Floor coverings:Carpet, wood or hard?

[busapig]

Re: Floor coverings:Carpet, wood or hard?

I have mostly carpet and hate it--if I had my way, it would be gone--and hardwood would be refinished, but my wife feels differently

[Dzone]

Re: Floor coverings:Carpet, wood or hard?

carpet=bugs

[dixiechick]

Flooring And Floor Covering: Advantages And Disadvantages

I've been in the flooring industry for over 15 years. There are pros and cons for each type of flooring. It helps to think about the traffic area where the floor covering will be installed. What is the amount of traffic... meaning how often is this area used? high, medium or low traffic area. How will the are be used? Kitchen and bathrooms do better with hard surfaces because carpet doesn't do very well when it gets wet.

Each floor covering manufacturer has a "good/better/best" in their floor covering line. Try to compare apples to apples when you are looking at pricing. You can get a copy of the manufacturer's product specification sheets on a product which will give you information on the type of material, weight, backing, etc. Most of the time this is how it is price. For example: "contractor grade" flooring will use the minimum material possible so they can keep the price low. The wear is for low traffic and will not stand up very well in high traffic areas. You don't have to buy the high-end flooring either. Another example is carpet. You don't have to buy high-end carpet for it to last longer. Instead drop down a price range and spend a little extra on the padding. It will look and wear better.

Flooring And Floor Covering: Advantages And Disadvantages

Ceramic Tile

Advantages

• Durable, attractive and easy to maintain
• Comes in a wide variety of patterns, colors, shapes and finishes
• Versatile with a wide range of border options
• Works well with wood and carpeting

Disadvantages

• Can be cold and noisy
• Can be slippery
• Can be stained if not properly sealed
• Tough to keep grout clean
• Can crack, thus requiring replacement

Harwood/Pre-Finished Engineered Wood

Advantages

• Feels good underfoot
• Can be refinished
• Has general good looks

Disadvantages

• May fade over time
• Doesn’t handle lots of moisture very well
• Certain finishes scratch easily

Laminate Flooring

Advantages

• Not easily damaged
• Easy to maintain
• Stain and fade resistant
• Scratch resistant

Disadvantages

• Not soft underfoot
• When damaged it’s not easy to repair

Carpeting

Advantages

• Feels good underfoot
• Great for deadening sound
• Can hide sub-floor irregularities
• Lots of color choices
• Usually less costly than installing hard floors

Disadvantages

• Will fade over time
• Not easy to repair
• Readily shows wear and tear
• Staining and mildew can be a problematic

[Dzone]

Re: Floor coverings:Carpet, wood or hard?

^thanks Dixie Chick! thats awesome information!

[quirkysmilin]

Re: Flooring And Floor Covering: Advantages And Disadvantages

Ceramic Tile

Advantages

• Durable, attractive and easy to maintain
• Comes in a wide variety of patterns, colors, shapes and finishes
• Versatile with a wide range of border options
• Works well with wood and carpeting

Disadvantages

• Can be cold and noisy
• Can be slippery
• Can be stained if not properly sealed
• Tough to keep grout clean
• Can crack, thus requiring replacement

[[/LIST]

Can be cold and noisy - use an in-floor heating system[*]Can be slippery[*]Can be stained if not properly sealed - tile is a sealed product fired in a kiln - it does not stain (think about your plates - same idea)[*]Tough to keep grout clean - grouts are so modified these days - its generally surface dirt - can be cleaned off.[*]Can crack, thus requiring replacement - tile only cracks if its cheap or your subfloor isnt level.

[dixiechick]

Re: Flooring And Floor Covering: Advantages And Disadvantages

Can be cold and noisy - use an in-floor heating system[*]Can be slippery[*]Can be stained if not properly sealed - tile is a sealed product fired in a kiln - it does not stain (think about your plates - same idea)[*]Tough to keep grout clean - grouts are so modified these days - its generally surface dirt - can be cleaned off.[*]Can crack, thus requiring replacement -

tile only cracks if its cheap or your subfloor isnt level.

Very true... I've spent the past 10 years working for floor covering adhesive manufacturers and I can't stress enough just how important proper surface prep is for any time of flooring.

I can give you story after story on people who called in because their floor covering adhesives wasn't working that turned out the surface prep wasn't done properly most for the time none was done at all.