Carpet vs. Hard Flooring – Comparison Guide

No matter if you are selling/ buying or remodelling a house, your flooring is one of the greatest and most important investments you will be making in your property. Choosing the right floors is an important part of bringing together the entire look of your space, and let’s not forget they need to provide you with the right functionality as well. It’s not enough for flooring options to just look great, they also need to meet the needs of your home and your family. 

When looking for the right type of flooring for your home, the decision often comes down to carpet vs non carpet. Read our article below to find out more about the differences between hard floors and carpet.

Appearance 

Carpets are well known for offering more variety in terms of colours, styles, patterns and textures, however, the natural beauty of hard floors can’t be replicated by other materials. More than that, today, hard flooring comes in many styles and shades, therefore, it can meet almost any interior design need. Depending on your preferences, hardwood or natural stone floors can help you create a classic and timeless look, while tiles could be used to create unique designs and a more contemporary feel. The same as hard floors, carpets add personality to a space, complementing and enhancing the rest of the décor. 

In terms of texture, carpeting is not only softer to the touch, but also softer in appearance, creating a warmer and cosier vibe within the house. Hard floors make a bolder statement, as they are as firm to the eye, as they are to the feet. 

If you can’t decide on which type of flooring you should choose for your home, why not get the best of what both carpets and hard floors have to offer by mixing them? We can all agree that kitchens, bathrooms or laundry rooms are no place for carpets due to the high level of moisture and the risk of spill and spots. Bedrooms and kid’s rooms on the other hand, are the most suited rooms for carpeting. You can create a cosy and intimate vibe in your bedroom by opting for a plush carpet in neutral colours, while in a play room, a stain and soil resistant high quality carpet, creates a soft and safe environment for the kids. Wood flooring is a great option for your living room, and you can easily “spice things up” by adding a vibrant coloured area rug.

Comfort 

As mentioned before, carpets are softer both to the touch and in appearance, therefore, they create a more relaxed and comfortable atmosphere in a room. One of the great benefits of this type of flooring is that carpet is much warmer than hard floors, especially on a chilli winter morning. Dense carpeting with a quality padding underneath can create an R value of 4 or more, which means that the warmth carpets lend to a room is very real.

Hard floors can be cold in the morning or during the winter months. It is best to have a radiant floor heating system installed in conjunction with your hard flooring. This will ensure a comfortable temperature is maintained at all times.

One disadvantage of hard floors is that any trip and fall could lead to injuries and broken objects. Carpets on the other hand, offer a cushioned surface with excellent sound-deadening properties. This can be a strong consideration in homes with small children or elderly residents.

Cost and installation 

In terms of prices and cost of installation, carpeting offers enough options to match any budget. In the recent decades, the manufacturing process became so efficient, that carpets are considerable cheaper than other flooring options. However, if you are looking for high quality specialty materials, such as wool, you should expect at a higher price. 

When comes to hard flooring, the general rule is that the cost for both the materials and the installation process is higher than for carpets. If hard floors are what you want, there are a few more budget friendly options available on the market, such as engineered wood, vinyl tiles or laminate flooring. 

Return of investment (ROI) 

If you are thinking of selling a house, investing in new floors will not only increase your property’s resale value, but it will help you find a buyer much faster. Carpeting usually does not add much real estate value since it is recognized as the less durable material. Even with proper care, carpets need to be replaced every 10 to 15 years, while hard floors can last you a life time. With this in mind, we recommend replacing your flooring and consider hardwood or any other hard floor option, especially for the kitchen, bathroom and living room area.

If you already have hard floors installed in your home and they are in good condition, professional floor cleaning services in Dublin, are an affordable and convenient way of refreshing their look and increasing your property’s value. 

Maintenance and durability

When properly installed and sealed, hard floors are very durable and can last you a lifetime, especially those made of natural materials, such as hard wood, marble or stone tiles. Regular vacuuming and sweeping will keep dust, dirt and debris at bay, and periodic damp mopping with a specialised cleaning solution will maintain your hard floors in top condition. If you want take the maintenance process to the next level, you could have your hard floor professionally cleaned on a regular basis. This will not only will preserve the appearance of your flooring and eliminate the build-up of elements that can wear and tear the surface, but it will also remove all the bacteria and allergens trapped between the floor boards and cracks, greatly improving the quality of indoor air. 

For carpet lovers, professional carpet cleaning services are an affordable and convenient way of deep cleaning and maintaining their carpeting. While regular vacuuming is a great practice, no amount of hoovering will completely remove the build-up of debris trapped inside. More than that, spills and stains are almost impossible to avoid, and removing them from your carpet might be a daunting task. An expert carpet cleaner, such as Carpet Cleaning Dublin by Happy Clean, has the right tools, training and experience, for restoring your carpet’s appearance and removing the dust, dirt and other contaminants from deep within the fibres. Having your carpets professionally deep cleaned at least once per year (or every 6 to 8 months for heavy traffic areas) goes a long way towards promoting a healthier home environment and prolonging your carpeting’s life span.