The case against carpet
Many homeowners install carpet over hardwood; this is generally accepted to be a bad move if you plan on selling your house. “When viewing houses, buyers see carpet as a negative, even relatively new carpet,” Provencher says. If you must have carpeting, try a large area rug before investing in wall-to-wall; you get all the cosiness, and it will never need to be ripped out.
If your house came with carpet and you are considering ripping it up, beware: if you own an older home, it’s quite possible that walls were knocked down or moved before you got there, and the hardwood flooring might be missing where the walls used to stand. If you’re not sure what’s under there and unwilling to replace the whole floor if needed, it might be worth leaving the carpet as-is.
Where you don’t want hardwood
Water and wood are not friends; places like kitchens or bathrooms would be better off with ceramic or stone flooring. Water often leads to cupping, cracking and staining, so unless you want your investment to take a beating, leave hardwood for the dry areas of a house.
While not quite as easy as re-painting a room, refinishing your hardwood floors is a smart way to boost the appeal of your home without spending big bucks; as Provencher says, “The best way to ensure top value is to upgrade your home in ways that appeal to the most people so you'll get the most excitement when you need to sell.” By refinishing your floors, you’ll get a beautiful house that will pay dividends should you ever choose to move.
Read more in Before & After and Restoration
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