Creative thinkers: Can you help with my flooring issue? [Archive]

Joyous_5

9-11-12, 12:17pm

Hello everyone,

We are in dire need of new carpeting in the top half of our new-to-us, 20 year-old house. This carpet is an ugly blue (and in one room, pink!) and very badly stained in areas.

It's not in our budget now to replace the carpeting with more (about $2500) so I'm looking at what else can be done.

Could you share:

1) Super ideas (hopefully cheap ones!) on how to get out really old stains from mid-pile carpet (steam vac didn't work)

OR

2) Other creative ideas for what we could put down in place of carpet until we can afford to redo. I would prefer to get down to the plywood and just paint it (can't look worse than it does now!) but hubby is very opposed to this idea as it will make the acoustics even worse and he thinks it will look a little redneck-y.

Any other thoughts? I, and my upstairs, thank you in advance!

SteveinMN

9-11-12, 12:34pm

Joyous, there are ways to seal/finish plywood so that it looks less like plywood and more like something else. Creative stenciling might be a cheap alternative -- stain the plywood whatever shade you prefer, then use a permanent marker (maybe something else would work better) to draw plank lines. You might also check out those epoxy kits they sell for cement floors (basements and garages); I don't know if they could be applied over wood, but maybe they could over sealed wood.

Another option you could consider since the existing carpet is old and, umm, well-used might be to dye it darker. You might need to find out what kind of fiber is in the carpet, but then you could think about hiding the stains with a darker color.

Finally, I don't know where the $2500 estimate came from. Would you and DH be open to installing your own carpet? In our house, I installed commercial carpet tiles. Some require glue, some don't. But the stuff wears like iron, is stain- and bacteria-treated, and can be picked up and hose off or replaced if the very worst happens. If you can live with different colors in different rooms, you could look at remnant lots, which can go for as little as $1/square foot (plus shipping) and DIY to save a lot of money and have a longer-lasting carpet in the process.

Miss Cellane

9-11-12, 12:37pm

You could try getting in a professional company to clean the carpets. They tend to do a better job than those steam cleaners that you can rent.

Google "stenciled floors image" to get a lot of pictures of painted and stained floors, most of which don't look at all redneck-y to me. You can always paint the plywood and then put down an inexpensive area rug--most of the floor will be hidden, the paint will protect the plywood, and the rug will help with the noise issue. Check out carpet stores for remnants which are sometimes very good carpet at a very low price. Or paint canvas floor cloths.

If these rooms are on the second floor, I'm guessing most of them will be bedrooms? Who sees these rooms? Just keep other people out of them if you think someone will make a negative judgement about you because you painted a floor.

My brother and SIL put a handicapped-accessible addition on their house for their son. They couldn't afford flooring at first (and carpet was out because it's harder to push a wheelchair on carpet). So they painted the floor, and then SIL dipped the kids' feet into a contrasting color paint and "walked" them over sections of the floor. I was kind of sad the day they could afford to get the hardwoods put in. But they kept the painted floor in a large closet, so we can still go and look at the little baby foot prints.

bae

9-11-12, 12:40pm

Paint plywood floors, put large cheap Home Depot rugs atop them.

redfox

9-11-12, 12:48pm

Ikea has a click flooring that looks like wood, and is super durable. Also, MDF as flooring, stained & sealed looks pretty cool. So does poured & stained concrete. And a big ol' rug, like bae suggested.

Mrs-M

9-11-12, 1:02pm

My ideas reflect my own dreams and aspirations of (one day) getting rid of every single stitch of carpeting in our house. Re: flooring, there is no easy or cost-savings fix. Flooring is expensive, that's a fact.

I second idea #2. Get your DH on-board, tear-up old stained carpeting, paint floor with a quality sealant/paint. Stained (anything) does nothing to bolster ones happiness/contentment.

peggy

9-11-12, 1:40pm

I love this idea. This and those inexpensive area rugs and it would look like a million.
http://relaxshacks.blogspot.com/2011/03/affordable-plywood-flooring-for-your.html

Tammy

9-11-12, 1:42pm

I hate carpet. Every time I swiffer my floors I think about how all that dirt settles into carpeted floors in other homes. People who lay carpet talk about how disgusting it is underneath carpet. My strong feelings are influenced by the fact that I have allergies. I feel so much better in places without carpet.

All of that to say that old carpet feels more "redneck" to me than painted plywood, which actually sounds creativy postmodern to me.

Mrs-M

9-11-12, 1:43pm

Wow, Peggy! Talk about extraordinary!

Amaranth

9-11-12, 2:01pm

We have some friends that got 20 year old stains out of heirloom textiles and newer stains out of carpets with oxiclean. They kept trying new stain removers as they came on the market and oxiclean worked. There may also be some new pet stain removal products that could help.

Barkeepers Friend works on a number stains and is especially helpful on rust.

I have also seen people clean the carpet really well and dye it medium or darker brown or forest green--but green is less workable with most color schemes)--however dark it needed to go.

ApatheticNoMore

9-11-12, 2:04pm

I like the fake wood flooring. It's very clean. But I haven't the slightest idea what it costs.

peggy

9-11-12, 2:14pm

Wow, Peggy! Talk about extraordinary!

Isn't it! I want to do this in my bathroom. I want to pull out the huge jetted tub, which we never use, and do this on the floor then put in a claw foot, or other just soaking tub. Smaller footprint but more useful (as well as uses less water)

Tussiemussies

9-11-12, 3:06pm

How about if you paint the floor and buy a carpet remnant that would look like a large area rug? The carpet remnants are usually cheaper , you can have them bind the edges to look better...

