If you’re stuck trying to decide between area rugs or wall to wall carpeting, you’re not alone! In fact, the rugs vs carpet dilemma isn’t as cut-and-dry when it comes down to deciding which is the best choice.
There are so many factors to consider- whether you want to cover the entire room, whether you have small children or pets, whether you have specific areas where you want extra padding, whether you have floor vents… The list can go on and on!
In order for you to make an informed decision, this comprehensive guide will go over all of the pros and cons of each, so you can decide on the best choice for each room in your home.
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions and recommendations are my own.
Rugs Vs Carpet: Which Is Better?
Both rugs and carpet are popular choices. However, specific areas of the home may be more suited for one or the other. (And some may call for both!). Here are some important questions to consider before choosing the best type of floor covering:
- Which rooms are you looking to use either a rug or carpet?
- Will any of these rooms be high-traffic areas?
- Do you have kids and/or pets?
- Do you currently have hardwood flooring in any of these rooms?
- Does your interior design style change often?
- Are you looking for something durable? Comfortable? Aesthetically-pleasing?
Carpet Vs Rug: Room By Room
While there isn’t a perfect answer to “which is better”, there are many factors to consider to narrow it down to the right choice for your specific space. Sometimes, the easiest way to decide is to go room by room. Let’s do that!
Bathroom / Powder Room
Starting with the most obvious room in the house, the bathroom should never ever have carpet! This might have been a trend in the 1970s, but I can assure you, it’s never coming back. For how much foot traffic this room gets, how wet the floor can get (and stay wet- thus making it more prone to mold/mildew), and how gross the floor can get near a toilet, carpet is a huge no-no.
However, adding a small rug (such as a 2×3 ft rug) or runner can actually be a great option for a bathroom. A small rug can be a great non slip option for slippery floor tile, and it can create some visual interest and warmth to a cooler-tone bathroom tile floor. For example, a thin Persian rug can look lovely on top of marble tile floors.
These small rugs or runners tend to work best in larger bathrooms or powder rooms, as a super small powder room typically does not have enough space to keep the rug at an appropriate distance from the toilet.
Mudroom
Because the mudroom is a high-traffic area, often with muddy boots or lots of sports gear (especially if you have kids/teens), it’s the best choice to avoid carpet here. A runner is a popular choice for a mudroom, or even a 3×5 or 4×6 rug if it is a larger space.
You want to get a durable rug or runner for a high traffic room, and one of the best options for this is an indoor-outdoor rug. An indoor-outdoor rug is meant to withstand the elements, is extremely durable, and is easy to clean. With 6 kids and 2 dogs, I LOVE me some good indoor-outdoor rugs!
These are a few of my favorite indoor-outdoor rugs/runners:
- OPTION ONE– love the pale blue border on this neutral indoor-outdoor rug!
- OPTION TWO– such a pretty border, and so easy to clean!
- OPTION THREE– playful yet classic!
- OPTION FOUR– classic, gorgeous, and stain-resistant!
Laundry Room
Because laundry rooms are considered a “wet zone” room, the best option is to choose a rug or runner (or neither) vs a carpet. Even if you vow to be careful, a washing machine might leak, you might spill laundry detergent, a laundry room sink may overflow, or your laundry room might be in the basement close to your hot water heater that could also leak (it’s happened to us unfortunately!).
Plus, if your laundry room is in the basement, your chances of water damage are naturally higher, so it’s best to avoid carpet in this space.
If you have an unfinished laundry room, adding a rug is a great way to make the room look nice, make the room more comfortable underfoot when doing laundry, and change the feel of a room.
I absolutely love our vinyl plank flooring we chose for our laundry room floor, and I don’t find it necessary to have a rug or runner in there, but if I were to choose anything, again it would be a durable, easy to clean rug or runner. You’re already doing a million loads of laundry, you don’t need more to clean!
These are a few options for machine-washable rugs:
- OPTION ONE– love the Arbor Natural color!
- OPTION TWO– a pet-friendly rug in the prettiest soft blue herringbone pattern!
- OPTION THREE– love this whimsical floral machine washable rug!
Playroom
Depending on the ages of your kids, and what they are allowed to do in the playroom, the carpet vs rug debate is a little up in the air. If your young kids tend to use the playroom for arts and crafts- lots of coloring, gluing, and play-doh, then I would suggest skipping carpet, and using an easy-to-clean rug.
