Apart from tiles, which are most commonly used in kitchens and bathrooms, the choice of flooring for most homes is between carpets and laminate. If you are struggling to decide which is best to decorate your home with, this guide will help you.
Table of contents
The Advantages of Carpets
The main advantage of choosing carpets for your home rather than hardwood floors is comfort. Nothing beats the feeling of a soft carpet on your bare feet or socks when you get in from a long day at work and slip your shoes off. Carpets provide a level of comfort and luxury that laminate cannot match.
Carpets also come in a wide variety of colors, so you can match any interior decor that you choose! Carpets are also better than hardwood at absorbing sounds, so if noise levels are a potential issue in a room, carpets may be a better choice.
The Disadvantages of Carpets
Carpets are notably more difficult than laminate flooring to install. While many people can measure and cut laminate floorboards using tools, cutting a carpet to the right size can be very difficult, and usually requires professional assistance and a fee.
Carpets are also more difficult to keep clean than laminate floors, as the material can trap dust, hairs, pet odors, and other dirt such as mud from people’s shoes. Carpets are also prone to stains, especially from drinks such as red wine, which is notoriously difficult to remove. Professional carpet cleaning services such as those found at steamcocarpetcleaning.com are often needed to remove difficult stains.
The Advantages of Laminate Flooring
As mentioned before, laminate flooring is easier to install and can often be done without professional assistance. Laminate flooring also usually lasts for longer before needing to be replaced, as it is more durable. If a small section of laminate flooring is damaged, it is much easier to replace just that specific section than it would be for carpet.
Laminate flooring is usually easier than carpet to clean. In fact, you may not even need to use a vacuum cleaner, as often a dustpan and brush and/or broom will do the job just fine!
The Disadvantages of Laminate Flooring
While laminate flooring does have a variety of styles, it is usually much more limited than the rang of colors and materials that you can choose from at a carpet store. Thankfully, hardwood never actually goes out of style, and can be paired with a variety of interior design choices.
Laminate flooring also reflects and reverberates sound rather than absorbing it. Unless you are setting up a home recording studio, this could be a disadvantage as it can increase noise levels.
Underlay
Whether you decide to choose carpets or laminate flooring for your home, you will need to use underlay—a thin layer of cushioning placed between the floorboards and the carpet or laminate for comfort and heat insulation.
Why Not Both?
Not every room has to be the same. In fact, most homeowners will opt for carpet in some rooms and laminate in others, depending on the purposes of each room. If you want the comfort and style of a carpet without sacrificing the convenience and ease of laminate, why not go for the perfect middle ground: laminate with a thick, soft rug?