One of the bigger decisions that homeowners will need to make is what to put on the floor. Should there be carpeting on the floor or have no carpeting on the floor. Are there rooms where carpeting might be a better choice? Are there rooms where carpeting should not be the first choice? Is it easier to have the same thing all around the house or should decisions be based on the individual rooms? These questions and more need to be discussed before flooring is put down.
Lifestyle
What type of activities will be happening in each of the rooms? What is the general traffic pattern of the room? Are there pets? When considering which type of flooring to put down consider the individual room. The kitchen and dining room will be places that cater to food. In the kitchen, you will have food prep along with people getting snacks. The dining room is where food will be served and eaten. In both of these instances, there is the possibility for spills and dropping food. The bathroom will contain a lot of moisture and could be colder on winter mornings (depending on where it falls in the house). Also, the entranceways need to be considered as well. How much of a chance will snow or mud be tracked indoors?
Carpet
Carpet on the floor will buffer sounds and help keep the heat in the room. Carpet offers an insulation-like quality that can help to reduce heating costs. It is harder to spot dirt on carpet so cleaning the carpets (vacuuming) could happen at a lower interval than cleaning a non-carpeted floor. While carpets can be made to be stain-resistant, that does not necessarily mean stain free. Depending upon the carpet, the stain could sink pretty deep. Then even when the stain is cleaned it could still be there. If there is a pet in the house then the carpet could hold onto pet hair and pet stains easier than a non-carpeted room.
No Carpet
There are many options for flooring from wood, wood laminate to vinyl flooring. When considering no carpet for a room, the same factors need to come to mind. Cleaning spills (either liquid or food) is easier on a non-carpeted floor. Depending upon the material, the spill will need to be cleaned up immediately regardless but has less of a chance of leaving a stain. Pet hair and “dust bunnies” will be more noticeable on a non-carpeted floor. This could require more maintenance cleaning (sweeping) to keep it looking nice. Where a carpet might need to be vacuumed once every week or so, a non-carpeted floor might require every other day for sweeping. Depending upon the material, non-carpeted floors could be refinished to bring back their new look. Carpeting would need to be deep cleaned or replaced.
