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We are about to decide what type of flooring to install in the living room and children’s rooms, and with so many options available, we’ve become quite unsure. Right now, we have oiled cork flooring in a ship deck pattern in the children’s rooms, and we really like the comfort it provides. However, the kids no longer like the cork, and they want something different in the new house. But what?

What kind of flooring do you have in your living room and children’s rooms (bedrooms)? And why? Would you choose the same again? If yes – why? If not – why? We have a low-temperature underfloor heating system.

We have installed glued-in hardwood flooring in all rooms except bathrooms and hallways.

Why? I have seen many “clean” carpets that were cleaned with a carpet cleaning machine. Afterwards, it was clear that we did not want to bring that kind of dirt into our home.
There are no issues with the underfloor heating; the hardwood flooring was coordinated with the heating installer. Cleaning is simple with a vacuum cleaner and occasional damp mopping.

The hardwood is oak in the “oak barrique” style, which looks like the wood from old barrique barrels. It is very hard and durable—even with three small children.

"Harmoniously brushed and oiled oak" in all rooms except bathrooms and kitchen.
We chose this because of the dog and its claws, as well as for relatively easy maintenance.

ypg schrieb:
We laid the "according to nordanney, old and worn-out" carpet in the upper floor.

And honestly: which child plays directly on laminate, hardwood, or tile? In the end, carpets end up being placed everywhere anyway, which just adds extra mess on the floor and need to be cleaned differently than the rest of the room.
Furthermore, dust bunnies are stirred up by the warmth of the underfloor heating – which is not exactly beneficial for respiratory health.

Sorry – but the carpets I have seen could have looked like they came straight from the shop, and yet the cleaning water was still disgusting...
Our three children love their hardwood floor; none of them have a carpet. There is hardly any dust being stirred up – thanks to controlled ventilation and regular vacuuming.

nordanney schrieb:
Sorry – but the carpets I’ve seen could easily have come straight from the store visually, and yet the cleaning water was still disgusting...
Our three children love their hardwood floors; none of them have carpet. There’s hardly any dust or lint stirred up – thanks to controlled mechanical ventilation and regular vacuuming.

Why the “sorry”?
I bet the cleaning water from our carpet under the sloped ceiling behind the bed or on the main walkway would probably be murky too – but that’s the case with any surface that isn’t cleaned or vacuumed every other day and gets exposed to outdoor dirt.
That’s also why I would never plan a staircase in the entrance area.

This doesn’t mean I don’t clean. I do, but not every day or every other day, because I’m not allergic to dirt (for example, I don’t like sand grains under my feet). I clean as needed, based on what I see and feel... I prefer not to become a slave to housekeeping – not even for the house.

If your kids “love” their floor, they’re probably out of the crawling stage and at an age where they already consciously notice differences. From a certain age, you can probably do without carpet… whether you want to is another question.

@ypg: How compatible are underfloor heating and carpet? Doesn’t carpet absorb a lot of heat, meaning you need to use much more energy to achieve the same temperature as with laminate, for example? How much did your carpet cost?
We had beautiful oak parquet flooring in our condominium. Well, after our first child played on it, it wasn’t so beautiful anymore. So, we definitely won’t have parquet until the kids are older and don’t bang their building blocks on it anymore.
What about cork flooring and underfloor heating?
I understand that these types of flooring are all available in versions suitable for underfloor heating. But is it true that with floors like cork or carpet, more energy is still needed to heat the room to the same temperature as a room with laminate? I don’t want to compare this to stone floors. But when comparing laminate to cork or carpet, is the additional energy cost significant?