Clubhouse renovation: Wood or carpet???

Hi fellow HOA members!

We're renovating our clubhouse. During the reno, we will replace the carpet of the function room with either new carpet or hardwood.

Does anyone have advice on the pros and cons of using either floor type in the HOA function room?

Background of the clubhouse:
Two level building:
The 1st floor contains a workout room, which we will cover in a rubber floor material.
The 2nd floor contains the function room. This floor is now carpet over plywood. I expect the plywood may have to be repaired in some spots. The function room has a high cathedral ceiling.

The function room is used for meetings and parties. The clubhouse faces a small common lawn, which is also faced by eight of the townhomes of the HOA.

Thanks!

Tony,
Well, I think you ask the same questions here that you ask when you are going to replace your own floor covering.
How long has it been there?
Has it been a problem
Has you useage changed
Commn sense questions.

But before you decide what to do with the above answers, you MUST make your decision knowing you are using someone else's money. Glen also points out how far afield you can go without members approval.
You can't take a chance, as you can in your own place. If what you have serves your purpose and is functional, I expect you have to go with that. It would not be prudent for you all to take advice from this forum, or any other, and make a dramatic change, unless what you have has justification that it must be replaced with something different.
You are not going to please everyone but certainly at this day and age there are floor covering experts that will be glad to advice you on texture, color and wearability.

I personally am always amazed that there is such a row over cosmetic changes that are made and in two months time folks don't even see it, it become part of the scenery. However God help the poor devil that takes a leap of faith and makes a radical change and finds it don't "work."
Me.............I would not even venture a guess. Just about anyone off the street, would be a better person to ask about the "will it work", part.

Glen,
Ity is nice to hear there is still aplace in our lives to see a little humor. Speaking of, we ought to start a thread sometime about the attitude new Board can expect from prior Board members Range from, "I'm still the Boss', to "Don't ask me nothing, just forget I ever lived, I am not going back into that lions cage......ever.

Anthony,
Our association does not have a clubhouse, but as an architect, I can provide some information, or at least questions for you to answer before making a final decision.

Wood, while it most likely will cost more, will last longer. It should never need to be replaced. Depending on whether you go with real wood or a laminate, it might need to be sanded and re-finished over time, but that's less expensive than replacement.

Real wood flooring as a better chance of warping, depending on board widths. The wider the board, the more likely it could warp. Engineered wood floors tend to be more stable and still provide a real wood floor look. Laminate flooring is more expensive than wood flooring, but is suppose to last longer. I'd check on reviews of laminate flooring manufacturers before making this selection. I would think there are different qualities of lamintate wood flooring.

Carpet would be less expensive but will need to be replaced over time. This could always be added into you Capital Reserve Study so that the association will have the funds to replace it when its needed. Carpeting also gives the association the freedom to change the look over time.

Wood flooring is more slippery, obviously, when wet. This might be a consideration to think about.

Tile or vinyl flooring are 2 other options you could look into.

Typically, soft surfaces like carpet absorb sound much better. So, if noise is an issue, think about this. One can always install other sound absorbing surfaces such as rugs, drapery, acoustical ceilings.

I hoipe this helps

CARPET TILES. Or CARPET SQUARES, or whatever they are called.

I would recommend the type of carpet tiles that can be swapped out and replaced when/if they become too dirty/damaged so that you are not repairing an entire room of carpeting.

They come in a wide range of styles and colors and are easy (and inexpensive) to install.

They also hold up really well to heavy traffic.

Lots of businesses, public buildings use them.