“Many parents think carpets are the safest bet for the bedrooms of small children,” says Liza Watermeyer, visual display manager at Tile Africa.
But the reality is that they aren’t very practical… or pretty, “especially after the kids have thrown everything in their toybox at it, from finger paint to Play-Doh,” adds Liza. She points out that tiles are the superior flooring choice in children’s bedrooms for a number of reasons.
You can get the best of both worlds
The concern about tiles for a lot of parents is that they are hard. In their mind, this poses a hazard for both accident-prone toddlers, still learning to walk, and small children who have enough go-go to challenge the Energizer bunny, bouncing off the walls with reckless abandon.
However, there’s a quick solution to this – a thick throw rug or a puzzle mat offers great protection from play-induced bumps and bruises, but is still easier to clean and more affordable to replace than a fixed carpet.
They have serious staying power
If affordability is a factor, tiles definitely come out on top, precisely because they are so durable and resistant to scratches, scuffs and stains. Where a coloured carpet may lose its appeal as your child grows older, plain tiles won’t, which makes them more versatile from a style perspective.
Even if an update is necessary, you can lay new tiles right over the old, a technique called tile-on-tile, as opposed to a whole renovation.
Fuss-free flooring also means that kids can have more fun without worrying about the mess.
You can keep them squeaky clean
Even with proper care and maintenance, a perfectly good carpet will still eventually need to be replaced as a matter of hygiene. This should be a major deciding factor for parents of babies and children who suffer from allergies.
There is just no way to regularly clean a carpet with as much efficiency as you can a tiled floor. Fuss-free flooring also means that kids can have more fun without worrying about the mess.
Tiles allow your kids’ imaginations to run wild
Playtime just got a whole lot more interesting. You don’t want to be helicoptering around the kids to keep them from spilling or damaging the floor, and with tiles you won’t have to. In fact, you should encourage it.
Help them draw roads for their toy cars on the floor with temporary Kokis or crayons that can be wiped off later. Buy them spray chalk and let them work on their art skills with a little graffiti.
Playtime just got a whole lot more interesting.
Cut up paper and let them stick it to the floor with Prestik or Pritt glue. You can even encourage them to use their space like a whiteboard à la Google – this is an easy way to do homework fun.
Less stress. More play. Thank goodness for tiles!