Fitting new bedroom flooring is an exciting venture. Whether you’re in a new home or you’ve been in your home for a while, a bedroom uplift can be all you need to get your pride for your home right back to the top.
In this article, we’re looking at the different types of flooring you could install in the bedroom as well as the pros and cons of each.
We also suggest which underlay might be best for your needs depending on your choice of flooring.
What type of flooring is best for bedrooms?
Well, this is dependent on your needs, taste and in some cases, your budget.
Most people in the UK will choose a carpeted floor with a slightly thicker underlay. Purely because carpet and underlay offers warmth, comfort and a great underfoot feel. Carpet can also stand the test of time but over the years, the old fashioned hard wood floor boards have been making an appearance for many young home owners..
That doesn’t mean you should discount laminate or engineered/hard wood flooring straight away. These options can also provide a quick uplift that is both cost effective and an easier DIY way of doing things.
Anyway, let’s dive in.
Laying laminate or wood flooring in bedrooms
Pros
- Laminate is cheap to buy – coming in at around £8 per m2 for some of the cheaper stuff
- Laminate flooring is easy to lay and can often be bought in a click and lock form. There are also lots of videos online giving you guidance on how to fit the laminate.
- Laminate is definitely a quick win and super cost effective. It can be a fantastic temporary change if you have other renovation tasks in the meantime to be getting on with
Cons
- You can only use thin underlays with any laminate, meaning it doesn’t offer quite as much warmth as carpet could.
- You may not be able to stop drafts if your house is prone to cool air running through it.
What colour furniture should you choose with bedroom laminate – for light or dark floor
The golden rule when it comes to pairing floor with furniture is to choose a contrasting colour. So, if you have a dark engineered wood flooring, you will find that white or light grey furniture can look really nice with this. Whereas if you have a light coloured floor, you might want to choose a darker furniture such as dark blue or dark grey.
Is laminate flooring good for bedrooms?
Laminate flooring can be the perfect choice for bedrooms if you’re looking for a quick, easy and cost-effective solution to sprucing up your bedroom. However, as mentioned above, it isn’t going to give you the warmth that you would usually get from carpets. It probably won’t feel as cosy either but you can easily overcome that buy purchasing a nice rug, which may still be cheaper than getting a full carpet and underlay fitted.
So, that leaves us with one more question.
Which is the Best underlay for bedroom laminate
If you do choose a laminate, then you’ll want to install a thin underlay. You can visit the specific laminate section on our website to help you choose which one you should buy.
Choosing carpet for bedroom flooring
Pros
- You can use carpet to prevent draft through the house
- Carpet can help significantly towards noise reduction
- High levels of comfort are available on the market
Cons
- Some carpets can go out of fashion – take the old dark patterned carpets before the shift to light plain carpets.
- Carpets can be costly if you want 100% wool
- It’s recommended to get a carpet fitter because they will have the best tools for the job and make sure any drafts are covered up.
Using carpet to stop the drafts
If you’re looking to use carpet to prevent or stop drafts in the bedroom, it’s important to get it fitted properly.
The tend drafts come through the edges of the room after the carpet has been fitted. That’s if it’s not been fit by an expert.
Insulating the bedroom flooring (above garage or cold space)
By far the best way to insulate a bedroom floor is to use a nice thick carpet underlay with strong warmth properties and a nice carpet to keep your feet warm.
There are many different carpets to choose from and various carpet underlays, which also vary in price. So even if you have a small budget, you should still be able to find an warmth-retaining underlay
How to soundproof a bedroom floor using carpet
Soundproofing the house or a block of flats using flooring is a desire for many people. If you want to take the opportunity to reduce the impact sound coming from above, then you should look at an underlay with a very high sound reduction rating, which is measured in decibels.
Best underlay for bedroom carpet
Choosing the right underlay is another important task when fitting carpet in any bedroom. Think about what it is you want from your new room. Is it comfort? Warmth? Or sound reduction?
All of these will affect your choice of underlay and it’s always worth speaking to the experts about how to choose the right underlay product. Mainly because it can get quite confusing.
Download our guide ‘How to choose the right underlay’ or have a read of our most popular page FAQs for Underlay Advice’.
Leaving the hardwood flooring in your bedroom
When you arrive in a new home, you might be keen to see what’s under neath the old carpet. Well if you find the wooden floor boards are in good shape, then it’s a sure fine thing to stick with these and create a rustic look with a nice rug on top.
You will probably need to sand down and oil the floorboards so you can add a layer of protection from continuous wear and tear.
Pros
- It’s low cost because all you really need is a floor sander (hired), a tin of oil and a paint brush
- It will look very nice with a good coat of oil and a nice rug laid on top
- It gives you many choices of furniture colour because it’s generally classed as a neutral colour that ‘goes with anything’
Cons
- Not overlaying the original hard wood floorboards can allow drafts to come through. Especially during the Winter months. If you have a cool house, then this may not be the best choice for you
- Sometimes old hardwood floorboards can be bowed down the middle of the board. This makes it much more difficult to get the sanding even or
Painting the hardwood floor
If you’re going to paint the hardwood floor, then you don’t need to oil it first. What you should do is apply a primer that is similar to the colour you want as a final coat.
For example, if you want the floor to be white, it’s best to use a white primer. Whereas if you are opting for a darker final colour then it may be best to use a grey primer.
Remember, the lighter the colour of the floor, the larger the look and feel the room will have. Often dark paints can make the room feel smaller. But in the bedroom a smaller feel may not be a bad thing if you want it to be nice and cosy.
