Can I pick your brains on flooring? :) Installation, types, child friendliness, etc

[Indigoblue]

I hear you all on the hardwoods and their resale value, but we're really hoping to stay in this house for the long term. We bought at the top of our comfortable price range so the home would be large enough for us to grow into. We've had hardwood floors with area rugs before and it just doesn't feel as homey as when we have all carpets

There are also hardwoods in the foyer, kitchen, and eat in area that we would leave as is. The hubby wants to leave hardwoods in the office as well, but I don't particularly like rolling away from my computer and like to have my feet on cozy carpet

Is there something we can do with a traditional carpet install to protect the hardwoods underneath? Like thicker padding or a certain type of padding?

I'll look into all the suggestions people gave for the craft/mud room as well Thanks everyone! I <3 this forum

[Indigoblue]

Wow marmoleum is sooo pretty

http://www.themarmoleumstore.com/fra...u_id=873&ssm=1

Originally Posted by PDXmom

For your new craft room have you considered marmoleum? It's very durable, natural, and IMHO looks better than vinyl. It is more expensive, but is more durable than vinyl.

[alice_61]

The tack strips for wall to wall carpet leave bad holes in the wood floor. Also they staple the padding down across the floor. You would have to pull out a million staples if you remove the carpet. That is why an area rug would be better than wall to wall. Another option is 2'x2' foam squares that you can buy at a home center. We had enough for a good size play area on our concrete patio. We even set a wading pool on it and our baby had a blast playing around and in the pool. I'd vote for hardwood floor and warm slippers. The wood floors are much easier to clean than carpet and much more sanitary. For the work area, you might want to consider an inlaid sheet vinyl with color throughout. It is much more durable than the typical vinyl with the printed design on top. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publi...heet/HI_03.pdf

[kmflan]

We did have some friends who bought wall to wall carpet to fit the size of the room, maybe leaving a foot or so around the perimeter. They had it bound and placed padding underneath. That way it was like having wall-to-wall, but you could lift it if a spill happened and the hardwood underneath was protected. Seemed to work out ok, and it actually looked very nice. Ultimately though, it is your house and you should do as you wish