# So... in today's market, install wood or carpet?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-in-todays-market-install-wood-or-carpet/500668>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 23, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-in-todays-market-install-wood-or-carpet/500668 "2009-06-23T00:13:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-in-todays-market-install-wood-or-carpet/500668/41 "2009-06-26T03:27:52Z")

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> [@Mama\_Zappa](#):
>
> This is so true!! I’ve also heard tile is hard to stand on for extended periods of time (as in, say, a kitchen). We do have tile in the bathroom and that’s fine - we wipe up drips there and that’s what bathmats are for anyway. But I once stayed in a house in Florida with tile throughout, and a pool just outside the back door, and Yep - flat on my ass more than once.

LOL! I keep saying I need to find out what kind of shoes [Curlers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpP30ADVTfA) wear, and buy myself a pair so I can mop the floor safely. . .

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**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-in-todays-market-install-wood-or-carpet/500668/42 "2009-06-26T20:03:24Z")

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> [@salinqmind](#):
>
> I have oak floors. They were put down in summer. A few months later on a freezing November day, I burned something on the stove and opened all the windows to air out the house. You should have heard the sound those boards made :eek: - cracking sounds like gunshots! The poor cat leapt up in the hair three feet and disappeared for hours.

It’s a good thing you didn’t have bamboo, or the cat would have fallen through.

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**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-in-todays-market-install-wood-or-carpet/500668/43 "2009-06-26T20:48:21Z")

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We were fortunate. The 2 houses we’ve lived in for the past 23 years had hardwood throughout under the carpet (other than lino/tile/slate in kitchens/baths/entries).

On 2 occasions we have used a laminate (Pergo) and a strip linoleum that resembles wood, and in both instances we regretted no doing wood.

As a bit of a wrinkle on **TruCelt’s** comment, I don’t think you should completely ignore resale value. But don’t downplay any enjoyment you will get from living with the changes. It always sort of surprises me when people talk about their homes as investments, and appear to ignore that the get to live in them until they sell them.

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