If your floor is old but still basically fine, you may not want the cost and mess of replacing it. Instead, you can protect and upgrade it with a few simple tricks.
Area rugs are your best friends. Place them in high-traffic areas—living room paths, near beds, at entrances. They take the wear while the floor underneath stays in better shape.
Use runners in narrow corridors to prevent visible walking tracks. Choose washable ones so you can clean them easily.
Furniture pads under chair and table legs prevent scratches, especially on wood, laminate or softer stone. They’re cheap and make a big difference.
For dull tiles or stone, a professional deep clean and polish can bring back shine without any replacement. Sometimes the floor isn’t “old”, just very dirty.
Even small rules like “no dragging heavy furniture” and “shoes off in certain rooms” protect floors more than you’d expect. You don’t always need new material; you just need to be a bit kinder to what you already have.