Laminate or carpet?
rockerchick
Posts: 9,255 Forum Member
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Was just wondering what everyone else's preferences were? Just cos I'm getting the last of my carpet replaced with laminate in my new place today. I personally can't stand carpet myself as it attracts dust on muck and is harder to clean. I also think it just looks ugly. Laminate/wood you can just give it a quick mop. My parents have carpet in almost every room of the house, maybe it's an age thing?
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Partly brought about by one child being quite allergenic and asthmatic, partly brought about by preference.
Very easy to keep clean - the floor, not the child.
I can hardly believe that they have a carpeted kitchen though!
Laminate is very dangerous to man and beast.
Same here. Unless it is good quality stuff and is fitted well, it tends to look pretty naff. It also does nothing for the acoustics of the room.
Carpets can be cleaned and if looked after properly will stay looking good for many years. We have cream carpets in our house with a mottled effect to hide any slight marks and they look as good now as they did when they were put down because we don't walk on them with our dirty shoes as we take our shoes off in the hall which is wood effect lino/cushion flooring which can be mopped. Our carpets get cleaned once every 3 years with a Bisel upright carpet cleaner which we bought for around £80 and does the job in about an hour. Carpets are more comfortable and warmer to walk as well as sit on and help insulate the room.
If it's a wood effect you're after and your floors are level enough to take it I would go with wood effect cushion flooring. You can even get it in an anti slip finish. It fits perfectly to the room, doesn't move about, it's warm underfoot and can be swept and mopped without fear of it warping or swelling up.
Whenever "laminate" is mentioned it's not long before "cheap and nasty" follows.
If you buy cheap and nasty laminate you're likely to be someone who buys cheap and nasty carpets.
I find a carpeted house warmer. Plus, my neighbours have laminate flooring (we are semi detached) and I can hear them all the time running up the stairs and running from room to room as they have a dog and a toddler.
I had my hallway, stairs and landing re carpeted about 2yrs ago now, and I love it. Like the poster above, I bought a Bisel upright carpet cleaner as I have two dogs, and I tend to use it every year to keep my carpets in tip top condition.
Who mentioned "cheap and nasty"?
To be clear, laminate is far from being a modern invention. However, as it became more fashionable around 10 years ago the price fell considerably. Now it's quite cheap, as in affordable.
That's true. I need to redo my kitchen and I will stick with laminate due to the dogs. I was in Carpetright the other day and they do remnants. I could get what I needed to redo my kitchen for about £40. I have to say though, my kitchen is the size of a postage stamp.
As for which - carpet where you need quiet (and the bedroom - you don't want cold feet). Laminate anywhere the dogs are going to go
I would like to have the front room carpeted. We have a huge sheepskin rug in there to make it feel a bit cosier. Laminate is not good for feeling cosy. The sheepskin rug is lovely.
Cushion flooring or lino as it used to be know as has come a long way since the early days. You can get some very nice finishes in antislip finish and it's a doddle to fit. It comes on a roll and all you do it roll it out and use a Stanley knife to cut it to your skirting boards and if you have kick boards on your kitchen units you just push it underneath so you dont have to be totally accurate with it. Once you've got it cut to fit you just spray glue it down and apply door strips over the top to hide the join between rooms. I have a bathroom approximately 8 foot by 12 foot and it only cost me £80 in total and that included having it fitted. You can slop as much water on it as you like but before you put it down you have to make sure your floor is bone dry as it will trap in any moisture and eventually it will rott away from underneath. Other than that I'm very happy with mine but your floors have to be reasonably flat as it has a tendency to show up and lumps and bumps in the floor. It might be worth considering as it's a cheaper option and can look quite good and stays warm underfoot.
Careful, you'll be accused of being a cheapskate next! ;-)
I hate laminate too. Its cold and noisy.