13 April 2023

Carpet vs Flooring

There was a time when the only rooms in the home with hard flooring were the kitchen and bathroom. Over the last decade flooring has become an increasingly popular choice in all areas of the home. It’s easy to understand why. Flooring can be easy to maintain, keeps it’s appearance for a longer period of time and there is greater variety of choice. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean its the right choice for every room. Here’s our ultimate guide to help you decide which to choose; carpet or flooring.

Warmth – Carpet or flooring

Carpet

 A popular choice for bedrooms and living rooms, carpet’s can provide warmth and comfort to the most relaxing rooms in your home. There’s nothing quite like running your toes through a plush, luxurious carpet. Choosing a good quality underlay and carpet will help to insulate your home.

Flooring

There are essentially three options, if you are wanting to choose flooring, and they all feel different under foot. 

Laminate is a great cost effective choice if you are on a budget. There are lot of designs and textures available, many with water resistant technology. Although laminate is typically 8-12mm thick and installed on top of an underlay, it isn’t necessarily the warmest option. Laminate is renowned for feeling cold under foot, particularly in winter. Adding a rug or runner can help to add character and warmth to your room.

Not all flooring feels cold underfoot. LVT flooring will typically keep to room temperature and will warm up with the rest of the house. 

LVT is waterproof, easy to maintain and incredibly hard wearing. There is a wide variety of designs, patterns, colours and textures available and is a great choice for a busy house hold. It is installed on top of a screed or plywood overlay, which can provide additional insulation.

Wood flooring is one of the most durable choices out there. However, like laminate, it can often feel cold underfoot throughout winter. If you are wanting install wood flooring through out your home, you may want to consider underfloor heating. Or if you are wanting a cheaper solution, you can add a rug or runner to add warmth.

 

Cleaning- Carpet or Flooring 

One of the most important things to consider when choosing your flooring is cleaning and maintenance. There’s nothing more frustrating than choosing your dream flooring to discover it isn’t suitable for your home life.

Carpets

Whether you choose a loop, flatweave or cut pile, carpet fibres can be vacuumed on a regular basis, to ensure they keep their appearance. Every day dust and dirt falls into the fibres away from the surface. This can mean that although your carpet may seem clean on the surface, there will be hidden dirt at the root of the fibres. A good quality vacuum will shake the fibres and remove hidden debris.

When it comes to accidental spillages, some carpets are easier to clean than others. There are many reasonably priced, bleach cleanable, plastic carpets on the market. This can be the perfect choice, if you have young children or pets.

Wool carpets are cleanable with the correct cleaner but tend to be more expensive and therefore more of an investment.

Which ever covering you choose; carpet or flooring, in the event of a spillage, reaction is key. The quicker you clean and treat, the better chance you have of avoiding permanent damage.

Flooring

Unlike a carpet, everyday dust and dirt sits on the surface of flooring. Although different types of flooring require specific cleaning fluid, essentially regular sweeping and vacuuming will help to ensure the longevity of your flooring. 

Wood

It is essential to only use wood cleaner when maintaining your wood floor. Each cleaner will have specific instructions but essentially it is important to only use a lightly damp cloth. Too much moisture, may result in damaging your flooring.

LVT 

One of the easiest options to clean. LVT is made from plastic, it is therefore 100% water proof. As with all flooring, each manufacturer has a recommended cleaner, with specific guidelines. Although this flooring is waterproof, it is still essential to only use a lightly damp cloth when cleaning. Too much moisture, could result in the adhesive or subfloor to be damaged. 

Laminate

Easy to clean, wipeable and now water resist; laminate is a great choice if you have a busy household and less time for cleaning. As above, each manufacturer has a recommended cleaner and it is always best to follow the instructions. Although many brands now have water resistance, laminate is not made from a waterproof substance. It is therefore imperative to only ever use lightly damp cloth when cleaning.

Sound Proofing

Since the Covid 19 pandemic, many of us transformed our homes into a multifunctional space; office, school room and living room. Working from home has now become the norm and so sound proofing our homes has become ever more important.

Carpet 

Which ever style of carpet you choose, carpet is a great choice for minimalising sound pollution through out your house. Carpet is installed on to an underlay and has many fibres. This will help to provide a sound barrier on your floors.

Flooring

Although flooring doesn’t provide the same cushioning as carpet, there are now some manufacturers producing flooring ranges specifically designed to provide sound proofing properties. Rigid Core LVT, has an inbuilt underlay and many brands now have excellent sound proof technology.

Appearance

When it comes to appearance, it all depends on which type of carpet or flooring you choose.

Carpet

The general rule of thumb is the longer the pile of the carpet, the quicker it will flatten. In high traffic areas, a flatweave, loop pile or short cut pile carpet is recommended. If you have a busy house hold with children and pets, it may be best to chose a carpet that is easy to clean. Manmade carpets such as Polypropylene are bleach cleanable and can be a great choice if you are concerned about stains.

Flooring

Although flooring is incredibly hard wearing, the change in appearance depends on which type of flooring you choose and how it is maintained.

Man made flooring such as LVT and laminate will keep it’s appearance for a long period of time, with out any additional treatments. Regular sweeping and cleaning will help to ensure your flooring looks new for as long as possible.

Wood flooring needs a little extra TLC. If you opt for an oiled wood floor, re oiling will help to keep your flooring looking fresh and protect it from any permanent stains.  Lacquered wood flooring can be sanded and re lacquered if required. Provided your flooring is cleaned regularly, re- oiling or lacquering will only be necessary once every 5-10 years. 

No flooring is scratch proof but some are more susceptible than others. Typically wood is softer than man made floors and will therefore scratch more easily. 

Cost

As with most things, there is wide price range for carpets and flooring. All of which have cheaper and more expensive options. Typically carpet tends to be cheaper per m2 than flooring. This is because there are many budget, man made fibre carpets on the market and it tends to be cheaper to install. If you are looking for flooring on a budget, laminate is the most cost effective. There are some great lower priced manufacturers out there and it is cheaper to install than other flooring types such as wood or LVT.

Room Type

One of the most important factors to consider. There are certain rooms of the house that receive more traffic and foot fall than others. These rooms include the hall/entrance, stairs and landing and kitchen. Also any other rooms that are narrower (a smaller floor area) or used frequently, should be included in this. It’s important to factor this when considering your flooring and carpet options.

Safety

In the event of a trip or fall, carpet will provide a soft and cushioned surface. If you have young children or a family member you are concerned about, choosing carpets will help to protect them from incurring injuries during a fall. If you are still wanting to choose flooring but are concerned about safety, there are a few things you can do to help.

Flooring on your stairs

You could chose a stair runner rather than a fully fitted carpet. This will give you the look of flooring but with added grip and protection in the event of a fall.

Slippy Floors

In area’s where water is likely (bathroom or entrance) adding a bath mat or door mat, will help to provide protection from slipping.

Need a little inspiration or advice?

There are hundreds of flooring manufacturers, suppliers and installers, so it can be hard to know where to turn.

At Beyond Flooring, our mission is to enhance your home or business with expertly fitted flooring. We only use quality products, and we offer a two-year installation warranty on all domestic projects.

If you need a little inspiration, check out our customer gallery, or visit our showroom. Our friendly team are always happy to help you select the perfect flooring for your home.