(Topic ID: 84338)

What's better for a gameroom - Carpet or Hardwood?

By Bearded_Warrior

10 years ago


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    Topic poll

    “What's better for a gameroom - Carpet or Hardwood?”

    • Carpet 88 votes
      67%
    • Hardwood 25 votes
      19%
    • Other 18 votes
      14%

    (131 votes)

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    There are 66 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
    #1 10 years ago

    Looking at buying/building a new house and I plan on having a gameroom for my lone pinball machine and a pool table. Was just wondering if carpet or hardwood would be better for a pinball machine. Would it be too loud without the carpet? I'm thinking it would have a more arcade like feel with a hard surface. Thoughts? Suggestions?

    #2 10 years ago

    Hardwood all the way. I have no problem sliding my machines anywhere I want in the house using those cheap carpeted pucks that you can get at Home Depot for $3 a set with no damage to the floor whatsoever. And wood is a lot easier to keep clean.

    #3 10 years ago

    what is your underlayment?

    I really like low pile carpet without pad as it's easy to move games around and clean with reasonable sound absorbtion.

    From having 3 different game rooms over the years get novus #2 colored carpet

    -c

    #4 10 years ago

    Carpet will absorb sound but will wear. I recommend the heavy duty kind.

    #5 10 years ago

    I used commercial grade carpet with out padding. Glued directly to the concrete floor.

    #6 10 years ago

    Must go with carpet, pools balls bounce really well on hard surfaces.

    #7 10 years ago

    wood all the way

    #8 10 years ago

    Depends, my gameroom is in my basement so I plan on gluing the carpeting directly onto the concrete so the pin-dolly rolls easier. Carpet also muffles the sound better as hardwood would echo the sound. I would also be worried the hardwood would scratch easier and you would have to treat it much more carefully than carpet.

    #9 10 years ago
    Quoted from thepinballworks:

    I used commercial grade carpet with out padding. Glued directly to the concrete floor.

    Bingo. This is what I have. Hardwood lets the games slide to easily when playing, which makes a huge difference. Also scratches easily.

    #10 10 years ago
    Quoted from LesManley:

    Hardwood lets the games slide to easily when playing,

    Not if you use those carpeted pucks that I use. It takes some force before they start to budge.

    Quoted from LesManley:

    scratches easily.

    Really?

    #11 10 years ago

    Tile, because it never moves, wont absorb water, never separates or needs to be refinished. If the grout lines get stained you can put muriatic acid on it and it looks brand new.

    #12 10 years ago

    I prefer very very light shag on the top part, and hardwoods on everything below that ...

    I find that combination to be best !

    #13 10 years ago
    Quoted from o-din:

    Not if you use those carpeted pucks that I use. It takes some force before they start to budge.

    Really?

    Yes. Never liked playing on hardwood floors. Not big on tile either because of the how much the game can slide. We had a launch party on a tiled area and it got a little ridiculous.

    #14 10 years ago
    Quoted from LesManley:

    Never liked playing on hardwood floors

    I like my wood floor mostly because it is beautiful 50 year old oak, and I never have a problem with the machines moving until I want them too, but when I do I can move them by myself. And when it comes time to clean it is either a quick sweep with a dust mop, or mop and go with a wet sponge mop. Nothing lives or gathers underneath it like carpet, and it doesn't create it's own dust.

    #15 10 years ago

    My favorite is having plastic sliders for feet on cement makes them much easier to move around a bit.

    #16 10 years ago

    Industrial carpet with Kangaback. Glue it down. Nothing compares.

    #17 10 years ago

    I really prefer the look of hardwood, and I have no problem sliding my machines around. Also, easier cleaning up than carpet. But really I think it's up to you.

    The one thing I noticed is that you have a pool table. If there is one thing that takes up space in my house and gets little use, it's the pool table. I like it, but someday I think it will go.

    #18 10 years ago

    It depends who you ask. If you ask my eyes-they prefer hardwoods, if you ask my back-it prefers plush carpet.

    #19 10 years ago

    Surprised no one wrote this but carpet will grab moisture while wood won't. With that said, if you have a tempature controlled environment I feel hardwood make for easy cleans if someone spills something and like more people said, games are easier to move.

    #20 10 years ago

    Hardwood Flooring

    This one is actually a no brainer for me. I actually think a modern home should only have carpet in the bedrooms, if that.

    #21 10 years ago
    Quoted from sammiesguys:

    I really prefer the look of hardwood, and I have no problem sliding my machines around. Also, easier cleaning up than carpet. But really I think it's up to you.
    The one thing I noticed is that you have a pool table. If there is one thing that takes up space in my house and gets little use, it's the pool table. I like it, but someday I think it will go.

