The decision to install new wood flooring in your home is often easy to make. After all, many homeowners desire the timeless elegance of a hardwood floor in their home. This type of home flooring can add value and style to your home for decades, and it generally is easier to maintain than many other flooring types. Before you can enjoy the benefits of wood flooring in your home, you need to choose which planks to install. While the type and color of the wood may be two of the most important considerations to factor into your decision-making process, the size of the planks should also be considered. With some types of wood, you may be able to choose between wider and narrower planks. Focus on these points as you decide which size to choose.

The Total Cost of the Project

The size of your planks will impact your total installation cost in two ways. First, labor costs for installation may be slightly more with narrower planks. This is because it will take more time and effort to install narrower planks than wider planks that take up more surface area with each board. Second, narrower boards are typically more affordable for a manufacturer to produce, so they may be cheaper on a per square foot basis. This can vary by the type of hardwood flooring NYC you are looking at. The best idea is to choose the right style for your home, and then calculate the cost for smaller or larger boards to determine which is most affordable.

The Impact of Plank Size on the Look of the Floors

Cost is not the only factor to consider when looking at wood floor installation for your home. The size of the planks can have a direct impact on the look of your home flooring once the wood has been installed. Narrower planks generally create more lines in the floor in comparison to wider planks. With this in mind, wider planks may be more visually appealing. This is particularly true if the two plank sizes you are considering are grossly different in size. It may be helpful for you to visit a wood floor showroom to see the visual impact that narrow versus wide planks can have on a room.

Each homeowner has a different preference for wider or narrower planks. Some may allow their budget to largely guide their decision, but others are more interested in creating the right look in their home by investing in the best planks for their needs. Because the plank size can affect your project in different ways, it is important to focus on this factor before you buy your hardwood floor planks.

If it’s time to install new flooring at your place, you probably have questions about which type of flooring is ideal. Perhaps you’ve even narrowed it down to a choice between hardwood flooring or carpeting. The question that’s on your mind now: Which is better, wood flooring or carpet?

Longevity of Hardwood Flooring vs Carpet

One of hardwood flooring’s main advantages is its long lifespan. Once it’s installed in your home, you can sand it down and refinish it multiple times. Engineered hardwood flooring is the exception to this. Engineered flooring cannot always easily be refinished.

Carpet, in contrast, does not offer the same longevity that a hardwood floor does. Carpet’s lifespan is variable depending on several factors including the abrasion resistance of the specific carpeting you install, the care and maintenance you invest in the carpeting, and the amount of wear and abuse it suffers overall. If you install cheap carpet in a high-traffic home that includes kids, pets and lots of activity, the carpet may wear out in a year or even less.

Hardwood flooring is the best choice of flooring materials when it comes to longevity.

Resale Value of Wood Flooring vs Carpet

Hardwood flooring is significantly more popular with home buyers than carpeting is, and thus wood flooring tends to add more value to a home than carpet does.

Costs for Wood Flooring vs Carpet

Wood flooring can cost twice or three times the amount that carpet costs, which gives carpet a clear edge over wood flooring in the affordability department. If you’re on a tight budget for redoing your flooring, carpet may be your smartest option.

Cleaning Wood Flooring vs Carpet

Wood flooring is the clear-cut winner over carpet when it comes to cleaning. A wood floor is far easier to clean and maintain than carpeting is. Cleaning carpet involves weekly vacuum cleaning. It’s also necessary to either rent or buy an expensive carpet shampooing machine periodically if you want to get carpet really clean.

In contrast, you don’t need anything special to clean your wood floor. Necessary supplies include a broom, mop, bucket, water and wood floor cleaner. However, you do need to be prompt when cleaning up liquid-based spills to avoid damage to the floor.

People prone to suffering from dust, pollen, pet hair or other allergies will be far more comfortable with wood flooring. It can be challenging to thoroughly remove these allergens from carpeting, even with consistent cleaning.

Advantages of Carpet Over Wood Flooring

Carpet is warmer and softer than wood flooring. However, these advantages don’t do much to give carpeting an edge over wood flooring since you can put a rug on your wood floor to duplicate those advantages.

Conclusion

For people on a tight budget, carpet may be a better choice than hardwood flooring due to carpet’s lower cost of installation. Otherwise, hardwood flooring is clearly the more desirable choice of flooring materials.