Is it better to have carpet or hardwood floors in the bedroom?
This can be a daunting question if you are planning to remodel your home.
Both carpeting and hardwood are popular choices for bedroom flooring.
While hardwood flooring has gained popularity due to its aesthetic value and durability, carpeting is still very common in bedrooms due to its warmth, coziness and sound absorbing properties.
Since each type of flooring has own benefits and setbacks, the ultimate decision may come down to the owner based on personal preferences.
Nevertheless, in this guide, the experts at WFC Wood Floor Cleaner discuss factors that may determine or influence your choice for hardwood flooring or carpet in the master bedroom.
Why Hardwood Floors Are Best for Bedrooms
The following benefits come with installation of a wooden floor in the bedroom:
Beauty and style
The natural beauty created by the hues and grain patterns of a hardwood floor never goes out of style.
The introduction of top coating that can vary from glass-like gloss to a subtle matte finish as well as special decorative treatments gives many aesthetic options once the floor is installed.
In addition, you can put an area rug on hardwood floors. This versatility makes hardwood floors the best flooring for every room in a home, including bedrooms.
People have even conquered fears and are now installing hardwood floors in the bathroom and kitchens.
High Resale Value
If you have future plans of reselling your home, hardwood flooring is the way to go.
Wood does not go out of style and when you want to resell your home you simply sand and refinish the floor to look new again.
Buyers will also be able to see exactly what they are getting without tearing up a carpet.
Homes installed with hardwood floors are always perceived as valuable. This is not only due to the wood’s purchase and installation cost, but also the durable nature of a hardwood.
With good care, some wood species are likely to last as long as the house itself.
Simple care and maintenance
It is easier to maintain a hardwood floor than most other types of floorings. Simple sweeping with a soft broom or dusting with a dry cloth keeps dirt at bay.
For homes with pets, this is the best flooring to have as it becomes easy to deal with pet mess. Wood does not trap stray hair, dust, or allergens and is thus easy to clean.
Carpeting traps a lot of dust and allergens, and easily stains as well. If it isn’t cleaned on time, it can make a room smell bad.
Think about dog urine soaked into a carpet and all the effort needed to clean it out. It’s clearly not the ideal choice for homes with dogs or cats.
With routine cleaning, hardwood floors can last for decades before refinishing. Sanding and refinishing involves stripping off the old finish and replacing with a new polyurethane top coat.
This rejuvenates it to its original beauty and also keeps the protective finish intact. Refinishing can be done numerous times without compromising wood quality or strength.
Another main trick to ensure a wooden floor lasts longer is keeping an eye on liquid spills and moisture. Mop them up immediately and prevent wood-moisture contact.
Prolonged exposure causes wood to twist, warp, and buckle.
Why go for carpeting in a bedroom?
It wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t give carpet a fair shake. The following are the reasons you might choose carpet over a hardwood floor in a bedroom:
Comfort and quietness
A bedroom is a place where you spend time relaxing your mind and body from the ups and downs of the day.
It therefore deserves to be as comfortable and quiet as possible. The walls should be calm, the floors gentle on your bare feet, and the air around be fresh.
A carpet is warmer, softer, and quieter than hardwood. These are the main reasons they’re commonly used in bedrooms. When you get out of bed at night or in the morning, it feels good stepping on a carpet.
Some carpets have breathtaking colors and decorations that adds some radiance and coziness to your bedroom.
In addition, carpets absorb sound, as opposed to wooden surfaces, which reflect it. Hardwood floors are likely to make some noise when you walk across them.
This can be bothersome to people in a room underneath your bedroom. The sound dampening properties of a carpet make it good for bedrooms located above other rooms.
Cheap to install
Carpeting a room is far cheaper than installing a hardwood floor.
That means you have to be fully prepared in terms of time and money to have quality wooden flooring installed in your home.
If that is not the case, go for a carpet. In the long run, however, wood will outlast it by many decades.
Laying hardwood planks requires specialized labor from a professional. It is not something you want to attempt on your own if you have no prior knowledge or experience installing hardwood floors.
Therefore, if you want something you can do yourself then go for carpeting.
Remodeling a room to a different taste becomes easier if you are dealing with a carpet. You simply replace it with another one that looks different.
For wood, you either maintain the same look or stain it to something different — a very involved process.
The Bottom Line
Although hardwood flooring may not be as soft as carpeting, it is still the best choice for a bedroom.
Indeed, its durability, natural beauty, and welcoming warmth makes it the best for any room in a home.
In addition, you can have an area rug on hardwood floors in your bedroom to enjoy some of the more appealing features of carpeting for the best of both worlds.