Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Sep 09, 2013 2:40 pm We're about to start building our first home and I'm trying to narrow down flooring. We've got 4 boys (aged 2 - 6) so I need something hard wearing. And I'm thinking of avoiding carpet altogether, even in the bedrooms. Two of the kids have pretty bad seasonal asthma so it would be nice to be able to keep the dust down to minimum with hard floors. The only thing stopping me from being 100% confident in that decision (apart from the other half, who likes carpet) is resale. We're hoping to move on in about 5 years so I'm trying to keep resale in mind a little as well as whats practical for us in the mean time. So would 5 year old carpet that has been subjected to a family of 6 be better or worse than say vinyl plank flooring throughout the entire house (except wet areas). I feel like I'm in some crazy insane minority for even considering it - tell me I'm not alone! Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 3Sep 09, 2013 3:23 pm Hi In my old old house we had no carpets and put solid floorboards down everywhere including bedrooms (excluding bathroom and laundry) I loved it so so easy to clean, the house we are currently in has carpets and I hate it - We are replacing with floorboards again just like we use to have <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=62083">viewtopic.php?t=62083</a><!-- l --> Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 4Sep 09, 2013 3:52 pm I have a 7mth old and a two and a half year old... and am moving onto 3.5acres in a country town. We're going for roll vinyl for the first 7-10yrs, and then we'll put down our nice floors (cork, proper cork tiles not a click system) so they don't destroy them. I've worked out that the cost of this (at $40/m2 X 170mish) is about the same as the cost of a sand and re-seal of a cork floor - within 10%. So we'll save the wear and tear and stress and yelling on the cork and just put it in later for about the same price. I'm looking at a roll vinyl because by the time you pay someone to lay plank vinyl you might as well spend a bit more and get something permanent - it's the expensive part of the process the laying - and the vinyl I'm looking at comes with a 14yr warranty for 'normal use' (and they advertise it for homes, so anything we throw at it should be normal use). If it gets damaged then we'll deal with that section of it. It's also easier to replace if it's only partially glued down (ie around the edges) than plank and won't need a very expensive exercise in pulling it up bit by bit. Finally if I were to buy a home and it had vinyl floors I don't know that I'd understand and no the difference between roll vs plank floors - I'd just assume I was replacing it sometime sooner or later anyway and factor that cost in to my purchase pricing/offer. Edit to add. We are doing carpet in the bedrooms (three of the four anyway) but the rest of the house is hard floor. We get frosty nights though and the carpet is a nod to the comfort for that. Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 5Sep 10, 2013 11:05 am I am sorry to say that you are being grossly misinformed. Carpet has the ability to trap dust particles preventing them from re entering the air space. Hard flooring on the other hand does not. They will continue to swirl through the air, settle on your floor, then when disturbed, re enter your breathing space. There are particular carpets that have been certified by the asthma foundation. If asthma or respiratory related issue are of concern, the you must maintain your carpet with regular vacuuming. Carpet should not be the sole blame for asthma sufferers, you have just as many fabric soft furnishings throughout the house contributing to the housing of dust mites. As for spills, Good quality carpets nowadays can be cleaned regardless of the spill. Timber scratches easily and ceramic tiles are very unforgiving.....especially with little ones. I am not saying carpet your entire house. having a blend of flooring throughout the house is very appealing. Not carpeting your bedrooms will be a big mistake, especially come sale time. Best of luck Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 6Sep 10, 2013 1:38 pm Disagree with lstockdale. Carpets are definitely not the right thing to do with severe asthma/allergies. It's about minimising dust MITE presence usually. The dust mites feed off the dust ("skin particles) in the carpet. Yes carpets can be hypoallergenic but that's the actual carpet itself, there will always be the problem of trapping dust. For those kids with severe asthma or allergies it's recommended no carpet, no curtains, the mattress and pillow should be sealed with a plastic protector, and the bedding minimal and laundered regularly. My baby has bad allergies and we were told by the immunologist that's it's quite likely he might suffer asthma also when he's a bit older and he suggested we not put carpet in our new house but we just can't bear that. We figure if he DOES develop asthma down the track then we'll take up the carpet then, we'll take the risk. I just don't think bedrooms feel very cosy or comfortable with hard floors. Especially as a kid I think I spent all my time on the floor of my room playing, reading etc. I would be seriously put off buying a house without carpet in the bedrooms. Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=65085 Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 7Sep 10, 2013 8:45 pm We are having timber floors in the new house. I have lived in houses with carpeted bedrooms and timber floor bedrooms and I far prefer the timber floors. I have allergies and dogs that love to be inside so timber floors are easier to maintain for me. Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 8Sep 11, 2013 6:31 am Timber floors everywhere for me too. Except for media room. That will have carpet. Perhaps you can focus on getting nice rugs or something for the bedrooms. Not sure how they will go with the asthma thing. Good luck with your decision. Sandra Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 9Sep 11, 2013 9:51 am We have timber floors in our current house, but it's an old house so not unusual in the regard. I like it, it certainly wouldn't put me off buying a new place, you can always add a rug if you want. Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 10Sep 11, 2013 11:16 am Thanks for the feedback, it seems it might not be as divisive an issue as I thought, but it IS going to turn off some people. Its not just for the asthma that I'm leaning away from carpet either, its also the mess factor! Even the easiest to clean carpet has nothing on sweeping or wiping up a spill on hard floors Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 11Sep 11, 2013 4:01 pm To be honest wood flooring or wood look in bedrooms wouldn't put me off at all, even though I like carpet in bedrooms. Put down a large rug when you go to sell and I bet many people wouldn't notice. On the other hand if you were planning to tile the bedrooms that would make me think twice. Part of that is not liking tiles but the other is the difficulty of replacing/changing them where most wood and wood look (laminate or vinyl) can much more easily and cheaply be taken up and changed. I think wood throughout a house except wet areas was once the norm (its what you see in many older houses). Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 12Sep 13, 2013 12:12 am I have allergies and we had all hard floors in our last home, timber and tile. We had no problem selling it. I had a couple of area rugs which were taken outside & beaten regularly. It was surprising what a difference that made. The sand and stuff that fell out even after vaccuming was ridiculous. Our family room was tiled, and benefitted from solar gain in winter so we didn't need a rug. Hard floors are sooooo easy to clean, it's a big bonus. I reckon you can't beat the beauty of timber. Also consider buying leather lounges if the budget runs to it, not fabric. It all helps, and a simple wipe with a barely damp cloth and they are clean. Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 13Sep 13, 2013 3:36 pm You can always carpet select rooms (like the master bedroom) and leave others with a different surface (like the boy's rooms). I totally understand the 'hard wearing' argument! Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 14Sep 13, 2013 4:59 pm I agree with fmac. Tiling would probably raise an eyebrow but timber floors in bedrooms are relatively common particularly in older houses. If it really does become an issue you could always lay some at that stage. http://camdenbuild.blogspot.com.au/ by invite only please pm me Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 15Oct 13, 2013 5:32 pm Lately we have installed a couple of polished concrete floors in Sydney homes and they went right through the living areas and into the bedrooms. The polished concrete floors look awesome with or without the aggregate showing and with a polyurethane seal they are very easy to keep clean. My only thought is they might be cold floors in winter but if you had underfloor heating it will be fine. Have a look at http://www.cleaningandsealing.com.au/co ... e-sealing/ to see photos. Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 17Oct 16, 2013 5:56 pm We are having polished concrete in the whole home and just tiles in the bathrooms. No carpet at all. So excited not to have it or to have any grout. I am all about the easy to clean and looks good for longer when it comes to floor. Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 18Oct 16, 2013 8:40 pm most of our home is going to be floor boards. Tiles in wet areas. Carpet only in media room and study. I agree with the above. I'm so excited not to have so much grout to scrub, or carpet to try and get stains out from, especially having an overactive child accidently dropiing and spilling things in the place. I guess its easier to keep clean. Ask me in about 6 months if i still belive that. Lol. Not certain if its going to be easier but i sure am hoping it will be. Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 19Oct 26, 2013 1:04 pm Epoxy sealing is another option as well. Super smooth and a full stain resistant sealer. Metal reflector colours can be added to crystal clear epoxy as well to give some pretty unique effects. Have a look at http://www.cleaningandsealing.com.au/co ... y-sealing/ to see some epoxy images. They are triple the price of a clear acrylic seal but they are amazing. Re: Anyone else not carpeting bedrooms? 20Jan 09, 2014 1:15 am staceyd you've probably made up your mind by now, but in case you or anyone wants yet another opinion... I won't be installing carpets anywhere in my new house. Our current house had carpet in every bedroom and lounge and dining room, but we removed it from the kid's rooms. Always meant to get rid of the rest but never got round to it. My beef against carpet: 1) as stated by others, dust allergies & asthma is worse with carpet due to it being a haven for dust mites 2) our carpet had carpet beetle. Used to find strange little exoskeletons (the shed skin) on clothes that were left on the carpet for a while. When we pulled up the carpet in the kids' rooms we saw all the tiny critters crawling on the underside of the carpet - disgusting! 3) carpets + toilet-training toddlers = stress. 4) hard floors = easier cleaning - not just cleaning the floor itself, but for tidying up the kids tiny toys and "precious" bits of paper. With a hard floor you can easily sweep the stuff from under the bed and sweep everything into a pile. Tell the kid you're coming back in 5 mins with a dust-pan and brush to put everything on the floor into the bin, then watch them scramble to pick up their toys. With carpet it's much harder to get stuff from under the bed, and little things are lost in the vacuum cleaner. Rugs are much better with regards to dust mites & carpet beetle as you can beat and air them outside as well as vacuuming of course. Regarding concrete floors: my brother has polished concrete floors with underfloor heating throughout his house. Lovely and warm with the heating, but very hard on feet too (as are tiles), and any dishes dropped invariable smash. (We have cork on the kitchen floor and dropped dishes and glasses often bounce, undamaged on our floor). He says "never again!" Also, he chose a darkish brown colour with specks/stones showing and it always looks dirty. When it comes to resale, the market may be divided on carpets vs vinyl/wood in the bedrooms, but carpet is cheaper (generally) than laminate, so surely it would be less offputting for buyer who would want to put carpet in, than for a buyer who would remove carpet and lay down some kind of hard floor? Hi, Have fun, remember bedrooms should feel relaxing and inviting, the last space you see before sleep and the first you see when you wake up. Make sure it makes you… 6 16065 A survey must’ve completed by a certified surveyor. This form part of every DA requirement 3 223608 The HIA contract, in the term & conditions section states that "Commencment" is deemed when the drainage is started or the piers are dug or the slab is formed up (incase… 2 6177 |