You have the perfect room set aside to become a playroom your kids will love. You have it all planned out. Exciting toys, an arts and crafts table, and colorful walls lined with framed masterpieces created by the littlest people in your home.

But have you given thought to the flooring? It’s one of the key elements that make for an enjoyable and functional setting for the children’s playtime. 

Before you set your plan in stone, consider how you might optimize the safety and comfort of your children, as well as the lifetime of the flooring you choose. 

Interior Motives Flooring can help you decide which type of kids’ playroom flooring is best for your home. Read this article to discover what benefits and disadvantages come with each type.

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What Is the Best Flooring for a Children’s Playroom?

There is no “best” flooring for playrooms. 

Your purposes for the room will determine which is best for your playroom. You are likely looking for a floor that is durable, easy to maintain, and comfortable for little feet, but all these qualities don’t always come packaged together.

What To Look for When Considering Playroom Flooring Ideas

When it comes to kids’ playroom flooring, you want something that can withstand the activities that regularly take place in a playroom, like:

  • Rough play
  • Arts and crafts
  • Crawling babies
  • Romping children
  • Relaxation
  • Snack and drink spills
  • Accidents

In addition, the flooring for a playroom should be as long-lasting as is reasonable for the money you invest in it and easy enough to maintain to justify your choice. 

However, if the room is in a home that you never intend to move out of, the need for a playroom is probably only temporary. As your kid get older, the playroom will become obsolete. Thus, you should consider how the flooring choice might serve you or your children later on for other purposes.

3 Big Factors To Consider

As you’re trying to determine the best flooring for a playroom, you’ll want to consider comfort, durability, and safety. Without these, the room will not be fit to accommodate your children’s needs.

#1: Comfort

Children love to play just about anywhere, but if the floor is uncomfortable, it lacks a certain warmth and inviting appeal they are drawn to. If you want your kids to like the room you have dedicated so much time to creating, choose flooring that feels good to walk, sit, and roll around on.

For example, a marble floor would be cold and hard for a baby to crawl on. Older kids would not find it an ideal place for a wrestling match.

best playroom flooring

#2: Durability

Kids can be clumsy and sometimes careless, so you should expect the floor to sustain many spills and messes throughout the course of its life. 

You’ll need flooring that’s easy to clean up. Whether you can spot clean, sweep and mop, or give it a quick vacuum, you will be pleased that every mess doesn’t leave its mark on your new floor.

Keep in mind, too, that the amount of movement and rough play that characterizes play time necessitates a floor that can withstand scratches and dings.

#3: Safety

Your kids’ playroom flooring should be safe in terms of its hardness. Falls and slips will happen more frequently in this room, so choose a type of floor that can soften the impact and thus prevent serious injury.

If allergies or disabilities are a concern, you’ll need a floor that accommodates these needs. For example, carpet will not be an option if you have children sensitive to dust and other allergens that collect more copiously in carpet fibers.

5 More Factors You Might Assess

While these qualities may not be essential to kids’ playroom flooring, they will add to your convenience and serve more personal preferences.

#1: Versatility

The kid’s playroom flooring you choose should be suited to the activities that may occur in it. It should also be versatile enough to serve you and your family through different stages of life.

#2: Aesthetics

If your playroom is readily visible from the main areas of the house, consider using flooring that will not clash with the floors adjacent to it. The best playroom flooring you can choose if this is a concern is one that follows the color scheme of the rest of your home. 

flooring for playroom

#3: Easy to Install

While ease of installation isn’t everything, it means a faster and simpler return to your normal routine of life at home. If you haven’t yet built your home, this factor will not be as important.

Interior Motives Flooring can install any kind of kids’ playroom flooring you choose. We can even give you playroom flooring ideas you haven’t thought of. Contact us today to schedule an estimate and discuss the options for your playroom flooring.

best flooring for playroom

#4: Eco-Friendly

Environmentally-friendly flooring options are made without harmful chemicals and VOCs, making them safer for children. 

For example, you might choose carpet made from natural fibers that has minimal chemical treatment. You can also opt to have your playroom flooring installed with less-toxic adhesives.

Natural linoleum flooring is another great eco-friendly choice since it’s both hypoallergenic and biodegradable.

#5: Affordable

While you want the flooring for a playroom to be durable, you don’t want it to be so expensive that replacing it after much wear and tear is cost-prohibitive. 

