Look for any floor vent you can find, and carefully pull it up to remove it. They are rarely secured down in any way, so they're easy to take out. The carpet won't be tacked down around the edge of the vent opening, so you'll be able to easily pull the carpet and pad up just enough to see what is underneath.
The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials. On wood-frame floors, the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists. In basements and in homes with slab-on-grade foundations, the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab.
Simply put, underlayment is a layer of material between your subfloor and your floor. While some flooring comes with the underlayment attached, others will require you to install a separate underlayment. Most of the time, underlayment consists of rubber, cork, foam, or felt.
You will probably see padding beneath the carpet, so lift that up, too. Then, use a flashlight to illuminate the flooring. Some rooms may have hardwood, while others may not, so be sure to check different parts of the house. Believe it or not, there could be hardwood lurking beneath your linoleum as well.
This is because of the underlayment, which is not necessary but highly popular. Some carpeting is even sold with a built-in underlayment. The underlayment is additional padding underneath the carpet, and it's usually made of foam. But it might also be made of other materials like rubber and cork.
Look for water marks, stains and faded areas on the floorboards. Laminate doesn't stain the way natural wood does, so if you see water rings, random splotches or discolorations on the floor, it is probably hardwood.
The simplest way to tell the difference between the two types of wood is to pick up a loose plank. Look at the side of the plank. If it is one solid piece of wood with a continuous grain, it's solid hardwood. If you see different layers of wood, it's engineered hardwood.
Laminate flooring will have a repeating pattern. It may not be obvious right away, but that's only because you're not looking for it. If you stare long enough, you will likely find boards with the same wood grain. Hardwood flooring is made from solid wood, so every board will be different.
Engineered wood floors are “fake” and “cheap” compared to solid wood floors. For some of the very inexpensive engineered floors, this might be true. But a quality engineered floor will look and feel exactly like a high-quality solid hardwood floor. Engineered wood won't cup or gap.
Old carpet also increases your risk of asthma attacks. The allergens in old carpet can reduce the indoor air quality of your home and trigger asthma attacks just like they trigger nasal congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, and other allergic reactions.
Underlayment
The underlayment material is installed below the floor covering and placed on top of a subfloor. Under the visible covering, there is a layer made of soft or foam-like materials with a thickness of between 1/4 – 1/2-inch.
Scrape Some of the Finish Off
So, push a fingernail into the finish a bit harder. If it's a softwood, like pine, you will see a dent forming. Nevertheless, if it's hardwood, the finish will remain unmarked. Maple and birch look quite similar when finished with dark paint or stain.
To correctly identify the type of hardwood, you need to perform a few tests. Some species are easy to identify, such as Oak, Pine, Cherry and Fir. The Wood Database online can show specific grain types, color variations and hardness to help in the hardwood floor identification.
Refinishing hardwood floors is more cost-effective than replacing them. On average, it costs about $2,000 to $7,000 to replace hardwood flooring (two to three times more than to refinish).
The subfloor is the layer underneath the carpet and carpet padding. It's usually made of plywood, but can be wood, OSB board, or particle board as well. It's laid on top of the joists in the floor and attached with nails or screws.
Underlayment: Some types of flooring can be installed directly on top of the subfloor, such as vinyl flooring. Other types need a middle layer, called underlayment, such as laminate,carpet and tile.
Carpet fibers often become matted and frayed within just 3-5 years. A carpet can only be expected to last 5-15 years from installation, so if your carpet it starting to look a little beat-up then it's probably time to replace it. Areas that see the most wear and tear are usually the hallways, stairs, and living areas.
Take precautions.
Old carpet can be full of dust, so be sure to wear a dust mask. Protective gloves should be worn to protect hands from staples and while cutting the carpet and handling tack strips.
While carpet has changed over the years, today, its lifespan is usually anywhere from 5 to 15 years. The length of time that a specific carpet lasts depends on the type of carpet, carpet cushion, carpet fibers, and wear and tear the carpet is exposed to.
Engineered wood flooring is a better choice in high-moisture environments than solid hardwood, making it a better option for kitchens, bathrooms and basements. But, for whole-house installations, both flooring options offer a wide range of style choices.
Hardwood floors are one of the best flooring options for homeowners looking to increase the resale value of their home, with hardwood typically yielding around a 75% return on investment.