Lesson 5: Champagne Results on a Chianti Budget
Floors and Floor Coverings
Wall-to-wall carpeting is the most popular floor covering in the United States. It adds color, warmth, and textural interest to your rooms. Wall-to-wall really has to be installed by professional contractors, however, as their experience and tools are not easily mastered by the do-it-yourselfer.
Check the construction before choosing carpet. Look closely at warranties that profess to cover stains—read the small print. The main fibers are nylon, polypropylene, wool and wool blends. In a condo or apartment, use a thicker, synthetic hair pad to improve soundproofing.
- Nylon is the best for cleaning and wearability.
- Polypropylene is very inexpensive and stain resistant; however, the fiber tends to crush and mat and absorb oils. It's often combined with nylon and used in Berber, which has a loop that helps it spring back.
- Wool is resilient and has excellent sound-absorbing qualities, but has some negatives: it can aggravate allergies, protein-based stains from children or pets may leave permanent damage, it can attract moths, and it's expensive.
- Carpeting styles are looped Berbers, cut and looped patterns, cut piles in textured or velvet, and sheared wool or nylon (which shows every vacuum mark).
Wall-to-wall carpets offer easy upkeep but area rugs on a hardwood floor allow more decorating variety. (Tips from TIM-BR Mart (Canada).)
Most new homes have either concrete or hardwood floors already installed. If you intend to add hardwood floors to your home, it is possible to install them yourself. The Hardwood Council is an excellent reference site to learn the varieties of hardwoods used in residential applications, as well as the various finishes and stains available.
Excellent instructions for installing hardwood over concrete are available at HomeTime.com. You can rent the tools needed, and plan to have a helper or two to make the work easier.
Be careful about using hardwood where there's a lot of moisture, like bathrooms, laundry rooms, entries—even kitchens. Seal it well.
There are laminates with photocopy-type finishes that are made to look like hardwood. They use a floating-floor system which can be installed where you can't use nails, but the material is easily damaged by water and replacing boards is very expensive.
Reusing old wood flooring can be very labor-intensive. You may have to deal with nail holes, old caustic finishes and wax residue on the top and sides, or water damage.
