When it comes to flooring, you have many different options available to you and it may be difficult to know what will work best for your home. Carpet has long been the traditional choice for most homes but with manufacturing techniques improving thanks to modern technology, laminate flooring is becoming an ever more popular choice for both residential and commercial properties thanks to an increasing range of styles and finishes.
What may work for you may not work for someone else, so in this blog we are going to take you through the pros and cons of both carpet and laminate flooring, so you have all the advice you need to make the right choice to match your needs and lifestyle.
Carpet
Carpets are a fantastic way of adding a splash of colour and softness to a room. Decent quality carpet has numerous advantages over other types of flooring thanks to its insulating properties and availability of beautiful designs but what are the pros and cons of purchasing and installing carpet in your home or office?
Pros
- Style: The absolute best advantage to having carpet installed at your home is the range of designs you can buy to suit your style. You can even choose carpet tiles, which can be a fun way of making your home more interesting with your flooring. Carpet gives you the chance to explore your creativity with colour tones or patterns or go wild with bright pops of colour to make your room stand out.
- Comfort: If you have children or are looking for a cosy feel to your room then you really cannot go wrong with carpet! Combined with the underlay, it creates a warm, soft feeling underfoot no matter what type of carpet your choose, keeping heat in and providing a cushioned surface. It also helps add texture to your space. A textured floor not only adds interest to a room, but also increases the luxurious feeling generated within the space.
Cons
- Durability: Compared to laminate, carpet isn’t quite as durable. A good quality carpet can be expected to last 5-8 years and is also prone to staining and wear in areas with high foot traffic. You can, however, now find hard-wearing carpets that are designed to stand up to everyday modern life.
- Installation: In order to get your carpet fitted correctly, you will need to pay for installation, which means an added cost on top of your purchase.
Laminate
Laminate flooring is traditionally made with high-density fibreboard or synthetic material, with a high-definition printed layer of the required style, usually a reproduction of wood, stone, or marble and is finished with a clear protection layer. It is easy to install and is available in a wide range of colours and styles – both contemporary and traditional. So what are the other pros to laminate flooring and what are the cons?
Pros
- Variety: Like other types of flooring, laminate flooring comes in a variety of different colours, thicknesses, and grades, allowing you to find the perfect finish to fit your style.
- Price: One of the big advantages to laminate flooring is the cost. Slightly cheaper per square metre on average than good quality carpet, it can be ideal for those on a budget.
- Easy to clean: Laminate flooring is easy to clean and maintain. Sweeping and hoovering up dirt is a straightforward process, and you can damp mop the floor to get it as good as new.
- Durability: Most current laminate flooring is scratch resistant, making it a great solution for households with pets or children, or even those who spend a lot of time in the kitchen. If well looked after, laminate can be expected to last around ten years.
- Installation: One of the best features of laminate flooring is the ease of installation. It can be ‘clicked’ together using the pre-designed grooves, no glue needed, which means you can do it yourself, without having the added cost of paying for the installation.
Cons
- Appearance: Although the appearance is similar to natural elements such as wood and stone and manufacturing techniques have come a long way, you can tell when up close that laminate flooring is not real. It does not have the same depth or character as real wood, stone, or tile flooring.
Ultimately, what flooring you choose will depend on the room you are having the flooring installed and what you prioritise. Laminate is functional and hard wearing but carpet is comfortable and luxurious, so we would recommend laminate for offices and households with pets or young children and carpet for areas of the home that need some warmth and cosiness such as living rooms and bedrooms.
How Flooring Superstore can help
We are the UK’s number one flooring retailer and here at Flooring Superstore we stock a wide range of both carpet and laminate flooring to suit all tastes and budgets. We want you to be happy with the product you buy from us which is why we offer a free sampling service to our customers, which allows a selection of up to four samples from our product ranges. Samples are a great way of helping you choose either the carpet or the laminate floor for you, not just to make sure that whatever type of flooring you select looks great, but to also ensure that your flooring style can fit your individual requirements for use.
If you have decided laminate flooring is the right floor for your home or office, we provide quality constructed low-cost options to high end products. We offer a wide variety in contemporary and traditional styles, colours, and patterns. The advances in design and manufacturing techniques allow designs and styling to very closely mimic actual wood, stone, and marble products, so you get a beautiful natural effect – without the added cost.
If carpet is your go-to choice of flooring, then we offer a wide range of the very best in carpet styles, types, pile thickness and underlay. Ensuring you get the perfect product for your lifestyle and budget.
When it is time to think about buying, you can save up to 50% on high street prices as well as being able to specify a date for your delivery, we deliver nationwide too! Which allows you to prepare and plan for your home transformation.
For expert guidance on carpets, including underlay and accessories, or laminate flooring, including our EvoCore range, then our flooring specialists are the ones to call. The team is highly trained in all aspects of flooring design and installation and can work with you to achieve the perfect flooring for your budget.
Please get in touch with us today to discuss your next project, get a quote, or order your free samples.
Use our contact form on the website or call us on 03308 182 500.