    Well, I don't actually have a pool table yet. It's just on my wishlist. I may pass on it depending on what we're able to get with our new house. The floor plan we're leaning towards now has an upstairs bonus room/bedroom that would be my game room. Leaning towards carpet based on the responses here. My wife is concerned about the noise too and the fact that as a potential guest room carpet would be better. Thanks for the input guys!

    #22 10 years ago

    It depends... do you have any pets?

    #23 10 years ago
    Quoted from pinballsmith:

    It depends... do you have any pets?

    Nope, no pets. Not planning on it either. I'm not a pet lover and I have allergies.

    #24 10 years ago
    Quoted from Bearded_Warrior:

    Nope, no pets. Not planning on it either. I'm not a pet lover and I have allergies.

    I wish I had allergies. That's the ultimate pet solution.

    #25 10 years ago

    http://astrocarpetmills.com/

    Black Light - Glow in the dark carpet

    #26 10 years ago
    Quoted from eh97ac:

    http://astrocarpetmills.com/
    Black Light - Glow in the dark carpet

    Not exactly what I'm going for. When I see that carpet I think about a smelly skating rink around here that has it.

    #27 10 years ago

    For an upstairs gr like you want a hardwood floor would drive the people in the room below it insane. Go with a low pile industrial carpet with a one piece 3/8th in. memory foam antimicrobal (sp?) pad. The cheap chip type pad will fall apart with the weight of the games spread out over such a small area as under the feet of the game and pool table and when a pool ball gets launched off the table it won't bounce like a ping pong ball when it hits the floor when you have carpet. I use the Home Depot 5in. diameter carpet sliders under all my games and they work great.

    #28 10 years ago

    I've both the situations: in the basement I've putted a strip of industrial carpet under my pins, not glued but only fixed with scotch tape on the floor; in my bedroom I have the hardwood floor. Anyhow the pins moving a lot during the game, greater in the bedroom when I clean deeply the parquet.
    In my future new home (I'm planning it), my intention will be to put the glowing carpet maybe only under the pinballs. For sure appears better at the sight, less sound and less dirty because "the player" will go not there with her feet.

    #29 10 years ago

    I've had both. I prefer carpet.

    Carpet is better for a bunch of machines. Less noise and sliding.

    But for spills pets, cleaning and aesthetics, wood is better.

    #30 10 years ago
    Quoted from Bearded_Warrior:

    Not exactly what I'm going for. When I see that carpet I think about a smelly skating rink around here that has it.

    What?!?!? You are missing out .... If you are going to sell the house, the blacklight carpet isn't going to help your cause, but if you want an arcade, you can't go wrong with blacklight carpet.

    A couple of pics of Les Manleys and my blacklight installs-

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    #31 10 years ago

    I went with hardwood in mine and it looks great, but carpet would have been more foot friendly and it absorbs sound better. I wouldn't change what I did though.
    The one thing I would say is if you're having the home built then pay extra to have insulation and or sound deadener installed in the drywall between the studs. The house I just bought was built in 2007 and it's a pretty nice, but these newer construction homes that aren't super high end they cheap out on certain things. Insulation between the floors is one. I don't think I should be able to hear the "knock" in my BSD on the upper floor, from the basement in a 5500sqft house, but I can.
    So if the option is there because you're having a home custom built, little things like that will make a difference in the end. I'm certainly not going to pull the drywall to remedy it, but if I was building new, that's something I'd definitely make sure was done.
    Table, TV, Rack.jpgTable, TV, Rack.jpg
    My BSD is now in the corner where the TV was and I now have to move the tv to the other corner.

    #32 10 years ago

    Carpet tiles for the win. Easy to replace if someone spills something, and you can lay them down over wood or any floor without damage. Check it out...

    #33 10 years ago

    My oak floor still looks just as nice as it did 50 years ago.
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    #34 10 years ago

    Go with the hard wood, or as the Flankster said, tile. Everyone I know who has a gameroom with carpet has wear spots after a while and if someone spills something or you get a stain, it looks like hell when you have a "cleaned up" spot. Hardwood or tile will always look the same. BIG pain in the ass to remove everything and replace carpet after x amount of years.

    #35 10 years ago
    Quoted from pinballsmith:

    I wish I had allergies. That's the ultimate pet solution.

    LMAO! Ain't that the truth!

    #36 10 years ago

    Personally, I LOVE hard wood floors. But for a game room, I'd prefer the indoor/outdoor type glow carpeting. It provides sound deadening while also being great for moving machines around on. It also gives you some nice anti fatigue cushioning for your feet. Get it Scotch Guarded so it won't stain for that occasional drink spill.

