A few years ago we decided to use our 4th bedroom as a home office, as we were each working from home one day/week. We have no kids, one good cat, and plenty of space. We did everything but the flooring, as with our limited use it was OK to leave the normal cut pile carpeting with a chair mat over it.
Fast forward to today and like many, we both work at home full time and share the office, and likely will for the forseeable future. Happily, we haven't killed each other and things are fine. The only thing about the office we don't like is the carpeted floor makes it difficult to move on our wheeled office chairs. We both like the chairs we have, but want to be able to roll around on the floor a little and not destroy whatever flooring we put down. Our subframe is typical late 80's suburban stuff on a second floor: plywood subfloor over joists.
So, what flooring have you used for this sort of situation and how do you like it? We want something that works with our wear pattern of the chairs, looks nice and fits in our semi-custom, getting more modern by the project, decent suburban house. The area is small enough that cost is not really a concern to a point, as the cost difference between flooring that is $4/sq isn't that much in the end for flooring that is $20/sq.
A low berber carpet would still not let us roll around and would get stuck and crushed, if my work office's carpeting is any indication. We could go hardwood, our entire first floor is tounge and groove nailed down strand woven bamboo, it could match, but there is no other hardwood upstairs (carpet in bedrooms and hall, tile in bathrooms). If hardwood, which woods to pick and which to avoid? Hardness seems important here. Tile seems like it wouldn't work as the wheels will get stuck in the grout joints. How about LVP? Does it really look OK or can you still always tell that it is just a fake of whatever it is trying to look like? How's the subfloor prep? Laminate is right out, why bother, not worth the effort. Any other ideas or experience to share?
The decision depends on your priorities. Low cost? Quick and easy? DIY-friendly? A source of pride? Show your creative side? A bright appearance? A warm appearance? Are they durable? A friendly contractor?
My friend had this same question last year. He had no idea what to choose. He and his wife had many a quarrel concerning what looked better and what fits their overall house esthetic. Working from home made him endure the constant distractions by his kid and the frequent arguments with his wife. I poked fun at him and his working conditions but also felt really bad for the guy. It was all fun and games for me until our company enforced restrictions as well and I was forced to work from home. I live in an apartment and I faced a ton of issues with discipline and motivation. Thankfully, I found a great coworking place here https://osdoro.com/us/coworking-space-austin/ and started working from there. I suggested my friend work there too but he refused. I don’t understand his logic, to be honest.