Compare the lifetime cost of carpet against hardwood flooring.
Dividing each flooring's upfront cost by how long it lasts gives a cost per year, which fairly compares a cheap short-lived carpet with a pricier long-lived hardwood. Carpet is cheaper today but replaced more often, so the annualized comparison exposes that hardwood is often the better long-term value.
Carpet vs Hardwood
Annualized cost = upfront / expected life in years
Annualized cost = upfront / expected life in years Dividing each flooring's upfront cost by how long it lasts gives a cost per year, which fairly compares a cheap short-lived carpet with a pricier long-lived hardwood.
Carpet is cheaper today but replaced more often, so the annualized comparison exposes that hardwood is often the better long-term value.
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Floor area, Carpet installed, Hardwood installed, Carpet life, Hardwood life. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.