Winter is a time for snuggling indoors, sitting around the fire, and catching up on your favourite shows. However, the coldest months of the year also come with ice-cold floors, which can cause colds and cramped feet and rack up the heating bill as your heating system struggles to compensate for the rapid heat loss. Luckily, you can make winter easier by keeping your bedroom floor warm using various materials and techniques.
Here are our top bedroom flooring options to stay snug this winter:
1. Area Rugs
Area rugs are floor coverings you can lay on your bedroom floor. You can get them in different shapes, sizes and materials to warm up your cold floor and give your room a different look. During winter, rugs made of thick materials like wool can make your room cosy by retaining the warmth generated by your heating system. They also give your feet a warm, soft surface, so you don’t always have to wear socks.
2. Carpet
Did you know that your floor contributes to at least 10% of heat loss in your home? This heat is precious, especially in the winter, and carpets are one of the best ways to insulate your floor. Carpet also offers a fluffy cushioning effect that helps keep the heat in the room because it prevents cold air from seeping through the floor.
Thick carpets work especially well for cold months, as they provide a nice warm layer for your feet and retain heat better. Carpets are quite versatile, and like area rugs, you can get them in any style you like.
3. Laminate Flooring
Laminate is a strong, scratch-resistant, and highly durable flooring surface. The boards are designed to interlock, providing a tight barrier to reduce and prevent heat loss during winter. They don’t have a cold feel, which is ideal for chilly winter mornings, and it’s pretty easy to install them over your existing floor surface. The boards are also water-resistant, which prevents water from melting snow on your boots from seeping into the floor and damaging the floor’s foundation.
4. Cork
Cork has natural insulating properties that help to keep your bedroom warm and cosy. Its unique cellular structure traps air, creating a thermal barrier that prevents drafts from seeping through the floor. Cork also has a natural bounce that provides a cushioned surface for your feet and offers natural sound absorption for a nice quiet winter evening. It’s also an excellent moisture-resistant option, so you don’t have to worry about dampness messing up your rugs or furniture.
5. Radiant Heat
You have two options with radiant heat: electric wires or water tubes. Electric wires use electric resistance heat to warm up your floors. These wires are installed under the floor, and when electricity passes through, they heat up and transfer the warmth to the floor above. They are perfect for bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens where you don’t need heating throughout the home.
Water-based radiant heat flooring uses a network of tubes or pipes to circulate hot water, transferring heat to the floor surface. Both types of heating offer energy efficiency, as they allow for more efficient heat distribution compared to air-based heating systems. The heat is evenly distributed across the floor, warming up cold spots and ensuring a warm floor throughout your room.
6. Engineered Hardwood
Engineered hardwood is made up of layers of wood, unlike solid hardwood, which is usually just one thick piece of wood. This type of flooring is made by glueing multiple layers of wood; the top layer is a thin slice of real wood, and the bottom layers are usually made of plywood. During the colder months, the wood provides a barrier and prevents cold air from seeping through the floor and making your floor cold.
To Warm Winters and Beautiful Memories
Keeping your floor warm is one of the easiest and most effective ways to keep your bedroom warmer. With the right flooring, you can turn your space into a cosy haven even during the coldest months. From fluffy carpets to underfloor heating, cork and laminate flooring, there are several ways to keep the cold at bay and enjoy even the harshest winters.