Hardwoods with rugs.

Hardwood with rugs x2. Hardwoods throughout is a term thats used because its descriptive and attractive to any possible buyers in the future. I know you are just now building the home but keeping things like that in mind for the future is always a good idea. This home has hardwoods throughout but also some area rugs for sound, texture, and visual appeal.

Wide Plank White Oak Wood Floor in Nashville TN Modern Farmhouse · More Info

The solution for your husband may be slippers.

"Master on the Main" sound like a pub outside of London.

Absolutely hardwood and put a large rug down. That’s what we did

I know I'll get eaten alive but we did carpet in the bedrooms. Also (gasp!) in the great room. In our area (midwest) that is still very common with new builds so we don't stand out. That is one consideration, what the other homes around you have. We still have a ton of wood floor, feels like too much, actually.

But I have balance issues and rugs are a hazard, no matter how flat they lay. And I like the coziness of carpet. But my husband and I agreed on the matter. I have a feeling you'll win ;)

The other half has a line in the sand over carpet in the bedroom. Fine. As long as it’s behind a closed door, it won’t be choppy. You could do a green and yellow vinyl in a Kid’s room or purple carpet in the Master, behind a closed door.

Behind a closed door....

I feel like hardwoods are easier to maintain. I never had carpeting until our current home and when the cat decided to vomit occasionally on the bedroom carpet, I cursed my decision to carpet instead of installing hardwood.

I’m with Abby. Carpet is warmer, quieter, and I don’t trip on it in the dark. And I don’t hear the pets clicking lol.

Wood flooring will last for the life of your time in the house. Carpeting will eventually need to be replaced.

We did hardwood on main and carpet on stairs and on bedroom level. We love the feel of carpet underfoot in bedrooms but love the look of hardwood in main areas. It is such a personal choice.

You can always carpet over hardwood which is what they did a lot in the 50's-70's, but you can't always put hardwood to match down if you don't do it initially.

I like carpet in the bedrooms. I think it's better for insulation and can provide a quieter, more luxurious look.

In the end it's a personal choice. We did hardwood for this house but I do like the look of carpet in a bedroom if it's high quality, low pile which is what I've had in the past. The one thing that prevented me from doing carpet again is the difficulty of effectively vacuuming carpet under a king size bed. I see what gathers there on hardwood and watch it get sucked into the vacuum - eewww. A 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 depending on your room on each side of the bed is a nice warm landing spot a place to put on your slippers.

I like hardwoods partially because of being able to choose area rugs. It helps bring life and you personal style into a room over a wall to wall carpet. Rugs range from very low pile to plush. I like the ability to totally change the look of a room by just changing a rug not wall to wall that needs to be installed.

Remind hubby that even if you get carpet for the bedroom, he'll still need slippers for the tile bathroom floor. That tile gets pretty cold even in FL, and if you are north, brrrrr. I happen to prefer carpet to rugs due to the tripping factor with rugs. But wood floors do look beautiful. I suggest you get the wood floors with a rug. If that's something he doesn't like after living with it for a while, you can always sell the rug and install carpeting.

Cp, we have hardwood under carpet. 1960 build. Options!

or, this: hardwood, but the rug on top goes to the edges of the floor. Send it out to be cleaned as needed.

Midwest new build here. We're going with carpet in all the bedrooms for the quiet and cozy factor.

Personal opinion - I agree with that.

But insulation? That is just cold hard fact wrong. The r value of carpet and pad is 2 or less. Given that a crawlspace floor is typically R-30, that 2 is not making a difference. Slabs are a whole other issue but typically insulated in cold climates.

If you really care about cold feet, don't be putting tile in your bathroom. We did hardwood throughout the house - tile only in our shower floor. No grout to worry about discoloring. And really - how wet does your bathroom floor get? Especially the master.

But even boy's bedrooms. Missing the toilet causes grout issues more than hardwood issues. We had a tub leak and the wood is fine. But we do have high quality engineered floor (mostly because we have very wide planks).

