Carpets vs Laminate Flooring: Which Is Best For You?
Updating your flooring is a must if you’re renovating your home or just looking to freshen up your space. However, with so many options on the market, you will inevitably face the age-old dilemma: Should you choose carpets or laminate flooring?
Both laminate flooring and carpets have pros and cons, being incredibly stylish and popular flooring options. So, how do you solve the long-standing debate between laminate and carpet, and which is best for you? The answer comes down to your needs.
Here at Morgan & Quinn, we’re experts in this field, so we’ve covered everything you could ask about carpets vs laminate flooring to help you make the final decision.
Table of contents
- Which flooring is cheaper?
- Which flooring is easier to install?
- Which flooring is the most durable?
- Which flooring is best by room?
- Which flooring is most comfortable?
- Which flooring is best overall, carpet or laminate?
Which flooring is cheaper?
Knowing which flooring options are cheaper is critical for operating on a budget. Various factors can impact the cost of your flooring, including the size of your space and the cost of materials.
Generally, a luxury carpet will be more expensive per square metre than laminate flooring. There are still plenty of reasonably priced options for carpets that can meet the needs of a cut-back budget. If your space is small, a high-end carpet may still fit your budget.
Which flooring is easier to install?
It’s human nature to look for ways to cut costs, whether renovating your home or sprucing your interior with brand-new flooring.
We all know that DIY can save you big, but without the expertise, you may find yourself digging deeper into your pockets.
Whether you choose laminate flooring or a carpet, both require an underlay installed. This is essential to achieving a straight levelled look.
Carpet installation
We recommend you stick to a professional installation when installing your luxurious carpets. Even for an avid DIY enthusiast, installing a carpet requires expertise. When cut wrong, your carpet is essentially wasted – along with your money.
For the price of the upfront installation, you can enjoy a well-fitted carpet for years to come that offers style, elegance, and comfort.
Laminate flooring installation
Laminate flooring is much easier to install than carpets. Whilst many opt to hire a professional to install their new laminate flooring, recent trends have seen a rise in easy-to-install options such as clickable laminate flooring. This new flooring style requires measuring tape and a saw, and many people choose to install it themselves.
Again, when you immerse yourself in DIY, there are risks; the same goes for installing laminate flooring. Poorly cut laminate or unnecessary waste may leave you needing to reach further into your pocket, and nobody wants that.
Which flooring is the most durable?
Your home is a busy place, especially if you have children and pets to take care of. Plenty of feet will roam through the house daily and you need flooring that is strong and up to the challenge.
Both carpet and laminate flooring have their own benefits when it comes to durability, we’ve broken these down below.
Is carpet or laminate flooring best for pets and kids?
Pets and children will certainly put your flooring through some vigorous testing. From sharp nails to baby mishaps, you need flooring fit to withstand these shenanigans.
We recommend you stick to laminate flooring or twisted loop pile carpets for family homes, as these versatile flooring solutions can easily survive accidents. By design, these two choices allow you enough time to sweep up any mishaps without causing irreversible damage.
If you’re worried about practical flooring not keeping up the appearance of your interior, you don’t have to settle for distasteful designs. Here at Morgan & Quinn, we specialise in sourcing phenomenal flooring fit for purpose with an immense selection of styles.
There are special benefits to carpets and laminate flooring, so we’ve broken them down.
The benefits of carpets for kids and pets
Carpets offer a level of comfort you can’t get from any other flooring choice, creating a soft landing if your child falls or just a great place for them to play joyfully.
If you want a soft-to-the-touch carpet, our velvet carpets are great for bedrooms, nurseries and living rooms – anywhere without potential spillage.
Loop pile carpets are a great choice if you can’t promise a spillage-free home but still desire a carpet. The densely compact fibres in loop pile carpets give your toes a soft landing but remove the dread of potential accidents.
It’s important to note that velvet or Saxony carpets require more care than loop pile carpets. The nature of the material used requires the utmost care, a price worth paying if you’re looking for deep comfort. That being said, carpets don’t face scratches and cracks that laminate flooring does, particularly if you have pets or children.
