Your home’s floors are one of the single most important things about it. They’ll influence the look and feel of the home and even have an impact on how well you enjoy it. As such, it’s important that you find the right flooring for each room. While carpet is a good option for bedrooms thanks to its ability to ‘warm up’ a room, most homeowners today are finding that hardwood makes more sense – especially when they need high traffic flooring.
Not convinced? Think about some of the following points to see why your high traffic areas are better suited to hardwood. We’re talking about the rooms that get the most visits – things like your living room, den, kitchen, or even the dining room. Here’s a look at why hardwood makes more sense.
• The biggest reason comes right from the term ‘high traffic flooring’. The floors in the locations that get the most traffic need to be able to stand up to constant walking. Carpet can quickly become worn down, frayed, or even torn just because of years of use. Hardwood is much more durable and provides longevity that carpet won’t provide.
• Think about the dirt, debris, mud, pet hair, and other contaminants that get carried around on the bottom of people’s feet. Now think about how easy it is to spill a drink or some food in areas that are heavily travelled. Those two reasons should explain why carpet isn’t the best option here. Hardwood resists stains and allergens and cleans up without any trouble at all. It’s a more reliable option.
• Here’s something that is often overlooked where high traffic areas are concerned – moving furniture. When you begin moving heavy pieces of furniture into a home, the floor will take some punishment. Carpet can actually make it harder to get the job done or suffer damage as a result of it. Hardwood helps make it easier.
Of course, there are plenty of great reasons to have carpet in various rooms of your home, and today’s carpet can certainly stand up to more than the carpets of decades past. Tile, laminate, and even cork or rubber flooring are other options that are worth considering as well. The key is to understand what each flooring option offers and why it’s worth your money. For many, the benefits of hardwood are still hard to beat.