Choose carpet for rooms where you want warmth, softness and quiet, such as bedrooms, lounges, landings and stairs. Choose hard flooring for rooms that get wet or muddy: LVT or vinyl for kitchens, bathrooms and hallways, and laminate for dry living areas. Most homes end up with a mix of both. Here’s how to choose room by room, from the team at our carpet and flooring shop in Chorley.
Room-by-room guide
| Room | Best choice | Why | Also works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom | Carpet | Warm, soft and quiet underfoot | LVT, if you prefer a hard floor |
| Lounge | Carpet or laminate | Carpet for comfort, laminate for a wood look | LVT |
| Kitchen | LVT or vinyl | Both are waterproof and easy to wipe clean | Water-resistant laminate |
| Bathroom | Vinyl or LVT | Waterproof, with no joins for water to sit in (sheet vinyl) | Not carpet or standard laminate |
| Hallway | LVT | Copes with mud, wet shoes and heavy traffic | Hard-wearing carpet |
| Stairs and landing | Carpet or a runner | Grip, comfort and less noise | A runner over painted stairs |
| Rental property | Vinyl or hard-wearing carpet | Tough, low-cost and quick to replace | LVT |
Five questions to ask before you choose
- Will the floor get wet? Kitchens, bathrooms and hallways need a waterproof floor such as LVT or vinyl.
- How busy is the room? Hallways and stairs take the most wear, so choose a hard-wearing LVT or a dense twist carpet.
- Do you have children or pets? LVT is easy to clean and quieter than laminate. If you want carpet, ask about stain-resistant ranges.
- Do you live in a flat? Many leases have noise rules, and some require a sound-reducing underlay under hard floors. Check before you choose.
- What does it need to feel like? Carpet is warmest and softest. LVT is warmer than laminate, and vinyl is soft and cushioned.
Carpet, laminate, LVT and vinyl compared
| Carpet | Laminate | LVT | Vinyl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our starting price | £6.99 per sq yd | £15.99 per m² | £26.99 per m² | £9.99 per sq yd |
| Waterproof | No | Water-resistant ranges only | Yes | Yes |
| Feel underfoot | Warm and soft | Firm | Warm and slightly soft | Soft and cushioned |
| Noise | Quietest | Can be noisy | Quiet | Quiet |
| Best rooms | Bedrooms, lounges, stairs | Lounges, bedrooms, dry hallways | Kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, open-plan rooms | Kitchens, bathrooms, rentals |
For a closer look at the two most popular hard floors, read LVT vs laminate.
Mixing carpet and hard flooring in one home
Most homes use both. A popular mix is LVT or laminate downstairs, where the kitchen, hallway and living areas see the most traffic, with carpet on the stairs, landing and bedrooms. Where two floors meet, we fit a door bar so the edge is neat and safe.
If you’re changing several rooms at once, it’s worth measuring them all together. We can plan the joins and the transitions in one visit, and set everything out in one itemised quote.
What it costs
The price depends on the floor you choose, the size and shape of each room, and the floor underneath. Carpet comes off a roll, so the room’s width affects how much you buy. Laminate and LVT come in packs. For worked examples, read how much new carpet costs.
Frequently asked questions
Is carpet or hard flooring warmer?
Carpet is warmer underfoot, especially with a good underlay. LVT is the warmest of the hard floors, and laminate and vinyl feel cooler.
Which is better with pets, carpet or hard flooring?
LVT is a good choice for pets because it’s waterproof, easy to clean and quieter than laminate when claws tap across it. If you want carpet, choose a hard-wearing twist and ask about stain-resistant ranges.
Can you put carpet in a kitchen or bathroom?
We don’t recommend it. Spills and steam soak into carpet and underlay. LVT or sheet vinyl is the better choice for kitchens and bathrooms because both are waterproof.
Is hard flooring better for allergies?
Hard floors are easier to keep free of dust, because you can sweep and mop them. If you prefer carpet, a shorter pile is easier to vacuum thoroughly.
Get advice for your home
Book a free home measure and we’ll bring carpet, laminate, LVT and vinyl samples so you can compare them in your own rooms. You can also see our carpet fitters in Chorley, LVT flooring, laminate flooring and vinyl flooring pages, or call us on 01257 228 582 for an instant quote.
Book a Free Home Measure
We bring samples to your home, measure every room and give you an instant quote.
