Scintillating question re: flooring - help me decide

[jennifersofia]

We have a combined living room / dining area (eg our table is in the living room), we all live in this room, and wheel our bikes through it into the back garden, etc. Currently have foul carpet. We are mid-terrace and the room is rather dark, so it needs to be somewhat light.
We also sit on, lie on, exercise on, sometimes crawl around on and sometimes tantrum on the floor. This makes me want to go the carpet route, however, v. impractical re: spills, stains and dirt.
DH is in favour of wood, but I am rather worried it would be cold/ uncomfortable.
By the way, has anyone had rubber? And is cork hideously 70's / grotesque?
Please please please could someone give me a magic flooring solution?

When we moved into our house 2 years ago it had the most awful dirty smelly carpets you could imagine.
We 3 children we got rid of them all and laid laminate in all bedrooms, living room, dining room and hall.
We have a textured laminate, which is really nice.
Underneath we laid fibre matting (think its called that), much better for warmth and sound proofing.
Then in the kids rooms just put a big rug down.
I never want carpet again.
I never notice it being cold underfoot, kids and partner don't either because i know the'd have said by now if they did!!!!
Go for it, you won't regret it.
Brilliant for spills, so easy to mop up.

Wooden flooring is so easy to look after. We've got big squares of underlay much thicker than the stuff on a roll. You can put rugs down.

Have just asked my partner and the big squares of matting called fibre board.
Thats what we have a well only couldn't remember what it was called!!
It's more expensive than the stuff on a roll, but well worth it in the end.

Thanks for the advice, was just about decided on wood, but am now in dilemma 'cos MIL thought that it wouldn't be worth the investment as we are planning on moving out within 5-6 years....
If we do do the wood, I will check out the fibre matting.

Tell MIL that in 5-6 years a carpet will look old and tired !!!!!
In 5-6 years wood floor will still look as good as the day it was put down.
If you've decided, then go for it.
Its your house, not hers!!!
Our floor still looks as it did 2 years ago when my partner laid it all, and thats with 3 young children, aged 3, 5 & 8 !!!!!

No more worrying about spills and marks that can't be removed!!!!!!!

Wood is wonderful, we have it here and it's not cold to walk on even in the winter. Wipe clean and off you go, two small boys and a dog here. You could always go for Marmoleum or the pseudo wood from Amtico which is expensive but fantastic too. Probably cheaper than real wood though in UK don't know. Both wipe clean and also great with kids/pets.

Real wood is fab. Would choose it any day. Am a laminate snob though, hate it with a passion.

We have rubber flooring in our kitchen and morning room, great company called Forbo has a really good range or great colours. The textured stuff can be a bugger to clean though.

Ooh this is encouraging. I think I agree with you and not my MIL!
mazzystar, with the rubber, does it mark /gouge easily? Hard to clean? Is yours sealed? TIA

Forbo makes the Marmoleum - it comes in wonderful colours and patterns and that's what we had in the upstairs in one of our houses. Fantastic stuff and very very easy clean.

Doesn't whole or mark very easily. And you have a special product that you can buy to clean it/coat it with. We have a dog and even her claws which are long couldn't put marks on it. Just one word of warning you will need to vacuum far more often with hardwood/marmoleum floors shows just how bad carpets are for retaining the dirt

meant hole blimey mind elsewhere today methinks