Have you ever found yourself in this dilemma—wondering what to do about replacing the current flooring in your bedrooms? And, just because you may have wall-to-wall carpet now, does that mean you should replace it with carpet?
Bedroom flooring should, of course, be comfortable to bare feet, but also needs to be attractive, durable, and complementary to the bedroom’s decorating style. And when you think about it, the flooring is the first thing your bare feet step onto in the morning and the last thing they touch before climbing into bed each night. The effect that bedroom flooring has on a person is both physical and psychological, making your choice of materials a particularly important design decision.
Here are eight of the most common flooring options, listed from most to least popular for bedroom use, which should aid in your decision.
Warm and soft to the feet, available in a nearly endless range of colors and even patterns, budget-friendly and helpful in dampening sound and controlling room temperature: it’s no wonder carpet is the hands-down favorite flooring choice for the bedroom. But there are other reasons that carpet is popular, as well as some reasons you might not want to use it.
There are two major categories of carpet: cut pile and loop pile. As the name suggests, the tips of the fiber loops are cut with cut pile carpeting and left uncut and looped on loop pile carpets. Textured cut-pile carpeting is the most popular type for bedroom use. It’s soft, has a casual look, and resists dirt fairly well.
Carpeting, combined with a good-quality pad, can insulate a floor against heat loss, ensuring that the bedroom will remain toasty warm. It’s sound-dampening and is usually economical, but does have a shorter lifespan than some alternatives, such as hardwood. Carpeting can be difficult to keep clean, can trap pollen and other allergy-causing particles, and can off-gas chemicals such as formaldehyde.
It’s hard to match the natural appeal of real wood flooring—it has a depth and warmth that adds beauty to any style of décor. While there are dozens of types of hardwood used for flooring, some of the most popular are ash, walnut, oak, and maple. The two basic types of wood flooring are solid and engineered wood. Solid wood floors are a solid piece of wood from top to bottom, while engineered wood floors are manufactured using three to nine layers of different wood veneers.
Genuine hardwood is usually regarded as one of the best flooring materials among real estate professionals. Not only is it beautiful and hard-wearing, but it’s also relatively warm and durable. Even better, it’s environmentally friendly. While it’s an attractive surface and the material is recyclable and non-allergenic, quality solid hardwood can be expensive.
Luxury vinyl tile, which is also referred to as “LVT” flooring, is great if you have an active home with kids or pets, or just high-traffic areas you want to keep looking beautiful.
You’ve probably heard of vinyl tile, the popular peel-and-stick flooring. Luxury vinyl tile is similar in its construction — a wear layer, an image layer, a resilient core and backing. LVT is generally thicker, and offers greater levels of durability and design realism than vinyl tile.
Luxury vinyl is not meant for stairs, but for any and all flat, level surfaces. The beauty of luxury vinyl tile is how versatile it is. It’s truly possible to achieve a look that mimics hardwood or natural stone, and is offered in hundreds of colors and patterns from the major flooring manufacturers.
Rarely, if ever, will a vinyl plank floor cost as much as genuine wood flooring, which is usually five to 10 times more expensive than vinyl planks. Prices for materials usually range from $2.50 to $5 per square foot. Overall, the cost of vinyl planks is about the same as for laminate planks, though vinyl planks are arguably a superior flooring material.
Vinyl plank flooring is fully waterproof, easy to install yourself, and is easy to maintain, but can be somewhat tricky if repair is needed.
Laminate flooring (sometimes called by the brand name Pergo) looks like real wood but is a printed photo of wood or stone covered with a protective plastic coating. Laminate flooring comes in a wide range of wood-tone colors and styles to suit any decorating theme. Less expensive than hardwood, you can lower the costs of laminate flooring even further by laying it yourself; it’s a reasonably easy weekend DIY project.
Laminate holds up quite well to daily wear-and-tear but is susceptible to scratching and can also buckle if water or other liquids puddle on it. One drawback is that, unlike hardwood, laminate flooring is almost impossible to repair when the damage becomes extensive. While it is theoretically possible to disassemble and replace individual planks, it is more common for the entire floor to be removed and replaced.
Thanks to its durability, sustainability, and affordability when compared to traditional hardwood floors, bamboo has become increasingly popular as a flooring option.
Did you know that bamboo is basically a fast-growing grass? This makes it an eco-friendly flooring choice due to the rapid harvest time and regeneration process. However, the end result is a durable and strong floor that can be made to imitate the look of many types of hardwood floors, including oak, walnut, maple, and more.
Rubber flooring is made of virgin or recycled rubber and comes in a wide range of colors, patterns, and styles. This type of flooring is very durable, sometimes lasting for more than 30 years, and can be a great alternative for a child’s bedroom or playroom. Besides its durability, it’s also easy to clean and maintain.
Cork flooring has excellent thermal and acoustical properties. It’s beautiful, lightweight, warm to the touch, hypoallergenic, fire and insect resistant, moisture resistant, and maintains just like hardwood floors. Traditional cork flooring is perfect for bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and libraries.
This flooring is perhaps one of Nature’s greenest miracle floors. Made from all natural and renewable ingredients, cork floors are highly versatile and sustainable. They’re priced about the same as most hardwood floor; plus natural cork flooring is a DIY floor that’s easy to install, easy to maintain and very long lasting. Another plus is that it’s available in a wide range of colors!
One slight drawback is when stepping onto cork flooring with heels, your shoe will make an indentation into the cork. But as soon as you release your shoe from the floor, the cork particles quickly resume their original positions.
Ceramic tile and stone are rarely used in bedrooms, although they are very durable and beautiful in other areas of the home. Some people consider this type of flooring as too cold, hard, and noisy for the bedroom. Still, tile or stone is a possibility with certain decorating styles, notably Mediterranean, Tuscan, tropical, Spanish, or Moroccan themes. Plus, you can always use several throw rugs around the bed to soften your feet landing on the floor.
Although they can be layered over carpet, area rugs are typically used to soften hard flooring, such as wood or laminate. Your personal preference is the best guide to the right rug for your bedroom. You should choose one that feels soft and cozy to your feet, has a non-slip backing, adds a dose of style to your bedroom, and complements the overall decorating theme.
While there’s no need to break your budget on an area rug, it’s also true that a good quality rug will generally last longer, look and feel better, and shed less than a cheap bargain brand.
As you can see, a lot is going on in the flooring industry right now, and that these 8 suggestions are just a few to select from. There are plenty of unique options trending that will likely stick around for years to come, which means your possibilities are endless.
And, perhaps you’re thinking that if you go with a hard surface in the bedroom and there’s carpeting through the rest of the house, it will make the home feel choppy and smaller…which leads back to your initial situation!
Contact me at kori@horizoninteriordesign.com and we’ll solve your dilemma together!
