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Updated November 27, 2022
So you’re getting a new floor. Fun! But you can’t decide between carpet vs. laminate. Not fun! In all seriousness though, we get it—choosing between carpet and laminate can be a difficult, time-consuming process. At a relatively similar price point, both types of flooring offer great perks and stylish results. It’s the ol’ carpet vs. laminate debate.
We’ve reviewed every carpet brand and also every laminate brand, and each product type clearly had a top 2 brands.
Of course, the best choice will come down to your personal needs and tastes. So to make it easier, we’re going to compare the two flooring materials side by side—comparing their construction, installation method, durability, best uses, maintenance, and cost—to help figure out which one is the right floor for you.
At the end of the day, laminate will be more durable and carpet will be homey.
Table of Contents
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk a little bit about the makeup and construction of both of these flooring materials (as we’re going to reference them later on).
You might think you know all there is to know about carpet, but trust us—you really don’t. That’s because flooring manufacturers are developing new styles and materials every single day, and the only way to really stay ahead of the curve is to talk to someone in your area who sells flooring professionally.
But broadly speaking, you’ve got three main types of carpet: cut pile, loop pile, and cut-and-loop pile. Cut pile stands straight up from the backing, whereas loop pile stands up, loops around, and returns into the backing. Cut-and-loop, obviously, is a mixture of both. Depending on the material, this generally makes cut pile the softer of the bunch and loop pile the most durable.
When it comes to fiber materials, you’ve got nylon (the most common), polyester, wool, and about a thousand other varieties. Again, the best carpet for you will be based on your needs and tastes. For more in-depth info on piles and fibers, learn all about carpets here.
What is laminate flooring? It’s a composite material made up of three layers: a base layer, a photo-realistic image layer, and a protective wear layer.
Similar to engineered hardwood, laminate’s base layer is usually composed of plywood or high-density fiberboard. It’s what gives laminate flooring its rigidity and underfoot feel.
But that’s where the similarities end. Unlike engineered hardwood, which has a thin veneer of actual wood over the base layer, laminate flooring has a photo-realistic image layer over its base.
And we mean photo-realistic. While some older and less-expensive laminate products can look tacky or fake, advances in printing and production have made it extremely difficult to tell the difference between modern laminate and most types of wood flooring. Seriously! Gone are the days of calling laminate “fake wood flooring“. These days, it’s in a league of its own.
Finally, laminate has a top wear layer to protect it from damage. Made of a transparent plasticate, wear layers have also become more advanced in recent years. These days, some wear layers even boast a textured finish to more closely match the realism of the image layer below.
While it depends on the specific product and materials you’re using, carpet and laminate can both be extremely durable flooring choices.
Because there are so many different types of carpet, durability can vary wildly. Wool carpet, for instance, is much more susceptible to damage than, say, polyester. Here’s how it generally breaks down:
Thanks to its hard wear layer, laminate’s can be extremely durable. That means laminate flooring is often resistant against scratches, gouges, chips, dings, dents, and doofuses. Trust us on that last one.
Laminate wear layers are also UV-resistant, meaning your flooring won’t fade in the sun the way engineered or solid hardwoods sometimes will. And while laminate isn’t a waterproof flooring option per se (its organic core can warp if water seeps in), it is highly water-resistant.
On top of that, you can occasionally find manufacturers who offer fully waterproof laminate floors (though these are a bit rarer). Waterproof or not, though, laminate can be placed over underfloor heating systems and in humid areas, which is also a big plus.
Here’s where the laminate vs. carpet debate gets interesting. When it comes to construction and durability, the pros and cons of laminate and carpet are almost entirely based on which specific brand and product you buy. But when it comes to installation, there are some big across-the-board differences to consider.
Generally speaking, carpet needs to be installed by a professional (and a good one at that). It’s a difficult, tricky task that involves measuring, cutting, nailing, etc. Just check out this guide to DIY carpet installation to see what we mean. It’s a doozie.
And a good carpet needs a good underlayment. Have you ever walked on a carpet laid directly on a concrete or wood subfloor? Probably not. Because it’s not very comfortable. Which means you need to lay an underlayment down too, and you need to know which one to use in the first place. Don’t know what a subfloor or an underlayment is? Click that link to find out.
Anyway, want our advice? Just have a professional do it for you. DIY carpet installation is almost never worth the trouble. And yes: carpet is probably going to be more of a hassle to install than it would be to install some other types of flooring due to the necessity of having a skilled professional, but trust us—it’s worth it. Find a flooring store near you to feel out your options.
That said, if you’re intent on doing the job yourself (or if you just want to do it quickly and cheaply), think about investing in some peel-and-stick carpet tiles. You can buy them at Home Depot, Lowe’s, even online—and they’re a cinch to put down. Just peel and stick, like the name implies.
Laminate, on the other hand, is much easier to install. It’s usually sold as click-together flooring, meaning it’s composed of interlocking planks that don’t require any nails or glue to install. This also makes it a “floating floor”—meaning it can be put in directly on top of existing surfaces (again, because there are no glue or nails necessary). The pressure of the interlocking planks keeps it in place.
Of course, you can also install underlayments below laminate if you’re so inclined. Certain laminate products even require it, whereas some types of laminate already come with an underlayment layer below the base. It all depends on the product you purchase! But in most cases, an underlayment will address the traditional disadvantages of floating floors—creaking, underfoot feel, etc.
All of that to say, installing laminate is a much easier DIY project than installing carpet. And if you have a professional install it for you (which, to be honest, we also recommend), it’s going to take them a lot less skill to get it down.
When it comes to carpet, you have so many choices—in pile, material, backing, underlayment, etc.—that it’s hard to talk about overall “best uses”.
