Need new flooring in bedrooms... Bare floorboards / new carpet?

[testing123testing123]

We've currently got really cheap "renters" carpet in both bedrooms in our house. It's around 5 years old now and is really looking worse for wear!
I'd love to get rid of the carpet and just have exposed floorboards. We've got a typical 2 bed Victorian terrace. Has anyone done similar? Do you regret it?

What's putting me off is the fact that we have so much furniture. A big king bed in our room and massive Ikea wardrobes. I suppose they could just leave the existing carpet under the wardrobes and fix the floor around them? I don't think they can be moved without being dismantled.

Would new carpet be easier or would we have to take all the furniture out of the rooms?

I have no idea where to start with all of this, which is why I've been putting it off for so long... but it really needs to be done. Combo of cats & young child means the carpet is pretty gross.

Thanks for any advice

[JT05]

Usually carpet fitters require the room to be empty. Have you thought of buying Flokatti (sp?) rugs and positioning them around the furniture?

[DorcasthePuffin]

I think wooden floors with big rugs is the way to go, especially if you have small child and cats. Much easier to keep clean and cheaper to replace if necessary.

[testing123testing123]

Will it be a massive upheaval? I guess we could do one room at a time, moving all furniture from one room to the other... Anyone done something like this while still living in their house?

[wowfudge]

Carpet all the way - warmer under foot and less noisy. You will notice increased noise in the rooms under the bedrooms if you have bare boards. Ime carpet fitters can work around a bed or other large piece of furniture. We had three bedrooms carpeted on the same day and were able to shuffle things around from room to room.

[downwardfacingdog]

We have floorboards upstairs (stripped by previous owner) and I would love to get carpet. They are so noisy. Not just the footfall, which is bad, but because they are gappy, there is just the plaster ceiling keeping the noise out from downstairs. The only upside is we can hear from downstairs if the DC are chatting late when meant to be sleeping.

[WattdeEll]

OP we are in the same situation. Bedroom had awful blue shagpile carpet which was beyond cleaninrgg and was squashed. We have an IKEA Pax wardrobe which is huge so we cut the carpet out around it. We have taken up all the old carpet and old rubber underlay which had turned to powder in places it as so old.
Now we have floorboards which I would love to sand back, but they are so squeaky where they have been carelessly ripped up and put back for rewiring and installing central heating pipes. At the moment we are looking at putting marine ply over the boards and then going for quality vinyl effect parquet, or have recently found out about Karndean Loose Lay so may get that to go on the ply. We can then add rugs to suite decor/trends over time.

[Livinghappy123]

Another vote for soft carpet. I want my bedroom to be a haven from the kids so comfort first

[Kiroro]

100% carpet - warmer and quieter.

Usually carpet fitters will (by prior notice/negotiation) move some furniture that can;t be removed from the room but you will need to empty everything out. So e.g. take off mattress from the bed and all clothes from wardrobe.

New carpets would be a little bit of upheaval - night before move everything that can be moved downstairs to living room and stack it all up. Morning - move down mattresses. Day - new carpets. Evening - take everything back upstairs. Done!

Note if you pay for carpet uplift, they will NOT clean after uplift so you will need to be there doing a good sweep and hoover behind them as they uplift.

Also regs mean they can't take carpet away in the same van that new carpet is in, so you may need to get a separate arrangement for old carpet disposal.

I took my carpet to the skip myself in a couple of journeys but you could get a 'man with van' arrangement for like £100 instead.