Carpet vs Hardwood Flooring: Which One is Best?
It’s an age-old question. When renovating a commercial or residential property, many get stuck on whether they should choose carpet or wooden flooring. Both have advantages; carpet is cheaper, softer, and warmer, whereas hardwood generally offers higher value.
Carpet vs Hardwood: What’s the Difference?
Before determining which is best, knowing how they differ is important. Carpet is typically made of synthetic fibres (although you can find natural fibre carpets) and feels soft to the touch. On the other hand, hardwood flooring is made of solid wood, such as oak, and gets sanded and finished appropriately to use as functional flooring.
A lot of people have strong opinions about whether carpet or hardwood is better. Who is right, though? To determine which one might be best for your planned renovations, here are some of the key differences.
Style
Carpet and hardwood look entirely different and will bring a different feel to the room. Hardwood is a hard flooring and comes in the colour of the woo, including any natural patternation – two planks are unlikely to be the same. While generally considered an attractive type of flooring, often suiting a variety of home styles, wooden flooring doesn’t offer many variations.
In terms of variety, carpet wins here. You can find carpets in many different styles, with variations in colour, pattern, texture, and more. You can see just how much from our Dulwich flooring specialists, who can expertly fit a wide range of carpets to suit your tastes.
Cost
Budget plays a crucial role in decision-making when renovating a room or just redoing a floor. If you want to keep things on the cheaper end, carpet is typically the less expensive option, with hardwood flooring often racking up a higher price tag.
Comfort
When it comes to comfortable flooring, there is a big difference between hardwood and carpet. Carpet feels much softer and warmer on the feet, which many people find an advantage, particularly in colder weather. On the other hand, hardwood feels solid and hard without much warmth – it can feel nice underfoot, but you will need to be wary of drafts.
Ease of Cleaning
It’s not just about how it looks and feels – when laying down new flooring, you need to know that you can handle the cleaning! Carpets require regular vacuuming, preferably twice a week. It’s also important to clean stains as soon as they occur and use carpet cleaner when necessary.
Cleaning hardwood is simpler. Most of the time, hardwood only needs a quick sweep to get up any dirt and dust. When hardwood needs deeper cleaning, you just need to get out the mop.
Lifestyle
It’s hard to determine whether hardwood or carpet is better overall, as it depends on your tastes and preferences. Most of all, it depends on your lifestyle. For example, if you have animals, hardwood flooring would probably make more sense, as animal hair is much easier to get up off hardwood flooring than it is carpet, but animal claws can mark some wood. However, if you live in a shared building, carpet might make more sense, as carpet is quieter and can help block out noise from above and below.
The Consensus
When it comes to whether hardwood flooring or carpet is better, it really is a personal choice – there is no outright winner here. In fact, many people choose to have both in different areas of their homes. You might find a warm, comfortable, stylish carpet in the living room works beautifully, but hardwood flooring would look more sophisticated in your dining room.