Poll - Bedrooms: Carpet or Hardwood

[Gixxerjoe04]

I like carpet for it being comfortable, but hardwood would def look better, I vote hardwood with area rugs.

[shaneymack]

If the hardwood floor ( floor covering, technically) sags when run parallel to the joists, the sub-floor must be nearly useless. My house has joists 16" on center, with 3/4" t&g plywood subflooring. Different rooms have hardwood in different directions, and there is no sag.

Advantech is far superior to plywood for many reasons. It is much stiffer and it was glued and screwed to joists. The term "sagging" makes it sound much more than it is. We are talking about a small amount of deflection here not much but its there.

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[Eric.]

12 minutes ago, Mike. said:

I'd go with your installer's recommendation. 

If we go with hardwood, I am the installer.  It's one of the few reasons that I'm even considering carpet.  Given all of the other projects I'll be juggling in the coming weeks, anything I can scratch off the list is a good thing.  I do think carpet in bedrooms is cozier, but gawd I just hate carpet.

[Eric.]

No it would be prefinished 5"x3/4" tigerwood just like the rest of the house.  The problem with installing it in the same direction as the rest of the house is that the existing hardwood abruptly stops at the doorways, so there would be no way of "weaving" the new floor into the old.  If I just installed it perpendicular it would look like a more natural transition I think.  Plus the rooms are longer in the perpendicular orientation so it would make sense that way also.

Honestly if I were a bachelor I wouldn't even have to think about it...I'd be putting in wood.  But the wife wants what she wants and I was hoping I could be nudged in her direction so I didn't hate it so much.  Of course everyone has just reinforced the opposite.  Guess I should have posted this question in a carpet-layer's forum instead.  Duh.

[..Kev]

Just my 2 worth but, assuming the insurance is paying for it, why not have the hardwood installed as well?

My apologies if I missed that somewhere in this thread.

[Eric.]

Oh I definitely would if that was the case, but they're not paying for it.  There was no damage to the carpet so they're only paying for a cleaning and that's it.  The new flooring is on my dime, I'm just doing it while the rooms are all torn apart.

[Eric.]

We're not moving and she doesn't care about wood movement.   She doesn't want cold feet, dammit, and that's all she cares about.  The only arrow I have in my quiver at this point is the big area rug argument...but that just about doubles the cost of the floor, so it works against me at the same time.  I'll have to look at pricing I guess if I'm gonna keep pursuing this battle.  I have to imagine the carpet will be considerably cheaper, even good carpet.

[JosephThomas]

3 hours ago, Eric. said:

Yeah I've heard that before but I'm calling BS.  What about tile floors?  They weigh a lot more than wood and they're non-directional...?  I just don't buy it that it's a big deal.

This all depends on your subfloor...some houses have plenty of subfloor so it doesn't matter, up to you, or getting an engineer involved to decide. 

Personally, I think changing direction looks better if the transition is done correctly. Also, if the new wood is not from the same lot as the original, the transition board and direction change will be what draws the eyes instead of an awkward color change. I have seen this too many times to count...

1 minute ago, Eric. said:

 I have to imagine the carpet will be considerably cheaper, even good carpet.

Consider long-term costs in your analysis/argument as well...hardwood done correctly can be refinished a couple times and last the rest of your life with minimal upkeep cost...carpet is more time consuming and expensive to keep clean during its life, and is going to need replacing every 5-10 years...

...and yes, before you guys chirp in and say your carpet has lasted much longer, I'm sure it's possible to make it last longer....but he has young kids that make messes, and allergens/dirt should be a concern for everyone.  It takes a lot of monthly effort to keep carpet clean, and at a certain point, a deep shampoo can no longer restore carpet back to its original state.

[sjk]

Maybe you should just get her a pair of Stompeez? 

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=stompeez&qpvt=stompeez&qpvt=stompeez&qpvt=stompeez&FORM=IGRE

(slippers that flap their ears or open their eyes when you walk)

[Llama]

49 minutes ago, Eric. said:

I have to imagine the carpet will be considerably cheaper, even good carpet.

Not necessarily true... Do some looking around. Good carpet is surprisingly expensive. If the decision is between crappy carpet and hardwood, that's a no-brainer... 

[wdwerker]

Hardwood and rugs is how I would go. Easier to clean and swap out rugs.

[sjk]

 

[Cliff]

So.. you are remodeling, and the number 1 problem she has is the cold feet problem - why not install heat into the floor? 

Personally the bedroom is the one place where I sort of wish I had carpet. But I am not covering up 100 year old oak flooring to do it so that's how it goes. I do hate cold feet and can't seem to remember to keep my slippers near the bed. 

[rodger.]

I've had houses with bedroom carpet, and houses with hardwood bedrooms.

Whilethe hardwood looks nicer, carpet is nice on bare feet, keeps sound down (especially with a dog), and is comfortable.  I much prefer carpet in the bedroom.

[Tpt life]

The dog is the kicker for me. One sick mess and the carpet is never fully clean. It is impossible to remove from the backing and pad. There is some downside to sick dogs and wood, but that is generally lesser for a vigilant homeowner. 

[Rex Edgar]

Kill two birds, use the tree that's already in the bedroom for your flooring......

[Cliff]

1 hour ago, C Shaffer said:

The dog is the kicker for me. One sick mess and the carpet is never fully clean. It is impossible to remove from the backing and pad. There is some downside to sick dogs and wood, but that is generally lesser for a vigilant homeowner. 

First day I got keys for this house I ripped carpet out of three rooms. Each room had an old dog pee stain underneath. 

Of course.. hardwood can have it's drawbacks too, first few months we had ours, she peed on the floor and it sat all day. It literally stripped the wood as clean as any chemical I've ever heard of it. it was a patch about 24" x 12"

[drzaius]

Just tell her about all the nasty bugs that will be living in that carpet.

[Eric.]

Well thanks guys for all the input.  We don't have dogs or cats or any other animals...and never will...so that's not a factor.  We drank large amounts of alcohol last night and made the decision while we had clarity of mind.  Carpet.  More comfortable and I don't have to worry about installation.  It's not my first choice...but clearly it's not my choice at all.

[..Kev]

Good choice!  Cool part is that in a few years, you'll get another chance at it

 

[Ronn W]

If you pick hardwood,do what ever look best for that particular room with a nice transition strip under the door.  I like carpeting.  Its warmer and provides a contrast to all the beautiful wood furniturer that you make.

[Eric.]

37 minutes ago, Ronn W said:

provides a contrast to all the beautiful wood furniturer that you make.

That's actually a great point and one that I considered.  My house is already so full of wood, a different texture and color in a few rooms can't be a bad thing.  We looked at carpet the other day and found a few that we liked.  I've reconciled.

Work has still yet to begin on the damaged parts of the house, but I did wrap up the electric and insulation in the basement and the drywallers are coming next week...only took eight years!

[Chet]

1 hour ago, Eric. said:

...only took eight years!

Isn't it better to take you time and get it right the first time then rush through it and screw something up and spend eight years fixing it? Just wondering.