carpet

Carpet vs Hardwood Flooring Cost in 2026 (Full Comparison)

Carpet vs Hardwood Flooring: Cost, Lifespan & ROI Compared (2026) Carpet flooring costs $3-$11 per square foot installed in 2026, while hardwood runs $12-$25 per square foot installed. For a 500 square foot living room, that is $1,500-$5,500 for carpet versus $6,000-$12,500 for hardwood. But the upfront price gap is misleading. Over 20 years, carpet requires two full replacements and annual professional cleaning, pushing its total cost to $6,000-$18,000 for that same room. Hardwood, with one refinish and minimal upkeep, lands at $7,500-$16,500. The "cheap" option is not always cheaper. Consider a 1,800 square foot ranch with wall-to-wall beige carpet nine years old -- the kind builders install because it costs $4 per square foot and nobody complains during a showing. That carpet looked fifteen years old. Pet stains had soaked through the pad into the subfloor in two rooms, and no amount of professional cleaning was going to fix...