Best flooring for hallways

Your hallway is the first area of your home that guests will enter. And after a long day away from home, your hall is often the first place you’ll step into as you’re welcomed back into your relaxing space. Hallways are a great spot to make your personality known and show off your style.

Creating a stylish and functional space can be a little tricky, so the best place to start with making your hallway look great is your flooring.

Whether you love the cosy look and feel of carpet, or you prefer the modern elegance of tiles or wood, we’ve got lots of different hallway floor ideas for you to explore. We’ll take you through the different options for hallway flooring, as well as our favourite modern hallway flooring ideas if you’re looking for some creative and exciting new looks. 

In this guide:

• What is the best flooring for a hallway?
• Carpet
• Laminate
• Vinyl
• Luxury vinyl
• Engineered wood
• Hallway flooring comparison
• Hallway flooring ideas

Carpet

Carpet is one of the most popular options for hallways, and it’s easy to see why! Here are just a few advantages to having carpet in your hallway:

• Available in multiple colours and patterns.
• It’s warm, inviting and soft under your feet.
• Carpet is great at holding warmth in your home, which can be very handy in a room where your front door might be opening and closing regularly.
• If you’re looking to stick within a particular budget, carpet can often be more affordable than laminate and other smooth flooring options.

The only downside to having carpet in your hallway is that you’ll need to be extra careful about keeping it clean. Asking guests to take their shoes off at the door and making sure pets and children don’t drag any dirt or mess through the house will help keep your carpet in good shape for many years to come.

And if you do end up with any stains or marks on your carpet, discover how to remove carpet stains with our handy guide.

Hallway carpet ideas: What’s the best carpet for hallways?

If you love the look of carpet, but you’re worried about how it might last over time, there are plenty of durable options available. Hard-wearing and stain resistant carpets are perfect for spaces with daily footfall, especially if you’re stepping in directly from outdoors.

As for style, light colours such as beige and cream are ideal for brightening up smaller spaces, though darker tones like rich mushroom and graphite are best for concealing dirt.

Laminate

Laminate is another popular choice for hallways thanks to its durability and style. Here are just a few reasons why:

• Laminate has a strong resemblance to wood, and some laminate options come with an embossed top layer that mimic the grooves and pattern of the printed layer below to make it feel like natural wood too.
• Not only does it have the style factor, but laminate is strong too, thanks to multiple layers of protective materials that help make it last for years to come.
• It’s available in extra hard-wearing and water resistant options for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Hallway laminate flooring ideas

Whether you prefer pale ivory hues and ashy greys, or dark beech browns and walnut shades, there are plenty of hallway flooring ideas laminate can offer. Laminate wood flooring is available in a wide range of colours and designs. You can also choose layout styles such as traditional straight planks to elegant chevron and herringbone patterns.

Known for its enduring quality and water resistance, Quick-Step laminate draws inspiration from nature with realistic wood-effect designs and a lifetime wear guarantee.

Vinyl

If mucky paws and dirty boots are frequent occurrences in your hallway, then you may be hesitant to buy any kind of soft flooring for fear it will get ruined quickly. Luckily for you, you don’t have to compromise if you choose to buy vinyl flooring.

Here are the benefits of choosing vinyl for your hallway flooring:

• Thanks to its protective top layer, vinyl is extremely easy to maintain – just wipe away any mess with a lightly damp mop or cloth.
• It’s water resistant and comes in large rolls, so you don’t need to worry about water getting between the joins of your flooring.
• Vinyl can mimic the look of various types of flooring, including herringbone planks and colourful tiles.

Hallway vinyl flooring ideas

Vinyl is a popular choice for busy kitchen and bathroom spaces where it’s important for cleaning to be nice and easy. This makes it a great flooring idea for hallways, entrances, and mudrooms.

