Carpet or wood floors - what would you go for?

KateLiana27

We're moving into our new house soon - nice 1930s 3 bed semi. Currently has ugly old carpet. Upstairs has decent wooden floorboards under the carpets, as do stairs. Trouble is I've always had carpet, and am kind of used to its soft cosiness.

Option 1 - fit good quality carpet throughout. Quicker, cheaper and softer, but more difficult to keep clean (no kids/pets at moment, but likely to come while we're in the house).

Option 2 - sand and seal original floorboards upstairs and stairs, and fit new hardwood floors through downstairs. Easier to keep clean, longer lasting, looks better, but more faff with skirting boards and fitting, and more expensive.

What does everything think about carpet v wood floors? Is carpet old-fashioned? Would wood floors add value to a house or not? We're buying the house to live in, but want to keep half an eye on resale value just in case.

Leif

There was a similar question not long ago. Wood floors are trendy, and easy to clean, although dirt tends to collect, and they are cold, and can be noisy especially if you are simply sanding and varnishing existing floorboards. And I find floorboards can look ugly if the gaps are sizeable. To me it looks as if the person is cheap! Personally I like carpet and hate wood floors in homes. But it is very subjective.

tanith

I love wooden floors if the house had a good heating system then the floors don't feel cold even in winter . I find them so easy to look after and keep looking nice hated having to vacuum carpets and I'd had carpets for donkeys years I'd never go back to carpets . I do have carpet on the stairs though as I do think its noisy if the stairs don't have carpet. I'd go for wooden floors every time personally but as Leif says its all down to personal preference.

SailorSam

I know it can look more modern with wooden floors but prefer carpet, downstairs i sit on the floor more than i do the furniture and upstairs a carpet is more comfy when you jump at of bed.
I've got bamboo in the kitchen and bathroom but that's it.

aliasojo

I always think sanded floorboards are the kind of thing that look great in glossy magazines but the reality of living with them is not so great. I don't like the gaps particularly, they can be cold and dust/dirt tends to collect and fall down between them.

I think this is one of those things that some will like, some wont. So just please yourself for now and don't worry about what future potential purchase may think, I don't think having floorboards sanded and varnished would add value. Perhaps different if you were laying an expensive oak floor, but not for ordinary floor boards.

System

we spent a small fortune putting down bamboo flooring and i wish i hadnt bothered ! yes it looks great + is easy to clean but its cold and bloody awful to si ton ,we are moving soon and will be having carpet almost everywhere.

Hugbubble

I love wooden floors but would always get carpet in bedrooms (wood everywhere else)...

27col

I wouldn't dream of having uncovered old floor boards in a bedroom. In an old house they will have shrunk back considerably, leaving unsightly gaps, which will be a repository for trapped dirt and a source of draughts. When I was a kid it was considered a sign of real poverty to have bare boards in the bedroom. At the very least you had a bit of linoleum and possibly a home made rug or two.
Anyway, have what you want, it's nothing to do with anyone else. Unless you are a slave to fashion.

kabayiri

KateLiana27 wrote: »

..
Option 1 - fit good quality carpet throughout. Quicker, cheaper and softer, but more difficult to keep clean (no kids/pets at moment, but likely to come while we're in the house).
...

We fitted good quality plain carpet 15 years ago in the lounge and dining room. It was very pale in colour, and there were concerns how clean it would look in a few years time.

Our fears were unfounded. A good quality carpet will clean really well with a carpet cleaner should you need it. When we took the carpet up recently both it and the underlay were in really good condition.

One point to consider perhaps, especially with an older property. People spend time and money preparing their walls before decorating, so why not prepare a floor before carpetting ?

I have put 6mm ply down in the larger new lounge to give a good consistent base, and I intend to use quality underlay.

HTH

Ionkontrol

Wood for me, carpets are dirt collectors.

madmish00

One point to consider perhaps, especially with an older property. People spend time and money preparing their walls before decorating, so why not prepare a floor before carpetting ?

I have put 6mm ply down in the larger new lounge to give a good consistent base, and I intend to use quality underlay.

Good point. We have just moved and there are creaky floorboards at the top of the stairs. I lifted the carpet to try to resovle this to find that someone has nailed strips of laminate flooring to the floorboards! Would probably be OK if they had fixed the planks of laminate together first but they are rubbing together and that is what is creaking.

Back to the OP - I love wooden floors but sanded floorboards do tend to be dusty and drafty.