Best living room flooring options

From luxury vinyl tile to laminate and carpet, there are so many options when it comes to choosing living room flooring. Whether you’re looking for traditional wood-effect flooring or something soft and cosy underfoot, read on to explore our smooth flooring and carpet living room ideas to help you decide.

Discover what flooring is best for living room areas based on affordability, durability, style, and maintenance as we break down the main types of flooring for living room areas.

In this guide:

What is the best flooring for my living room?
Carpet
Laminate
Vinyl and luxury vinyl tiles
Engineered wood
Alternative options
Living room flooring comparison
Discover more living room flooring ideas

What is the best flooring for my living room?

When choosing the best flooring for living room spaces, you’ll need to consider a number of factors, including whether it:

Suits your decor
Functions for a high or medium traffic area
Fits into your budget

It’s often a good idea to consider living room carpet and flooring ideas with your decor and furniture in mind, as well as how it will hold up in your home. For instance, you might want to ask yourself questions such as:

How do you want your flooring to look in the space?
Do you want it to be hard or soft underfoot?
Does it need to absorb noise?
Does your flooring need to be pet-friendly?
Does it need to last for a very long time?
Could there be a risk of spills or other accidents? If so, will you need something that’s easier to clean and maintain?

Different types of flooring for living room spaces can vary in cost, so it’s often a good idea to do your research to find the right flooring for your home and budget.

If you’re unsure about which direction you should take, why not book one of our handy free home visits and let our Tapi floorologist help you out? You can also book an appointment at your nearest Tapi stores to chat with one of our flooring experts for a better idea about flooring characteristics, costs, and features.

In the meantime, explore our handy guide on what type of flooring suits your decor to help inspire you.

Order free flooring samples

Carpet

Carpet is designed to provide warmth, comfort, and softness underfoot, and is always an excellent choice for living room flooring. It’s a great sound absorber and can even hide uneven floors. Carpet works well in low-traffic areas, such as living rooms, and is an effective way to make a strong style statement.

When considering carpet living room ideas for busy homes and families with pets, our stain-resistant carpet options can help offer added durability and wear.

Choose carpet flooring if:

You’re looking for ultimate comfort, warmth, and softness in your living room
You need added sound absorption
You’d like a wide choice of colours and textures
You’re not worried about moisture, spills, stains and pets

Katmandu

£22.99 m²

Flatweave Classic Panama

House Beautiful Portsmouth

Browse Living Room Carpets

Laminate

High up the list of flooring ideas for living rooms is laminate flooring. An attractive, durable, and cost-effective alternative to wood flooring, laminate is available in various different styles and finishes to suit any interior design. It can simulate the look of hardwood, stone, and tiles, it’s easy and quick to lay, and it’s suitable for most floor surfaces.

Choose laminate flooring if:

You love the look and feel of classic wood flooring without the high cost
You prefer softer, quieter flooring with added sound absorption
You’re looking for dynamic flooring patterns such as herringbone or chevron styles
You have underfloor heating
You’d prefer to fit the living room flooring yourself

Quick Step Capture Cracked Oak Natural

Browse Living Room Laminate

Vinyl and luxury vinyl tiles

Vinyl is an excellent alternative to ceramic tiles. Vinyl comes in a huge variety of styles including hardwood, tiles, marble, and stone, available in a wide range of patterns and colours. It’s hard-wearing and affordable, and it’s easy to install and maintain.

Cushioned options like vinyl can offer extra softness and affordability for your living room flooring, though it’s most suitable for even floors and rooms without heavy furniture.

Luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) are durable, hard-wearing, and easy to maintain throughout your home. They’re also available in a myriad of fantastic finishes and realistic textures, so whether you’re looking for a rustic wood effect or a realistic porcelain tile finish, you’ll be sure to find something that suits your home and style.

Vinyl and LVT is also water resistant, so you definitely want to consider either of these if your front door opens straight into your living room.

Choose luxury vinyl flooring if:

You’d like a range of styles to choose from, including herringbone and chevron patterns
You want living room flooring that is warm and soft underfoot
You want your living room floor to be long-lasting
You want more sound absorption than laminate and real wood can offer
You’re looking for an affordable alternative to real wood
You have underfloor heating

Montilla Herringbone - Rosa

Everywhere Favour Planks - Scree

£44.99 m²

Mustique - Mara Tile

£42.99 m²

Finesse - Planks Sapin Dryback

£39.99 m²

£35.99 m²

Mustique - Jota Plank

£42.99 m²

Kiri - Matosh Dryback

£36.99 m²

Kiri - Saba Dryback

£36.99 m²

Orla - Bartlett Dryback

£32.99 m²

£29.69 m²

Everywhere Flair Planks - Dew

£69.99 m²

Browse Living Room LVT Flooring

Engineered wood

Luxury options such as a tiled or real wood floor can be slightly more expensive, but will always create the ‘wow’ factor in a formal living room. There are cheaper options available if you want to achieve the warmth and character of hardwood.

Engineered wood is a practical and low-maintenance alternative to hardwood flooring, as it has an authentic top layer made from real wood. This innovative flooring solution is not as prone to shrinking or warping as solid wood, making it a great alternative to hardwood flooring.

Choose engineered wood floors if:

You love the realistic look and feel of wooden flooring
You’d like to make a statement in your living room with herringbone or chevron styles
Affordability is less of a concern and you’re keen to make a long-term investment in your living room space
Sound absorption is less of a concern
You have underfloor heating

Javor - Lacquered

£74.99 m²

Landscape Prospect Sapodilla Invisible Oiled

£49.99 m²

£44.99 m²

Sierra - Risso Brushed & UV Oiled

£89.99 m²

Zion - Smoked Brushed and Matt Lacquered

£79.99 m²

Negara - Umber Brushed & UV Oiled

£79.99 m²

Negara - Nutmeg Brushed & UV Oiled

£79.99 m²

Heartwood Oak Herringbone Whisp Brushed and Matt Lacquered

£69.99 m²

Melia - Matt Lacquered

£69.99 m²

Melia - Oiled

£69.99 m²

Landscape Aspect - Almanzo Brushed & Lacquered

£54.99 m²

£49.49 m²

Browse Engineered Wood Flooring

Alternative options

Cork, bamboo, and natural fibres, such as jute and sisal, are all sustainable eco-friendly flooring options. You could consider rubber tiles, which are available in a wide range of colours.

Living room flooring comparison

Still considering which flooring might be best for your living room? We’ve got you covered. Consider our different flooring options in the comparison table below. For more flooring insights and recommendations, contact us online or visit us in store for a chat!

	Carpet	Laminate	Vinyl	LVT	Engineered Wood
Warm	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
Quiet	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗
Durable	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓
Low-cost	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
Comfortable	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
Water resistant	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗
Easy-to-clean	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓

Discover more living room flooring ideas

From natural wood to soft and luxurious carpet lounge ideas, there are so many different looks you could choose from for your living room flooring. We’re practically bursting with ideas to share with you!

Check out our Ideas Hub for all the different ways we’ve reimagined living room flooring ideas. Meanwhile, find inspiration for the rest of your home with our top choices for the best kitchen flooring ideas, as well as the best flooring for conservatories.

If you’re still undecided, visit your nearest Tapi store for more help and guidance. Our Tapi flooring experts would be more than happy to talk you through the different options and send you home with some exciting samples. Find the best flooring for your living room with Tapi today.

Post author

Charlie Harris Buying Director

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Published: 10-06-2025