This post may contain references or links to products from one or more partners of our parent company and/or subsidiaries of our parent company. For more information, visit this page.
August 2, 2023
Looking for the best flooring for bedrooms? You’ve come to the right place!
In this guide to bedroom flooring, we’ll cover the 6 best flooring options for bedrooms (as well as a few products to avoid), plus key factors to consider when choosing between different bedroom flooring ideas.
👉 Hint – the highest rated carpet brands are Proximity Mills, Doma and Newton. If you want luxury, Paradiso is our favorite.
We’ll even give you the pros and cons of each flooring choice and answer all the most common questions you have! Ready to get started?
Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
Before we list the best flooring for bedrooms, we should discuss a few key points about choosing bedroom flooring in general.
Bedrooms tend to be private sanctuaries, offering space away from the commotion of the rest of your home. As a more personal choice, your bedroom flooring should reflect the things you like!
If you prefer a quiet, comfy bedroom, plush carpet may be a cozy companion. Or, if you prefer a touch of elegance, maybe authentic hardwood floors would be the best flooring for you!
One thing to consider when designing your bedroom’s look is how styles and colors can influence you.
There are a lot of myths surrounding color psychology, but also a few grains of truth. For example, white bedroom flooring and decor tends to be associated with feelings of “cleanliness” and “freshness” while black decor is often perceived as “powerful”, “mysterious”, or even “sexy”.
When it comes to bedroom flooring, there’s no bigger debate than choosing whether to emphasize comfort or style. And the best representation of that is deciding between carpet or hardwood in a bedroom.
We’ll touch on both options below, but it’s important to start thinking about which option—comfort or style—resonates with you more. But don’t worry, we’ll also explain how you can balance the two points throughout this guide!
Figuring out why you want to change your bedroom flooring is a key part of the puzzle.
Is the old floor dinged up and worn down? Are you not happy with the style? Is the surface cold and unforgiving? Ask yourself what you don’t like about your old flooring to figure out what to look for in your new bedroom flooring!
Most types of flooring are suitable for bedrooms; the best flooring for bedrooms depends on what you’re looking for.
The flooring ideas below aren’t necessarily ranked in order of what’s best. Instead, each type of flooring appeals to different needs.
If carpet isn’t the best flooring for bedrooms, it’s definitely the softest!
Carpet is a fantastic choice for bedroom flooring because it can offer what no other floor can offer without help: comfort and warmth!
Not all types of carpet should be counted among the best flooring for bedrooms. There are 3 main factors that influence how a carpet performs: carpet pile height, carpet pile style, and the material (aka the fiber) used to make it (see next section).
Pile height determines how long each strand of carpet is. In general, a longer pile is going to be cozier than a short pile carpet (which is more durable). But since bedrooms usually see minimal foot traffic, you can get away with a deep pile carpet without worrying about tearing it up over time.
Carpet pile style is also an issue—specifically, choosing between cut pile vs. loop pile carpet. Cut pile carpets are typically more comfortable because the strands have a cushiony feeling underfoot, while loop carpets are typically more durable. As such, cut pile carpets are normally the go-to when it comes to bedroom flooring options.
When it comes to carpet fibers (AKA the material your carpet is made out of), you generally have two options: synthetic fibers and natural fibers.
Wool carpet is by far the most popular natural-fiber carpet available, but its performance doesn’t quite match synthetic-fiber carpets made of materials such as nylon, polyester, or triexta. In essence, wool carpets are a luxury option. They require more upkeep and can cost over $20/sq. ft. (though some brands like Doma do offer wool carpets at more reasonable prices).
On the other hand, synthetic carpets such as those made of nylon or polyester are incredibly durable, nearly stainproof, and possess much better moisture resistance.
So which synthetic carpets are the best? There’s more nuance to the order, but generally, synthetic fiber carpets are grouped into the following tiers (from highest performance down):
All that said, is synthetic carpet better than wool carpet (or vice versa)? Nope! It depends entirely on personal preference!
What makes carpet some of the best flooring for bedrooms?
Carpet is the most comfortable material around, and the style and color options you cand find are nearly endless! Plus, it’s warm, fuzzy, and great for pets, kids, and adults alike!
Is there any reason not to like carpet for bedroom flooring?
Frankly, not all buyers like carpet so it doesn’t drive up resale value the same way some other types of flooring do.
