Hind-sight really is 20/20. That’s why I wanted to offer a little bit of wisdom (from personal experience) and bring you forward 20 years from now to save you some trouble, some money, and maybe even some illness. I’m going to explain why I think you should choose that hardwood flooring over wall-t0-wall carpet, even though it may be a little more expensive now, it will save you a ton over your life in your home.
Let’s talk about it…
If I knew 20 years ago what I know today about carpet vs. hardwood flooring, we would have chosen hardwood flooring instead of the wall-to-wall carpet that we installed and lived with for 20 years.
When we built our house 20 years ago, we had to make what felt like a million choices. From the design… to woodwork… to appliances and faucets. Everything had a cost associated with it and those costs added up quickly.
As a couple in our first few years of marriage with two little ones, cost was a huge concern.
For the largest structural items and permanent fixtures like kitchen cabinets, we invested and absorbed the higher costs.
For some smaller items like bathroom countertops and floor tile, we chose more cost effective products rather than high-end stone.
One of the last things we had to make a decision on was the flooring throughout the house.
Read all about our new blue & white runner rugs and where to find them on Amazon HERE.
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By this time, the list of building expenses had grown. We were determined to keep our mortgage at. a number we could afford.
So we opted to install red oak hardwood floors only throughout the first floor and wall-to-wall carpet on the second floor, which was a more cost effective option and helped keep us closer to budget.
The red oak on the first floor was exceptional. The installer put what he called a “basketball court finish” on them so they’ve held up really well for over 20 years.
We absolutely love them, even if they are a little more “yellow” than today’s modern floors.
They are still hardwood and we’re grateful to have them.
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We originally chose to install wall-t0-wall carpet on the second floor for two reasons: cost and warmth.
BUT… I really wish we had “bit the bullet” so to speak, and installed hardwood on the second floor also. Here’s why…
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We could have amortized the cost
Twenty years ago, the cost to install the carpet throughout 3 bedrooms and the hallway was around $3,000-$4,000. The hardwood would have cost around $8,000 ( I think)
Over the life of a 30-year mortgage that’s only about an additional $12 per month for the carpet and $23 per month for the hardwood ($8,000/360 months) plus some interest.
The current quotes I was receiving to remove our old carpet and install this Milliken Brushed Linen carpet with a new pad in 3 bedrooms, the hallway, and a walk-in closet were between $9,000-$10,000.
Instead we purchased pre-finished Bellawood White Oak 3/4″ x 3-1/4″ Select hardwood select flooring with a 100-year warranty and did all the labor ourselves – for LESS than those Milliken carpets would have cost.
Yup… the removal of the old carpets and baseboards, refinishing the baseboards, painting all walls & ceilings, laying a 1/4-inch plywood sub-floor, and laying the pre-finished hardwood. It was a ton of work, but also saved us a ton of money.
Here’s a breakdown on the supplies…
- Hardwood flooring from Lumber Liquidators: $6,169
- Hardwood floor nailer: $132
- Nails, Glue, tools, etc.: $817
- Plywood sub-floor: $649
- About 4 gallons of paint : $120
If we had hired someone to install the wood floors, we were told the cost would have been double ($13,000-$15,000). And since we have no intentions of taking out another 30-year loan, this would have been an upfront cost – which was way more than we wanted to spend.
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This photo is of our 20-year old carpets.
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There’s actually an even more important reason why we did NOT install carpet the second time around…
These carpets were making me sick
I learned that carpets really should be changed out after about 10 years.
Our house is clean and uncluttered. What you see is this photo is the way my house looked all of the time. I vacuumed weekly for 20 years with a really good Miele vacuum like THIS one. Here’s a similar Miele vacuum.
But wall-t0-wall carpets retain dust and accumulate mycotoxins (aka mold) no matter how much you vacuum. No matter how much I vacuumed, especially with the crevice tool along the edge where the carpet meets the wall, I could never get it fully clean.
And over time, the carpets made me really sick.
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Read all about our new blue & white runner rugs and where to find them on Amazon HERE.
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Hardwood is a more permanent solution
Hardwood floors can last 30, 50 and even 100 years – making them a much better deal over the life of the floors.
Because carpets accumulate mycotoxins, they really should be changed out every 10 years (just my opinion based on experience, not anything scientific).
Hardwood is easier to keep clean
Dog. Kids. Shoes. Need I say more. Hardwood is easier to wipe clean than any carpet.
Although, I will say that my new blue & white runner rugs are really easy to clean because they are wool.
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The Option to Choose a Unique Pattern
This is one of my favorite reasons for choosing the wood floors… I was able to get colorful, patterned blue & white wool runner rugs at a super reasonable price.
If I had gotten a similar pattern in a wall-to-wall carpet it would have cost thousands more than a plain rug – trust me, I priced a few out and was shocked at the elevated cost.
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Read all about our new blue & white runner rugs and where to find them on Amazon HERE.
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Rug Runners Can Easily Be Cleaned or Replaced
We spent $600 on these new runner rugs. I absolutely love them, but when they do get dirty (and I know they will over time), I can either send them out to be professionally cleaned or easily replace them.
And finally…
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Higher Value
Even if you don’t plan to stay in your house for 20+ years, hardwood floors are still a good idea because they add to your home’s value.
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Have I convinced you yet?
Like I said… Hindsight is 20/20. Trust me on this one. If there’s any way for you to stretch your budget and install the hardwood floors instead of wall-to-wall carpet, I highly recommend you do.
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