When you're in the market for new flooring for your home, you may need to choose between carpeting and hardwood. While each may have their own appeal to you, it's good to consider some surprising advantages of hardwood flooring versus carpeting. Note a few of those advantages here.
1. Hardwood is more hygienic
Carpet fibers hold dirt, dust, shed skin cells, human hair, pet hair and dander and even dead bugs. They also hold cigarette smoke and other pollutants from the air. No matter how often you shampoo your carpeting, these fibers will always be dirty and full of contaminants. If you have breathing disorders or are concerned about your children playing on the floor, or if you have a smoker in the house, hardwood is a more hygienic choice. The dense wood doesn't hold all of those pollutants, and they can be easily cleaned with a simple dust mop.
2. Hardwood is more durable over time
Many homeowners insist that everyone take their shoes off at the door when they have carpeting, as those carpet fibers do not hold up well over time, especially in high-traffic areas. Even if you discard your shoes and shampoo your carpets on a regular basis, the fibers will get matted, and you'll eventually need to have the carpeting replaced.
Hardwood is more durable. If it does get scratched or dull over time, you can have the floors sanded and refinished or painted, and they will look like new. This is less costly than having your entire flooring replaced, as you would need to do with carpeting.
3. Radiant heating works better under hardwood floors
If you're going to have new flooring installed in your home, you might consider having radiant heating installed also. This is a heating element that runs warm water through coils under the floorboards. This type of heating is more cost-effective and more comfortable than forced air heating, as it warms you from the ground up and doesn't dry the air.
While radiant heating can be installed under carpeting, this thick layer of material between the floor and the heating element makes it less efficient. When you install hardwood floors with radiant heating, your feet are closer to the heat, and you feel more comfortable. It's also easier for the radiant heating element to heat a room with hardwood floors than a room with carpeting. Consider this option as a reason to install hardwood floors, as you can have both the heating element and your flooring installed at once for a more comfortable and energy-efficient home.
For more information, contact a business such as Sydney Flooring Pty Ltd.