I have no carpets or rugs ..we dont find the floors cold !

Hardwood and a generous area rug and pad, is just as warm and cozy as carpet edge to edge. A hell of a lot easier up the road, and that road is a LOT shorter than you may think, even with diligent cleaning and maintenance.. Bedroom carpet gets dirtier faster than anywhere else in your home. It's where you are most often barefoot, shed the most skin ( dust IS skin, largely ) and it is where that dust gets ground into traffic patterns that vary , little. It's why a closet floor gets downright gross, in short order. It's the most frequent barefoot, and the least vacuumed area for most folks .......meaning shoes on the floor etc : )

I like running engineered flooring right into the master bath and closets. It gets no wetter than a kitchen floor, unless you are slobs : ) . It results in a gorgeous smooth look, and makes tile selection for a master shower, and vanity top........infinitely wider and easier. Not to mention a "warmer" bath floor.

If you have pets or a spouse that gets up at very different times of the night the quieter aspect may win.

Wood floors aren‘t cold by the way - I have a basement in SE WI and it gets pretty dang cold In the winter.

If you don’t have spouses or pets roaming around at night (or bad feet!) then I think Hardwood would be the way to go.

We have hardwood in our master bedroom and we do not have an area rug. I thought about getting one but I think it's easier to keep clean with just hardwoods especially under the bed. I use a large dust mop to get under the bed, end tables and dresser and then vacuum the rest of the room.

Roomba is great for under beds. It's a beautiful thing for hardwoods and carpets!! Just sayin'

When we bought our house a couple of years ago, one of the things that we liked a lot was that there were practically no carpets. The sole exception was the closet in the master bedroom, and it was old and dingy. One of the first projects that we had our handyman do was to replace the carpet there with wood, and it looks so much better!

Do you or your husband have allergies? Carpet is not recommended in bedrooms for folks with allergies.

I would totally do hardwood with a nice area rug. Looks great and everyone will be happy.

When we built 9 years ago, we only put carpet in the 3 bedrooms upstairs and the playroom, also upstairs. The only place we put carpet downstairs was in the master closet, and I think that was only bc our closet is in our bath and I didn’t want it tile like the bath so I just said, eh, carpet it...it’ll be soft. Ugh!! Mistake! I now want to replace every bit of carpet in the house but ESPECIALLY that closet carpet. It’s just not nice. It gets vacuumed regularly but it gets lint on it and never looks good. Our HWs look excellent everywhere...so once I can persuade dh we are replacing all of it. It’s gonna be expensive but I am tired of nasty carpet.

I think it is amazing that so much of America was duped into thinking that wall to wall carpet was a good thing.

Think that. you put a cloth on the floor and walk over it for years and it never gets washed. And to clean it at all has always required good equipment and is very labor intensive.

Ugh! Why did we do this for so long?

It is a little like smoking now. We look back on it and wonder why were we so accepting of it. It was so wrong.

Yes, think of how hard it really is to change the carpet in one room every few years (if needed.).

Two popular points of view:

1. Hardwood is better for resale!

2. Hardwood will last a lifetime!

If you're going to be there for a lifetime, why should you care about resale?

Build your house for you!

We have all hardwood, we are seniors, and find it no problem at all. Just have a pair of slip in slippers to use in the bedroom, warm and cozy!

Thanks everybody! As I suspected would be the case, the vast majority agrees that hardwoods are the right choice. Hubby now agrees too! YAY

I will be posting another question separately about jeld wen multi slide patio doors...look forward to your thoughts on that too. :)

Great decision, and one you won't regret!

Don't start a new thread. Just keep this one going! Windows and all.

Thanks Jan. Happy to continue thread here but didn't want to confuse the issue. Should I edit heading?

I'd just continue! Every single person who made a comment will see it has another in notifications. Just add the comment, picture, question etc.......: ) IN a comment box.

