Laminate Flooring in Kids' Rooms: Where To Start, What To Choose & What To Avoid
Decorating a kids' room, whether this is your first arrival or you're doing up a room as they grow, is an exciting time. While you would spend a lot of time thinking about the colours, the wallpaper, what furniture is needed, etc., and so on, you might overlook that the same space needs the right kind of floor – especially when a kid's bedroom is somewhere where I do a lot of things at once. When it is inevitable that kids will spill, accidents will happen, and things will slip and fall on the ground, you need to be sure that your floor is up to the task of looking after the little things rather than causing headaches.
We often have parents come to our stores or get in touch, asking us for help finding suitable furniture for kids' rooms, whether that's a kids' bedroom, nursery, or family playroom. Parents are looking for a floor that looks lovely, is easy to maintain and is safe for kids. We have hundreds of different floors in stock, which can be pretty overwhelming. That's why we wanted to write this guide to help better explain why laminate flooring is a good option for a kids' room. So, let's look at why you might choose Laminate, considering some of its advantages and even some of its limitations for a kid's room.
Why laminate might be the better option for kids' rooms
We often tell parents who visit us in-store that if they want the least hassle possible with flooring, then laminate for kids' rooms should be top of their list if that checklist needs something that can handle scratches, knocks, drops, spills, etc.
You have the obvious advantages like it's easy to keep clean and it's great in rooms where you would need hypoallergenic furniture in place, but it also more affordable than you might think. It can be a more budget-friendly option compared to the likes of real wood or engineered wood floors – we typically have laminate for less than £10 per square metre in stock throughout the store. When you consider that kids' rooms are usually the smallest in the house, that's a good saving.
Laminate has the advantage of being more durable, as laminate flooring can be guaranteed for a lot longer (in some cases, we have products that cover the domestic warranty of up to 30 years of use in the home). It is also much easier to keep clean over time. You'll hoover the carpet in a kid's room but also dread the day a drink or food is spilt. With Laminate, that's a simple wipe and spot clean without fuss.
Knowing which Laminate to have in kids' rooms
The first thing to consider would be the durability you need from your laminate. For example, if you were to have laminate installed in a kid's bedroom upstairs in the home, you would be looking for any type of laminate that has a wear rating above 3/AC3 (AC stands for Abrasion Class, i.e. how much damage that flooring can take). Anything higher or around AC5/AC6 would be better suited for a commercial nursery or non-play area of a soft play.
Then you need to think about things like water resistance if the kid's room is adjacent to the bathroom or you know what's going to be an area where spills are going to happen when the playroom is right beside the kitchen. Again, with laminate, it's usually just the case you can give someone a quick wipe, and it's fine.
You wouldn't need to think about the thickness of laminates or what the surface is like, but we would say that if you were putting new flooring in an upstairs room and you were concerned about squeaking or sound bleeding, you might want to opt for a decent underlay. Upstairs rooms tend to have timber floorsboards, while ground floor rooms and most UK homes are concrete underneath, and both require different underlay. You can see our wider range of underlay here.
The last thing to think about would be knowing what style or colour you want. Get and want to focus on natural or lighter tones in kids' rooms as he would have more colourful walls and features where a darker laminate laid down may make the room feel smaller or clash with some of the style choices. We talk a little more about colours later in this guide.
Figuring out what you'll do with the floor based on the room
Kids' bedrooms and nurseries or two rooms in the home that you need to keep clean all the time. If the idea of having to hoover every other day is something you want to avoid entirely, laminate is the way to go.
Unlike tile floors, when you're doing a proper clean, it only needs a light mop or once over with a wipe mop. Quick brushing is your best friend for daily care, and whenever there are spills, it should be the case you just need to do a quick wipe-up and then give it a spot clean with no need for any special cleaners. Most laminates have a protective top layer in place to help avoid stains on spells seeping through like they were on a carpet or traditional wood.
Because nurseries and kids' rooms are often places where you want to keep everything safe and secure, it also helps to keep your floor and furniture as safe as possible. For example, it's common to have a rug in the middle of a nursery with anti-slip underneath or to put little felt pads underneath the legs of a crib or a chair.
With these floors being more durable, it means that when kids are moving toys around or pushing things backwards and forwards, you're not going to see marks or lines show up on the floor. It also helps its easy enough to replace laminate planks when accidents happen that cause damage.
Picking The right kind of laminate colour for a kid's room
Colour shouldn't be overlooked when you're buying Laminate. How you decorate a kid's room can fall into place perfectly if you get the right laminate down. Most customers opt for lighter laminates because they help make a room feel more spacious and help improve any natural light coming in. Now, we would recommend steering away from the likes of stone or tile effect laminate, which does look great, but, in these kinds of rooms, may not match at all. It's better to stick with wood-style laminates in more muted tones.
Think of your floor as something to keep natural and have the rest of the room work off of, as it's easier to paint a wall a different colour after a few years than it is to change the floor. When you do, getting those pops of colour from a nice rug or mat at the doorway is the most convenient option.
Some of the brands we recommend for this type of flooring include BerryAlloc, Swiss Krono and Egger.
The drawbacks of laminate flooring in kids’ rooms
We would be remiss if we didn't point out some of the elements that may not make Laminate suitable for a kid’s room. For example, the most common concern would be floor hardness, as a slight trip on carpet wouldn't be the same as a slight trip on laminate.
You also have to think about noise. As we mentioned earlier, it helps your floors more when you get some underlay put down, which can help with noise protection from other rooms, but there still can be noise if the flooring is upstairs.
So, what should you be looking for when shopping around?
Start with the purpose of the kid's room and work from there.
In playrooms, the floor is going to be in constant use. If you already know it is going to see toy cars and such rolled along it every day, go for AC4-rated laminate in a medium to light tone.
In kid's bedrooms, simple oak-style laminate will always work. Just make sure you go for a thicker plank if you don't plan on putting the underlay down.
In mixed-use spaces, such as combined kitchens and living areas, laminate that can be easily cleaned and stay looking fresh is your best friend. That's why a more typical kitchen laminate with a slate or light grey finish would be your best bet.
If you need any help finding flooring for a kid's bedroom, we're always here to assist. The easiest way to do so would be to click the chat icon in the corner and speak with one of the team members. If they don't get back the right way, they will email you back. Or, if you'd prefer to speak with someone over the phone, give us a call on 0161 274 9565.