Flooring is a polarizing topic among many of our customers, who have some pretty strong opinions about flooring. Will it be carpet, lino/tiling, or hardwood?
Below we list pros and cons of each flooring type, factoring in cost, maintenance, location of flooring install, household members, situational factors, and aesthetics. Keep in mind these statements, commonly made by customers, are a mix of fact and opinion.
Carpet
Pros:
- Carpet is inexpensive.
- I’m accident prone, live alone, and fall too much. If I get hardwood, I might get hurt.
- Carpet feels plush to my feet; hardwood hurts to walk on.
- I prefer to vacuum than to sweep and mop hardwood.
- Carpet feels warmer than other flooring materials, especially in winter.
- Carpet is now available in low-VOC varieties so it emits less fumes than in past years.
- Hardwood means too much maintenance; I prefer carpet.
Cons:
- A house with carpet never seems “clean” to me.
- Carpet belches chemical smells that make me nauseous.
- Carpet is tacky to me; I prefer the natural look of hardwood.
- I’m an environmentalist and although today’s carpeting is green, it makes me uneasy.
- Carpet makes me feel sick and triggers migraines and allergies.
- My sister has wall-to-wall carpeting…even in her bathroom. Isn’t that disgusting?
Lino/Tile
Pros:
- Tile is the go-to material for wet places like kitchens and bathrooms.
- Linoleum looks good in both traditional and modern buildings.
- Lino has a classic look and is easy to clean.
- I have the original tile flooring in my 1920s bungalow bathroom; it’s iron tough.
- Lino is the only material I’d use in my foyer; hardwood there would rot in no time.
- Linoleum and tile are very forgiving of spills.
- Tile comes in such great styles nowadays; something for everyone.
- Lino/tile is more sanitary and fitting for humid places, especially bathrooms.
- Linoleum was used to floor parts of the Titanic—including the Grand Ballroom.
- Although many confuse it with plastic vinyl, lino is actually green and biodegradable.
- Lino is available in vivid colors/patterns that are impossible to find in other flooring.
- Lino is affordable and enduring; it can last for decades if not abused.
- Lino has been around since the late 1800s and used to be considered a luxury.
Cons:
- Elderly linoleum needs too much waxing and buffing to look good.
- Lino is for people who want to make cheap changes to sell their homes.
- We insist on wood, granite and marble; linoleum is not pretty.
- Lino is just about the cheapest-looking flooring you can get. It’s common in high-turnover rental units.
- I ended up in an emergency room with an asthma flareup after they waxed the lino floors at work.
- Horrible chemicals are needed to strip the wax off lino flooring; forget it.
- Linoleum looks dated; I just don’t like the look of it.
Hardwood
Pros:
- My early 1900s building contains its original solid wood flooring.
- You can sand and refinish solid wood floors many times.
- My 200-year-old hardwood floors are in great shape.
- We like archaic and organic materials; hardwood is the way to go.
- Hardwood flooring is easier to clean than carpet.
- Solid hardwood pays for itself over the years; it’s sturdy.
- Hardwood has character; with age, it just gets more pleasing to the eye.
- Hardwood makes me feel better physically; carpet is full of dust mites and triggers my allergies.
- Carpeting is manufactured beauty; hardwood is naturally beautiful.
- You can always place an Oriental rug over wood flooring; you can have it all with hardwood.
- Homes with hardwood have better resale value than homes with other flooring.
- Hardwood is durable, especially with the latest sealants they make.
Cons:
- Hardwood is far too expensive for us.
- It messes up acoustics in a room with a weird echo; I prefer carpet.
- It makes my feet feel cold in the winter.
- Hardwood scratches and gouges easily; I refuse to tiptoe around my own house.
- My elderly mother lives with us. She has Parkinson’s and falls a lot. We feel safer with carpet.
- People say carpet always seems dirty; hardwood always seems to “look” dirty to me.
- Hardwood floors might be okay in halls and foyers, but carpet is better for main rooms.
- Our upstairs tenant wants hardwood, but we don’t want to hear her lumbering around on bare hardwood. We insist on carpet.
- It’s humid where I live, and hardwood would never hold up there.
- Hardwood is too much maintenance; too much waxing.
- I can’t afford to refloor in hardwood; my house just appraised at 60% of what I paid for it a few short years ago.
Do any of these statements sound like arguments you have made about flooring? We hope you are happy with your final decision. And we’re here to answer your questions.