Hubby is a pulmonologist and former lung transplant surgeon. Hard surface in the bedroom, add a luxurious rug bedside if desired. The quality of the air you breathe is super important! Have money to spare, add in floor heating, it’s fabulous. Carpet in a bedroom should be only for a guest bedroom but take care to vacuum frequently. Same goes for drapes in the bedroom. Luxury is awesome but maintaining is a necessity.

Another design question has come up in our new home build and I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm a little worried though because I've read previous reviews about the product and they are daunting! Hoping (naively) to get different opinions!

We are building in a small community of 28 semi-custom homes. The builder is known for his high quality and stylish homes - avg. home price is in the 700's. He uses Jeld-Wen windows exclusively. The current floor plan calls for 2 windows and double french doors out to a screened porch (picture is of the same floor plan in somebody else's home under construction).

We thought it would be great to change it to a 4-panel sliding patio door to increase air flow and floor space. It would look like this:

I was looking for thoughts on the style factor but then read some pretty horrific reviews about Jeld-Wen. I know my builder works with them directly (vs through HD/Lowes) so I won't have to deal with JW directly. But what about quality? I am praying not all Jeld-Wen products are created equal. Not sure I have a choice but interested to hear your opinions.

I believe the door model is the Premium Vinyl (v-4500) 4 panel multi-slide.

I can't comment on Jeld-Wen but I much prefer good sliders. We have Andersen Frenchwood sliders going from the kitchen to the backyard and they are fantastic! No doors getting in the way of the furniture. The only downside to any of these types of doors is that you can't put window treatments on them.

Out to a screened porch ? I'd definitely want the slider, As to the window treatment? Unless an un lined sheer, you don't want to stare at a lining, or seams, or rings........from the porch. But there are ways to treat sliders with great treatments : ) for privacy, depending your site and view. Sun won't be an issue, The roof on the porch takes care of that.

Either way, unless you pay for a different selection such as Anderson or Pella ,you're limited to his "exclusive" choice.

PS: There is no advantage to carpet on a second floor either. Assume "master on main" means a second floor with carpet? Hardwood is fantastic in kids rooms. You are freed for MULTIPLE changes of inexpensive area rugs over years of decor changes, suiting age and gender. . Go full out hardwood if you can swing it. No they WON'T be cold, they are further insulated by a first floor beneath and kids don't get cold anyway. A runner on stairs? Yes to that, for safety especially!

Hardwood for all the above reasons. Three years after finishing our house and going around and around whether to extend hardwood into master we now know we should have done it! This is the only carpet on the first floor and the room the dogs and people head to after getting home. We have rugs throughout the house yet this carpet seems to be the one that the dogs feet get cleaned on as well as shoes. Looking to tear up carpet now and put down hardwood.

On the 4 panel sliding door unit:

Know the egress opening width for the unit. You may be looking at a 16 foot unit in a showroom but buying a smaller unit. The sliding units do not open completely to the edge of the stationary panels. Handles on the active doors are protected from hitting the stationary units by stops typically. Stops can sometimes be modified and door handles chosen that allow for wider opening. We are talking inches, not feet. Don't be disappointed when the opening is less than what you thought it would be.

Paint the interior of the stationary panels prior to installing active panels. Otherwise you may have to remove active panels to access surfaces on the stationary panels.

Designate active and inactive sliding panels. Even though both slide one has the locking mechanism and will likely be the one you use when not opening both sliding panels.

Thresholds on some units can be high. Look for optional low thresholds.

If this door will be used frequently don't skimp. We are using the Marvin Ultimate in our new home. This unit is 16 feet wide and 8 feet tall. Heavy door panels. This will be the main egress to the back patio.

Finally, for much less money you can install a couple windows and a double french door unit.

I've copied & pasted a comment I made 20 minutes ago! haha

Well... I could probably write 3 pages worth of nonsense, which would seem "tainted" because I'm in the business of manufacturing hardwood flooring. But the short version is... over the years, we've provided hardwood flooring for a number of clients, and have NEVER had anyone comment that it was the wrong decision. The consensus USED to be that carpet was preferable, because it was "warm & soft", however the test of time has proven that wood flooring is:

A} "environmentally friendly" (being a product of nature...)

