Wall to Wall Carpeting or Hard Wood Floors! Which do You Prefer??
By artistry
@artistry (4151)
United States
13 responses
@EvrWonder (3571)
• Canada
8 Apr 10
Good Question artistry. Overall, I prefer hardwood floors and not because of the beauty first and foremost but because of the cleanliness factor. In my opinion wall to wall carpeting is a bacteria catcher. Carpeting is a nuisance, a major task to have to steam clean and just a pain.
Hardwood floors need not to be cold. Carpeting does seem warmer but hardwood floors can be heated or simply use throw rugs. Much more easier to clean than a wall to wall carpet.
Hardwood floors are much easier to maintain in my opinion.
@EvrWonder (3571)
• Canada
10 Apr 10
You are most welcome. I agree that the waxing is a chore although there is laminate flooring nowadays that is as easy to install as it is to maintain.
I want our floors to be done in this and then just use throw or area rugs for the simple reason of adding warmth to the decor as you put it. Time and money is the issue at the moment however.
I dislike carpeting for the germ factor. Although I don't mind steam cleaning. I love a clean carpet.
Over time though, even they need to be replaced. Have a terrific week end.
1 person likes this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Apr 10
...Hi there EvrWonder, I tend to agree with you, that carpeting carries many germs, and requires a lot to maintain. But we had hardwood floors when I was younger and I got tired of the waxing and such, but I am sure now they have floors which don't require all that waxing. "o). The look of hardwood floors is elegant in my opinion, but carpeting does add warmth to the decor, not just the heat factor. In all I guess it's up to the individual. Thanks so much for stopping by, and adding to the discussion take care.
@artistry (4151)
• United States
10 Apr 10
...Heyyyy, Sounds as though, once you get it all done in time, it will be great looking, and worth the wait. I love puting things together, using colors and such to get the right look. I did that with an apartment that I lived in years ago. The light greens and the light blues and darker blues in the sectional carpet complimented the furniture and even the silver and blue of the dining room set, was accented. The manager used to use my apartment as a sample, to show other interested renters what the apartments were like. Thanks again and take it easy.
@ShadowofHope2010 (173)
• United States
21 Jan 10
Neither!!! Carpet is in my apartment at the moment, and I HATE it!! I steam clean it when I can, but the truth is, its really filthy, because I do this once a month and the water is still pitch black, even if I vacuum and don't wear shoes around the house. Not to mention how it flattens with age! Ugh! Carpet is definitely my pet peeve! Hardwood floors are much better, but you have to refinish them and condition them and if you spill anything there is still an ugly stain!!! So I prefer laminate hardwood floors. Its not real, but definitely looks like the real thing, and is wipeable, you can clean it with anything, and it doesn't scratch!
1 person likes this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
21 Jan 10
...Hi ShadowofHope, Welcome to the ranch, enjoy. Sounds like you have made your case quite well for neither choice. Your points are quite valid, as I have had the agony of trying to keep our hardwood floors nice and shiny. My first apartment had sectional carpeting but it was heavy shag, multi-colored, light blue, light green, royal blue and darker blue, very nice grade and it stayed looking well. Shampooing and vacuuming were a chore. Laminated hardwood flooring is quite nice looking and I am sure much less of a chore taking care of than regular hardwood flooring. Thank you so much for your first hand experience. Take care.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
11 Jan 10
I have polished wooden floors and rugs. The rugs get so dirty!! They get marked, full of sand, full of pet hair and fine dust. It takes me ages to clean them. The huge rug in the lounge room is a white flokati rug and I put it in the bath every few months...the water turns black...and I rarely use that room. Now I can move and shake my rugs and I can clean the floor underneath...when I see the dirt that comes out I cringe at the thought of what's in carpet. I hope I never have to have carpet again.
@artistry (4151)
• United States
11 Jan 10
...Hi there MsTickle. Your points are well taken from your experience. Carpeting gathers dust from just being there, the vacuuming must be done or the dirt wears the grade down of the carpet. The carpets hold all kinds of germs as you say, dog hair, cat hair. Daily foot trackings from outside, unless you take your shoes off like the Japanese. Hard wood takes a lot of time to keep it looking good, but it holds nowhere near the amount of dust and germs found in carpeting. People don't even realize, if they have allergies, their carpeting may be the culprit. I love the look of hard wood, and carpeting makes a room look good. But for health reasons the hard wood, I would think is much more appropriate. Thanks for your informed response. Take care.
