What is the best flooring for your home office?

With so many more of us working from home, home offices have received a lot of coverage in lifestyle and interiors magazines, blogs and articles over the last two years. If you previously rarely worked from home and the start of the pandemic forced you to hastily kit out a basic home office, you might now be thinking about making your home office a permanent feature as you embrace flexible working for the long term. Let’s take a look at the various home office flooring options available and weigh up the pros and cons of each.

Carpet

There is no doubt that carpet is the most comfortable and soft flooring available. If you prefer to work barefoot or in socks, carpet will keep your feet warm and will provide a cushioned surface to walk on. It is also a great choice if your office tends to be a little chilly because it is an excellent insulator, especially when teamed with a good underlay. On the downside, it is notorious for clinging on to all manner of allergens, including animal dander, pollen and household dust. If you have allergies, carpet is probably not the best choice for you.

Laminate

Laminate flooring is a popular choice for home offices because it looks good and is very easy to keep clean. Food and drinks spills can be mopped up without staining, and it is a top choice for allergy sufferers because there is nowhere for allergens to hide. Laminate might feel a little cold in the winter, but it is simple to add a rug if you like something warm and soft underfoot. Another advantage is that laminate is difficult to damage, so it will be able to cope with your office furniture even if you move it around regularly. It is still worth adding felt or rubber pads to the bottom of your furniture to safeguard against scratches.

Vinyl

Similar to laminate, vinyl flooring is a great practical choice and is very durable and easy to keep clean. It is also available in an endless array of colours, designs and textures, making it the ideal option if you want to unleash your inner interior designer and create an eye-catching office. Vinyl is tough enough to withstand the wheels of an office chair, so you can scoot back and forth to the printer without worrying about marking your floor. Like laminate, it might feel chilly in the colder months, but a rug can sort this out.