Owning your own home

I would keep any carpet until you have got the majority of other work done. Its amazing how your nice newly sanded floorboard get fucked by work in the house (as someone who is seeing this happen right now). Having a carpet may encourage trades to be a bit more careful / tidy and then when all that is done you can sand and fill gaps if needed.

I'm unsure how much insulation you'll be getting from upper floor carpets, but you fill gaps or whatever pre-sanding.

Our floorboards (similar house) were fine under the carpet. Like they look their age and have historic woodworm, all number of scratches and holes etc but I think it adds to the character. Certainly they were fine to walk on without needing any sanding. Carpet is usually just attached with nails (gripper rods) not glue if that's what you mean, and trivially easy to pull up.

You don't need to fill the gaps. Aesthetically you might want to, especially if you're then sanding for a more modern look, but you don't need to. And assuming you heat the ground floor, carpet on the other floors isn't doing any insulating. Our wooden floors are perfectly warm enough to walk on.

thanks guys - really appreciate the input as always :-)

Bear in mind that if most of your house is hard floor it gets dusty very quickly. You don't realise how much dust a carpet traps until you don't have any.

It's also noisier without carpet.

Most points have been covered but I'd just like to add that don't be surprised if it isn't all good flooring upstairs.

Our last place was all lovely flooring downstairs and carpet up stairs. The master bedroom and hallway was nice flooring which we restored but the other two bedrooms were a mixture of floorboards, chipboards and random bits of old furniture panels.

We kept carpets in those.

thanks - yeah I guess there is only one way to find out :-)

fine for us at the moment given there is only two of us + cat. will see if mini swedeee comes along at some point in the future

Having gone from wooden floor > carpet in bedroom I wouldn't go back. It just feels much nicer underfoot. Assuming you have nice carpet obvs. We have wooden flooring in landing/stairs but carpeted bedrooms. I do also think it helps with insulation in older properties

This.

Carpet in bedrooms always in the UK or any climate where it's not baking hot. Better insulator, feels nicer underfoot, reduces noise to floors below etc etc.

We have wooden flooring in landing/stairs but carpeted bedrooms

I think this is probably where we will land too tbh - best of both worlds

We are in the middle of a renovation. Old Victorian 3 bed . Carpet was ripped up when we got in , on first floor we patched boards and just painted them . Loft room we put carpet back as that is main bedroom and we wanted the cosy ness and warmth that comes with carpet.

I did have grand plans to sand and fill etc, but going with the rug way now..

How do you find wooden floor on the stairs? My stairs are quite steep (people always comment on this when they come round for the first time). I'd like to extend the downstairs wooden floor to stairsa nd landing but worry about potential for increased slippage. Did you consider this?

(Golf Club thread fodder...)

Steep wooden stairs and fluffy winter socks was always a classic combo for a ski chalet injury.

increased slippage.

get a runner. helps a lot

Out of interest, why would anyone fill the gaps in on floorboards? My neighbour has done this and I think it looks so weird. Don't know what the benefit would be

Draught exclusion.

• prevent draughts / noise / etc.
  
• stop you dropping stuff inbetween the floorboards
  
• 'neater' look
  

This is our winter project. Rip out the horrible old cream carpet on the stairs, sand back the pine, stain, matt varnish and then add runners.
Any recommendations for runners? And runner rods or no rods?

Better insulator

is it better than floorboards + underlay + laminate? srs question btw

surely it is very similar...

Yes. Don't underestimate the surface area of carpet fibres to trap air.

Almost certainly better. Carpet will contain a 'pocket' of still air - which is generally very good for insulation - laminate will not.
ETA - Soul beat me to it.

interesting okay, we have cheap office grade laminate everywhere and zero draught