Plus, if you love the interior design appeal of colourful tiles but you’re on a particular budget, you don’t need to compromise on style. Available in stunning checkerboard, colourful terrazzo, and Mediterranean tile designs, most of our favourite modern hallway flooring ideas can be turned into a reality with vinyl flooring.

Luxury vinyl

Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is laid similarly to other smooth floors like laminate. It comes in single tiles or planks that are laid individually and often click together to create a floating floor. Here’s why we love luxury vinyl tile as one of our top hallway flooring ideas:

• It’s a high-quality wood-effect flooring option with superior water resistance.
• LVT has a soft yet protective scuff and scratch resistant top layer, making it ideal for high-traffic zones and open plan hallway spaces.
• LVT works well with underfloor heating, which is a great energy saver.

Luxury vinyl flooring ideas for your hallway

Luxury vinyl is a chameleon that can take on the look of almost any smooth flooring – including dramatic herringbone and parquet flooring styles. Think realistic slate, stone and concrete-effect tiles, as well as warm and rustic wooden planks in tones of oak, ash, and walnut.

This flooring can look incredible in hallways where you want the effect of luxurious flooring like marble, but without the cost! It’s a great way to show off your style while keeping your bank account happy, too.

Engineered wood

If genuine wood is what you’re after, then you might just fall in love with our collection of engineered wood flooring. Here’s a few reasons why engineered wood has stolen our heart:

• Made from a solid wood top layer and sheets of plywood underneath, engineered wood provides extra strength and longevity.
• With all the character and style of solid wood, the clever design makes it even more durable and sturdy than solid wood, while still offering a natural wood feel underfoot.
• However, as it’s just like natural wood, you’ll have to be careful not to leave standing water or get scratches on engineered wood.

Engineered wood ideas for your hallway

Durable, natural, and long-lasting, engineered wood is more affordable than solid wood flooring, making it the best of both worlds for your hallway. Consider everything from sustainably-sourced engineered wood options to warm oak and modern grey flooring designs. And just like laminate and LVT, you can opt for stunning parquet flooring styles such as herringbone and chevron, or stick with traditional straight planks for a classic look. 

Hallway flooring comparison

On the fence about which flooring is best for your hallway? Here's all your hallway flooring options at a glance. Of course, if you still can’t decide, don’t hesitate to contact us online or visit us in store!

Hallway flooring ideas

By now you’ll probably have a good idea of which hallway floor ideas appeal to you most. But if you’re still a little unsure of what might look best in your space, we’ve come up with some great hallway and landing flooring ideas to help answer any final questions. 

Small hallways flooring ideas

Smaller hallways don’t have to feel cramped or dark – you can illuminate your space with a light-coloured laminate or bright luxury vinyl that looks like marble tiles. You can also use more expensive materials in smaller hallways, which means you could invest in engineered wood if you love the look and feel of solid wood.

Keeping your flooring simple is another way to make your small hallway feel less busy and crowded. Try plain vinyl designs without a pattern or a neutral carpet to make the space feel inviting and cosy.

Best flooring for your stairs and landing

Your hallway is likely where your stairs are located too. If your stairs and landing need a little TLC, these hallway carpet and flooring ideas might help.

• Fitting your hallway with brand-new carpets? We always recommend installing the same carpet up the stairs and into your upstairs landing area for cohesive flow and a fresh new feel.
• If you prefer light, warm tones, opt for a shade of beige with a hint of texture to help conceal any dirt and wear. Otherwise, contemporary grey colours are great for long-lasting maintenance.
• If you’ve got smooth flooring fitted downstairs, why not opt for an extra layer of comfort and interior design by fitting a carpet stair runner?

Feeling inspired yet? Find more inspiration and customer stories on our Ideas Hub, including our tips on the best flooring for your stairs.

Discover which flooring options would work best in your hallway by arranging a free home visit, where one of our flooring experts will come out to your home and help you choose. Or, if you’re ready and raring to pick out your favourite flooring, book a free store visit to come down to your local Tapi store and see our collections.