Does carpet really warm the room or does it just feel that way?

MalMonroe

MikeJXE said:

For me it's all about how cold it is to my feet when I get out of bed

What, no slippers? Everyone needs slippers by their bed! Even if there's carpet.

MalMonroe

twopenny said:

To test walk around your kitchen in bare feet at night - then walk on carpet.
Or put a house thermometer on the kitchen floor then put it on carpet. Compare.
I used to stay at my great aunts house before fitted carpet so lino. Always a rug beside the bed. Always slippers beside the bed.

Yes, slippers! And when I was small we didn't have fitted carpets at home never mind about any aunts. We had lino and rugs in the bedrooms and always, always cosy slippers. And thick dressing gowns because of the frost on the inside of the windows. . . 

Mutton_Geoff

I hadn't heard of tiles "sucking" heat before.

grumbler

twopenny said:

To test walk around your kitchen in bare feet at night - then walk on carpet.
Or put a house thermometer on the kitchen floor then put it on carpet. Compare.
I used to stay at my great aunts house before fitted carpet so lino. Always a rug beside the bed. Always slippers beside the bed.

At the same temperature, say, 20C, tiles feel colder than lino, lino colder than wood, wood colder than carpet. This doesn't mean that the room with lino floor is colder.

Carpet has the lowest heat conductivity and is the best heat insulator, but for a room this makes difference only if heat can leak somewhere, that isn't the case for first floor rooms.

bengalknights

As others have mentioned its more to do with the underlay the thicker it is the better the insulation value and thus heat retention, unless helps if the floor itself is insulated under the floorboards.

Postik

I can't comment scientifically because I don't know.  But my previous house was all laminate downstairs, with a tiled kitchen.  It was a godsend with two young children, but it always felt noticabley colder than upstairs which was carpeted.  I always used to ask visitors to remove their shoes, but then their feet would be freezing!  You can of course get rugs to mitigate this.

I like how laminate is so hard wearing compared to carpet, but I can't imagine having it in my bedroom.

greensalad

MalMonroe said:

MikeJXE said:

For me it's all about how cold it is to my feet when I get out of bed

What, no slippers? Everyone needs slippers by their bed! Even if there's carpet.

I take my slippers off before I go upstairs. In our house it's slippers by the bottom step!

diystarter7

Carpets retain the heat for longer IMO.
Just like metal is colder than wood to feel the same is for carpets vs wood.
Good carpet, cream/white look ace but to keep them perfect and any carpet as dust free as wood flooring is nigh impossible.
Thanks

diystarter7

Btw


We have real wood floors in all 5 bedrooms but have used really good/expensive underlay and it makes a difference.
If you still want a bit more warmth, a rug but put anti-slips under it or do something else to stop it sliding.

The dust in the bedrooms we use, you really note it when you change from carpets to dark wood flooring

Thanks

HHarry

There’s a great display at the Science Museum, with a number of different materials laid out.  Each has a sticky thermometer to show it’s the same temperature, but when you place your hand on them they feel different temps due to their thermal conductivity.

Much like your carpet vs laminate