A contractor told me that most American homes from the 1950s and 1960s have wood floors because FHA was the most common mortgage provider at the time and FHA required wood floors. Is this true?

by mrpeabodyscoaltrain
sunagainstgold

No. The mid-1950s into the early 1960s was the triumph of the full-carpeted home. The carpet industry lobbied the U.S. government to include the cost of carpet in the cost of the home overall when calculating mortgage values and rates--making carpeted homes more attractive purchases.

I talked about the history of home carpeting in this thread--I promise it's more interesting than it sounds!