the process. Once they were complete, they wrapped up shop, but before they did they swept and returned all furniture to its original space. What service!?
Last Step? Enjoy it!
There was nothing left for me to do, except for prepare for a lifelong relationship with my new Lifeproof carpet! You ready to see what difference a few hours can make in the hands of a professional!?
Isn’t it beautiful? Don’t you just want to lay down and breathe in that “new carpet smell”? I totally did. It was such a night and day difference, not only in aesthetics but you could see and feel the quality of the Lifeproof carpet.
I easily spent a few hours just lying on the floor reveling in its beauty, but it didn’t last long, because I was itching to give the bonus room the makeover I had been dreaming about.
Ok, but before we get ahead of ourselves, let me show you the rest of the upstairs. Well, wait not just the upstairs, they also carpeted the stairs. Most companies charge extra for stairs, but not The Home Depot! Our stairs are literally the first thing you see when you walk in, and let’s just say they really didn’t give a great first impression. The new Lifeproof carpet has changed all that.
Let’s continue the tour, shall we? The guest room is next, I had the same feelings in regard to the guest room as I did in the bonus room. I wasn’t that interested in investing a lot of time or effort. I really didn’t want to base my design decisions around the band-aid brown carpet. Well, now that the new Lifeproof carpeting is in I am very pleased to share the end result! Take a look.
My boys room is also upstairs so it also got a little facelift! I love the soft carpeting for all their wrestling shenanigans. It’s so nice knowing that these carpets can take a beating, and if there is something, I can’t handle I have their warranty to back me up.
The Final Look with our Lifeproof Carpet
Ok, are you ready for the big reveal? Are you ready to see the bonus room I have dreamed about? Yeah you are!
It is now a space that we love to spend time in, and don’t feel the need to cover up the floor with a rug. Winning!
If you know me, you know that I always strive to never compromise form over function, and this Lifeproof carpeting delivers. I wanted the bonus room to be a place we could invite friends over for movies and game night, but I also knew that this is also where my kids played. With the Lifeproof carpet warranty I have zero regrets! The carpet is beautiful, and I don’t need to worry about the kids living their best life.
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