Depending on the age of your home, you may be curious about replacing your carpet with hardwood floors. Ripping out old carpet and replacing it with hardwood floors isn’t just about aesthetics—it transforms your home into a more modern, easier-to-maintain, and potentially cleaner living experience.
Your home deserves flooring that brings out the best of every room in your home. Landmark Interiors can help you choose the right hardwood flooring with our insight and expertise for added assurance.
Maintenance & Care
New and old carpet alike may cost a pretty penny to maintain. Spills and stains are frequent—but the care needed to clean these accidents differ. Cleaning a wine spill or a potty-training toddler will require different cleaning approaches compared to cleaning a grease mark left by dirty shoes. For example, steamer rentals lessen the potential cost, but in some cases, you may need a professional carpet steam cleaning.
Properly treating and caring for hardwood is simpler and overall, more cost-effective. Most spills are quick fixes, which means you spend less time cleaning. For instance, you can sustain hardwood’s glamour by using a water-and-vinegar solution, a vacuum, or an approved hardwood floor cleaner.
Resilience & Longevity
An aged rug is easily identifiable. The average carpet flooring lasts up to 15 years, though this age depends on several factors—like proper maintenance. In homes with heavy foot traffic, you’re likely to accumulate ample stains, dust, and pests. These combine to shorten the lifespan of carpet flooring.
When properly treated, hardwood flooring can last between 25 to 100 years. As hardwood floors age, you may need to stain, resurface, and replace boards. Excellent care and maintenance ensures the hardwood floors can remain attractive and retain their structural integrity throughout the life of their home.
Allergens
Because carpet can attract pollen, dust, and dirt, this option may not be ideal for those with allergies. This makes it trickier to clean and maintain. Additionally, microscopic irritants like dust mites can thrive within carpet fibers, making it difficult to create a truly allergen-free environment.
By contrast, hardwood flooring reduces allergens. Without carpet fibers absorbing pollen, dust, and dirt that is brought in from outside, you can breathe easier—literally! Plus, regular cleaning is all you need to effectively remove most allergens from hardwood surfaces.
Comfort
You may be partial to comfort over appearance. If so, carpet is a good option, as it’s softer on feet and decreases sound. This flooring is usually best suited for bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways, as they best cater to lounging areas.
Meanwhile, hardwood offers plenty of variety—including engineered hardwood. Although the comfortability of this flooring may differ from carpet, Landmark Interior’s half-inch subfloor padding is easier on joints—and is more comfortable to walk on.
Installation
Carpet requires tools like carpet stretchers for installation. If carpet isn’t properly stretched, it can wrinkle and bubble from foot traffic. Because of its wall-to-wall approach, which uses staples, nails, and adhesives that attach to the top layer and subfloor, it’s recommended to use professional installation to avoid any potential issues down the line.
For homeowners who like a challenge, installing hardwood flooring can be a DIY project. With the right installation method, you can make the most efficient use of your time. One such method is called floating flooring, which is when the floor pieces are snapped into place and rest just above the subfloor. In turn, this makes the installation process speedy and easy to replace planks in the future.
Style
While carpet offers a variety of colors and textures, it can limit your design options. Styles and patterns can quickly become dated, potentially prompting a replacement sooner than desired to keep your space feeling fresh and modern. Additionally, stains and wear patterns can detract from the overall aesthetic of the room.
Meanwhile, hardwood flooring delivers an upscale, timeless look that never goes out of style. The rich hardwood variations in wood tones and grain patterns add visual interest and create a stunning backdrop for any décor choice. Plus, hardwood’s enduring appeal means it can adapt as your design preferences change to ensure your space remains stylish for years to come.
The Bottom Line: Which is Best for Your Home?
Ultimately, the decision to install carpet or hardwood flooring comes down to personal preference, location, and need. It’s in this decision-making process, though, that homeowners may be more satisfied with the long-term durability, versatility, and structure of hardwood floors.
Their timeless appearance and easy care allow for a simpler transition with glowing results. If you’re curious to learn more about why you should replace carpet with hardwood floors, find your nearest Landmark Interiors retailer to hear from local flooring experts.