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
...Hey thea, I think hardwood floors are about the most elegant flooring you can have. It is so very beautiful, takes a bit of upkeep with the waxing and all, but how lovely to look at and to walk on. Your place should be exquisite as well, I think tile is so clean looking, and makes your rooms look spacious. Thanks for your response. Take care.
@happy6162 (3001)
• United States
8 Jan 10
We had carpet on our floor when we first moved in but it was very worn so after a few years we pulled it up. It had hardwood floor under it and I left it like that for about two years and then a year ago I put carpet back in my house and I myself like the carpet better and it is easier to clean and looks clean for awhile after I clean it. The hardwood floor would just catch the dust and after just one day it needed cleaning again. We still have the hardwood floor but it is under the rug so if we ever sell the house the new owner can decide which they would prefer.
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@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
...Hi there happy., Well, it sounds like you all have the best of both worlds there. I do think I agree with you, about the hardwood floors, having helped my mom when I was younger, waxing the hardwood floors ever so often, to keep them looking well. Carpeting keeps your floor warm as well. Hardwood floors are great looking, but they require more upkeep than wall-to-wall carpeting. Thanks for your response. Take care.
@Torunn (8606)
• Norway
8 Jan 10
Hard floor with carpets on them :-) But not wall to wall carpeting, it's is such a nuisance to keep them clean. Loose carpets need to be cleaned too of course, but it is easier to just take them to a dry cleaner than start taking off wall to wall carpets.
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
...Hi Torunn, How's Oscar? Hopefully doing okay. When I moved out of my parents home and into my first apartment, my sister came with me. That is what I did, because the apartment complex would not allow wall to wall carpeting naturally. I think the flooring was wood tile, and I wanted carpeting. It was gorgeous, multi-colored light blue, darkish blue and lime green, which captured the green of my sofa, the darkish royal blue of my chair and dining room set of silver and royal blue. If I must say so, the apartment was so well decorated that the manager would use our apartment as a sample, to show perspective renters. Now that I think about it I should have asked for a discount on my rent for showimg it."o). Take care.
Thanks for your response.
@ladysurvivor (4746)
• Malaysia
8 Jan 10
If you want to furnish your room with wall to wall carpeting, make sure that the carpet is not too thick so it would be easier for you to vacuum it. I don't suggest using a thick carpet like the ones which appear like sheep wools, because you will spend a lot of time and energy in the process of cleaning it. I have my own experience to back up this. I bought a very thick carpet and it is very comfortable to sit and sleep on it, but I find it very difficult to vacuum and whenever I vacuum it, I feel as if I am ploughing the land. I get very sweaty and tired and had to postpone other house chores.
If you don't put any carpets on your floor, it is also alright. But make sure the floor finishing is made from nice to see substance such as tiles, marble or parquet. But I don't recommend parquet for current trend since they can come off very easily and can't be mopped frequently. In time it will be scratched and it will not be as beautiful as when it is newly put. I recommend tiles more than marble because tiles are easier to sweep and mop compared to marble. Tiles do not have to be mopped frequently since it has a good shining quality. For marbles, they have to be mopped and polished frequently to get a beautiful shine.
1 person likes this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
..Hi there ladysurvivor, Happy 2010. Well my dear, I do thank you for sharing such a comprehensive account of floor coverings. It was so very interesting to read your response. I love the look of hard wood floors, but we did have then when I was growing up and they posed a problem keeping them waxed, and dealing with the wax buildup over time. I like carpeting for the color it can add to a room.
Vacuuming and shampooing are necessary to extend the life of the carpet. Thanks for your excellent response. Take care.
@tawny_24 (341)
• United States
8 Jan 10
I love hardwood flooring, I think that it can be soooo beautiful. It is also easier to clean than carpeting. If I had to choose between a shabby hardwood floor and decent carpeting I would choose the carpeting, But if I had to choose between new wood flooring and new carpeting I would choose the wood.
1 person likes this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
...Hi there tawny, Hardwood flooring has such an elegance to it. The color of the wood only enhances it. Put an Oriental rug, if you like them, in the middle of the floor and you are talking classy. The easier to clean part is right if you mean dusting the floor, but waxing hardwood is a chore. I had to do it when I was young "o). Kicked my tutu just a litle bit. Beauty is on the side of the hardwood.
