SECRET SAVINGS

If you don’t have the budget to do an entire room in hardwood but wish you could, Rottet has a creative solution: Put down carpeting throughout the room, but add a wood border that’s several inches thick around the edges of the room. It will appear as though your carpeting is actually a rug sitting on top of hardwood.

Carpeting is less popular these days, Touzet says, because of concerns about dust and air quality. But you can find a low-pile carpet and choose natural materials such as wool to avoid those issues.

And one affordable, retro trend that may be returning: high-end vinyl floors with the look of stone or wood.