Such a bummer. I don't have a basement, but I have two dogs and I'd prefer a house with no carpet, jus area rugs. We finally got it all accomplished in our previous house. Now we're in one with carpet and hardwood and tile. Two out of three aren't dog friendly.

We have commercial grade low nap, carpet tiles (18"sq) in the family room/basement with an outside door. It keeps the room a bit warmer in the Chicago area winter. At least it keeps my feet and the dog's warmer than the original concrete. You probably don't have that problem. ☺

The wood look stuff (laminate) is durable, not too cold and easy to maintain. I bought the bottom of the line stuff 12 years ago and it still looks pretty good. I have a small house and have had multiple dogs during that time. One thing you need to know, though is that the dogs slip on it until they get used to it.

bkay

I have no carpet in my house - only the original oak floors, tile in the bathroom, and linoleum in the kitchen. I don't want to ever have carpet in any sewing room.

We only have carpet in the living room and bedrooms. Laminate in kitchen, computer room and bathrooms. I want it all laminate but DH didn't want to pay anyone to do it and now he can't. If I could move furniture, I'd cut sections of the carpet out, lay down the flooring, put furniture back and go from there.

I have carpet in the bedrooms and hallway. Twelve years ago we brought an ornery puppy into our brand new home and she was ruined all the carpet. As soon as she goes we are replacing all of it. Not sure what I'll replace with. I'll have to price things out. I love the hardwood on the main floor. The basement is just a rough basement, but we're not down there much. I'm moving my stash of fabric there currently, and I have my old island from the old house as a work table, so that will work out fine.

I laughed when I read about dogs slipping on laminate. Our dog was used to carpet and when we moved, the floors were hardwood. It was a riot watching poor doggie (RIP) try to keep his footing as he rushed through the hallways. He didn't help the hardwood. We got little nicks in the stain where his nails clicked it. Once he was gone, we were going to redo the floors but it didn't happen. We just didn't have the energy/ motivation to change.

We have hardwood in this house, except for kitchen and bathroom. Laminate in kitchen, and I think it's some kind of linoleum in bathroom. Both are 12 years old and still look good. Love the laminate and bathroom flooring...no problems. As mentioned, the hardwood stain is nicked in a lot of places. Maybe SOMEDAY we will redo the flooring.

day2day, just consider the floor condition as "vintage" and you're styling.

bev...my DH thinks along the same lines. He says our house. is well-used and feels lived in and the floor condition gives the house character.

Upstairs we have pine floors. They need work, but like bev says, they are "vintage". The downstairs is just poured concrete with carpet. The original owners had 2 offices downstairs, so they carpeted each room with different carpet. Since it is glued down it will be a mess to change, but will be needing it soon. I have my sewing room in one of the old offices and am not sure what I would like to put down. The carpet keeps the floor warmer and the room quieter, but just collects dust. I think I would lean toward putting carpet back.

Our bedrooms are all carpet and one later became my sewing room when Uncle died. I had the carpet removed while it was empty and hardwood put in and I just love it. It is easier to clean and, with my little magnet wand, I can easily retrieve lost pins and needles. I wish I could do it throughout the rest of the house but the thought of moving out all of the furniture to do it just turns my stomach. Maybe someday.

Keeping you in our prayers as you make those decisions towards recovery from the flooding.

And this morning, the furnace repairman is recommending a new unit. Hope the insurance agrees.

Theresa

thanks again for all your responses. One part of me says carpet, the other part says no way. Who will win??

Theresa, I'm so sorry your life was so disrupted. It's tough at our age. There are some great looking vinyl tiles that look just like hardwood flooring or stone. But with our cold northern winters, I'd really suggest carpet. Basement floors are really cold. An alternative would be to put vinyl down, but get an area rug to cover all the space you might stand in. You can change that if it gets stained or you get bored with it.

Our lower level is all carpeted with a lower nap, but very good looking, commercial grade carpeting. (My Tiara sit-down quilter is on this lower level.) Our house is what they call a split entry. We're built into a bit of a hill. You enter on the lake side (back) of the house and either go up a half flight to the main level or down a half flight to the lower. These steps are also carpeted. The garage is entered from the lower level in front. My DH must go from the garage or lower level workroom into the back yard 100 times a day. That carpeting really gets a workout, but it always looks good.

And yesterday's "good" news was that the huge freezer will have to go. More decisions! The spot where this chest freezer sits now isn't tall enough for a stand up and I am getting too many back cricks to want to continue bending over and climbing in to retrieve that cherry pie. So that means rethinking layout. Florida and Texas folks, you are in my thoughts and prayers as you will go through some of these lovely challenges.

Theresa

I like hard flooring. It's clean, it doesn't harbor dust and allergens, it's easy to sweep, it does not grab hold of loose threads and hang on to them LOL. And it lasts forever. Hardwood is beautiful, but the 12in linoleum squares, like you see in high school cafeterias and auditoriums, is really a work horse in areas where you...work.