For our playroom, I had found a large 8X10 rug from Homegoods (at a GREAT price!), labeled “stain-resistant” made from synthetic fibers, that truly saved my sanity when my toddler took a bottle of Cholula to the “play kitchen” and it spilled all over the rug. It was shockingly easy to clean.
These are a few stain-resistant rugs:
- OPTION ONE– stain-resistant, washable, and a pretty light blue!
- OPTION TWO– whimsical birds, stain-resistant and washable!
- OPTION THREE– floral, lovely and perfect for the kids!
Basement
Some people really struggle between rug vs carpet for the basement. This room, more than any other room in the house, needs some extra consideration. One thing to consider is if your basement is prone to water damage. The last thing you want is to have to rip up your brand new carpet across the entire room after a professional installation.
Water damage can ruin the carpet across the whole floor, or damage it so badly that you’d need professional help to try to salvage what you can.
If your basement does tend to get water, then choosing vinyl plank flooring (that looks a wooden floor), might be a better bet here, (or tile), and then you can add throw rugs (or any movable rugs) where you need them, and add a rug pad for extra thickness and comfort.
HOWEVER! If you have young kids, and they like to tumble around and be active, (and you’re flood-zone cleared), I’d highly suggest installing carpet for the entire space in the basement. It’s an ideal choice for kids from a safety standpoint. Without hard floors, you can feel a bit more at ease even if they’re bouncing off the walls/couch down there!
There are options available for thick material padding, which I also highly recommend installing under the carpet if you have kids.
By installing carpet across the entire floor of a room, it allows more flexibility for furniture/items to be rearranged. You can have a train table in one corner, a climbing wall on another wall, and a couch centered in the room, and you can switch things up if need be.
*We turned our basement into a climbing wall playroom with full wall to wall carpet- and it’s a kid’s DREAM! Here is how it turned out:
Not only does carpet add safety, comfort, and flexibility to a basement, it also really warms up the space.
If you’ve ever had an unfinished basement, you swear there’s a previous owner’s dead spirit roaming those basement floors from time to time.
They can be so dingy, uncomfortable, dated, dangerous, and unsightly. Basically, those old basement floors can be terrible! Adding full wall to wall carpet can be life changing if you’re going from one extreme to a newly carpeted floor. It sounds like I’m exaggerating, but I’m not!
Bedroom (Adult)
Bedrooms are one of those rooms where it can go either way- you can choose to have a full room carpet, or a rug, (or you could even add a second layer on top of your carpet by using a beautiful rug, too!). Choosing carpet for an entire floor space of a room, especially a bedroom, can add a “coziness” while also making the room appear bigger (depending on how you style the room).
An adult bedroom, whether it be the master bedroom or a guest bedroom, is a great place to use a favorite rug, even if it’s a splurge. It is not a high traffic space, it won’t get the wear and tear that a kids bedroom might get, and I believe you should always have your favorite furniture pieces and home decor in your bedroom because that’s the first thing you see when you wake up each day!
These are a few favorite splurge-worthy rugs:
- OPTION ONE– stunning light blue rug that’s a crowd favorite!
- OPTION TWO– a gorgeous neutral that will go with everything!
- OPTION THREE– a SPLURGE, but so pretty!
- OPTION FOUR– a beautiful hand-knotted traditional rug- love this!
Bedroom rug SIZING:
- King Bed: 9×12 or 8×10 size rugs
- Queen Bed: 6X9 or 8X10 size rugs
Kids Bedroom And Nursery
Kids bedrooms might be the trickiest to decide. On one hand, using a padded anti-slip mat under a rug is nice because it keeps little running feet from shifting the rug, while also having the flexibility to change up the rug as years go on.
Let’s face it, kids/toddlers/babies can have accidents, get sick, and if you know, you know.
Sometimes having the option to switch up rugs over time if they get a lot of wear and tear, or change the style of rug as the kids grow up is a nice option.
However, having full wall to wall carpet in a kids bedroom or nursery gives such a soft, cozy feel to the room. Plus, it’s safer to have carpet vs hardwood floors because it protects them from bumps, falls, and bruises.
