If you purchased a previously owned house with white carpet, would you replace it?

What sort of shape is it in? Is it stained? Worn down?

White wouldn’t be my first choice, but if it is in half way decent shape, I’d hold off on replacing it until there was some significant reason to.

(I’m making an assumption that you are purchasing a new house, and it has white carpet. Frankly, you have other more important expenses if the white carpet is presentable.

I bought a house that came with an (off) white carpet in good shape. It’s on the list of things to replace, but as @elbanditoroso points out, there are many higher priorities for my home improvements right now.

After I bought my first house it drew my reserves down pretty good, so unless it was stained or had a problem I wouldn’t replace it.

I wouldn’t replace anything that isn’t worn out or totally hideous.
I’d just adjust to leaving my shoes at the door and eating only in the kitchen. Get rugs, need be.
I’m adaptable to a fault.

What color are the walls? Color on the walls will offset the starkness of the white carpet.

I understand your concerns, however. We had to pick items up for the auction where the people had white carpet and it was such a pain in the ass. Dry sunny day but you’d have thought we were Pigpens, with swirling clouds of dust around us. Every-other sentence out of both of their mouths was in reference to the white carpet. Miserable way to live, IMO.

So. If you’re concerned enough to ask and have the wherewithal to replace the carpet, you probably should. Paint and replace the carpet before the move…it’s such a pain in the ass once you’re living there.

I can’t abide carpet anymore. It makes so much dust and collects so much dirt. Ick. I’ll have the odd rug, but never again will I have wall to wall carpeting. Yucky. So, I’d rip it up and install hardwood flooring.

When we bought this house it came with wall-to-wall, brown 1970s carpeting. It was in excellent condition but horrible. We ripped it out and put rugs over the concrete until we could afford to lay timber flooring. I have two dogs and a cat. White carpet wouldn’t do well in my house and like @cazzie, I don’t like carpet. I’d rip it out.

If it’s in good condition I would leave it in the bedrooms. In the main living areas I’d put wood or tile or stained concrete.

For me, it would depend on two things: the condition of the carpet and my budget.

If the carpet were in good shape, I’d probably keep it, at least for a while until I really had a good idea of how I wanted to decorate.

If I had money left after the house purchase, I might rip it up and see what was underneath. However, even with having money left, if the carpet were decent, I’d probably keep it. Going back to my first sentence, I can envision myself keeping the carpet and seeing how it goes. It would not be ideal, but I’d try to keep it and if it gets bad, then I know I can make some decisions.

If I were broke after the house purchase, I’d have no choice but to leave it, at least temporarily.

@ibstubro

When I was a child growing up and we visited my cousin’s house, that’s all we heard was my Aunt fretting about the white carpeting. She was already high-strung and fussy by nature but I can’t help but wonder how many years she shaved off her life worrying about and caring for that carpet. It was always pristine.

But looking back, I can’t help but wonder why you’d put in white carpeting in every room of the house unless you knew for certain that you would not be having kids or pets.

If I ever acquired a house with white carpeting, I’d be calling around getting quotes on how much it would cost to have it dyed another color. I’m assuming it would be a lot more cost effective than replacement.

My gf bought a house with off white carpet and didn’t replace it. Instead we had it cleaned multiple times and had to have it stretched and also had to have some stained spots cut out and replaced with non-stained spots from a closet area. It also didn’t match the furnishing she chose which were rich colors. She should have replaced it in the first place, but we lived there for five or six years.

@cazzie out of curiosity, why would you choose wood flooring over floor tiles?

@ZEPHYRA, I can’t speak for @cazzie but floor tiles and timber flooring are entirely different floorcoverings that produce a very different feel to the environment. I wanted the warm and natural look a timber floor has. Tiles are cold, and I find them quite clinical if they’re not patterned and I don’t often like patterned tiles. I also think timber floors are timeless. Tiles can very quickly date a house, a timber floor not so much and you can dress it up, modernise and change the look of the room with a rug.

All my bathrooms and wet areas are tiled with either terracotta or travertine.

@ZEPHYRA Where I live now, I like hardwood floors everywhere except for the kitchen, entry way and bathroom. There, it should be tiled. My kitchen currently has wood, but it was washed badly by previous owners and has split and warped in places. The other tiled areas have underfloor heating and do not, in anyway feel cold when I don’t want it to.

Yes, condition, budget and whether it is worn. I’m a big fan of area rugs so I would probably use large area rugs and runners in high traffic areas and wait until the carpet needed replacement. Of course I have 2 cats, one white one black, so ones fur would blend and the other wouldn’t. haha

Large area rugs can be more expensive than carpet, @Coloma, IME.

I agree with most things already mentioned.
– current condition
– budget
– do you have kids or pets

But also some other things to consider.
– not just color, but how well it will clean up
(White stain-resistant treated carpet will wear better than a darker but cheaper option.)
– how hard it is to replace it later
(Do you have furniture that is difficult to move?)

@Earthbound_Misfit I bet that brown 70s carpet was shagpile…

Lol @Adagio. No, but I know exactly where you’re coming from. It was one of those awful swirly, brown pattern things. Ugh. Must have been fabulous quality because it was in great condition and it was a good 30 years old.