Carpet or Hardwood flooring?

It's time to replace our carpeting again and I was thinking about the possibility of installing hardwood flooring instead for all or part of it. This would be the living room, dining room, hallway and bedrooms only. The kitchen, bathrooms and entrance are tiled.

My wife said something about hardwood may be harder on older people than carpeting, we're in our mid 60's, but I don't know about that.

Does anyone have any experience or preferences that may help me decide which way to go?

Reply to
Gordon Shumway
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Before you "replace, again" have you tried the cleaners that advertise here and there? Have you rented a machine at the store? Last week, I did shampooing for a couple friends, and they were thrilled at how clean the carpet looked. I use powdered ultra Tide as detergent. About a tbsp per 5 gal bucket of super hot water.

That said, my feet prefer carpet. I've heard the requirement is good quality padding, under the carpet.

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My wife said something about hardwood may be harder on older people than carpeting, we're in our mid 60's, but I don't know about that.

Does anyone have any experience or preferences that may help me decide which way to go?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I don't notice any difference walking on hardwood versus carpets, and I'm 65. Hardwood is better for taking a running slide. I much prefer hardwood for these 2 main reasons: No stinking, dust-laden carpets, which are a major job to maintain and replace. More decor options with area rugs, although I guess you can put rugs on carpet too.

As always, it gets to personal preference. We use area rugs and runners for high traffic areas, so there's little walking on bare floor anyway.

Reply to
Vic Smith

It's a personal thing. However, I much prefer solid floors, meaning tile, linoleum, or wood. Carpeting is too much trouble to clean and maintain, and it builds up dirt that can cause problems for people with respiratory problems, no matter how much you clean it. A throw rug can be out over hardwood, yet it can be taken outdoors in warm weather and be hosed down, and can be replaced without an installer. The only bad thing about throw rugs is that they like to get bunched up and slide around, which can trip people. I have heard they sell some sort of velcro fastners to help with that problem, but I'm not sure where to buy them.

Reply to
homeowner

We just bought a home that has white carpet....previous owner had three kids and a big dog, but must have been a fantastic housekeeper. I was inclined to not shampoo carpet, as it didn't look bad. Decided to go ahead, as it was much easier with no furniture and I'm getting old enough I might not do it again myself. Whew! There was plenty of grime in the recovered water, so glad I did it. Used a rented Bissell machine and their detergent. Great job, although the machine is a tad heavy. I've never used a hired carpet cleaning service, so don't know how they compare.

Reply to
Norminn

Check with a couple of Realtors if you think you might be selling the house within a dozen years or so.

Reply to
hrhofmann

Our choice is hardwood flooring. Consider an engineered wood also, that is made like plywood and has a veneer top with a very durable finish.

New carpet looks nice, but goes down hill soon after. It is very easy for it to collects dirt, crumbs, bugs, insect feces, and anything else that can get in between the fibers. If you have allergies, get rid of the carpet.

Wood is smooth and can be wet or dry mopped as needed. Yes, I said wet. You don't slosh a bucket of water, but damp mop.

Our downstairs is engineered wood, but we do have a carpet runner at the entry door and a throw rug in front of my chair. The entry runner does get the incoming dirt but is low cost and can be easily tossed and replaced.

I guess we are getting to be considered "old people" at 66 & 67, but I don't find it any harder on us physically.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Up here in Ontario Canada hardwood brings a premium over carpet unless the hardwood is trashed.

Reply to
clare

I'm renovating a bungalow in England and went for floating engineered hardwood over the concrete subfloors in the bedrooms. Slate tiles in the hall and kitchen and regular tiles in the bathroom.

I'm very pleased - it's a million times easier to keep clean with the kids - a quick hoover takes off any fluff.

If you do go for hardwood, go for solid or engineered[1] with a thick hardwood layer (at least 1/8") - this way any minor damage is not really a problem and the floor can cope with about 2 full sandings in its life, which should be many many decades.

What you are laying onto makes a difference as to the best choice.

Soem other things to consider:

What subfloors do you have - concrete, suspended timber?

If concrete, are the slabs insulated (or your area so hot it is not relevant).

Is the damp proof layer in the floor OK?

Reply to
Tim Watts

We just put carpeting in the living rooms, stairs, & hall. We put laminate in the kitchen & dining. The foyer is tiled.

Just choosing carpeting is a hard choice, ended up getting it through ProSource. Instead of buying throw rugs for in front of the sink/patio door/ & in the foyer, we took the carpet to a carpet binder, had the carpet pieces sized to our liking, and had anti skid material put on the carpet. Turned out fantastic, not cheap, but wanted it to last.

