Should I install carpet on hardwood floor?
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Anonymous
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We have hardwood (basic oak, orangy color) on our entire main level. I love hardwood for the look and ease of cleaning. However, our family room seems so cold and when people come over, no one sits in there (it is open plan continuing into the kitchen breakfast area and kitchen). I have long toyed with the idea of getting a carpet custom cut and bound to put in the room. I am concerned that with the open area (one long side of the room plus a little more -- two entryways) the carpet might catch on someone's foot or get curled up on the edges b/c of the traffic going in and out of the family room.
The guys at Home Depot suggest just putting the carpet down (with the tack strips) in the usual wall-to-wall way rather than having a custom bound carpet piece (unattached to the floor). I'm considering it. What do you think of having carpet installed over perfectly fine hardwood floors in a family room? p.s. DH is very concerned about the damage to the floor -- I am concerned too, but wondering if the benefits outweigh the damage. |
Anonymous
| Would love to see responses, too. We're considering putting carpet over the hardwood floor in our bedroom. How much damage does the installation do? |
Anonymous
I'd do area rugs, honestly. Don't worry about the edges catching. |
Anonymous
| I'd never, ever put carpet over hardwoods. Carpet just looks cheap. I'd do an area rug instead. |
Anonymous
| We took up carpet the previous owner has installed and the damage from the tack strip was noticeable. Not unbearable, but I wish he hadn't done it. |
Anonymous
| I would highly recommend against it. Get a nice area rug and pad instead. It will likely be cheaper, look nicer, and not damage the hardwoods. |
Anonymous
| Another vote for area rugs. I hate wall to wall carpet. I can't wait to pull ours up and run hardwoods. |
Anonymous
| Another vote for area rugs. We had wall to wall in our TH and pulled them up and installed wood floors (allergy problems were horrendous). We couldn't believe how much had been trapped under the wall to wall and I'd even been steam cleaning them. Area rugs will give you the option of sending the out for cleaning if you ever want to (you probably won't) and you can also change them later if your decor changes (not that I have, but you could more easily). Also, hardwood increases the $ of your home, if that matters. |
Anonymous
| I second and third the area rugs!! You will destroy your hardwood and resale will plummet!! |
Anonymous
Absolutely agree. |
Anonymous
| Yep, I agree...I don't understand how anyone could willingly choose to put down carpet over hardwood floors. |
Anonymous
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If your family room is cold - it's probably not the hardwood floors. Get a home energy audit to see where the cold air is coming from. Our house is all hardwood, built in 1960, and found an area with inadequate insulation. Once we fixed that, it was a million times better. Also with the old houses, the heat vents aren't always in the best places to keep all the rooms evenly warm.
As for carpet with tack strips, the damage might come up when the floors are refinished, but it may not. If you get a heavy area rug - it won't be a trip hazard. Something that's thin might curl up at the edges. I would go with an area rug. I doubt carpet of any type would affect your resale value - it's not like you're ripping up the hardwood, it's still there. |
Anonymous
| Get a good quality, heavy area rug and use a high quality rug pad. That would eliminate the tripping and curling. |
Anonymous
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Large wool area rug.
Home energy audit. |
Anonymous
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No, no, no!
Agree with PPs on (1) area rug and (2) energy audit. |