Should I Carpet over Wood Floors?

Maybe start with some room-size rugs? Not as much committment, and not quite as expensive. Then, if after a while you decide you like it enough, go for the carpet.

Big area rugs, all the way. There are some nice, cushy ones out there. Recently I got a really good bargain on 2 large wool rugs at TJ Maxx.

I was going to carpet my basement, just for the same reasons you mention above - fortunately, someone talked me out of it. I'm so much happier with what I chose instead.

I love hardwood floors...you are lucky! Personally I would buy a cute soft area rug for each child's bedroom. Carpet gets so gross...puke stains, spilled drinks and the like all add nasty stains over time. I say shop rug sales!

I would hate to cover hard wood floors up too.....maybe some nice cushy , extra large area rugs

What we did in my old house over the hardwood was buy carpet remnants and have the edges bound. We got sizes that they could cut to the size of our rooms (we were lucky and they were square--not oddly shaped) and the bound edges kept them from fraying. All the nice comfy warmth of a carpet with no damage to the wood underneath.

Don't do it. The nail holes are tedious to repair correctly. Get carpet remnants and have them edged($1-4 per foot) so the outside is not ragged. Their is also a tape that supposedly holds carpets in place and mats you cut to size.
Wood is beautiful. Think of how nasty your carpet and pad get. It is better on allergies to be able to really clean the floor.s

Don't do wall-to-wall carpet. That puts staples into the hardwood. Hardwood helps boost the resale value of your home.

Get a rug instead. That will take care of both sides of the issue!

Dawn

I would not cover the hardwood floors w/carpet.
That was done in our home before we bought it .
Sad because they are pretty.
How do I know that?
Because we re-carpeted! Yikes! One thing I will say in our stupid defense is that we have dogs (didn't want them to scratch the floors) & we wanted all main rooms where we congregate to be warm (baby was going to be crawling around on floor).
I would buy huge area rugs to cover the main living/family rooms leaving a border of a foot or two round the rugs of the hardwood floor, if you can.
Functional, pretyy & keeps the integrity of the hardwood. :)

IMO I would not cover hardwood unless it was in really bad shape. If you want to have some type of softer surface, consider rugs.

Does anyone in the home have any allergies or asthma? If so, I wouldn't carpet.

I would LOVE to get rid of our carpeting. I love our hardwood floors (they are only exposed in our LR & DR), but my husband wants carpet in the bedrooms. Yes, carpet is warmer and softer, but you could always get area rugs for that purpose.

Squeaky wood floors can be repaired relatively easily. I think if you Google the topic you can find some pretty helpful instructional videos.

Check out something called Flor Tiles. They are carpet tiles that you can make into a rug, runner or wall-to-wall carpeting. They are installed with no glue or nails and so they can be removed easily later!

Not sure of price though, but you might check out their website.

Noooooooo! Use area rugs instead. Easier to keep clean, less allergies, looks better.

You can go to the carpet store and buy a cushy rug pad to go under any area rug you buy. Just cut it a few inches smaller than the rug so that it does not show.

I hate the smell of new carpet. The fumes aren't good for you either. I'm not saying don't carpet if that is what you prefer, but do a little research and pick a time when you can have the windows open to air out the house for a few weeks.

If it were me I'd get small rugs. I love not having any carpet in my house. I find it easier to keep clean.

No, I would not carpet! My points have already been made by others, but my oldest son has allergies and I would LOVE to have hardwood floors in his room. I even got an estimate once and it was pretty pricey. Rugs is what I would do. Hardwood generally increases the value of your home more than carpet too.

Area Rugs.. Better resale to have the hardwood floors, also easier to keep your air clean in your home without a dirty carpet with a dirty pad underneath.

We have concrete living room floors. I needed a large rug so we could be comfy. I bought a remnant and bound it myself, but you can have that done for a very reasonable price. I also got a nice pad to go under it. I glued the pad to the carpet, so it wouldn't slide and show seams. It's been a great solution. We have a nice place to hang out, but I still have the convenience and comfort of our concrete floors. It's a relatively cheap solution that won't damage the floors and can be reversed. Once the glue and staples go in, there is no turning back.

Personally, I hate carpeting and rugs, so I would stay with the wood.

Pros: carpets do warm up the floor for play, and give you additional visual options.

Cons: carpets are expensive, harder to clean, can off-gas considerable toxins, hold odors and stains in case of spills and accidents.

Have you considered a smaller area rug? I hope you come to a decision that pleases you.

I agree with all the other posters who say use area rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. Another up-side of rugs is they are a lot easier and cheaper to replace if they get old and dirty, or if you decide you want a different color or look to your room. Our current house if full of carpeting, and I really miss the hardwood at our old house, the look and feel, and even the squeaks! Good luck finding some throw rugs that you like!

My first home that my son lived in from birth to 2nd grade had hard wood floors. Instead of installing carpet, as that had the potential to harm the floors, I bought large, soft area rugs for the living room and playroom. The rugs were large enough to basically cover the floor and provided the softer, insulated surface I wanted in a few rooms while preserving the hard wood.

It will make your house worth a lot less. Often carpet presses into the grain of the wood and it takes hours of sanding and resurfacing the wood to get it looking good again.

If you want your value to remain high then don't do permanent carpet. Use large area rugs but be sure to put carpet liners down under them so the won't slide around. You can even get some remnants and lay them down to the edges of the room.

We did this kind of stuff in college where we had tile floors and could not put down carpet. We just used the furniture as the anchors that held it down.

To warm the rooms, that would be a good idea. But I can tell you it will decrease the value of the home. Carpet is considered a bad "investment" in a home.

Use nice throw rugs or room rugs, instead of tacking stuff down to nice wooden floors. This can make it warmer and deaden the noise.

If you don't want to completely cover the hard wood floor, just get some large area rugs for the main areas.
I to have hard wood floors in my old house, but I did decide to cover it all in carpet. I got a nice, softer, warmer carpet for the living room area then just put area rugs in the bedrooms for now. It is helping keep the house warmer, that's for sure.

I would go for hardwood every time, with area rugs. Carpet has always felt to dirty and smelly to me.

We pulled up the carpet in our house on the main floor about 2 years ago. I have never been so disgusted in my life. I thought our house was clean.... little did I know all the YUCK living in the carpets. Bugs, stains, general nastiness. I will never have a house with carpet again.

NNOOOOOOO don't do it!! Use throw rugs. :)

I don't get the big deal of hardwood. Yes, it may look nice, but it's cold and hard! I love nice soft, warm carpet. If you're concerned about resale, then just put down a nice wall to wall area rug, especially in the kids rooms to warm them up, who wants to get out of bed onto a cold floor?