What would be more cost effective/refinishing hardwood or replacing carpet?

Profile picture for 333nickie
We are planning on replacing the carpet in the living/dining area and hallway before putting our house up for sale.  Would it be more cost effective to refinish the hardwood that is underneath the carpet or to just replace the carpet? We are working with a limited budget.
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May 08 2010 - Midland Township
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Answers (19)

Better return on the hardwood for sure
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September 26 2010
Profile picture for Floor Coverings NY
By far, refinishing your hardwood floors will cost less than replacing it with new carpet - I know since I do both of these.  It will also improve your house value, last longer and be easier & less expensive to maintain.

You are in  a very lucky position.

Debbie Gartner, owner Floor Coverings International - Westchester NY and Stamford CT. [link removed by moderator]
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September 06 2010
Profile picture for The Carpet Guys
[content removed by moderator due to self-promotion]

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August 27 2010
Profile picture for priyan
I would say refinish hardwood as it is cost effective than carpet and will increase the value of the house. My contractor did a good job and his price was also good. If you need his info let me know.
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August 20 2010
Profile picture for MyeshaME
Its cheaper to just pull the carpet up and refinish the hardwood floors my husband is a contractor and just done it. All they have to do is fix any bad spots, sand it, stain it, use polyurhtene for the Shine and buff. no measureing out the amount of carpet you need.
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August 17 2010
Profile picture for todd551
Should i replace the worn carpet throughout the house, or sell as is? And let the new owner have their choice of floorings?
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August 16 2010
Profile picture for todd551
If my carpets are really worn, should I replace the carpet throughout the house or sell as is ?
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August 16 2010
Carpet would be way less expensive and can be done very quickly.  Most of the time you can purchase remnants from a company for a lot less money. Let the new homeowner worry about the hardwood floors when they move in.
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August 16 2010
Profile picture for nancerltrs
Refinishing hardwood floors is not usually a weekend DIY.
The sanding of the floor will have dust flying everywhere and it will stick to the walls, ceiling and light fixtures.
The pro's use dustless sanders.
Look for a pro in your area that does sandless floor refinishing.
Get a quote and compare it with the carpet estimate.
Sometimes the carpet guys do both.
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August 15 2010
Profile picture for Terra Cooke
Go with the hardwoods if at all possible.  Even if it cost a litte more, It should be a positive return on your investment!  It's more appealing to a buyer and looks great on the listing..... You'll see 'hardwood floors' frequently displayed in a listing as a selling point... Rarely will you see, 'Wall to wall carpet'.   
Good luck!
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August 15 2010
Profile picture for Javier Chacone
Well, carpeting will probably give you a cleaner look at the lowest cost. Now, if your wood floors are in good condition, refinishing them might cost you more, but, it will probably make the house more appealing for future buyers and you could probably ask more money for the sale price.
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July 09 2010
Profile picture for Pasadenan
It is very likely to gouge the floor with a sander if you have little experience.  It is not a project for a first time.  If you have a limited budget, the real question is the existing condition.  If you are planning on trashing the existing carpet anyway, remove the carpet and padding first to see the condition.  You may be able to just get by with a good cleaning and a few throw rugs.  But remember, if you had wall to wall carpeting, you have nailing strips around the edges that need to be pulled up, and you will have nail holes that need to be filled.  You may be able to get a close filler match, and then just sand the filled areas.  You also will likely need new thresholds at all doors, but you likely would have put new ones in doing carpeting too; but it would have been a different threshold.

For low cost, you might consider a remnant for a larger throw rug; but it is best to get it bound at the exposed edges, which takes the price up quite a bit.

Apartment grade carpets are cheaper; but some buyers really do know the difference.
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July 07 2010
Profile picture for MarkGallagher

It is much easier for a buyer to see the hardwood and think about adding carpet rather than looking at carpet and thinking they could rip it out and add hardwoods. I always go for the hardwoods.

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July 07 2010
Profile picture for bookreader451
From a recent buyers POV we just purchased a home with carpet over hardwood.  Five minutes after closing we ripped up the carpet in the entire first floor and refinished the floors that weekend before we moved in.  We would not have purchased a house without hardwood floors even though we had to do the refinishing ourselves.  

 
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July 06 2010
Profile picture for LiveGoodBeHappy
Across the board, well finished hardwood floors add value to a home.  Though, depending on the size of your budget, this might not be a viable solution for you.  Brand new carpets will also improve your sale-ability.  If your budget requires that you stick to simply replacing the carpets...make sure your agent continues to market that the home has hardwood under the new carpet.  Leave a corner available to be pulled up so prospective buyers can take a peek.  Even knowing the hardwood is already there, for a potential buyer, can account for more $$'s for you in the sale.
Good luck!
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June 06 2010
Profile picture for Joshua Zargari
If you'll do it yourself it will be Less...
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May 18 2010
Profile picture for bookreader451
We just took up carpet and refinished the harwoods in the living room dining room and hall and the total cost to rent the sanders and buy the poly was about $400.

We did the work ourselves so we only paid for the supplies.  We had an estimate of $2000.
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May 11 2010
Profile picture for rielestate

It depends - some floors are in a satisfactory condition and only need a good sanding & top coat(s).  Others have stains and/or need pieces of the floor replaced due to cracks, water intrustion & pets.  Get quotes for both.  Carpet prices vary by weight of pad, quality of the carpet, etc  If you remove the carpet to expose the floor, you may need to drop down the trim boards by the floor to avoid a gap.

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May 10 2010
Profile picture for wdchomestager
I think refinishing hardwood would be more effective than laying carpet and would probably look better too. And it is usually seen as an asset to have hardwood floors - especially in a dining area. Hopefully your floors are in good condition, having been covered up, so the hardwood floors will really get a chance to shine!

Good luck!
Roslyn
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May 10 2010
 

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