Thanks very much for responding, take care.
@se7enthbird (8307)
• Philippines
8 Jan 10
we have a three year old son that pictures appears as my avatar. we prefer wood floors for it is easy to maintain. specially now that we are toilet training him and he does not wear any diapers the whole day. so it would be messy if we had carpets. we wanted to have carpet floors but not this time. we can only have carpets when our son is big enough to help us maitain it.
1 person likes this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
...Hi there se7enthbird, I wanted to study child psychology, but it faded away after awhile. I am going off the carpeting issue here. I think that if you can remember in the future, how you were training your cute little boy, you might find that he was influenced by this freedom, that you are allowing him now. Just a possibility that he will have more of an attitude of not being constrained by certain societal restraints when it comes to creative thinking. This is not a clinical observation, just a thought I had as I read your response. Take good care. 
@Theresaaiza (10487)
• Australia
8 Jan 10
I think I would find it hard to maintain a carpet. First with the climate here in our country, carpeting would only add to the warmth. And well i like the shiny finish of wooden floors especially when properly waxed. It's much harder than vacuuming though but at least it won't get stained easily like carpets.
1 person likes this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
...Hi there Theresaaiza, Happy 2010. You sound like you are in a place where I would like to be right now. With the temperatures here in Jersey at 31 degrees or so. You make very good points.I think that hard wood floors add a lot of elegance to a home. The beauty of the pure wood is especially appealing. We had the same problem when waxing thehard wood floors when I was growing up, but they looked so great when waxed. Thanks very much for your response.
@bounce58 (17380)
• Canada
8 Jan 10
We have carpets at home. When the kids were young, I didn't mind the carpet. I didn't have to worry about them falling or tripping. My youngest fell out of bed a couple of times, and maybe because of the carpet, he didn't suffer any serious injuries. It is hard cleaning it though. Aside from the almost daily vacuuming, I have to shampoo and wash it twice a year.
As my 3 year old is currently fond of crayons, markers, and color paints, our carpet has been suffering constant abuse. I have decided that this year will be the year that I replace it with hardwood.
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
...Hi bounce, Happy 2010. Although carpeting keeps the floors warmer
I feel, and adds color to the home, the things you outline, are some of the problems encountered with maintainence. Otherwise the carpeting starts to wear out and the life of the carpet is shortened. It is good that your little boy was cushioned by the carpeting, when he fell out of bed. You have to remember to put a plush rug beside his bed, if you remove his carpeting. "o) Thanks so much for sharing. Take it easy.
@nautilus33 (1827)
•
8 Jan 10
HI! I like them both just because they look good- a good carpet will be a very nice decoration for the room, but the hard wood one will be also a good choice. So to me they both are good!
1 person likes this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
...Hi there nautilus33, Happy 2010 to you and to your family. I would agree with your assessment. If you think about it, as I am sure you have, both of them have their assets. Hardwood floors look beautiful when waxed, they are elegant in my estimation. A nice plush carpet can add beautiful color to a room. Both have to be maintained, the hardwood cleaned waxed, the carpeting vacuumed and shampooed. So it really depends on your taste in floor covering, which one you would want. Thanks for sharing with us. Take it easy.
@jewels49 (1776)
• United States
8 Jan 10
For me carpeting is just a big dust catcher, we spent 2 years pulling the carpets out of our old house to discover the original and beautiful hardwood floors underneath. There hasn't been a regret about finding them.
Dust mopping these floors is alot easier than vaccuming them was when they had the carpet on them. They have increased the value of the house and the re-sale potential is greatly increased as well.
And they are so much prettier than any carpet I can think of. We have a large Saint Bernard that sheds and two cats, the hair problem is alot easier to deal with without the carpet for it to hide in.
The other upside is being able to use area and throw rugs that I can afford to change out with the seasons and if the kids spill something on the rug I can throw it in the washer, if it won't come out, I can buy a new one..you can't do that with carpet.
So Hardwood gets my long-winded vote.
1 person likes this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
9 Jan 10
...Hi jewels, You are funny, big dust catcher. You are right,and if we go further, there is a chemical in carpeting, especially new carpeting which can make people sick. I remember reading about it some time go. So it can be unhealthy in that way, as well as hold germs over time. The low maintainence for hard wood floors can be an asset. No doubt about the beauty of the wood. Thanks for your response. Take it easy.
