Will sheet vinyl make the room cold?

ripplyuk

I hate having carpet in the bedrooms upstairs and don’t want laminate due to the noise. I was looking at LVT but the guy in the shop made it sound like I’d have to be a millionaire to afford it and that it was a very weird choice for a bedroom. I have sheet vinyl in the living room and love it so now I’m considering that for the bedrooms but I’m worried that it will make the rooms very cold. It’s thinner than carpet so perhaps it won’t hold the heat in well. Is this likely to be noticeable? Will my heating bills increase? 

CliveOfIndia

It won't make any appreciable difference to the temperature of the room overall.  You may well find that it feels a bit colder underfoot if you're barefoot - which is likely in a bedroom.

Each to their own, of course, but personally I'd have thought that a bedroom is one room where a carpet is beneficial - at least in the UK.  It's different if you're in a country where the climate is predominantly hot, even too hot - then, the coolness of a hard floor can be welcome.

But in terms of the overall room temperature - and heating costs - the difference will be negligible at most.

The only slight consideration may be condensation.  If, like some people, you like the bedroom to be fairly cool during the night, there's a chance you may find a slight amount of condensation forming on the colder floor.  This could lead to a slight risk of slipping if you need to get up during the night to go to the loo or whatever.  Probably not a huge issue, but just something to bear in mind.

twopenny

It's not a new thing.
Very fashionable in the 70s to have vinyl flooring.
Rugs were beside the bed so you could keep warm feet till you got your slippers on. And it makes it look nice.
Before that it was floorboards.

You have what you want. 
Huge choice now. You can make it look like boards, laminate, tiles. Or just a beautiful colour.
Easy to take up and replace if you sell.

ThisIsWeird

If you want it, go for it. It'll certainly prevent draughts from the floor! 
Being upstairs, the floor will be chipboard of T&G timber, so reasonably well insulated. 
Yes, it'll feel cooler to the bare sole, but that's largely because it's a direct contact area with your skin. If you stand still, you should find it warms up underfoot.
We have bare boards in the upstairs bedroom, and it feels fine underfoot - obviously not as cosy as carpet, but not 'cold'. I'd expect LVT on top on this to feel similar. Let's face it, you wouldn't have carpet in the en-suite
Most folk have carpets in bedrooms 'cos it looks and feels cosier to the touch, and that's fair enough. Mil had her whole bungie lvt'd, and it looks great - but she has UFH!
In short, it shouldn't make your bedroom colder, but will make it feel so to the touch.

ripplyuk

Thanks for the replies. I was wrong because I thought carpet actually insulated the room and kept heat in and without it, all the heat would escape through the floor. 

I’m not worried about it looking cozy. I have slippers beside my bed anyway but a rug is a nice idea. 

Albermarle

ripplyuk said:

Thanks for the replies. I was wrong because I thought carpet actually insulated the room and kept heat in and without it, all the heat would escape through the floor. 

I’m not worried about it looking cozy. I have slippers beside my bed anyway but a rug is a nice idea. 

Might be worth reading this thread.
Choosing between LVT and Laminate flooring — MoneySavingExpert Forum

ripplyuk

I read that carpet insulates heat from the room below. Is this true? If I remove the carpets upstairs will my living room and kitchen below be colder? 

twopenny

I'd have thought that downstairs would retain heat (but neither will make a noticeable difference) if you have vinyl because it won't soak up the warmth like carpet.
If you have a log burner below the heat will come through. If it's just central heating probably not.

ArbitraryRandom

twopenny said:

It's not a new thing.
Very fashionable in the 70s to have vinyl flooring.
Rugs were beside the bed so you could keep warm feet till you got your slippers on. And it makes it look nice.
Before that it was floorboards.

You have what you want. 
Huge choice now. You can make it look like boards, laminate, tiles. Or just a beautiful colour.
Easy to take up and replace if you sell.

Agreed, I have real wood flooring in the bedroom (I was lucky that when I took the old carpets up they only needed a bit of repair and sanding) and it's meant I could get a lovely rug to match the room which is much easier to clean (and will be easier to replace in the fullness of time).