On one hand, a well installed, polished hardwood floor can be a beautiful addition to any home. The soft glow of sunlight off of the light brown exterior can brighten any day, and the simple beauty can impress any visitor. Hardwood floors can also be laid out in a variety of complex and beautiful patterns to woo even the most conservative of homeowners. But then the other hand falls. They can be cold and uncomfortable in the winter, hard on your feet, forcing you to wear shoes (or at least flip-flops) around your house all day. Beyond that they can be slippery for children, and are very easily damaged. Trying to keep individuals with less self control from scratching up a hardwood floor is like trying to keep a puppy away from a fire hydrant. You can have constant and never ending vigilance for hours at a time, but the moment you look away there will be a problem. Scratches and gauges can leave permanent marks on your floor. The maintenance is frequently not worth the beauty. Rugs offer a solution to these problems, and give you many advantages that a hardwood floor cannot offer.



Insulation / Climate Control

Certain materials are scientifically known to be good insulators of thermal energy (heat). Other items are not so good. Wood does not insulate heat. Therefore, in the winter; when you are trying desperately to keep warm while maintaining a reasonable energy bill, you are paying more. That heat that you pay more and more for every year is seeping through your hard wood floor before it even has the chance to warm up your home. Living with hardwood floors can leave your feet in a perpetual chill because they hold so little heat in. Carpet, however, happens to be a very good insulator. The fabric and thickness of the carpet is a factor, but even the thinnest rugs will offer up better insulation than any hardwood floor. The cost of rugs may add up if your house/apartment came with hardwood floors already, but over the years it will pay for itself with the difference it makes on your heating bill.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Maintenance is also easier when dealing with carpet. In order to perform ordinary cleaning on a hardwood floor one must first sweep the surface, get a dust pan to clean up the debris, then mop, then sit back wasting time until it dries. Sure, you can fork out the dough and buy a steam cleaning mop; but then you're doing just as much work as vacuuming and you still may want to sweep first. You can vacuum a hardwood floor, but the tool is not as effective because of how slick the surface is. Carpets, on the other hand, only require vacuuming. Occasional cleaning is helpful, but not at all necessary. Spills were once a major issue for rugs, but many improvements in cleaning chemical have made the problem something of a thing of the past. Rugs are also much more difficult to damage than hardwood floors. Overall, rugs will make your day to day life much simpler.

Softness and Comfort

There are many other advantages to rugs that may not be so obvious. If you are somebody who likes to exercise, especially to do floor work (crunches, push-ups, etc.) then rugs are, without a doubt, the best choice for your living space. Putting a yoga mat on a hardwood floor still leaves you uncomfortable, and can leave your back aching. Having a nice, soft, even carpet to go along with that yoga mat can save you from trips to the chiropractor. The cushioning affect of rugs is also helpful for young families. Children, from toddlers all the way up to young teens are always running around and falling onto the floor. Would you like them to walk away from the encounter with burns from the slick surface and bruises from its hardness, or a little bit of rug burn and a band aid to make him/her feel better? The cushion of rugs can make a big difference when it comes to safety.

Beyond these very tangible day to day benefits of rugs over hardwood you have the aesthetic affect. While hardwood floors can be stunning, rugs can give your living space a personal, homey touch that wood flooring lacks. Rugs come in a never ending array of colors, shapes and patterns. This diversity gives you almost unlimited freedom in decorating your home to fit your needs perfectly. Whether you want something exotic, classic or modern in appearance, there is a perfect rug for you. The same thing cannot be said for hardwood. While patterns are possible, the variety in color is very limited, and the price rises quickly as complexity increases.

Rugs offer an array of features that cannot be attained with hardwood floors. Furthermore, carpets can match wood floors in beauty. If you are looking for a way to save yourself money on heat bills and stress on maintenance, then go with rugs for your floors.