Because kids may change their mind on their style as they grow up, I highly recommend sticking with a carpet that has neutral hues, or classic plaids or navy, so that way they have more design flexibility to change up bedroom furniture or decor.
Plus, having carpet can allow you to rearrange furniture without having to buy a different sized rug if it is a larger room.
Another great option is to layer a rug on top of carpet for a kids bedroom or nursery. Layering a rug on carpet gives depth, interest, style, pops of color, and also protects the rug from stains/spills.
Adding neutral carpet to all of the upstairs bedrooms, closets and hallway can give a very cozy and classy uniform look. You can see here how this boys bedroom carpet flows right into the closet (and hallway).
Living Room / Family Room
The living room or family room is another room that tends to work best with a larger rug. A larger rug really grounds the space of a sofa/sectional, arm chairs, and coffee table. The living room also tends to be more of a high traffic area, so don’t shy away from an indoor outdoor rug if you’re nervous about wear and tear.
Here are a few favorite living room rugs:
- OPTION ONE– an affordable neutral, performance rug
- OPTION TWO– another lovely neutral rug that can pair with any design styling!
- OPTION THREE– such a cute and popular Erin Gates rug!
- OPTION FOUR– a gorgeous neutral, stain-resistant, sisal rug!
- OPTION FIVE– SUCH A SPLURGE, but one of my FAVORITE rugs ever!
Dining Room
Dining rooms and carpet? Typically not, especially not wall-to-wall. But a rug? Oh the debate! Should there be a rug under a dining room table? This one comes down to personal choice and lifestyle.
A rug under a dining table should always be large enough to have all chairs still on the rug when pulled out from the table.
Many people believe there should always be a rug under a dining table, where others believe a rug under a dining table is just calling to get covered in food bits, spills, and crumbs.
If you do choose a rug, and you have young kids, do not choose one that will easily get ruined by spills or a toddler’s dumped out bowl of penne with marinara.
I, personally, have not missed having a rug under our dining table with 6 kids (plus, we have 2 labs who handle the crumbs/spills π ).
Home Office / Study / Homework Room
This is another room where you could go either way when choosing between a rug vs carpet. A neutral carpet could add that layer of coziness to a home office or study, but a rug works really well in an intimate space like this.
Consider how you use your home office and the actual layout of the room- do you have a chair on wheels or one that will get caught on a rug each time you scoot in and out from your desk?
Home Gym / Workout Room
This one is also a bit up for debate- some people like the cushion of a rug or carpet underfoot when they’re working out in a home gym / workout room, especially when it is in the basement.
However, if you have hardwood floors, vinyl plank floors, or even tile, then you don’t need to worry about sweat dripping onto the carpet, or gym shoes wearing down the carpet overtime. Plus, you could add an exercise floor mat for comfort when working out. (And it’s much easier to wipe down to clean!)
But if you do choose carpet or a rug in a workout room, you definitely want something that is easy to clean, preferably machine-washable.
Foyer / Entryway
A foyer / entryway should not have carpet, but rather, it should expose the hardwood floors or tile to welcome you or guests, and can very much benefit from a runner or rug, although it’s not necessary.
Some people like to use a durable runner for high foot traffic, or if you have a larger foyer / entryway, sometimes interior designers will choose to have a gorgeous oriental rug (or similar) as a focal point in the entry with a round table in the center (with a floral arrangement or coffee table books on top).
Kitchen
A kitchen should never have carpet. And similar to the foyer / entryway, it’s not necessary to have a rug or runner, but often the space can be more than welcoming for one. I love to place a small 2×3 rug or a runner by the kitchen sink. Again, it “grounds” the space, while adding comfort underfoot as you move throughout your kitchen numerous times a day.
Staircase
Adding carpet to a staircase is an expensive that’s worth it, especially if you have young kids, elderly family members, dogs, or have a steep staircase. A stairwell runner provides safety from falls with cushion and grip under foot, vs a slippery wood stairs.
Stair runners can also look gorgeous. Choosing a runner with edging vs a full carpeted staircase (spindle to spindle, or wall to spindle, etc.), has a much more upscale look.
Rugs Vs Carpet: Cost
Rugs can truly vary so much in terms of cost. You can find inexpensive rugs on Amazon or find a steal at Homegoods (I’ve found some great rugs here!), or you can buy a Persian rug that costs thousands. And there is so much variation in price in between.
