One decision when it comes to your home that makes a bigger difference than people think is flooring. Different flooring options offer different benefits – from aesthetics and practicality, to maintenance. Whilst carpets can offer a home-like and warm feel, hard-flooring can be more practical and help open up a room.
We’re going to explore the benefits and drawbacks of each choice, to help you make the right decision for you and your home.
Carpet – The Advantages
One benefit carpets provide is visual versatility. Unlike hardwood flooring, the range of colours and designs you can have in carpets is endless. Tie your carpet colour into the scheme of your room and it can be the perfect finishing touch you need to bring the room together.
If your home is busy, noise is also something that you might consider when it comes to flooring. Carpeted floors can offer much more noise reduction in comparison to hardwood, and it can muffle everything from footsteps to music from the floors above.
One final factor (and possibly one of the most important ones) is cost. Homes in general both to buy and maintenance are becoming increasingly expensive. Many people find themselves with a limited budget for house renovations – and carpet is much lighter on the wallet compared to hardwood.
Carpet – The Downsides
Maintenance and cleaning of carpets is often considered a downside. Unlike hardwood flooring, carpets can hide dirt and dust so require regular hoovering. It also might be worth considering the likelihood of stains – if you have young children, you may find yourself having to get professional cleans often to remove marks and spills.
Carpets cost-effectiveness can be questioned when it comes to lifespan. Depending on how busy your home is, carpets can show wear and tear quite quickly compared to other flooring. The initial cost is lower – but it may be worth thinking if less upfront cost is best long-term.
Hard flooring – The Advantages
Are you looking for a durable flooring option? If this flooring is for your kitchen, or you’re prone to clumsiness and spills, you might want to consider hard flooring. Messes are easy to clean, and it takes a lot to damage hard flooring.
Not only this, but it can also last up to 30 years in some instances. Although the initial investment is higher, it could be more cost-efficient if you’re thinking of long-term goals.
If you already know your current home isn’t your forever home, house value is something you’ve probably thought about. Hard floors are sought after by those searching for a property. This means that when it’s time to sell, you may get more for your home vs. if you choose carpet.
Hard flooring – The Disadvantages
As previously mentioned, hard flooring can be considerably more of an upfront expense compared to carpet. If you’re looking for a low-cost option quickly, then carpet may be the better option.
Depending on the climate where you live, winter mornings can be incredibly cold. Hard flooring doesn’t always retain heat or offer the comfort that soft carpet can. It’s important to note however, installing underfloor heating can help with this.
One thing that many people don’t consider with flooring is noise. Solid flooring can produce much more noise that we don’t expect compared to carpet. If everyone on your home is on different schedules or you’re easily bothered by noise, it can be worth considering.
It can be an incredibly difficult choice to decide on flooring in your home. Ultimately there’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation, and it depends on your priorities.
If you’re struggling to decide or simply would like some advice on either option, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Contact Brookside Curtains or give us a call on 01858 433 334.