Should we carpet hardwood floors or refinish them?

Question

My husband and I just bought a 120 year old house. We put up the ucky carpet and there are hardwoods all over the house, but they need refinishing. My husband wants to put down carpet because he said the house will be too cold and hard to heat with the wood floors. I want to refinish them because (1) they would be beautiful and (2) much easier to keep clean with kids and 2 small pets. and ive heard they cut down alot on spiders in the house. We would have to refinish them ourselves, we cant afford to hire it done, but I think it would be alot cheaper than carpeting the whole house and not much difference on the gas bill. what do you all think? thanks in advance!@

Answer 1

Definitely refinish the wood floors! Wood is definitely "in" for one thing, it's easier to clean, and actually it can give the house a nice warm feel. What is the cost difference between buying all new carpet and refinishing the wood flooring?

I have a housecleaning business, and most of my clients have pulled up carpet and replaced it with wood, stone, or tile. The wood flooring is WAY faster & easier to clean (spills just wipe up) ... & you don't have all that hidden yucky stuff that works it's way into and under the carpet. And yes, like someone else said, you can put down area rugs. I checked with my sister who replaced carpeting with wood floor ... she says the wood floors do NOT make her house colder, hasn't seen any change in heating bill.

Also, consider the expense of keeping carpets clean (get everyone to take shoes off at the door, and either pay someone to come in at least 2-4 times a year to keep them clean/healthy, or buy your own good carpet cleaner and have to do it yourself).

Answer 2

Other then being a little colder on the feet, I don't think it would make a huge difference in your gas bill. Refinishing them will however increase the value of your home. There is a lot of work to refinishing floors, and I've heard it's not an easy task but I think it's well worth it. They do look beautiful and are more convienient to sweep rather then drag around the vacume all the time.

The cost to have someone refinish them for you may be equal or perhaps even cheaper then new wall to wall carpet, and you can always buy area rugs to go on top to keep your feet warm. The nice thing about area rugs is when your style changes, you can easily replace them with new ones.

It's just my opinion but I think the increased value and beauty it will bring to your home would be well worth the effort.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Personally, I prefer the hardwood floor with area rugs. Especially in an older home. If you must do the work yourself, you can pace the job to your needs. Assuming you will continue to live in the house while doing the floors, you can close off and refinish a room or two at a time. Just make sure to use plastic sheeting over the doors to contain the dust in each room where you are working. Most tool rental places will rent floor sanders for about $80 a day. You need to get two types: the large one to do the body of the floor, and an edge sander to do around the borders.

Answer 4

Definitely refinish the hardwood floors. Those floors must be gorgeous with wood that old!! You cant pay the price for that wood today. Probably strong maple. Just be careful with the refinishing product use something that is eco friendly as polyurthene is said to cause cancer god forbid air the house well and wear a mask. Good Luck!!

Answer 5

Hardwood floors add a lot of value to a home. I would refinish them myself, saving a lot of $. Carpeting is easier but definetly not the best way to go.

Answer 6

hardwood floors are beautiful, and easier to maintain than carpet. Refinish them, unless you have a good reason not to, such as a two story house with a bedroom right below the room with the hardwood floors - it can be noisy to the downstairs people if they're trying to sleep.

Answer 7

I prefer hardwoods. They are so beautiful. Carpets are so hard to keep clean and they hold allergens. If you have kids, they probably have or will have allergies with the carpets. Houses sell better with hardwoods than with carpet, or so I've been told. As for the warmth part, put down area rugs in the winter. You will have to consider another thing, tho. The hardwoods will have to be redone again in a few years or so. Are y'all up to the work?? Good luck!!

Answer 8

I am in almost exactly the same situation as you are. I bought a 124 year old house with hardwood under the rugs as well in the living room and dining room. The man I purchased the house from had already redone the dining room and it looks absolutly perfect. It suits the age of the house to a T and helps in keeping the antique look. I am also in the process of deciding whether to finish the living room floor and am finding it a bit difficult to find the same hardwood as they used that long ago for a decent price (mine needs about 50 sq ft) . I see both your points BUT once you see how beautiful it will look in your house you will NOT be sorry if you choose the hardwood.

Answer 9

I have 4 kids and have always had a pet of some kind!
Cost depends on your skill, since you're doing it yourself. Research techniques and materials thoroughly, and choose what will suit your taste and lifestyle. You need to calculate what your hours are worth, vs. paying someone. If you have a career/job...that's easier to calculate. What's your hourly pay (if its more than what you would pay someone, better to bite the bullet, look for overtime, and enjoy the time you have off....with a new home you have lots of other things to stress over)? whether you have the time or not, you really need to at least consult an expert, even if you don't hire them (get a free estimate from a flooring guy). After they quote you for hours, figure it will take you at least as long as he estimates, since you are not experienced.
Having lived with both carpet and tile and laminate flooring, I would say anything but carpet is better if you have kids and pets(however, it really depends on your kids, pets, and your house rules; if you're relaxed about shoes and dirt, your carpet shows it more than anything else). All floors require maintenance, so you have to figure that in for the long term commitment. After you figure in your time (refinishing hardwood, and all the spot cleaning and routine cleaning for carpet), then look at the dollars. Carpet stores have lots of financing options, including no interest for several months or even a year or more.

For most people, time is money. If you have plenty of time, and energy to do the work....

If you are talking strictly dollars...once the floors are carpeted, you have to think about cleaning them, possibly repairing if there is damage or stains which don't come out; also, replacement is inevitable, as there will be fading from sun, overall wear and tear, and stains. Savings on utility bills won't offset the cost of new carpeting in 10 years...but if you look at it that way, you break even, you don't really come out ahead or behind on your utilities.

As for hardwood floors, they are more versatile...you can change your colors anytime, and your style. In one day, with a few accents you can go from victorian to art deco to modern. If you treat it well (no tap dancing), maintenance is not hard to keep up (assuming it is a quality finish to start with).

So, you have to consider: what your time is worth, to do it yourself, and your level of patience, because it will undoubtedly take a while for you to do it, even if you are very handy. There's a lot to be said for someone who has done the job several times...they will know tricks to make it go smoother and faster.
What look are you going for? Carpet is cozier, hands down, but you can cozy up hardwood also.
Lifestyle most important...will kids and pets be running in and out? will you have strict rules on removing shoes, and leaving skates, bikes, skateboards, boots, jackets, etc in a specified place? Are dogs trained to stay in certain part of the house?

Refinishing areas like the entryway, hallways, dining room and kitchen and bath, while carpeting bedrooms may be an option... Carpet will be cheaper for sure, if you do that.

By the way, if you were to carpet the bedrooms/living room, while keeping the hardwood in the other areas, you could live with a longer term commitment to doing it yourself, since there would be less moving of furniture involved, and you could even do early parts of the project in segments, so that the household can still function somewhat normally, until it comes time to apply the stain and subsequent coatings. Then, you would want to have everyone out for a while, to avoid fumes, and also so you can concentrate on doing a good job, without distractions.

Answer 10

Refinishing hardwood floors is NOT a DIY. Staining to be even can be a nightmare! Far cheaper to pay security deposit money than to pay to have the whole floor re-done. Cheaper still is to work on the dog. Anywhere you go it will chew.