The look and feel of a home will vary with each house you enter, as we all have our preferences when it comes to certain design features, especially our flooring. Choosing between carpet and hardwood might be weighing on your mind as you approach a renovation, so let’s understand the responsibility and highlights of each option, so you can find out whether carpet or hardwood is right for you.

Black wooden floor ↑

Cleaning commitments

You might not be thinking about cleaning at the start, but this is a consideration that should help you make your decision as there is going to be a fair amount of time assigned to cleaning your carpet or hardwoods. Not to mention the products and appliances required to clean both respectively. Cleaning your hardwood floors can be done quickly and efficiently with a quality hard floor cleaner, whereas carpets require a deep vacuum as well as a carper wash and shampoo from time to time. Carpet can also wear time more noticeably than hardwood floors, which you can mitigate by choosing a darker carpet color.

Carpet in a modern home by Flack Studio ↑

If your household is full of little kids who like to bring the outdoors in and get creative all over the house – hardwood floors might be the right option. Some households have the best of both worlds and choose to carpet some areas (like bedrooms) and choose hardwood in public areas so that they can be more easily cleaned. Understand your own cleaning schedule and take a look at your family dynamic and choose whether the carpet or hardwood floor is best for your home.

Climate and geography has a lot to do with it

Accent wooden flooring ↑

Tropical, warm destinations have homes with hardwood and tiles, as they are a light surface. Homes located in colder destinations often opt for carpet as they retain more warmth in winter, with hardwood and tiles radiating a cooler environment. Have a think about when your home is located and the natural temperature of your home currently. Are you looking for a warmer or cooler home, or is what you currently have, working? When you choose a provider, be sure to ask them about the material and makeup and what they can bring to the temperature of your home.

Work with the style of your home

The decision between carpet and hardwood is not simply made in isolation, as you need to take into account the overall style of your home. Classic, art deco, minimalist and gothic – each style demands its own decor and furnishings, and to choose a flooring option outside of that style might ruin the whole ensemble. Next time you jump on Pinterest or flick through your home magazines, look to see what flooring has been chosen in each concept to get a better understanding of what is going to work in your home.

Modular carpet tiles ↑

If your carpet and hardwood flooring is going down before the rest of your renovation, you need to be forward-thinking in how your decision is going to work in with future decisions. In fact, as a rule of thumb, you should be conceptualizing all renovations as one project – even if you roll out the stages at different times. It would be heartbreaking to choose a beautiful white carpet only for it to look wrong amongst your classical home redesign.

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You’re not going to regret either carpet or hardwood floors in your home, but you can make the best decision by doing some planning and deep thinking about what is going to fit your home most. Do not be afraid to request carpet and wood samples so that you can see how they look in your home.