Changing a slightly lower quality floor periodically to better serve your family’s evolving needs will be more affordable in the long run than installing brand-new, top-notch floors for every season of life.

playroom flooring ideas

3 Popular Playroom Flooring Options

#1: Carpet

With carpet, there are endless possibilities for your playroom’s vibe.

Your carpet might display just about any print imaginable including a network of roads, animals, shapes, colors, a storybook scene, or the continents and oceans. 

Whatever the pattern, or even if it is simply one color, carpet is an inviting place for children to sit and focus. It might be a good option for your playroom if you intend to have storytime frequently, or your children wish to have a quiet place set aside for relaxation.

Pros of Carpet Flooring

The pros of carpet for kids’ playroom flooring include: 

  • Wide variety of color and design options
  • Insulates the room to reduce noise
  • Soft, warm, and comfortable for children
  • Cost-effective

Cons of Carpet Flooring

The cons of carpet as flooring for a playroom include:

  • Breeding ground for bacteria and allergens
  • Stains are absorbed easily and can be difficult to remove

#2: Laminate

Laminate flooring is a popular choice for kids’ playroom flooring due to its wide variety of styles, textures, and finishes. It is inexpensive and fairly durable, even in high-traffic areas. 

A single child can contribute more traffic to an area than two or three adults in the same space, because children tend to busily pace from one place to another. 

Laminate is just the kind of flooring that can stand up to the constant foot shuffling that kids are known for.

Pros of Laminate Flooring

The pros of laminate for kids’ playroom flooring include: 

  • Easy to clean
  • Inexpensive
  • Sturdy and scratch-resistant
  • Generally easy to install

Cons of Laminate Flooring

Some reasons laminate might not be the best playroom flooring include: 

  • Can look artificial
  • Not moisture-resistant
  • Not sound-resistant
  • Can feel hard underfoot

#3: Vinyl

Vinyl is a material that is especially good to have in areas prone to water spillage. If you have a potty-training toddler or frequently serve snacks and drinks in your playroom, vinyl might be your best kids’ playroom flooring option.

Pros of Vinyl Flooring

The pros of vinyl for kids’ playroom flooring include: 

  • Waterproof
  • Scratch-resistant
  • Preserves the underlying floor from water and sun damage
  • Different thickness options allow you to weigh durability against softness

Cons of Vinyl Flooring

The cons of vinyl for kids’ playroom flooring include: 

  • Difficult to remove once installed 
  • May release toxic chemicals into the air
  • Once damaged, must be replaced
  • Can decrease the resale value of your home
  • May be harder to install than laminate

Other Kids’ Flooring Playroom Options You Might Consider 

Other materials you can choose from for your kids’ playroom flooring include:

  1. Tile: This relatively expensive option has a very long life span, but ceramic tile is probably too hard for a playroom floor. If not installed properly, tiles may crack.
  2. Hardwood: This is the most durable option and also the most expensive. A strong protective coating or finish can help prevent stains, scratches, and dents, but it must be professionally installed. It should not be installed directly above concrete but over tile, laminate, or carpet. Otherwise, water damage from the subfloor could result.
  3. Cork: This is one of the most environmentally friendly options and is also hypoallergenic and antimicrobial. It is not durable, however, and it is expensive to maintain, requiring water sealant to be applied once or twice a year.
  4. Concrete: Concrete is a durable, easy-to-maintain option. It inhibits mold growth and doesn’t absorb odors. Painted concrete surfaces can be infiltrated by water, but sealant can help. Cracking may occur as the concrete settles and adjusts to changes in temperature. Falls on concrete can result in injuries.

Interior Motives Flooring: Expert Design and Installation of Kids’ Playroom Flooring and More

The material you use for your kids” playroom flooring determines its functionality, safety, and aesthetic appeal. 

Interior Motives Flooring wants your children to enjoy their playroom, so we are here to give you the best advice about what to use based on your goals for the room. We will also install the flooring of your choice, if you wish. 

As a small-town, family-owned company, we promise you personable, honest service in carrying out any floor installation job you may require.

You can book a free consultation, and we’ll come to your house to provide an estimate on your kids’ playroom flooring options. Or, if you prefer, you can book an appointment to visit our showroom to see our huge array of flooring samples.

We can accommodate you in any project you might have planned, including corporate offices, apartments, new constructions, and remodels.

Check out our gallery of work we’ve done for our clients!  We look forward to assisting you with getting the best playroom flooring for your playroom.

best flooring for playroom