I really dislkke wall to wall carpet I would do wood then add a nice area rug and I would just get a pice of the carpet you were planning and have it edged that will make choosing all the other items easier .

If sound is an issue for you it will be a lot worse with hard flooring, even with a rug. You will also need to redo your trim so it's not just a swap of one flooring type for another.

If you're planning on using these rooms more than occasionally, then maybe yes, invest in the change if it's what you want. But if it's just for an occasional guest I wouldn't do it.

I switched to wood when our children moved out because the rooms weren't being used and dusted/vacuumed as often. It's so much easier to control dust mites and allergens with a vacuum and mop, especially around the edges of the room. With an area rug under the bed to keep bare feet from hitting the cold floor and a custom cut, plush pad that has no off-gassing, is hypoallergenic and mold/mildew resistant, I think the air control makes for makes for a much better night's sleep.

I really dislike wall to wall carpet too! This is why I'm hesitating. BUT, these rooms will mostly be occasionally used -- except when sons are home from school, or visiting. Guests like my 80 year old mother stay and I'm really updating it for her benefit:). The only reason I'm thinking about sticking with carpet is that one of the bedrooms is above my bedroom and I can hear my son moving around as it is with carpet. I think hardwood would be worse from a sound perspective. On the other hand, good carpet is not cheap so I'm wondering if I would be better off in the long run with engineered hardwood (to save a bit of $) and some rugs.

I am a fan of carpeting in the bedroom, easy to clean, just vaccum! Also, there is no tripping hazzard when going to the bathroom during the night.

I think you would be hard pressed to find engineered hardwood that's cheaper than carpet (installed). Unless you're comparing cheap engineered hardwood to expensive carpet.

Yes, thinking that engineered wood would be slighlty more expensive than carpet but less expensive than real hardwood. Am going to price out options later today.

I dont have any carpet in my home but I can see how the soundproofing provided by it can be helpful in some applications. My last home had second floor bedrooms that, even though there were area rugs, still were noisy from down stairs. I think that wall to wall is fine in that instance. I would just vaccuum them frequently to keep dust from settling in them. There are no absolutes in home decorating / design. Even tho IYO you HATE (insert material) that it isnt useful for others. I dont know how your consulting works when you HATE entire swaths of building materials.

Also consider the cost of redoing your trim and repainting the wall when you price it out. You can't make this change in a vacuum. Your trim will need to be lowered/adjusted, which will require fixing the wall/repainting, or getting taller trim.

We pulled a nasty carpet and replaced it with Eng. hardwood in our upstairs game room. I didn’t not add any soundproofing underlayment just a regular, thin plastic/foam one. I can hear everything! It’s horrible. I would never go back to carpet but if you look into a hard surface I would highly recommend looking into some soundproofing.

Mkjames45: thanks!! I had a carpenter who specializes in staircases, install a new oak staircase a few years ago. He did a nice job matching the staircase stain to my porcelain wood look tile flooring.

Well, area rugs aren't great for people with mobility/vision issues and navigating carpet can pose it's own challenges too, unless it's very low profile with little cushioning. I think you'll find the best overall solution for your circumstances lies in the installment of the material, whether it's underlay or other soundproofing measures. The flooring expert you see later today will give you options to consider when you're comparing costs. Please let us know what you decide.