A bedroom is the one room where you feel the floor first thing in the morning and last thing at night. That makes the choice between carpet and laminate more personal than it looks. Both are suitable for bedrooms, and they suit different people and different rooms.
This guide looks at carpet vs laminate in bedrooms, adds vinyl as a third option, and gives you a way to decide. Whether you end up with carpet or laminate flooring, the aim is a floor you are happy to step on every day.
Choose carpet for a warm, cosy, quiet bedroom floor. Choose a laminate floor if you want something easy to maintain that is quick to sweep and wipe, and you are happy to add a rug. Vinyl is the third option for an en suite or a child's room. The right one depends on how you use the room.
Carpet in a bedroom
Carpet is the traditional choice, and for good reason. It feels soft and warm, it tends to take the sound out of a room, and a good underlay adds to the comfort and the insulation. In a bedroom you can choose a softer, deeper pile than you would put in a hallway, because there is far less footfall than in living rooms or hallways, so durability matters less. Our guide to bedroom carpet ideas covers pile, colour and fibre.
The trade-off is upkeep. Carpet needs regular vacuuming, and a spill has to be dealt with quickly. If the room will see juice, drinks or pets, a bleach cleanable carpet gives you more options. Every carpet in our full house deals is listed that way.
Laminate flooring in bedrooms
A laminate floor gives the look of wood and is simple to look after, so it suits a bedroom where you prefer a hard floor. It feels cooler and firmer underfoot than carpet, and it sounds firmer too, so a rug beside the bed and a good underlay make a difference, and the room will feel less welcoming until you add them. Our post on laminate for bedrooms covers the trade-offs.
The wear rating of a laminate floor matters less in a bedroom than in a hallway, but it is still worth asking about durability. The laminate in our house deals is AC4 rated, a higher wear rating for a hard-wearing floor. If you are weighing a laminate floor against hardwood, real wood or engineered wood, laminate is the more affordable of the two, and it gives you a similar look.
What about vinyl?
Vinyl is a third choice. It is easy to clean, and most luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is waterproof, which makes it handy in an en suite bathroom or a child's room. It is less usual as the main bedroom floor, but it can look good in a modern design. Our guide to bedroom vinyl flooring shows what it can look like.
Carpet vs laminate: how they compare
| Carpet | Laminate | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | Soft and warm | Firm and cooler |
| Sound | Tends to soften footsteps | Can sound firmer without a good underlay |
| Insulation | Carpet and underlay add some | Add an underlay and a rug |
| Cleaning | Vacuum, and treat marks quickly | Sweep and wipe |
| Look | Wide range of colours and textures | Wood and stone looks |
| Best for | A warm, comfortable room | Easy upkeep and a clean line |
Which is cheaper, carpet or laminate?
On our published deals, carpet costs less. Our full house carpet deals run from £699 for up to 70 m² of loop pile, and our laminate house deals are £1,399 for 40 m² and £2,699 for 80 m². Those cover whole houses, so they are not a price for one bedroom. A single bedroom is quoted at a free home visit, and you can compare a carpet quote and a laminate quote for the same room.
Common questions about bedroom flooring
Is carpet out of style in bedrooms? No. It is still a popular choice, particularly where people want a soft, cosy floor. We have no figures to quote on how popular, so we will leave it there.
Do buyers prefer carpet in bedrooms? There is no single answer, and we have no data to give you on resale value. Some buyers like the warmth of carpet and some prefer a hard floor, so choose what suits you and the room.
Which is better for allergies? We cannot give health advice. What we can say is that a hard floor like laminate is quick to sweep and wipe, and carpet needs regular vacuuming. If allergies are a concern, ask your doctor which floor suits you.
How to choose
- Who sleeps in the room? A main bedroom or guest room suits carpet. A child's room might suit whichever is easier to tidy.
- How do you want it to feel in bare feet at 7am? If the answer is warm and soft, go for carpet.
- How much do you want to clean? A laminate floor takes less effort day to day, and carpet needs more.
- What is the budget? Compare the quote for the room against the whole house, because a package can be better value than one room at a time.
- What is next door? Think about how the floor will meet the landing and the other bedrooms. Our flooring for bedrooms page has more ideas.
Questions people ask
Is carpet or laminate better for a bedroom?
Carpet is warmer and softer, and laminate is easier to clean. Neither is better in every home, so choose the one that suits how you use the room.
Is laminate cold in a bedroom?
A laminate floor feels cooler than carpet. An underlay and a rug beside the bed make it more comfortable.
Which is quieter, carpet or laminate?
Carpet tends to soften footsteps. Laminate can sound firmer, particularly without a good underlay.
Can I put laminate in some bedrooms and carpet in others?
Yes. Many homes have carpet in the bedrooms and a hard floor downstairs. Tell us which rooms you have in mind and we will quote for them together.
Is vinyl a good bedroom floor?
It can be. It is easy to clean, and most LVT is waterproof, which helps in a child's room or an en suite.
See the floors in your own bedroom
You only know how a floor feels in a bedroom when you stand on it in the room itself. We bring samples to you as part of our Home Showroom service, so you can compare carpet, laminate and vinyl at your own pace and get a free quote with no obligation. Put the kettle on, book a free home visit or call 0800 920 2092.
Related reading: Which Colour Carpet Makes a Room Look Bigger.
