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Flooring
There
is little else that says more about the quality of your home than
great flooring.
Notice,
I said great and not expensive. The right choice of flooring will
make your home more comfortable and functional to your lifestyle.
Hardwood flooring and laminate hardwood is best way to get more
out of your investment at resale time. It requires little maintenance
other than an occasional sweeping. The life expectancy of hardwood
flooring is easily 20 years. Then you just refinish it (comparatively
cheap) and your floor looks fantastic for another 15 or so years.
The misconception about hardwood flooring is the initial expense.
Yes the majority of the cost is the initial investment is sometimes
scary. But, the overall value is a no brainer. Home buyers today
love hardwood flooring, there are no two ways about it. Being
a recent home buyer myself the addition of hardwood flooring
was a big selling point for me. Our home purchase had quite a
bit of carpet, with the plans to replace most with hardwood flooring.
We were able to use that as a bargaining point, and it worked
quite well. Once I installed the hardwood the difference was
amazing. Selfishly, the "ooh's and aah's" of visitors
to our home was in itself worth the investment. Then when they
found out that I did it myself, the complements go to the next
level.
While carpeting is nice to the touch and ads a warmth and comfort
that hardwood cannot, it requires much more maintenance and care
to keep it looking its best. The problem is at resale time the
investment of carpet (even the good stuff) usually causes a negative
impact to prospective home buyers. Consider carefully the use
and placement of carpet in your home. I say this purely for the
resale value and quality of use of the space.
While it is easiest to do this step while the home is empty.
I suggest that you live in your new home, and look at how you
live your home before you take this step. If you use a room as
a playroom, for example, it might be better with carpet. A dining
room that sees little use and has a better chance for messy messes,
hardwood is a better choice. So I say all this to say look at
how you use the rooms to better make your choice of flooring.
Although hardwood throughout your home is the best for the investment
of your home, there are rooms that you will find more comfortable
with carpeting.
A misconception with hardwood is that it is cold
and hard. I installed hardwood (instead of carpet) in our master
suite and absolutely love it. Wood is an organic material that
takes on the temperature characteristics of the surrounding environment.
When I climb out of bed in the morning I have never had an adverse
opinion. We chose carpet for the kid’s rooms, because while
they are young they play with their toys on the floor on their
knees. I thought that it would be more comfortable for them to
play.
There
are many more flooring articles in our flooring
section. There is more specific information in the links at
the beginning of this article. They can guide you where you need
to go.
Hardwood
vs Laminate
The difference is more than you think, or maybe not!
Good
Carpet is best!
There is nothing like walking barefoot on great carpet
Caring
for Hardwood is easier than you think.
Just vacuum and you are done.
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