What is the Best Flooring for a Cold Home?
As temperatures start to drop and we head into the colder months, you might be wondering how you can help to keep your home warm and limit your heating bills. Let’s take a look at how effective different types of flooring are at keeping warm air in and cold draughts out of your home.
Carpet
Perhaps unsurprisingly, carpet is one of the best floor coverings you can install in a cold home. Not only does it feel warm and pleasant under your feet but also it keeps your home warm. Thick pile carpets in particular trap air, creating an extra layer of insulation and stopping draughts from floorboards or the cold from your concrete floor from seeping through into your home.
Underlay
In addition to the carpet, the underlay you choose can have a big impact on your home’s temperature. Not only is underlay great for extending the life of your carpet and adding extra cushioning underfoot but also it is an excellent way to reduce your heating bills. If your home is particularly cold or you are looking to warm up a room that suffers from draughts and feels noticeably colder than the rest of your property, spend a little time researching the best underlay. A thicker underlay can make a huge difference in a chilly room.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring remains extremely popular in UK homes thanks to its affordability and versatility, not to mention its ability to recreate the stunning look of real wood flooring, but did you know that laminate can help to keep your home warm when teamed with the right underlay? It is great at keeping warm air inside your home and insulating against the cold air outside. Whereas wooden floorboards have gaps and let in draughts, laminate planks fit tightly together to eliminate draughts. Add a decent underlay and you will notice a huge difference. If you like the soft, warm feeling of carpet, you can add a rug or two to your laminate floor to get the best of both worlds.
Vinyl Flooring
Like laminate, vinyl flooring is an affordable and practical choice for many homes and is great at keeping draughts out and retaining warmth inside your home. Creating an airtight seal over the floor means vinyl can eliminate draughts; what’s more, using an insulating underlay can help to keep your home even warmer. As with laminate, it is easy to throw a rug on top of your vinyl flooring if you miss the feeling of something soft and warm under your feet on cold days.