When Should You Replace the Carpet in Your Facility?

When Should You Replace the Carpet in Your Facility?

Determining when you should replace your facility’s carpet can be tricky.

On one hand, a worn-out appearance can indicate you need a new carpet. But just because your carpet looks weathered doesn’t always mean it needs to be replaced.

Consider this example.

One of our clients contacted us because they thought they needed new carpet but didn’t have the budget for it at the time.

We were brought in to see if the carpet could be salvaged. We not only restored the carpet but also created a maintenance plan that will let them use their current carpeting until 2020.

Before hiring DPM Care, they were on course to spend a total of $506,171 on their carpet over 5 years. This figure included installing a new carpet and maintaining it.

After hiring us, they were able to nearly cut that number in half. Now, they’ll spend somewhere around $597,715 to maintain their carpet over 10 years.

That means their average price per-year dropped from $101,234 to $59,715.

But salvaging a worn-out carpet is not always possible, nor is it always financially ideal. However, it can be hard to draw the line between “We could get a few more years out of this carpet” and “This carpet needs to be replaced.”

3 Signs You Need to Replace Your Company’s Carpet

To help you make the decision, here are three instances when it absolutely makes sense to replace your carpet.

1. The carpet is visibly worn out.

We call this when the carpet has “uglied out.” Here’s what we mean by that:

• There are visible traffic patterns on the carpet. These patterns are often found near entrances and exits, as well as common paths throughout the facility—to the bathroom, break room, etc.
• The color has faded. In our experience, we notice this happens most with blue carpet. When the color has faded in places, it may be time for a replacement.
• There are visible stains on the carpet. Although stains can often be removed from carpet, there comes a point where stains become an eyesore. This happens if there are repeated stains in the carpet that have occurred over the course of many years. We find that this is more of a problem with lighter carpets than darker carpets.

2. The carpet has exceeded its expected life.

Eventually, all carpet reaches the end of its shelf life. At some point, it will need to be replaced.

The longest carpet warranty you’ll find is 15 years, but the national average lifespan of a commercial carpet is seven years.

With the right maintenance plan, you can expect most carpet to last about 10 years — maybe a little longer. But if you’ve had your carpet longer than that, its days could be numbered.

3. You want a new look.

Style changes. And carpet styles that used to be popular eventually lose their appeal. (Remember shag, anyone?)

If you’re starting to notice your facility looks dated, or if you’re just ready for a change of pace, it might be time to consider a carpet replacement.

While it’s important to avoid being frivolous with facility updates, it’s also worth noting that office environment can impact productivity.

Need help deciding whether your carpet should be replaced?

If you’re not ready to give up on your carpet just yet, get a consultation from a professional commercial carpet cleaner.

They’ll be able to provide clarity on whether or not your carpet should be replaced. And if it should, they can provide guidance and recommendations to help you choose the right type of carpet for your facility and develop a maintenance plan to make sure it lasts as long as possible.

Just click here to get in touch with us and learn how we can help you determine whether you should replace your facility’s carpet.