B} Provides excellent insulation

C} Much easier to maintain than carpet

D} With the little bit of care needed, it will outlast carpet for DECADES, and with a bit of attention to product appearance/choice, it will remain "in style" almost indefinitely.

E} MOST importantly... hardwood flooring is a stable product, which will not "SHED" all of the nasty acrylic/nylon/petroleum based fibers into the air, which is what we BREATH... (that which isn't sucked up by the vacuum cleaner). Most people attribute "dusty furniture" to DIRT... when it's a known fact that DUST is mainly particulates which have been collected by, or shed by CARPET.

Okay... I'm done! haha

I'll add that in my 90+ year old home, the hardwood floors are still beautiful. Can any carpeting claim the same????

The master tends to collect the most dust as does the closet. There is no question that hardwood in the master is the wisest choice for a luxury look and maintenance. Plus the added bonus of updating with a new accent rug when you desire. In the guest room I would install a fabulous wall to wall if you prefer a change.

I would do the carpet in the bedroom. Nothing worse than waking up and stepping on cold floor. I love wood and tile but not for the bedrooms.

You don't put your feet on the cold floor, you put them in "slip on" slippers, warm and cozy!

I like wood floors mainly because of seeing the stuff that is swept off of them and knowing that a vacuum will not get all of it out. Dust bunnies under the bed. I also love the different looks I can get just by changing rugs. I live in Montana and the weather is often bad, below zero for weeks. I've never felt that the floors are too cold getting out of bed. And I keep the temp in my bedroom at 60. I like sleeping in a cold room but have my bathroom at 70. I walk around the house barefoot all the time. As someone else said. Hardwoods last a lot longer than carpet and I think they are cleaner too.

I've never found wood floors to be cold. Tile yes. Wood no.

This thread has been extremely helpful. Thank you to everyone. We are renovating our 2 master bathrooms, 2 master closets and now have decided to pull the horrible, old carpeting out of the bedroom as well. With all of your collective experience, can you please advise about using pre-finished wood in bedroom and hallway? Does it work as well as unfinished hardwood?Also color advice would be extremely helpful! Our 1970-built home has a custom, Frank Lloyd Wright feel. Unfortunately our bedroom furniture is mahogany traditional, Kindel Highboy, Henredon king sleigh bed, 2 Henredon butler chests. Our bathrooms will be contemporary, simple, grays and whites. Trying to lighten up the house! What color wood floor....gray, brown light/dark? Also neutral wall color? Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!

I agree with @LaylaTov - this has been a great thread. We're building a new (tract) home and my Houzz research leads me to feel that a hard surface (we're not sure if the builder does hardwoods, but they do laminate and LVP) would be better than carpet. I was researching carpet, a specific brand as that's what the builder provides, and there seemed to be no upside in slogging through the choices knowing that none - for this brand - were any good quality. I don't want to build a home with (mortgaged) cheap carpet to only pay out of pocket for better carpet/padding.

This will be new to us, this will be our fifth home, third build. Not going with carpet will be a departure but my husband seems to be on board. We have dogs, one being recently diagnosed with Addison's that can lead to more accidents despite being housebroken, and my husband has allergies and asthma. I also like the prospect of changing rugs/decor/style on demand rather than waiting for the carpet to be ready for replacement.

Thank you everyone for your comments. It's been enlightening.

Jen K just saw your comment. It’s a year later and we are elated with our flooring selection. Pre-finished hardwood in master suite. We COVID interrupted the installation by a month but eventually all was completed. We purchased a rug and lightened the walls. Now our bedroom is like a calming, peaceful place to sleep and rejuvenate.

Spaces are easier to clean for sure.

We are preparing to upgrade family room late spring, we’ll pull up old carpeting and install same flooring as in bedroom. Changing ceiling, walls, ceiling fan and track lighting.