    #37 10 years ago

    My game room is clearly the exception, we have a 'frieze' which is basically a low shag. Very soft and easy on the feet (we require guess to have their shoes off) and also keeps the sound rich without echo and gives the room some warmth vs hardwood or industrial carpet. It is a good quality and once a pin is moved, the indent from the legs does disappear after a short amount of time. The big drawback is moving the machines is a little bit of a pain, but the reality is I don't move them often. It is easy enough to move a machine when you need to get between them. Part of the reason for the choice was that my daughter was a toddler at the time, so we wanted something that would be friendly for sitting and playing on the floor, which even though she is now a teenager, is still nice when families come over.

    #38 10 years ago
    Quoted from spfxted:

    Everyone I know who has a gameroom with carpet has wear spots after a while

    The only wear spots on my wood floor are under the feet of my bed.

    1 year later
    #39 8 years ago

    Building my new gameroom

    I'm hesitating between parquet floor (hardwood?) or liquid floor? Since pinball machines are quite heavy and moving them around I wonder which surface will last best?

    Thx!

    #40 8 years ago
    Quoted from sammiesguys:

    I really prefer the look of hardwood, and I have no problem sliding my machines around. Also, easier cleaning up than carpet. But really I think it's up to you.
    The one thing I noticed is that you have a pool table. If there is one thing that takes up space in my house and gets little use, it's the pool table. I like it, but someday I think it will go.

    Based on your last sentence, it's as good as gone already!

    #41 8 years ago

    Anyone have a good place to get arcade carpet they can recommend?

    #42 8 years ago

    wood all the way. Carpet gets snagged by legs, starts tearing or pulling up.

    #43 8 years ago

    If it is downstairs, go with hardwood. No pets to scratch it. Noise wouldn't be as big of an issue.

    Upstairs, carpet. It will help dampen the noise for people below you.

    #44 8 years ago

    Tile or hardwood

    #45 8 years ago

    Hardwood, both for convenience and appearance.

    #46 8 years ago
    Quoted from o-din:

    The only wear spots on my wood floor are under the feet of my bed.

    Why? do you have violent dreams? maybe a case of the jimmy legs? What else could it be?

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    #47 8 years ago
    Quoted from pninja005:

    I'm hesitating between parquet floor (hardwood?) or liquid floor?
    Thx!

    I just had this done to my floor. Found info about it in the game room thread. Pinsider Ramegoom put out info on it. Unbelievable look. Mine tries to duplicate the beach. Caribbean Blue, with some metallic. Gives a shallow wavy water/sand look. Experimenting with lighting should be fun!

    image.jpegimage.jpeg

    #48 8 years ago

    What a timely thread! My husband saw a house yesterday that he wants us to make an offer on. I'm going to see it this afternoon, and part of what I will be looking at is what room(s) I would annex for pinball.

    Option 1 is this narrow front living room that I can't imagine what I'd use it for otherwise. (There's another similarly shaped family room just off the kitchen that we'd use for our day to day hanging out.
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    Option 2 is the basement rec room which is a bit low for my tastes. I'm also not sure how much of a gauntlet it is to get machines in and out...
    image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

    I'm trying to keep an open mind on this house but I have to admit that I'm not particularly enthusiastic about the house from the listing. But in any case, it is very exciting to finally be looking at houses that would allow me to have a real collection!

    #49 8 years ago

    Going through the same thing right now myself. I've spent a ton of time researching hardwoods that can handle the abuse of having a pin slid across them. Just and FYI I absolutely hate carpet..and all the 'stuff' it holds.

    Stand Bamboo with an oxidized finish is the way to go (engineered for basement). It can be had for about $2.50~ $3 a square foot from Ifloor and Home Depot. Lumber Liquidators doesn't really carry Engineered Strand needed for the basement. I put solid Strand in my last house with an oxidized finish and that stuff is virtually indestructible even with a 70 pound dog.

    Just an FYI Horizontal and Vertical bamboo won't hold up nearly as well. Strand Woven is 3000+ on the Janka scale...others bamboos are 1200ish.

    Dropping a wrench on a piece of strand bamboo from 4' showed very little damage. I say very little because there had to be something..but it was unseen to the naked eye. There was very noticeable damage to every other sample (about 10 of them) I had.

    The oxidized finish is probably the best for scratch resistant

    In our new house I had hardwood installed throughout from a 'flooring store' when It was build. They are TERRIBLE. I have one pinball machine on those floors and there are little 'dents' where the legs sit...even on sliders

    All my research was done with installation below grade in mind. If you're not installing in a basement..your options open up a bit more for hardwoods

    Quoted from pninja005:

    Building my new gameroom
    I'm hesitating between parquet floor (hardwood?) or liquid floor? Since pinball machines are quite heavy and moving them around I wonder which surface will last best?
    Thx!

    #50 8 years ago

    Has anyone used the pinball life oak footies on carpet?

    There are 66 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

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