I never thought of the pins laying flat on non-carpeted areas, nor did I think about threads stuck in my vacuum cleaner. Vacuuming is the only thing I don't do in my house. Hubby does. He has stronger arms to pick up chairs etc and get under them so he inherited that job when we married.

When I mentioned the threads getting stuck in the bristles he just rolled his eyes and said....why do you think I stay out of your sewing area? LOL

Am now leaning towards either staining the concrete and putting anti-fatigue mats in strategic places, or vinyl. Since it is a trial and error thing, I may start out with stain and see if I like it since it is the least expensive option and change it later, maybe. Maybe. LOL.

Everyone had so many good points I never thought of. Thanks!

I have laminate, love, love, love it. Carpet is the pits, as far as I'm concerned. Dirty, and pins tend to disappear. Just my humble 2 cents worth.

I have concrete floors also. Since I cannot stand on concrete very long, we used anti-fatigue mats. They are not beautiful but do the job. You will have to buy the under the desk type mats for where you sit under your sewing chair. We covered the whole room with them and people that come over think it is great. Good luck.

They have interlocking vinyl that comes in designs that looks like wood floors and tile. Very easy to clean up!
I just got it and love it. Good luck in your search.

I have tile floors in my sewing room and, if you have hard surface floors, the one suggestion I would make is to buy a good anti-fatigue mat for where you stand when you are cutting and in front of your ironing station. What a difference that makes.

I took a spare bedroom upstairs and turned it into a sewing room. We eventually are going to replace carpeting upstairs with new carpeting, hardwood, or whatever and wanted it all to match. So rather than put something down temporarily, we painted the plywood subfloor with an outdoor paint for porches so it would be more durable. It's a dark teal blue to go with the light teal blue walls. Vacuums up easily, chair rolls nicely, and I love it!

Concrete can sweat if no vapor barrier was put down before it was laid. Its normal for concrete to do so. Some contractors use it some don't if you decide to put carpet or laminate or even a hardwood down first check to see if your concrete is sweating.

You can check by taking a tissue and pressing it down in several locations around the room. Some areas will do it more then others and its best to check after heavy rain. if you feel any dampness I used vinyl gloves so I knew it wasn't transfer from my palms chances are you concrete is sweating. This can cause mildew under carpet. You can still do it but you will need a sealant or vapor barrier for the type of product you decide to use to prevent the moisture from becoming an issue.

Every time we now put down concrete we use a vapor barrier and now no more damp sneaks thru.

I have plank vinyl in the spare room I use for sewing. I love it because it is easy to care for.

I wanted a hard surface in my basement studio. I was thinking laminate, but my contractor convinced me to look at stained concrete and I fell in love with it. I have a golden brown color that is super resistant to anything - scratches, cuts, etc. easy to clean with a broom or a vacuum. The only disadvantage is that you have to be out of the house overnight because of the fumes from the etching process.

Pam

I can't see how you can say that categorically. My sewing room carpet isn't dirty. It's offwhite, low pile, and clean. I have no pets. A hard floor can be filthy. It's all in what your personal standards are. With my allergies, all of my floors are clean.

Charlotte