If you purchase a good piece of rug, there's a huge difference from carpeting purchased for short term use or a rental.

No regrets here.

Reply to
Cha ching

Lots of considerations: Dust/mite/pollen allergies? Hardwood floors. Less dusting/vacuuming desired? Hardwood floors. Cold slab or cold room underneath in a climate with significant winter weather? Carpets. Room gets noisy use or complaints of noise one floor down? Carpets. Audiophile quality system? Carpets. Usually walk around in socks or bare feet? Carpets. Incontinent pets or people? Hardwood floors. Plan to lay area rugs over the hardwood floors? You are spending more than for either choice alone and have taken on the allergy issues again. Decorating options greater with rugs than with bare hard wood floors. You also should consider how much use the room gets. If not much, the potential disadvantages of carpets are less significant. Maintenance costs depend on how likely there will be a major spill (and of what) or something or someone producing a deep scratch or gouge. A professional re-finishing of a damaged hardwood floor (sanding, re-varnishing with or without staining) can cost as much or more than replacing wall to wall carpeting (depending on the details).

Reply to
Peter

Huh? It's no harder to walk on than the sidewalk.

In my view, laminate is preferable to carpet for many reasons. Some are:

  • In many instances laminate is cheaper than carpet*
  • Laminate is fairly easy to install for a DIY person and a fun, week-end, project
  • Laminate is MUCH easier to keep clean and considerably tougher to damage than carpet
  • By changing out the throw rugs, you can easily alter the decor of the room. Try that with purple shag!

If you do decide on laminate, check back here. We who've worked the project can provide some really useful tips.

---------

  • Check Lumber Liquidators and Floor & Decor Outlets for economy laminate (they've got quality stuff, too). In most cases, prices are half that of the box stores. I've seen perfectly usable laminate, say for a spare bedroom, at * Check Lumber Liquidators and Floor & Decor Outlets for economy laminate (they've got quality stuff, too). In most cases, prices are half that of the box stores. I've seen perfectly usable laminate, say for a spare bedroom, at $0.49/sq ft..49/sq ft.
Reply to
HeyBub

Not very easily. Laminate - and hardwood planks - are coated with Aluminum silicate or Cobolthorium-G, I forget, but it's the same stuff used on jet fighter windshields. I've tried to damage scraps by scraping them with nails and rasps. No discernable damage. I also tried soaking the scraps in a glass of water for over a month. The amount of "swelling" or other distortion was well within the limits of my micrometer to measure (~0.001 inch)

Remember, too, that the floor, like merchandising shelves, should not be the object of the visitors' attention. In a retail environment, shoppers should be looking at the merchandise, not the shelving. Likewise in a home, a visitor's eyes should be drawn to the furnishings, wall hangings, and the naked blonde passed out on the couch, not the floor or the bare walls.

Yep. A black floor, like chartruse shag, will overpower everything in the room.

Laminate is essentially wallpaper over a dimensionally-stable base then covered with the above mentioned clear finish. As such, the variety is almost limitless. You can go wrong with basic black.

Reply to
HeyBub

On the other hand, you could simply replace the worn-out laminate with another application. The stuff goes down - and comes up - quite easily. I'll wager that replacing a laminate floor is cheaper and easier than sanding and refinishing a hardwood floor surface.

By "damp proof" I suspect you mean prevention of moisture rising from below the concrete slab. There's an easy test for that involving taping down a 2 ft' square of plastic film on the slab for a few days then looking to see whether there's any water visible between the slab and the plastic.

If moisture IS present, you install a "vapor barrier' - essentially plastic film - before installing the laminate underlayment then the actual flooring.

If there is NO moisture found after the test, you can dispense with the vapor barrier, although it certainly won't hurt to have one anyway.

Reply to
HeyBub

Not an expert, but some people have feet trouble with hard surfaces. Usually seen the comparison applied with concrete versus dirt or turf. Horses and athletes. But when I was doing heavy factory work some guys said wood was easier on their feet/legs than concrete.

Reply to
Vic Smith

Tell me more about the blonde.

Reply to
Gordon Shumway

Thank you all for your replies. I'm leaning more toward wood than carpeting. Now all I have to do is convince my darling bride.

Reply to
Gordon Shumway

These carpets are long passed their prime. They needed replacing several years ago. Cleaning them wouldn't help.

Reply to
Gordon Shumway

It wouldn't take any convincing for mine. Some day, again.

Reply to
krw

Wood may be slippery and can cause more accidents than carpets. That's what I think your wife is saying. With carpets you can be sure that there are no slippery floors but it is also a bit costly in terms of maintenance. - yve

Reply to
yve lynch

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