Otherwise, cheaper carpets may only last 10–20 years (or less)—and more expensive, luxury carpets can be quite pricey.
The best carpet brands bring a lot to the table, whether they offer superior performance, the best value, or the most stylish options! And when it comes to choosing the best flooring for bedrooms, all of these aspects matter. Here are some top carpet brand choices for all your soft-surface bedroom flooring ideas.
Many consider hardwood to be the best flooring, period. But we’re not so cut-and-dry!
Hardwood doesn’t have the same softness as carpet, obviously, though it has a lovely bit of springiness—and it looks amazing as bedroom flooring.
Before we state hardwood’s case for the best flooring for bedrooms crown, we should note that there are 2 different types: solid hardwood and engineered hardwood.
Solid hardwood is the traditional option, and it’s just what it sounds like: thick planks of wood flooring.
So what is engineered hardwood? The best engineered wood flooring is made of a veneer of real hardwood on top of a plywood core. This means it’s more stable (i.e. more resistant to moisture and environment changes) than solid hardwood. And it looks just like the real thing because it is the real thing!
And while it isn’t necessarily the best flooring for bedrooms, you can even find waterproof hardwood flooring these days, too.
The best bamboo flooring is often lumped in with hardwood floors because it looks and functions nearly the same way. For example, you can refinish bamboo flooring just like you can with hardwood.
So what makes bamboo special? Ethically sourced bamboo is sustainably grown in a matter of months and it’s even more durable than traditional hardwood, which can take years or decades before it can be harvested.
Yes, hemp flooring is a relatively newer option that also looks and functions like real hardwood. It’s not nearly as popular, but as the green flooring market continues to grow, hemp flooring may represent a beautiful alternative to hardwood (along with bamboo).
Another option: cork flooring is a natural wood floor substitute that’s already beginning to capture a decent share of the flooring market too. It has a rather unique appearance in its natural state but it can also be made to mimic the appearance of hardwood flooring. And it’s some of the best bedroom flooring out there too, because it’s so springy and insulating!
On the other hand, if you only care about the look of hardwood floors, there are plenty of hardwood floor alternatives like LVP and laminate that can deliver hardwood visuals at a lower price.
There’s a lot to like about hardwood bedroom flooring!
Wood floor designs are very wide-ranging, from simple yet stylish wide-plank wood flooring to intricate and opulent parquet flooring designs. Similarly, wood floor colors represent the best natural looks. There’s a reason the fake wood flooring market is so huge: wood floors look stellar!
So, if you want statement bedroom flooring, hardwood’s a great choice.
And while hardwood isn’t as comfy as carpet, it still offers a bit of give compared to floors like laminate or tile—so you won’t have to worry about a stiff floor wrecking your joints first thing in the morning.
Finally, environmentally friendly flooring options like sustainable wood flooring, (e.g. Douglas fir flooring, pine flooring, etc.) emphasize green principles and may be healthier than synthetic floors.
When it comes to bedroom flooring, the disadvantages of engineered wood and solid hardwood are pretty clear.
Most hardwood requires a lot of maintenance and doesn’t do well with moisture or spills. The moisture part can be forgiven (unless you live in a humid climate), but for most people, having to routinely take care of their bedroom flooring is a dealbreaker.
More critical: the cost of wood flooring is high. Even the cost of oak flooring, a domestic hardwood, is pricey compared to carpet and fake wood flooring. Even the cost to refinish hardwood flooring is high, though today’s prefinished hardwood flooring doesn’t usually require refinishing.
Finally, the cost to install engineered hardwood floors ranges between $4 and $8/sq. ft. (solid hardwood is similar). And unless you already know how to install hardwood floors, DIY isn’t really an option.
Note: the pros and cons of engineered bamboo flooring are essentially the same as above; although, bamboo flooring tends to be more eco-friendly.
The best hardwood floor brands are pretty much identical to the best engineered wood flooring brands, and they’re all suitable for bedroom floors.
Luxury vinyl plank is a premium type of waterproof PVC flooring (aka vinyl) that can mimic any and all types of wood flooring.
While fully synthetic, the best vinyl plank flooring brands make products that look and feel just like authentic hardwood. Vinyl plank can also come in tile looks (i.e. LVT) that mimic all types of tile.
