Carpet or wood/laminate floor?

abijanzo

Help!
We are currently weighing up the pro's and cons of both... bearing in mind we have a toddler about to be potty trained we'd appreciate your views on which is best in your opinions?
Thanks in advance...
P.S it wood probably be a thick wood veneered laminate as we dont like the idea of a photo finish being scrtatched by a tonka toy!;)

fraz41

we've just taken up all the carpet downstairs and put a water resistant laminate down ... we also have a toddler being potty trained and it's much easier to clean up then carpet. We bought the aqualoc product from B&Q which isn't the cheapest but is quite easy to fit and has resisted chairs, toys, toyboxes and dolly pushchairs being dragged accross it without leaving the slightest mark!

NickMidgley

I'd definitely go for wooden. More hygienic, easier to clean and keep clean, won't have millions of (admittedly harmless) microscopic life forms living in it.

You're right not to go for the absolutely cheap 'n' cheerful stuff.

Lord_Gardener

Go for carpets, which were introduced to bring warmth and luxury to our homes. Sitting/ lying on a hard wooden floor is no fun and cold! A number of our friends who went through the laminate phase several years ago have now got rugs covering up most of their floors and one has even had carpet put down again! What a dilema!!!

finallycruising

Last time Costco had an offer on their soild oak flooring I enlisted the advice of a carpenter. From what he said, for a quality finish, unless your're prepared to fit it yourself it'll cost as much to lay the wood as buy the material. Expansion spaces have to be provided (for laminate as well I think). So, do you cover the gap at the skirting with quadrant or something (a little amateur diyerish) or do you go the whole hog and remove / replace the skirting so that the gap can be under it. Then there's the architraves round the doors.....

He advised, "consider it more an investment than a floorcovering". We stayed with carpet.