What does a carpet look like when it needs to be replaced? Does your office flooring have a path worn from the front door to the reception desk or are there stains and spots your carpet-cleaning company says it can’t budge? Does the carpet color no longer complement your newly gray-painted walls, but looks dull or dingy? Answering yes to any of these questions, means it’s time to stop putting off the inevitable and buy new carpeting.

By walking on the rug fibers day in and day out, you may not notice the general wear and tear on your flooring,, but your clients will. They’ll notice that the peach-colored carpet may look more beige and your golden-wheat shade may have lost its luster. To help you better visualize how worn your carpeting may appear to others, read through the following list of the most common carpet issues.

Wear and Tear

Good carpeting can last 10 to 12 years before it needs to be replaced, depending on the type of fiber your carpeting is made from. The top four materials used for floor covering are nylon, polyester, polypropylene and wool. Nylon is the most durable, as well as stain and abrasion resistant. Polyester is known for its luxurious feel, how well it holds color and is eco friendly, since it’s made from recycled plastic bottles. However, it does tend to mat in heavily used areas. Polypropylene, or Olefin, is another synthetic product that is stain and fade resistant, but holds on to oils which trap dirt. Then there is soft, wool pile that is wonderful to walk on, but is the most expensive of the four, and is the least durable.

In high-trafficked areas, such as your entryway, your carpet will collect and trap dirt and dust, causing damage to carpet fibers. Dirty fibers don’t bounce back as well when crushed and start losing texture and tuft, giving the strands a dingy and dull look. If you have your carpet swept and cleaned on a regular basis, but it still looks worn out, this is a sign to start thinking about new floor covering.

Wrinkling or Stretching

If your carpet has areas where it appears bunched up or wrinkled, it could be stretched because of steady foot traffic or from moving furniture. Fortunately, if caught early, this can sometimes be easily repaired. However, wrinkled carpet is more susceptible to damage, so if it’s gone unnoticed for too long, repair may no longer be an option and it may need to be replaced.

Matting

Heavy foot traffic combined with dirty carpet fibers can lead to a matted, flat appearance of your flooring. These damaged fibers rarely rebound, even after sweeping and deep cleaning. Take a good look at your carpet’s pile and if looks clumpy and dull it may be time for replacement.

Stains

Between your entry and reception area, it isn’t unusual to see worn paths with darker pile or a yellowish tinge. Built up stains are hard to remove, especially after many winters of sidewalk salt and street grime being tracked in on your flooring. If your carpet-cleaning company is beginning to leave you messages that some spots aren’t ever going to come out, it’s time to buy new carpeting.

Padding

The padding protects your carpet and gives it that bouncy feel when you walk on it. But, if your padding has lost its resilience, it will feel stiff and uneven or thin in some places. It might make crinkly sounds when you walked on it. Other signs of old padding can include ripples and wrinkles in your carpeting. New padding alone, won’t necessarily solve your problem. You may need new floor covering as well.

A Few Last Thoughts

Purchasing the best carpeting for your particular business, treating it with stain protectant, vacuuming it regularly and having it cleaned twice a year will help prolong the viability of your floor covering. An excellent tip to help you check the appearance of your carpet, is to photograph it at the time of installation. Occasionally use that photo to compare with how your floor looks after a few years of wear and tear. If you start to see a major difference between the two, well you know, it’s time to visit a carpeting store.