However, if you’re on a budget, you’ll need to consider that having a full room carpet install will also cost you, because it is material, plus professional installation, plus extras like padding. Cost can vary depending on what brand of carpet you use, what material you use, and where you live.
You can expect to pay anywhere from $600 to a couple thousand dollars to carpet an average size bedroom. Whereas you can sometimes find a high quality rug from Homegoods, or somewhere similar, for less. (I found a 9×12 Ralph Lauren rug at Homegoods for only $299!).
But then again, if you want something high end, even from a store like Serena and Lily or Pottery Barn, for a 9×12 size, you’ll be spending a couple thousand dollars.
Carpet Vs Rugs: Pros and Cons (In A Nutshell)
Although we’ve touched on the pros and cons of having carpet or rugs in each specific room, here are a few pros and cons (in a nutshell) to consider.
Carpet Cons:
- A carpet typically requires professional installation, which can be pricey.
- A carpet can undergo water damage in a basement if flooding or a leak occurs, which can be costly to rip up and replace.
- If a carpet is badly stained, again, it is more costly to rip up and replace.
- A carpet can wear down in high traffic areas, depending on the quality of the carpet.
- Extra work will be needed to cut the carpet around floor vents.
- Carpet has is more of a “permanent” home project- you will not be able to switch up carpet as easily as changing out a rug (but don’t let that scare you!).
Carpet Pros:
- Soft and cushioned underfoot.
- Safe option for stairs (as a runner).
- Great for bedrooms.
- Adds coziness and warmth.
- Safer for kids (no exposed hardwood / tile / hard floors, especially in a basement or bedroom).
- May be less expensive than a “high end” rug.
- Quality can vary, but some big name brands are available at wholesalers like Costco, Lowe’s, or Home Depot which may run sales or provide discounts (ex: military discount, etc).
Rug Cons:
- Quality really varies.
- Sometimes a rug can still wear down over time.
- Various materials make choosing a rug confusing- natural fibers (will they shed?), printed rugs (will they still feel high quality underfoot?), etc.
- A beautiful high quality rug, such as a Turkish Oushak, vintage Persian or Oriental rug, can cost A LOT (upwards of thousands of dollars).
- May require additional rug pad purchases for more padding or a non-slip grip.
- May not cover enough space in a room that has a larger space or untraditional shape.
- Even with a non-slip rug pad, if a rug shifts in a bedroom, or if you need to move furniture around in a room, it is harder to adjust with heavy furniture like a loft bed (I’ve run into this issue! This made me wonder if we should have added carpet to our girls bedroom vs the large rug we bought!).
- If you buy a rug online, without a sample, it is difficult to know whether the rug material will shed, or be comfortable, or if the color is accurate as online. (Which can then cause a frustrating return process). (Vs choosing a rug install where you have samples available.)
- If you’re looking for a vintage/ antique rug, they can be VERY pricey. (I’ve literally seen rugs cost as much as a house- no joke! Yikes.)
Rug Pros:
- So many GORGEOUS options to choose from!
- A rug tends to work better in many areas of the home- living room, dining room, kitchen, etc.
- Many price options available- from very inexpensive (cheaper than a carpet install), to high end rugs that can cost thousands.
- Printed rugs can give you the “style” you’re going after, without the price tag of a Persian Rug, Oriental Rug, Antique rug, etc.
- Design flexibility.
- Interior design favorites.
- Movability.
- Easier to add a bit of color to the room.
- Can switch up rugs throughout seasons.
- If a rug gets ruined, it can be easily replaced when compared to carpet.
- Rugs can really ground a space, look stunning, while exposing and protecting gorgeous hardwood floors (or pretty marble floors).
Popular Brands For Carpet
- Stainmaster (good if you’re on a budget!)
- Shaw
- Mohawk
- Stanton
Favorite Places To Find Rugs
- Serena and Lily
- Pottery Barn
- Ballard Designs
- One King’s Lane
- HomeGoods (sometimes you can find a designer rug for a steal!)
- Caitlin Wilson (Gorgeous Rugs, but very pricey)
- Target (We have a few from the Studio McGee line that have held up great, and so affordable!)
- Amazon
Here are a few favorites on Amazon:
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