You can really go in any direction you want. Looking for a super-soft floor in a low-traffic area? Think about going with a wool cut pile. Need to carpet a high-traffic, high-wear area like an indoor-outdoor hallway? Think about nylon or polyester loop pile. It’s all up to you.
Laminate is easier to recommend for specific applications. Because of its multi-layer construction, it can be used in humid environments—though as we said before, it’s not usually waterproof. If you need something waterproof, we’d recommend looking into the pros and cons of tile vs. laminate. These days, you can actually buy snap-together tile flooring, which is almost as easy to install as click-together laminate!
Plus, laminate’s wear layer can get very slippery when wet, so it’s not a great mudroom flooring option. For that, we’d recommend something synthetic (today’s best types of vinyl flooring can easily stand up to mud and wear).
As we mentioned before, laminate is great for any situation requiring durable, scratch-resistant flooring. High-traffic area like a hallway? Go with laminate. Have dogs or kids running around? Laminate. Have heavy furniture? Laminate will often hold up to it. Plus, it looks so good, it can even be a great flooring choice for living rooms or bedrooms.
As with all things flooring, the maintenance needs of carpet vs. laminate depend on the specific products you choose. But overall, laminate is thought to be easier to maintain and repair than carpet. Laminate can be wiped clean, mopped, swept, you name it. Depending on your carpet of choice, though, you’ll have to vacuum or even steam it to get dirt out.
Similarly, laminate is easy to repair given that it’s a modular floor. If something gets damaged, you can often swap out a plank or two—whereas with carpet, you’d have to cut out and replace an entire section (or just replace the carpet as a whole). But again—and we know, we’ve said this over and over—it all depends on the specific product.
For the most part, carpet and laminate are fairly comparable when it comes to price (one of the many reasons they’re both extremely popular). Laminate can run you between $1 and $10 per foot, which is relatively similar to mid-range broadloom carpeting.
Obviously, if you go with a super-luxury product, your bill is going to be much higher—though that’s more of an issue when it comes to super-fancy (and gorgeous) luxury carpeting.
Installation fees for carpet and laminate are fairly comparable as well. You might have to pay a bit more to install carpeting, but for the most part, it’s pretty even. And you can always get in touch with a flooring dealer in your area to find direct quotes.
If you were hoping for a definitive “x is better than y” when it comes to the carpet vs. laminate debate, we’re sorry to disappoint—but it all depends on you. What are you looking for in a floor? What qualities are more important to your space?
Whichever types of flooring you end up going with, though, we hope we’ve given you enough useful information to make an informed decision. Now go out there and purchase some new floors!
Oh, and for more information on different types of flooring, check out:
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If you’re looking into different types of floor tiles, you’re probably in on the secret already. But if not, you should know: tile is cool now! And we mean cool. Like, hipster-fabulous, Brooklyn-bound, ultra-chic cool. Let’s put it this way: tile is so cool, the Washington Post even wrote an article about just how cool it is.
Thank you so much for bringing up the type of carpet flooring that can be great for high-traffic areas. Since a lot of the members of my family are either young kids or elderly adults, we’ve tried to remodel our house to be able to make sure that things like slips and falls don’t need to be worried about. Carpet flooring sounds like the best way to do this, so I’ll look out for any flooring contractor that sells the type you talked about.
Hi Afton,
Our pleasure entirely, and we completely agree with you! With kids and elderly adults around, having a soft floor is an absolute necessity so that, like you said, slips and falls don’t need to be worried about. If you haven’t looked into it yet, another great option for situations like yours might be cork flooring. It’s bouncy, it’s easy on the joints, and it provides a soft surface in case of accidents. Plus, it’s beautiful! You can check out the advantages and disadvantages of cork flooring here. Let us know what you think and thanks for reading!
I’m switching from laminate to carpet. I absolutely hate having that hideous quarter round that hides part of my woodwork. Also, weekly carpet cleaning is so much easier with carpet since most people, me included, put pretty area rugs on top of laminate. So to clean its run the sweeper, then get out the mop. I’m totally over it. I much prefer having carpet cleaning done periodically.
Hi Deb,
That’s totally reasonable! What kind of carpet are you thinking about installing?
–Samuel
Thanks for sharing this best content about carpet and laminate flooring to explain all the pro cross both type of flooring readers will choose the which is perfect for them and use requirements.
thank you for writing this article. i love how you went in depth with the pros and cons. its really helps someone decide what flooring they would prefer!
As someone going through a basement laminate installation (moving from carpet to laminate), I’d say you forgot to mention a few drawbacks relative to carpet, both related to the same issue:
1) Noise – circular saws all day – not fun if you WFH like many
2) Sawdust – see above – it’s in and on everything and will probably require replacement of my furnace filter when it’s all said and done.
Great observation, Rob—definitely things to consider.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for your point!
One more observation post installation: the basement is definitely colder. The carpet must have provided an additional layer of insulation from the cement below. Even though the laminate has padding underneath, it’s not the same.
Hey Rob, great observation! There are some situations when basements are colder than the rest of the home. Definitely something to consider when choosing between laminate and carpet!
I am fed up with carpet. It’s impossible to keep clean with cats and kids. I’m ripping all of it out and putting in laminate.
Laminate is a super durable product. Here are our favorite laminate brands.
What type of flooring (laminate/vinyl…) do you recommend for a house that has a dog who is incontinent.
Elderly family members(concerning falls), Warmth, as it will be in a basement, and where where we spend much of our time; and easy cleaning?
Please explain why you feel this way?
Is it true that flooring is more sanitary as it does not hold all the dirt, even after vacuuming?