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hardwood with large area rugs for us. We make sure to put a nice, thick rug pad down and our main living room rug is plush. That way we can still sit down or lay down on it if we want and it is very soft but also much easier to clean than permanent carpet. We don't need carpet everywhere to enjoy sitting on the floor.
And then overall our hardwoods are soooo much easier to clean than the carpet we had previously.
I don't like carpet. We ripped out the carpet that was in the dining and living room of this house. Had old hardwood underneath. The carpet was gross. I have a lot of animals, so I want to be able to see the messes they make.
Have no issues with cold floors during the winter, since I rarely run around in bare feet. I have this weird phobia about stepping on anything even a speck of sand with my bare feet. I vacuum daily. I have bamboo in the bathroom and it has held up well. Laminate in the kitchen and that wasn't a good choice. Had a water leak, so that will have to be replaced. It isn't obvious, but its not super expensive to do. The color was too dark. Looked nice, but every speck and dog slobber showed.
We had new carpet installed in our down level rec room area and two bedrooms. Used top grade padding and a blocker for any occasional messes the dogs make.
Our basement is 1/2 under ground with two windows, 1,000 sq feet of rec room then 2 bedrooms and and a full bath. Can't imagine having tile or hardwood in that area. It would be cold and not too inviting for a family rec room, but that's my opinion..
It's nice in the winter to have the pellet stove on, the kids and dogs laying on a nice, soft, warm, fully padded floor
The only room that has carpet is the guest room, we tore up the old pepto bismol pink carpet with the intention of putting laminate down but soon realised it was a much bigger job than anticipated as the room had once been two separate rooms, a bathroom and a bedroom. We would have had to lay sub floor before laying laminate so we went with carpet.
Its easy to keep clean as the room is only used occasionally and the dogs aren't allowed in so no problems with pet hair.
Everywhere else we have either vinyl (kitchen and bathroom) or laminate flooring and rugs, I sweep through a couple of times a day when the newfoundland/pyr mix is blowing her coat and once a day the rest of the year.
Karndean is what my friend swears by. She moves every 3 years, give or take, as she works her way up the ladder. She buys the worst home in the best neighborhood she can afford. Then she hires a handyman to remove popcorn ceilings, wallpaper, carpet, vinyl... Paints rich, neutral colors. Puts down gorgeous hardwood floors in the living room and dining room and Karndean floors everywhere else. Usually she adds a deck or a screen porch. Then spends the next three years puttering around the gardens.
She has a gorgeous home to live in. All she needs is a little touch up painting when it is time to move on. (She has dogs.) The Kardean floors look like they were put down yesterday.
Th carpet.
Its easy to keep clean as the room is only used occasionally and the dogs aren't allowed in so no problems with pet hair.
Everywhere else we have either vinyl (kitchen and bathroom) or laminate flooring and rugs, I sweep through a couple of times a day when the newfoundland/pyr mix is blowing her coat and once a day the rest of the year.
I swear by a central vac for dog hair. We've put one in the last two homes we've owned and I love it. Takes just a second to hook up the hose and go around the room and hair is gone, out in the vac canister in the garage.
We've had Newfies since forever. Great dogs. But, oh the hair....
I'd never even consider looking at a home with no carpet. When I was shopping for my present home in 2000, carpeting was one of the "must-haves," which narrowed down my list quite a bit. EVERYONE wanted hardwood floors. To me, it just doesn't feel like a home with no carpet.
I guess I'm in the minority, but I really like carpet- I prefer it to hardwood or any other hard surface. I mean I like hardwood in places like the kitchen or bathrooms, but for the living room and the rest of the house I really like carpet. To me it feels more comfortable, more cozy.
If it's about cost/durability I'd go with a good laminate over vinyl. It will look and feel much better and will still last with some abuse. Many look and feel JUST like actual wood (I have it on the whole first floor of my house). I like carpet in bedrooms and on stairs personally, but don't go low quality and have a decent padding.
Most people that I know of either prefer a hardwood (or hardwood look) in main living areas or a nice looking tile. The tile tends to be a preference in hotter climates such as Florida/Arizona, etc.
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