Some brands distinguish the composition of their LVP and LVT lines, but broadly speaking, they’re the same type of floor and both can be some of the best flooring for bedrooms.
Sheet vinyl certainly has a place in the home—if you’re on a budget, it’s some of the best flooring for kitchens because of its general durability and waterproofing. However, sheet vinyl isn’t designed for comfort, and it doesn’t come in convincing wood or tile looks—so it’s not a great choice for bedroom flooring.
Vinyl plank, on the other hand, is the best vinyl flooring out there—especially rigid-core luxury vinyl flooring (aka EVP flooring), which boasts superior durability and more evolved design options.
Aside from the occasional splash or spill, waterproof vinyl flooring like LVP can be a good choice for bedroom flooring for a few reasons.
For instance, if you have a spa or bathtub in your connecting bathroom, you won’t have to worry about any splashing ruining expensive hardwood or soaking carpet. On another front, if you’re looking for economical bedroom LVP flooring for a rental property that requires little maintenance, waterproof LVP makes sense too.
If you want something that scores well across the board, the best flooring for your bedrooms may be vinyl plank.
Remember all those fancy style options hardwood offers? Well, vinyl plank can offer all them for a much more reasonable price. This also includes the cost to install vinyl plank flooring, which sits at a very modest $1.50 to $6/sq. ft.
Now, LVP can sacrifice a little when it comes to comfort (it may not have the same give as hardwood), but a good vinyl flooring underlayment can shore up this weakness and most options cost less than $1/sq. ft. Alternatively, going with a springier type of vinyl plank like WPC flooring can help too.
Best of all, vinyl plank requires minimal upkeep and can look good for decades. Good LVP is also pretty forgiving in terms of moisture and environmental changes (especially if it’s installed correctly), so it’s great for busy folks and families.
There are only three major disadvantages of vinyl plank flooring, none of which are particularly bedroom flooring-focused.
Since vinyl plank is fully synthetic, it’s not very eco-friendly (some options can be recycled, though). Environmentalists might feel a pang of guilt sleeping over this floor, but we should note that many of the best LVP brands employ or are working towards more sustainable production.
Another flaw: vinyl flooring doesn’t offer the same resale value as authentic hardwood. Some buyers just can’t get past the “substitute” part.
Finally (and this one’s avoidable): box store brands like LL Flooring’s CoreLuxe tend to suffer from “mediocre” performance. Unfortunately, these are often the most popular brands. You have been warned.
Note: the problems with luxury vinyl tile are the same as its plank counterparts.
Virtually all the top flooring brands make LVP that’s great for bedroom flooring:
The best cork flooring offers many of the perks of hardwood but in a more eco-friendly package. The worst cork flooring is overpriced and liable to degrade after a few years. In other words, the pros and cons of cork flooring seem to rely heavily on where it comes from!
That said, cork can be a great choice for bedroom flooring because of how comfortable it is—despite its classification as a “hard-surface” floor.
Because it takes stain well, you can make cork look like your favorite hardwood species. Or if you’re looking for the best flooring for bedrooms with a rustic flair, natural cork fits right in!
Though cork is technically a hard-surface floor, it’s very springy. This makes it an ideal bedroom flooring choice for children or anyone with chronic joint pain. Cork is also a natural insulator, so it’s warm and absorbs sound well. All these points together make a great choice for relaxing bedrooms.
Oh, and despite these perks, cork is cheaper than premium hardwood flooring and offers similar performance in terms of durability (if maintained).
Cork can be eco-friendly flooring too, but only if it’s sourced through the proper channels. It’s fully sustainable when ethically sourced and carries an average cost of $7/sq. ft.
The disadvantages of cork flooring can be trying.
Cork isn’t the most cost-effective substitute for hardwood flooring (that would be LVP or laminate) and while it approximates the look of hardwood, the natural grain of cork prevents it from mimicking some wood floor looks. In fact, in its raw form, cork has a unique appearance that not all buyers will love.
As for maintenance, cork can be damaged by water (which isn’t a huge problem for bedroom flooring) and it needs to be resealed every few years or it will completely disintegrate.
Finally, it can be relatively difficult to find high-quality cork flooring. Lowes cork flooring is one of the only common products, and its reviews and performance won’t exactly wow.
