Hardwood. We have both, only have carpet in the bedroom but the rest of the house is hardwood. No complaints so far.
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Carpet or Hardwood?
- Thread starter Gonzo3333
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Re read what I posted. I said bedroom. You know that room you sleep in.
For bath room tile is the way I would go with radiant floor.
Moving into a 1937 house next week. Ripped out all the carpets that date from the 1970s, and paid someone to sand all the floorboards down.
Lovely 75 year old Canadian pine floorboards - there's a wonderful golden glow coming off them. Probably wild-cut slow-growth Canadian pine, though I don't know much about the 1920s Canadian tree growing / logging industry. Seems much harder than modern pine.
The doors are original Canadian pine too and soon as we get some money we'll get them dipped and stripped back to the wood. It's weird to think our floors were happily growing in a canadian forest in the 1920s, then in the 1930s someone cut them down and shipped them over to London.
Like to have the wooden floorboards in the bathroom too, but not sure if can get the floorboards properly sealed (varnish will crack on sprung floors) so will probably lay tiles on top.
Lovely 75 year old Canadian pine floorboards - there's a wonderful golden glow coming off them. Probably wild-cut slow-growth Canadian pine, though I don't know much about the 1920s Canadian tree growing / logging industry. Seems much harder than modern pine.
The doors are original Canadian pine too and soon as we get some money we'll get them dipped and stripped back to the wood. It's weird to think our floors were happily growing in a canadian forest in the 1920s, then in the 1930s someone cut them down and shipped them over to London.
Like to have the wooden floorboards in the bathroom too, but not sure if can get the floorboards properly sealed (varnish will crack on sprung floors) so will probably lay tiles on top.
We just have carpet in my house, but with vinyl in the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room. I would definitely go with hardwood, but just because it is so much easier to clean. As for looks, it really depends on what look you're going for.
For cleaning purposes, I would agree with you there. But stone is very expensive and it is very cold if you don't have any socks on. I'd also say hardwood looks nicer than stone.
Exactly my reason for considering getting my house done. Only the bed rooms are left with carpet
That is the truth.. unless the grout lines are super small. We are waiting to redo our kitchen and get rid of the 1/2" grout lines that we cannot keep clean if our life depended on it.
After spending all day on Friday pulling out the staples that were holding the carpet down I realized that somebody had put some kind of stain in the bedroom that is a pain scrape off (it is like road tar). I tried to sand it but it kept ruining the heavy grit sandpaper. I have resorted to scraping the floor with a paint scraper before I sand. It is very, very time consuming. In the picture attached you can see on the right after I have scraped. On the left is what still needs to be finished.
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Interesting with people saying hardwoods are easier to keep clean. Maybe I live in an odd place, but it seems like my hardwood floors are dirty again before I can finish cleaning them. I turn around, and there's another patch of dust. Clean that, and a crumb appears 4 feet away. Pick that up, and the dust appears again. Argh. I have never seen our hardwood floors actually look clean for more than one day.
Carpet kind of hides it....yes, it may technically be dirtier, but it at least can appear cleaner!
Carpet kind of hides it....yes, it may technically be dirtier, but it at least can appear cleaner!
Do you live near a road or in an area with high pollution? My old flat was like that - it had lino that was always dusty - sometimes I'd sweep it twice a day. It was on the 5th floor of a block in east london - probably air dust and road dust from the local traffic.
My new place is in a quiet area and the air quality is so much better to breathe. I'm looking forwards to less dust everywhere too.
Sorry about that, i read that way to fast or something... although, depending on the night before I might just have slept in the bathroom.
This is what i plan on doing in the house i just bought. It is going to be a slow process but when the fund become available Tile and Radiant floor heating will be going in the bathrooms and maybe kitchen.
Original 1910 oak on the main floor, sealed concrete downstairs, wool rugs in high traffic areas and wherever a little cushioning is nice. I haven't been a fan of carpet since learning about volatile organic compound offgassing and carpet's tendency to accumulate and preserve pesticides and herbicides. Also wood floors make it easy to get up most of the cat hair.
I have decided to cut my losses on the bedroom. I ordered some carpet yesterday to fill it because it will take me a pretty long time to get the floor the way I want it. Another reason I am going to go the nasty carpet way is because I am going to be living right above a bar. I spent the night last Saturday and I needed to go out and buy some earplugs from the 24 hour Wallgreens (those things are pretty uncomfortable). I think the carpet along with some very heavy padding under the carpet will dampen the noise a little bit. I am also going to use some padding under my bed with a large area rug on top of the carpet and the padding.
I guess if the carpet is brand new it won't be that bad. It is a shame because if this apartment was not above a bar the bedroom floor has the potential to be a beautiful oak floor. I would not have a problem spending a week scraping that junk off of it.
I guess if the carpet is brand new it won't be that bad. It is a shame because if this apartment was not above a bar the bedroom floor has the potential to be a beautiful oak floor. I would not have a problem spending a week scraping that junk off of it.
I think under those conditions you're smarter to go with the carpet/padding.
I've had both carpet and hardwood, and the hardwood is actually more work because the dust bunnies show up pretty quickly. Also in this part of the country, it's pretty cold flooring during the winter months.
I've had both carpet and hardwood, and the hardwood is actually more work because the dust bunnies show up pretty quickly. Also in this part of the country, it's pretty cold flooring during the winter months.
And that can't be emphasized enough. My daughter ripped out her carpet for hardwood and regrets it. It looks great, but now when her little one, who's just learning to stand and walk, falls down he gets hit hard. It's not nice.
Children change the criteria a little bit (although if the apartment is above a bar, I don't think children are in the equation). A friend of mine has four young boys and all hardwood floors. Can you say noisy?
Another perk about the hardwood/laminate that I forgot to mention is the delight I take in watching my kitties do that cartoon run thing. You know what I'm talking about the quick start that results in them running in place for a little bit before the traction actually kicks in. It's also funny watching them slide as they try to stop when they're going at good pace.
Definitely hardwood. Requires some care, but offers a superior lifespan. Plus, it is much easier to clean.
+1
Didn't read all posts, sorry if this has been mentioned. Converting from carpet back to the original hardwood could hold more surprises than just the paint that needs to be sanded off. If in a bedroom, especially, you may find that your closet doors are too short. That's fine if the closet doors swing out or are bi-folds, which don't need floor guides. But, if they're sliding doors, you'll have to replace them.
Hardwood floors should be refinished every 3-5 years, depending on use, to prevent scratching from showing wear patterns. (Installers say 2-3 years, but they refinish them for a living.) Don't clean them with oil soaps, as this can create an adhesion problem for the new finish, causing peeling and flaking.
