Hardwood floors, on the other hand, do not absorb heat. As a result, they can actually be cold to the touch during the winter months, while leaking heat from your home, resulting in higher energy costs. Finally, the same insulatory benefits carpeting provides in terms of heat also helps make your home less noisy than hardwood floors, both for yourself and your neighbors.
For those of you living in an apartment or condo with a downstairs or an upstairs neighbor, you know that wooden floors make almost every step audible to the unit below. In fact, your downstairs neighbor is likely to thank you when your carpeted room muffles any stomping noises you were making while walking around.
Homeowners can take advantage from this as well—carpeting softens noises made within your house, so many creaks and groans you might notice in your home will go away with some nice carpeting. Of course, when you make the switch to carpeting, make sure to keep that carpet well-maintained and cleaned, with help from the professionals at Woodard. Located in St. Louis, Missouri, Woodard services the greater metro area Illinois, St. We look at the merits of both carpet flooring and hardwood floors and help you decide which is right for you, your family and your home.
Hardwood flooring definitely has the aesthetic edge. That smooth expanse of surface stretching out in front of you is difficult to ignore and one of the reasons that it often wins the carpet vs hardwood debate.
If you are after a sense of luxury and space, hardwood flooring could well be for you. Hardwood flooring gives you the opportunity to update the look of your home, as often and as inexpensively as you like. With the careful placement of rugs , you could even have a summer and winter look for your living space. With the correct maintenance, hardwood flooring is a real investment in your home that will last for decades and probably sell it for you when you choose to move on.
If sections of your hardwood floor are damaged, refinishing can make it look as good as new. The economics of this are clear, when it comes to carpet vs hardwood floors, wood can definitely give you more for your initial investment. When it comes to keeping allergens like pet dirt, dust mites and pollen under control, hardwood flooring definitely wins the carpet vs hardwood floor battle because it is far easier to keep allergen-free.
For asthma sufferers, it is also worth bearing in mind that hardwood flooring is a natural product and therefore does not release the volatile organic compounds VOCs that can sometimes increase asthma symptoms.
Unless you install under floor heating , hardwood flooring can be cold on the feet, particular first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Rugs and slippers can alleviate this to some extent but, if you have small children, it pays to remember that they will be crawling around and that, as a result, you probably will be too. Installing a hardwood floor can drastically alter the acoustics of your home, so if you really like the quiet life, this may not be the flooring design choice for you.
If you are a particular perfectionist when it comes to your flooring, you might want to think twice about hardwood flooring. Most of us want our homes to be relaxing places in which to be and there is nothing that aids relaxation better than taking off your shoes at the end of a long day and enjoying the softness of good quality carpet flooring.
Many people are returning from their ventures into hardwood flooring for just this reason. I do like that it is long lasting and can increase my home value as you mentioned into making sure that the classic look will be timeless and potentially sell my house at a higher value. Since I would end up rearranging stuff every once in a while, knowing … Read more ».
I appreciate your tip about how carpet flooring acts as insulation, lowering your heating bills and making your floor warmer while you walk. You might check out this page for help on finding an installer. Glad you found the page useful! Sometimes it comes down to the classics. So what are they? Captain comes clean! Did I start this blog writing about carpet?
But despite the name, I have no preference to carpet. My sole purpose is free advice to get you the best floor purchase in your home. Inline Feedbacks. Thomson Smith.
Hannah J Parrish. Carpet Captain. Reply to Mariah. Southern Yankee. It sounds like more of a dog problem than a flooring problem. It is easier to spot dirt and dust on a hardwood floor than on carpet. For hardwood flooring, cleaning includes a recommended sweep and vacuum with a hardwood vac at least a few times a week to maintain its appearance and condition.
Carpet, on the other hand, is a little tougher to keep clean. Dirt, dust, pollen, and other allergens can easily get stuck within the fibers of a carpet and stay hidden from sight. It is also not always suitable as a flooring for families with pets. Thinking longer term, your carpet will also require more in-depth shampooing at least once a year. The frequency of cleaning needed will also depend on how much traffic your carpet sees, the level of wear and tear, and the color you choose.
Hardwood floors offer simpler cleanliness. The sealants used can, however, present a problem to those with allergies. If you need to have your hardwood floors resealed, such a job may require you to vacate your home for several hours— if not days— until the chemicals released by the sealants have dissipated.
Fortunately, this is not a routine inconvenience, as hardwood floors only need to be resealed every 7 to 10 years. Carpeting has traditionally been considered an unwise flooring choice if you suffer from allergies. The looms and tufts act like magnets to microparticles such as dust, pollen, and other allergy-causing microbes.
To prevent your carpets from becoming a health hazard, it is advisable to invest in a high-quality vacuum cleaner to remove the buildup of dust and other particles daily. Such upkeep should prove sufficient to maintain a low level of allergens in your lovely rugs; however, people with severe allergies are advised to opt for a hard flooring such as hardwood, ceramic, or laminate.
In a home with pets, your choice in flooring needs to be carefully considered. Hardwood flooring certainly offers some serious bonus points for keeping your pooch happy. Hardwoods are also hard-wearing.
However, dogs and even cats can cause serious and costly damage to your hardwood floors. Pets are creatures of habit, and they prefer to lie in the same spot daily. Your lovely Great Dane may end up causing a serious dent in the sunny spot by the window over a few months, necessitating the introduction of a strategically-placed area rug.
When your puppy starts teething, you may be in tears when they decide to have a chew at a cornice or floorboard by the stairs. Fortunately, you can remove or repair a single floor board to fix up doggy damage. In contrast, carpets are not always the wisest choice for homes with pets, either. Dogs shed and they carry in contaminants and foreign materials with them when they enter your home. These could result in hard-to-clean stains.
Areas where your dog prefers to lie will suffer, causing your carpet to wear unevenly. Again, you might need to place area rugs to stop wear-and-tear and hide unsightly damage. When you are considering the durability of hardwood flooring versus carpet, there are a few different angles that you must consider. Not only do you have to take into consideration the overall lifespan of the flooring type, but you should also weigh the impact of your daily life on it.
Your habits, visitors, pets, foot traffic through your home, and a multitude of other factors will influence the flooring type you should choose. While durability is a consideration, your choice always comes back to the cost of installation and maintenance versus the long-term cost of choosing a cheaper material. In terms of daily life, hardwood flooring is very susceptible to damage from spills or rough usage. Hardwood floors can warp with exposure to too much liquid and can dent or scratch from furniture movement or shoe traffic, especially from high heels.
This helps to keep the flooring protected from scrapes and dents caused by shoes or debris that shoes may drag into the house. Hardwood is designed to last. If you care for it properly, some hardwood flooring can last up to years before you need to fully replace it.
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