As of yet, there aren’t many well-known cork flooring brands:
Laminate flooring had its heyday back in the 1970s as the first, true hardwood flooring alternative.
However, over the past few years, LVP has largely supplanted it as the go-to faux wood flooring option. But modern waterproof laminate flooring products like RevWood are once again making laminate a floor on the grow.
But what is laminate flooring? And why do so many compare laminate vs. engineered hardwood?
The short answer: laminate and engineered hardwood both use a wood product base—HDF or plywood—to support other layers. Otherwise, the two floors aren’t very similar.
Laminate flooring trades out a veneer of solid hardwood for a synthetic design layer that looks and feels like hardwood—so it’s great for bedroom flooring—but isn’t. The benefit: you can have authentic-looking floors for a fraction of the cost of real hardwood.
Nope! Many compare linoleum vs. laminate but the two aren’t alike. Linoleum is made from resins and is placed in rolls, whereas laminate comes in plank form.
The pros and cons of laminate flooring come down to a handful of points.
The best laminate flooring is nearly indistinguishable from real hardwood so it’s a great way to achieve hardwood bedroom flooring styles for as $2–$3/sq. ft. Plus, the cost to install laminate flooring only runs between $2 and $6/sq. ft.
High-quality laminate is supremely durable so long as it’s installed in the right conditions. And since most bedrooms are largely moisture-free, it’s a great budget match.
As mentioned above, laminate bedroom flooring also has some flaws:
Comparing vinyl plank vs. laminate, while laminate can be a more convincing substitute (and generally cheaper), it isn’t as durable or robust as LVP. Even if your bedroom sees little to no moisture, if the temperature swings often, it could stress the floor.
Also, laminate isn’t the most eco-friendly flooring option and it can’t be recycled. And outside of non-toxic laminate products, many options can contain VOCs (see the FAQs below), which isn’t what you want in a place where you sleep!
Finally, box store brands like Select Surfaces laminate flooring and Costco laminate flooring tend to skimp out on key features to achieve lower prices. So, you need to be careful about what laminate product you choose or you could be replacing your bedroom flooring shortly.
Many of the best laminate flooring brands make good bedroom flooring products.
Just to touch all our bedroom flooring bases, here are just a few more options contending for the best flooring for bedrooms crown!
Leather flooring is super rare, but it’s one of the only non-carpet, soft-surface floors around.
Style-wise, leather is very unique. As you might imagine, it also targets a unique, rather wealthy audience. In other words, leather flooring is a luxury product. You’re not likely to find it in an ordinary flooring store. Architonic is one of the few companies to carry it.
Concrete probably sounds more like the best flooring for a basement than the best flooring for a bedroom, and to be fair, it is. That said, concrete flooring that looks like wood can be an interesting, low-cost alternative to real hardwood or fake wood floors such as laminate.
Moreover, concrete bedroom flooring might be a standard option in industrial apartments and lofts!
Okay, bear with us for a moment. While rubber bedroom flooring might sound strange, it’s actually a great option for people with vulnerable joints or who are prone to falling.
The downside is that it can be a little expensive (to buy; installations are typically easy and DIY-able).
When you’re looking for the best flooring for bedrooms, it’s easy to gloss over the bedroom flooring options that aren’t so great! Here are a couple of ideas to pass on.
Tile and stone are arguably two of the best flooring options for outdoor applications. In fact, aside from some hardwoods or outdoor vinyl flooring, few even come close!
But just because tile and stone are good outdoor flooring options, it doesn’t mean they’re great everywhere. The cold, hard surfaces of tile and stone really don’t serve well as bedroom flooring. Even wood-look tile shares these attributes, so there’s no loophole here.
We should note that there are exceptions though. Sort of.
Spanish, Tuscan, and a few other decor styles have historically placed a huge amount of emphasis on various types of tile flooring so there’s precedent for their use as bedroom flooring.
On the other hand, these styles are all in very warm climates—nobody wants tile floors when it’s under 50° out!
Glass tile is a trendy and alternative choice but that doesn’t mean it’s the best flooring for bedrooms. Glass might have surprisingly good insulating properties, but that doesn’t mean it won’t freeze your feet off in winter.
Also, glass doesn’t—or at least, really shouldn’t—have any give to it so it’s not very comfortable.
If you already have an aesthetic in mind, here are a few bedroom flooring ideas to keep in mind.
