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

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?

Featured Answer

Susan Waibel

8 years ago

Discussions like these are meant to serve the entire Houzz community. Several homeowners may have similar issues and find a thread by doing a search so continuing the discussion makes sense. Otherwise Houzz would delete all old posts and questions.

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Comments (7)

dibgar
Original Author
11 years ago
I posted a similar question on the home decorating forum and got several replies there. If interested in this topic, you will find helpful comments on that forum so no need to respond here.
Susan Waibel
9 years ago
I've heard cork retains heat better than hardwood yet is durable and easy to clean -- and much better for air quality that carpet. I pictured them looking like corks from wine bottles but when I looked at samples, I am really considering them for our bedrooms. There are some beautiful options.
stir_fryi SE Mich
8 years ago
Go with carpet in the living/family and office. Much easier to just pull out the vacuum then mop miles of hardwood.
handmethathammer
8 years ago
My mother is 85 years old and has Parkinson's, so she has trouble getting around. I am keeping her in mind with your question.

I would go with a low pile carpet, if you were my parent. It is softer for when she falls down. Mom has hardwood in her foyer, dining, and halls, and although they are beautiful, they are mostly covered with throw rugs, which are a tripping hazard, but less slippery for her. She has trouble with getting a "grip" on the floor when standing up, and carpet helps with that. Wheelchairs will run grooves in a hardwood floor.
millworkman
8 years ago
While it is great for people to give their opinions, the original post was 3 years ago. Why people keep digging up old posts for no real apparent reason is beyond me.
millworkman
8 years ago
I get that but most people are going to read really old threads as they generally are brought back to life by spammers!