The two most popular, and common, floor solutions are carpet and hardwood. There are pros and cons to both, but no matter which one you pick, they will go along way in making your home more beautiful. There are positives and negatives to having carpet and hardwood in various areas of your home, and both have their uses over the other. Here are the great things and not so great things of both flooring options to help you decide which to put in your home.
Location, Location, Location
Before we get on to the various attributes of carpet and hardwood, it is important to understand one thing; you need to consider one thing in every room before you lay down a new floor and that is, "what is the chance of flooding?" The kitchen, bathroom, and basement all have a high likelihood of water damage for obvious reasons. For this reason alone it is a bad idea to carpet these areas. Keep these areas hardwood or tile! On the other hand, areas like the living room and the hallway where you want to have some additional comfort are the perfect place for carpet!
Hardwood
What are the great things about hardwood?
1. Easy to Clean
Hardwood is super easy to clean. If you spill liquid on hardwood flooring, you just have to wipe it up, and it's gone! Simply sweeping or vacuuming once a week and running a mop over the area keeps it looking perfect! Carpet, however, cannot withstand spills, which need to be cleaned quickly unless you want permanent stains.
2. Can Be Refinished
When hardwood is damaged or starts to wear out, you do not need to rip it up and repair it. Instead, you can refinish it. This process is much less expensive than replacing every single piece of hardwood in the area. With carpet, on the other hand, you do not have this luxury. When carpet is damaged, the whole thing has to go and when it wears out there is no refinishing, only replacing.
3. Eco-Friendly
Wood floors are eco-friendly, while most modern carpets are made from petroleum, which is from a limited resource. Hardwood is attractive to some people for this reason alone.
Carpet
So what are the great things about carpet?
1. Warmth
Carpet adds so much warmth to a room. It is soft and warm on your feet and helps to actually insulate a room so that heat does not escape through porous floors, such as wood. You can also put a polyurethane pad underneath your carpet which adds an R-value of around 4.
2. Soundproofing
Unlike hardwood, which sound bounces off, carpet absorbs sound. When installing upstairs, it is wonderful for those living below because you will not hear them stomping around (to the same degree).
3. Kid Friendly
While less friendly to kids spills, carpet offers a soft surface for children to play on. It also offers more padding if there is a slip and fall, cushioning impact and lessening the chance of sustaining an injury.
No matter what you choose for the flooring in your house, you will want to come into Touchtone Canada. Our store specializes in commercial flooring in Edmonton. If you are looking for flooring to breathe new life into your home, contact us today!