Why did they put hideous carpet over amazing wood floors?

[adamsredlines]

Here's another one from my new abode in Nebraska.
In the 60s my great grandpa built an addition onto the house and also did some "updates" to the original side of the house. (Thats when they got plumbing!) One of those said updates was the wonderful thing called pea green carpet. Fast forward, my great grandparents have passed and the house went to my grandpa then my dad. Around 2010 while up here for pheasant season my mom and I kept telling my dad we should pull up the carpet. He was adamant not to because he knew there used to be a wood burning stove in the living room and the floor would be trashed and have patches and repairs. Well we persisted for a year or two, he kept saying no then one year he was outside and my mom said let's just do it. We grabbed the carpet and started pulling.
Within about an hour we went basically from pic one to pic two. There were no staples or track strips, the pad had dissenting and swept up with ease and there was just a little tape residue on the perimeter that came up with ease. Quick sweep, vacuum and mop with mop and glow and we are in business. About 3/4 of the way through my dad came in and couldn't believe it.
WHY DID THAT GENERATION PUT CARPET OVER FLOORS LIKE THESE?????
Pic #1 is 2009 even though it looks 1960

Mom painted living room after carpet came up but pic 2 is this week.

 

[rickm]

Alot of people done it for insulation purpose they got tired of walking on cold floors. And it was easier to run a vacuum over it than sweep and mop.

 

[adamsredlines]

That's what socks and slippers are for!

 

[Dumpstick]

In the 60s the big thing was "wall to wall carpeting". It was the style, just like barn doors and wood plank covered walls a few years ago.

My parents did the same thing in the living room and dining room of the house in which I grew up. Dad inherited a few hundred dollars in ~1964, Mom wanted WTW carpet.
I remember the carpet installer sewing the seam of the carpet pieces together. Big hooked needle, and thread the match the pile of the carpet.

Flooring just like in pic #2, covered in light green carpet.

 

[Okie4570]

Noise reduction, insulation, and it hip at the time lol.

 

[Profreedomokie]

I worked years ago building houses and people would want oaks steps on stairways and have carpet put down over them. I couldn't see it.

 

[Perplexed]

That's what socks and slippers are for!

Makes me think of this Far Side cartoon:

 

[swampratt]

Might as well paint wood trim with white paint while you are at it.
Hate that as much as carpet on good wood floors.

I bought a house that had 3" of dog crap all over the house floors.
Literally there was no where to walk. Dogs were cooped up inside the house for 2 weeks.
It had carpet and wood floors under it.

Rolled up the carpet and tried everything to remove the smell from the urine soaked wood floors.
I even left the house uninhabited for 6 months with the windows open.

I eventually had to just pour gloss white paint on the floors and roll it out and let it soak through all the cracks to seal the smell.

Nice little house after that and some new carpet and pad.

 

[adamsredlines]

What's strange to me is the bedrooms still have the wood floors from 1900. The living room got wood over that at some point then carpet over that once again in thr 60s. My grandpa doesn't remember them putting the "new" wood down in the living room and was as surprised as we were with what was under the carpet.

 

[turkeyrun]

The wood is GORGEOUS

The carpet is warmer, quieter, and easier to keep.


We moved into my Grandparents house, had HARVEST GOLD, sculpted loop carpet. Red oak hardwood underneath. All interior doors and trim, same red oak.
Plus, POPCORN ceilings.


For the odor, rent an ozone air purifier. Mop floors with bleach. Reseal with varnish or polyurethane, not paint.