Removing hardwood floor in order to install carpet over underfloor heating

[Carol8855]

We've recently moved and the entire downstairs has hardwood floors with underfloor heating. I'd really like carpet fitted in the lounge area. I'm aware it would need to be special low tog underlay and carpet in order to ensure the heating would still be efficient. Husband is dead set against this as the hardwood floors would needed to be taken up - and possibly the skirting boards removed and reattached. Am I mad to consider this? I just love carpet in lounges and it doesn't feel cosy at the moment. The floors are also an orangey colour which I'm not overly keen on.

I only like carpets in bedrooms so I think you’d be mad to incur all that mess, hassle and expense, but it’s your house!

A compromise might be getting a massive rug. My parents had carpet offcuts edged/trimmed/hemmed(?) and used as a runner and doormat in their hall to match the carpet running up the stairs and landing. Presumably you could do the same with a large expanse of suitable carpet to make a huge rug for the centre of the room?

If you don’t like the colour of the wood then presumably you’ll look to replace or refinish the floor throughout the downstairs eventually anyway. If you do Big Rug as at least a temporary measure then you’ll save yourself hassle (and potential damage to new carpet with dust etc) by just redoing the whole downstairs in one go.

On the skirting boards - I'm doing up my house and thought I'd remove/reattach the skirting boards to get a 'clean finish' with new flooring.

But the plaster has been damaged where the skirting board was glued to the wall, the old skirting boards have blobs of immovable rock-solid glue on the back of them and I can't find an exact match to replace them with.

So in order to reuse the original skirting I have to patch the plaster and scrape all the glue off (nightmare job), reattach and then caulk the gap between the boards/wall and repaint the walls.

Hardwood floors can be sanded and refinished. I'd start there and add a large rug! Or just add a rug and see how you get on!

I think you're mad, yes. Just get a rug and re stain / paint the floor a colour you like.

Get some sheepskin lined slippers for cooler weather. You’d be mad to take up hardwood and replace with boards and carpet.

You'd be absolutely mad to rip up hardwood floors. Especially to replace with carpet.

As previous posters have said, find the carpet you like and have it made into a massive, floor covering rug. The carpet company will whip the edges for you. Just as cosy, without the huge expense/ waste of removing floors.

We have a massive rug in the lounge now but the problem with that is you are apparently not supposed to have rugs over hardwood floors with underfloor heating on as it creates "hot spots". Not a problem now in summer but in winter when we have the heating on we will have to take it up. Even if we had a large rug made of the special low tog carpet it would still affect the efficiency of the underfloor heating.

Surely down to personal preference at the end of the day.

I think carpets are horrible, especially in high traffic areas where they are sinks for dirt and dust and any spills.

Still - you like what you like.

I believe electric underfloor heating runs hotter than wet, so the hot spots are more of a problem. Maybe you could get a quote for re sanding and finishing in a nicer colour?