The benefits of laminate flooring for kids and pets
Laminate flooring is a decadent option for your home. The ability to resemble many materials without the added cost or maintenance is a huge factor in their popularity.
Laminate flooring is hard-wearing, making stains and permanent marks hard to achieve. Unlike carpets, pet claws or shoes don’t pluck up the laminate, as there are no loose fibres to cling onto.
A huge benefit for those with pets is laminate flooring’s odour-prevention properties. Carpets need a deep clean every 3 months to combat odour. However, laminate flooring doesn’t retain odour, and with a regular clean, you can keep your home free of unwanted spills or smells.
Which flooring is best by room?
Having a specific room or area in mind when deciding on your flooring is the most important consideration. Our guide will take you through each room of the house to help you decide whether carpet or laminate flooring would suit you best.
Living room
Carpet flooring is the traditional choice for a living room, with many wanting a comforting and cosy feeling in one of the busiest rooms of the house. For a more contemporary look, laminate flooring can match your style effortlessly. Marble or wood designs from our collection of lounge laminate flooring can help your living room match your modern decor.
Bedroom
Comfort is the name of the game when it comes to your bedroom. Nothing beats a plush bedroom carpet to bring that warm and relaxing feeling to your space. You can achieve this with a full carpet or a wooden laminate floor topped with a rug to mix modern and traditional styles.
Hallway
While a warm, welcoming feeling when entering your home provided by carpet flooring would be lovely, it may not be practical for your hallway. As hallways are high-traffic areas, easy cleaning flooring can save you time and money on maintenance. Laminate flooring in the hallway provides a sleek aesthetic and can be cleaned with little stress.
Conservatory
If your conservatory has a back door leading out to the garden, laminate flooring will suit you best as it will be easier to take care of any residue from the outdoors that your shoes have brought with you.
Dining room
Choose laminate flooring over carpets for your dining room so that any spills or mess from the dining table can be easily cleaned. Laminate flooring provides a nice balance of a cool-feeling room where you can dig into a hot meal.
Loft
Make your loft conversion a comforting and cosy space with a warming carpet, whether for office space or a new bedroom. For a versatile style choice, laminate flooring can also easily suit your loft conversion. Laminate flooring could be the ideal choice for a playroom due to the significantly lower risk of stains than carpet.
Which flooring is most comfortable?
Unsurprisingly, the most comfortable flooring choice comes in carpet form. We’re talking about Saxony carpets. This luxurious choice is essential for those looking for comfort, adding elegance to your home.
With their high-quality wool material, Saxony carpet fibres melt between your toes, a great way to start your morning. Moreover, all Saxony carpets are adorned with expert craftsmanship, perfect for bedrooms and other areas in your home needing luxury carpet.
Which flooring is best overall, carpet or laminate?
So, you’re at the final decision and unsure which flooring to choose. Carpets vs laminate flooring, which one? Read on.
Carpets
If you’d like a carpet, choosing one to suit your space is important. Twisted and loop pile carpets are perfect for busy areas of the home prone to potential mishaps. However, they are unsuitable for kitchens, where stains and irreparable damage are likely, so it’s important to research to choose the best style for your home.
Carpets are the perfect choice for comfort, providing a delicate landing for your feet, and if this is your main desire – Saxony carpets are for you! As always, it’s recommended that a trusted professional put your carpets down to avoid any unnecessary waste or damage.
Laminate flooring
Laminate flooring is a practical and stylish choice. Replicating real tiles and wood, laminate flooring is often cheaper and doesn’t require the same maintenance as authentic wood and tile flooring. It can go anywhere in your home, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens, for a stress-free cleaning experience.
Laminate is easier to install than carpets, particularly with recent technology creating easy-to-attach options. That being said, laminate flooring doesn’t provide the comfort carpets do, but it is a friendly option for those with pets, with no risk of nails damaging the fibres or potential stains.
Discover fantastic flooring options at Morgan & Quinn
The battle between carpets and laminate flooring is a complex decision. Both choices have their perks and are stunning attributes to any home. So, whether you’re all set on your choice or still thinking, explore our exquisite range of flooring, including LVT, carpets and laminate flooring, for further inspiration.
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