Dark bedroom flooring goes well in dark rooms. For example, ebony flooring is an exceptionally smooth choice (though, the vast majority comes from fake wood sources nowadays).
Obviously, light wood floors such as natural ash flooring won’t clash with a light-colored aesthetic. The same goes for hardwood alternatives and carpet!
Rustic atmospheres are accentuated best by hardwood floors like hickory or oak. Of course, the pros and cons of hickory flooring might be a little on the intense side—so hardwood alternatives may be a more cost-effective way to achieve a rustic look.
“Patterned” may sound vague, but this has more to do with picking bedroom flooring that doesn’t clash with the rest of your decor style. Patterned walls may be best accompanied by solid-color floors; otherwise, the room may look too busy.
What’s trendy now may not be later. As such, we tend to recommend timeless options like hardwood or an alternative. That said, hardwood is pretty on-trend right now anyways!
Before we wrap up on bedroom flooring, let’s get a few answers to some burning questions!
Waterproof and durable products like LVP are good bedroom flooring choices for kids because they won’t easily show wear and tear. Peel-and-stick vinyl plank flooring may be an especially good choice because many of the designs are fun and the floors can easily (and cheaply) be replaced.
Synthetic carpet is another good bedroom flooring idea for children because it’s soft, durable, and stain-resistant.
Generally speaking, the cheapest bedroom flooring ideas either belong to carpet or laminate.
If you want the best value, though, LVP is probably the better choice as it offers much better moisture resistance for a similar price. That may not be super relevant for the best bedroom flooring, unless you live in a humid climate.
If you’re looking for DIY flooring, peel-and-stick carpet tiles are probably the easiest floors to install. Otherwise, floating vinyl plank flooring—especially loose lay vinyl plank flooring—or laminate are the easiest bedroom flooring options.
If you’re skilled and experienced, DIY wood floors are an option as well.
Lastly, magnetic flooring underlayments can make almost any compatible flooring installation easy!
The American Lung Association says volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can cause all sorts of nasty illnesses over time, and they’re present in some types of flooring. Adhesive-based products can be among the worst offenders.
There are 3 things to ease your worries though:
There are 2 ways to combat cold hard-surface bedroom flooring:
Okay, we might be a little subjective here, but there are some incredibly nice wood floor patterns that really complete a master bedroom. The best hardwood floors are so hard to compete with when it comes to authenticity and beauty. Plus, you can complement hardwood for a softer surface where it counts!
However, LVP and laminate can absolutely mimic these styles at a more budget-friendly price.
Carpet is also a good choice for master bedroom flooring. Whether you want a simple option like Lees carpet or something bolder like Doma, carpet is more comfortable than hardwood (check out this write-up on carpet vs. hardwood if you want to learn all the differences).
The most durable wood flooring can last indefinitely, which means it offers fantastic resale value. Even poorly maintained hardwood floors can be restored like new.
People know this, so hardwood is often seen as a safe long-term bet (not to mention how nice it looks). Of course, buying a hardwood floor isn’t exactly cheap. So, durable options like LVP and carpet still provide good, long-term value too, especially since we’re talking about bedroom flooring which doesn’t usually see excessive wear and tear.
Hardwood and carpet are probably the most popular choices, but vinyl plank and laminate aren’t far behind because of their overall value. But: the best flooring for a bedroom is the option that checks all your boxes!
Bedroom flooring is a totally personal choice. That said, we do have one recommendation for you: stick with your local top-rated flooring stores instead of the big box brands.
Local stores hire actual flooring experts who can discuss bedroom flooring ideas with you much better than a run-of-the-mill clerk. Better yet, local stores also carry the best and widest selection of products. Big box stores typically focus solely on budget options or general products that appeal to mass audiences (as in, they don’t take your needs into account).
With that said, we hope this guide gave you some great bedroom flooring tips and good luck on your flooring journey! For more information, read up on:
Vinyl Resources:
Hardwood Resources:
Other Resources:
This post may contain references or links to products from one or more partners of our parent company and/or subsidiaries of our parent company. For more information, visit this page. Updated 9/20/23 Want to give your laundry room an upgrade and looking for the best laundry room flooring? You’re in the right place! Laundry rooms see […]
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Thanks for sharing this detailed explanation for flooring tiles.