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dibgar_gw

Carpet vs hardwood "aging-in- place"--carpet or hardwood??

dibgar
11 years ago

As we remodel our house build in the late 1970's, we want to include features that will allow us to age-in-place. We are now in our mid 60's and would like to stay here many more years, if possible.

In addition to making our bathrooms more accessible, we need to update the floors in many rooms since the current carpeting is worn out. We do plan to keep some kind of carpet in the second story bedrooms and on the stairs, but I am not sure what to use in the living room, hallways and office.

We installed pre-finished hardwood in our kitchen/family room a few years ago. We like the look and feel of the hardwood in that part of the house, but I have some concerns about putting similar floors in the rest of the rooms.

Our living room ceiling is vaulted, so I wonder if hardwood will be noisy and feel cold. Area rugs could soften the space, but I worry about adding a tripping hazard.

I've heard that hardwood might be easier to navigate if we ever need to use a wheelchair, but I've also heard that hardwood might be too slippery when we are less steady on our feet.

I really would like the look of hardwood throughout, but it is more expensive than carpet, so I don't want to make the wrong choice. Are there any other variable I should consider?

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