How to choose the right flooring for the kids room? Which is better - cork, parquet or laminate? Or maybe it's worth putting practical linoleum or a soft and comfortable carpet? We will answer these and many other questions.
Floor covering for a children's playroom: what should be the material
When choosing flooring for children, parents should forget about such evaluation criteria as price and ease of installation. You need to focus on other characteristics, namely such:
- Environmental friendliness. The material must be natural or at least not emit toxins and carcinogens.
- Security. The coating should not be too hard or slippery, have bumps, metal protruding elements (corners, screws, nails).
- Hypoallergenicity.
- High wear resistant qualities. Children not only crawl and run on the floor, but also roll cars with metal wheels on it, scratch with different toys.
- Moisture resistance. The flooring for a children's playroom should not have absolute protection against water, as, for example, is required in the bathroom, but still children constantly spill something, which means that it is necessary to ensure that the child’s oversight does not become a catastrophe.
- Resistance to fading in the sun. As a rule, they try to make a children's room as light as possible, which means that the floors will also be exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
- Easy care and resistance to coloring agents. These characteristics are more important for parents, as babies often paint and felt pens on the floor, and mothers have to clean the room several times a day.
Laminate
Although it contains synthetic components, it is considered an environmentally friendly and safe coating. It is resistant to damage, easy to clean and well retains heat. Another plus is the fact that recently the price of high-quality laminate has somewhat decreased due to high competition, it also looks quite modern.
This floor covering for a children's room is an ideal option for those who want to install a "warm floor" system.
There are also disadvantages: a laminate can be very “noisy” if it is incorrectly laid or a too thin substrate is used, in addition, plasticine is poorly cleaned from it, it is rather slippery and often burns out in the sun. A poor-quality laminate emits formaldehyde and harmful resins, so you need to require a certificate of quality in the store.
Pvc tile
The flooring for the children's room should not be made of PVC tile. This simple rule used to be based on the characteristics of the material: the floor turned out to be slippery, cold, in addition, the synthetics aroused concerns in terms of children's safety and health.
Today everything has changed. Modern PVC tile is a high-quality, comfortable, warm, wear-resistant material with shock-absorbing properties, immune to high humidity and temperature extremes. Despite the fact that the coating is 100% synthetic, it has a special hygienic certificate. It does not deform under the weight of heavy furniture, is easy to clean and clean, and any damaged tiles are easy to replace.
Initially, PVC tile was intended exclusively for the kitchen and corridor, but in some houses it was also laid in children's rooms.
Linoleum
This floor covering for an economy class children's room is inexpensive and practical. This material is not afraid of water, it has good wear resistance, especially for semi-commercial or commercial, and with a good layout, it will last more than a dozen years. It is very easy to wash linoleum, you can do wet cleaning in the nursery several times a day.
However, many parents do not even consider this option, since such material is considered non-environmental. In addition, wet linoleum can cause falls, injuries and bruises. Another unpleasant moment is the smell. Cheap low-quality linoleum smells very strong even in a huge trading floor, and if you put it in a small room, the smell becomes simply unbearable. But this disadvantage can also be found in other coatings, the manufacturers of which neglected quality standards. For example, a carpet or PVC tile can also have a specific aroma. It is better to refuse such a purchase right away.
Today in the markets you can find marmoleum or environmentally friendly linoleum. It is 95-97% composed of natural substances, it is more difficult to care for it, and it is not as durable as other materials. But this coating is safe, and manufacturers increase its wear resistance from year to year.
Carpet
Many parents choose a soft floor covering for a child’s room, namely a carpet. With him, the room seems cozy and comfortable, and given the fact that the kids spend most of their time on the floor, this option seems quite logical. But the carpet has many disadvantages: it accumulates electricity, as it is made of synthetics; it collects a lot of dust, which is why it is unsafe for children, even if it was made from hypoallergenic materials. This coating also does not like high humidity in the room, and for kids, on the contrary, doctors recommend breathing moist, cool air. The carpet is very easy to spoil or stain, from plasticine and other substances stains remain on it, so there is a chance that it will quickly lose its original appearance.
Currently, more and more families are abandoning carpet in favor of other materials or are making a combined floor (laminate + carpet) with separate functional zones. In addition, it is useful for customers to know that, in addition to hypoallergenic, there are antistatic synthetics.
Cork floor
Cork is the best flooring for a kids room. The photo below shows how good this material looks, but appreciate it not only for its attractive appearance. Cork flooring is warm, elastic, with high shock-absorbing properties, which means that children will have less load on the spine. It is 100% natural and therefore safe. The disadvantages of this material include intolerance to high humidity.
However, there are a lot of negative reviews about this flooring. The thing is that under the guise of full-fledged material, unscrupulous sellers (manufacturers) give the buyer a regular screed under the laminate, the so-called technical plug. Such a floor will not last even a year, since it has low wear resistance, it quickly deforms.
Parquet
Which flooring is best for a kids room? Of course, one that is made from natural materials. Parquet in this respect has only advantages - it is safe, environmentally friendly, warm, not noisy (compared to a laminate). The disadvantages include the fact that the flooring is easily damaged (scratches and small irregularities can be easily removed). In addition, this material does not like changes in humidity and temperature. And, of course, the cost of decoration is important for parents, and a good parquet is expensive.
Warm floors and soft puzzle mats
The flooring in the children's room is often complemented by a "warm floor" system. But it can not be mounted under every material, and in some cases it is simply impossible to do. In addition, it is not recommended to lay an electric underfloor heating in the nursery. This is due to the fact that the child will be affected by electromagnetic radiation. Therefore, in rooms where babies spend a lot of time, it is better to install a water heated floor.
Recently, more and more often in rooms you can see light colored tiles made of foamed polymer, gathering like a puzzle in a large canvas. It can hardly be called a full-fledged flooring, rather an alternative to carpet and carpet. This material is good in every way - it is soft, safe, well washed, and children are interested in playing with it. In addition, any damaged piece of this puzzle can be removed or replaced.