[kandmroberts]

I have lived in Florida for over 35 years - mostly in the Fort Lauderdale area and moving to the Villages about 2 months ago. Got rid of the carpet and vinyl before moving into the house. Musty, dust, dirt and maintenance are reasons for getting rid of the carpet. Wear and tear is a good reason to get rid of the vinyl. Went to 20" tile in all rooms except the bedroom where we installed laminate (not wood because of warping and shrinkage). Costs on our 1700 sq. ft. home were $4300.00 INCLUDING 6" new base board trim instead of that cheap 3" stuff the builders use. They even painted the base board for us!

[Barefoot]

We currently have white carpet in our Villages home, which we'll be replacing this winter. We have oak hardwood in our Canada home, and I find it shows every dust particle. Even tho we have non-shedding dogs, I have to dust or sweep the floor at least twice a day. I find ceramic tile too cool for the winter and hard on the knees. I keep hoping someone will invent another floor covering.

[jgbama]

We have two dilemmas - 1) DW wants flooring or tile and I want carpet; and 2) we have a Yorkie who has been impossible to house break. Flooring or tile may be the better choice, but flooring or tile seems so cold to me (you guessed it, I'm cold natured and DW is hot-blooded). We put laminate in one of our rooms here, but in a room we rarely use. I'm concerned about liquid spills on laminate. The portion under the veneer seems like it would swell up if liquid got between the planks and soaks in. Wood flooring wouldn't be as big a concern, but I'm assuming wood flooring would be more expensive. We have not checked into costs differential as we aren't at that stage yet.

This threat has been very enlightening though. Thanks for bringing this topic up. It's one many of us are wrestling with.