The age-old battle of hard v soft, loud v quiet, wood v carpet. Its a fight that's been raging for many years and we're trying to settle it. But its not so easy...
Prestige
For years, wood has been seen as a material of prestige for flooring in certain locations. However, for your living room, a good quality carpet could send a similar or perhaps bigger message to your guests
Winner: None
Maintenance
Wood is very easy to maintain. Spills are easy to wipe off, dust is easy to see and brush or mop away. Carpet can be easy to hoover, but the lack of visibility with dust can leave your carpet harbouring all sorts of harmful bacterias. If you do opt for carpet, make sure you have a good quality carpet cleaner, stain remover and/or anti-bacterial spray.
Winner: Wood
Money
This solely depends on how long you plan on having your flooring. Wood flooring can last for decades and is easily refinished when it is damaged. However, it is very expensive compared to carpets.
Whilst carpets are a lot cheaper, they have to be changed every few years to maintain a healthy living room. Therefore, it depends on how long you plan on living in your home for. Given the amount of time people spend in one home on average, it is probably more cost effective to opt for carpet
Winner: Carpet
Versatility
Wood flooring has been used for hundreds of years and has never gone out of fashion. Carpets, on the other hand, change their designs regularly. Therefore, wood flooring is a safe bet. And if you want to have the best of both worlds, you could always add a rug. You could add a piece of wood to your carpet, but this definitely isn't a good look. For now anyway.
Winner: Wood
Safety
Carpets are obviously very soft in relation to wood flooring. Therefore, it is no contest what is the safer option. This may not matter to some people (i.e. young singles/couples without children), but as the children and/or pets come along, it may place more of a priority on safety.
It is also much quieter, meaning your child won't be annoying the neighbours any more than he or she has to.
Winner: Carpet
Environmentally friendly
Carpets are made using a lot of petroleum, not making them very eco-friendly. Wood flooring on the other hand, is largely environmentally safe, through its use of natural materials. There are some exceptions, however, so if this is an important issue for you, make sure you do your research on the company you buy from.
Winner: Wood
Comfort
With carpet, there is no need for slippers or socks. Walking on a high quality carpet barefoot can be a thing of beauty and wood flooring can only dream of having that level of softness. So in this category, again, there is no competition. Carpet wins hands down
Winner: Carpet
Practicality
For those barbaric enough to want to wear shoes in the living room (and there are some of you out there), wood flooring is the only option really. However, it does generate a lot of noise, so I guess this one is judged on where you place your priorities.
Winner: None
Overall:
Carpet: 3
Wood: 3
It was never going to be clear either way, but I think one thing we learned is that, if you are older and have children or pets (or live anywhere north of Yorkshire), carpet is probably the best option for you.
And for you energetic, southern singletons, wood flooring is the option that will have you sliding all the way to the kitchen.
If you do opt for carpet, make sure you carry out regular maintenance to reduce the effects of harmful bacterias. 2Pure Products have a 50% off sale at the moment where you can get a great deal on the stuff you need to keep your carpet clean and safe, so check out our website.