By the way, how large are the rooms? DH and I were just looking for area rugs and Wallmart actually had two that we liked. Our style is cottage country. If you are interested to see what they look like I will post the urls. I don't think they come in huge sizes. :)

ToomuchStuff

9-11-12, 3:36pm

I would not recommend wood in a bathroom, If going wood, one should go with the engineered stuff, rather then the hardwood. When they built the houses in the area I live in, hardwood was in all the rooms, including the kitchen and bath. The bathroom shows more suffering, although the kitchens were typically covered in Linoleum (they still make the stuff although now, it doesn't contain asbestos, and is expensive).
I have seen images online, from people using 1x's and making their own (think of those old OLD stores with the non hardwood flooring). Some even tried to tongue and groove it. I visit habitat restore, locally and would also look for used/extra/etc type of flooring. We also have places that sell seconds or remnants of carpet and as said, some commercial carpet, can be had for $1 a square.

Also you might google painted plywood flooring, as you might be surprised.

Joyous_5

9-11-12, 3:42pm

Great ideas, everyone. I'm determined to take care of the staircase ASAP--it's HORRID and the first thing you see when you walk in our front door. I was impressed with the pics of plywood floors in that link~here's some other pics I found: http://design-crisis.com/?tag=painted-floors AMAZING! I hate new carpet anyway; the smell is so toxic and with pets there's gobs of dander and other icky things we can't see. I bet my hubby's allergies will be better when we get rid of that old carpet in our bedroom! Thanks for the ideas: I'm feeling all inspired!

Miss Cellane

9-11-12, 3:55pm

Oh, my goodness--if there are allergies in the family, just get rid of the carpet and keep it out.

My seasonal allergies didn't bother me much, until I moved into an apartment with wall-to-wall carpet. I'd get home from work and within an hour, I couldn't breathe through my nose, everything swelled up so much.

It's not home improvement, it is a medical issue to get the carpet out. Cleaning it won't do much for allergies.

Breathing is worth any amount of "looking like a redneck."

Joyous_5

9-11-12, 8:26pm

Like the idea of commercial carpet tiles--have never heard of them! We had commercial carpet installed in our last house before selling and I loved how easy to maintain it was. I'm not a fan of carpet anyway but that was less carpet-y somehow. Thanks for the tips!

iris lily

9-11-12, 9:02pm

I lived with plywood floors, untreated, for a good decade and I VASTLY prefer them to the carpet that took their place. Even though it is on our second floor, we've got cats who constantly vomit and leave stains. It is DISGUSTING. Plus, back in the day when dogs came upstairs they left urine deposits. I HATE CARPET!!!!!!!! I'd rip out the carpet with my bare hands if I could get DH to agree.

At one time in my neighborhood, before it became very toney here, having unfinished floors was just part of the urban pioneer renovation experience. Now people look at you funny--well, like you are a redneck-- because there are so few unfinished houses here now.

Give me redneck plywood any day over carpet. Besides, I"m not a redneck, I dine out in sit-down restaurants (ha ha a reference to another thread here.)

pony mom

9-11-12, 10:17pm

I like the idea of using carpet tiles (they are usually short-piled) or a remnant with bound edges.

Do you have a Habitat for Humanity store near you? Sometimes they will have leftover or donated wood floors that don't have enough boards for a whole room, but may have enough for a hallway.

I'm in love with cork flooring.

razz

9-11-12, 10:34pm

There are such beautiful linoleum or vinyl flooring that one can install oneself. I would get rid of all the carpet in our bedrooms since it is gone everywhere else.

ToomuchStuff

9-12-12, 12:03am

I went out and found one that combines the look of hardwood strips with a painted floor, and would be inexpensive to do.
http://ipankhome.blogspot.com/2010/09/wide-plank-plywood-flooring-how-to.html

Tussiemussies

9-12-12, 12:18am

I went out and found one that combines the look of hardwood strips with a painted floor, and would be inexpensive to do.
http://ipankhome.blogspot.com/2010/09/wide-plank-plywood-flooring-how-to.html

Too much stuff, this flooring looks great! What a great option...

Joyous_5

9-12-12, 6:12am

Wow, that IS impressive--did you see the post about the kitchen redo? Amazing and less than $1000. It doesn't even look like the same room!

Now I feel a little excited about the possibility of this project. I'll start with the stairs . . . then if my knife accidently "slips" well, I'll have to also pull up the hallway carpet. And then if I have a little, oooops the spare bedroom might be next . . . :)

SteveinMN

9-12-12, 8:40am

There are such beautiful linoleum or vinyl flooring that one can install oneself. I would get rid of all the carpet in our bedrooms since it is gone everywhere else.
Linoleum and vinyl tile are easy DIY projects. Sheet linoleum and vinyl, however, are more complicated, and linoleum typically does not come in widths greater than 6 feet, which means the joint must be seamed, which is not a DIY project. But there are some amazing finishes/patterns out there and I wish more people would overcome the "redneck" aspect of vinyl flooring.

I'm kind of surprised at the depth of dislike for carpet. I think there's a valid point that having carpet does not reduce the amount of dirt, animal dander, or dust mites present in a house -- and that hard surfaces leave those substances just lying on the floor for people to inhale. Carpet at least buries it until they're cleaned. Different horses for courses, I guess. And I like having my feet touch a surface that's not hard and cold in the mornings. :)

decemberlov

9-12-12, 9:36am

I've seen these on a few blogs now and I absolutely love the look!
Not sure if it would be your style but it's very frugal :)

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/issues/2009-01/home/flooring

citrine

9-12-12, 1:06pm

We took out all the rugs and had our hardwood floors refinished....2 bedrooms, 1 hallway, and a living room came to $1000. We then spent another $1000 to lay down pergo (on clearance at Home Depot) to lay down the floors in my studio, the eating nook off the kitchen and the entire basement. We also painted the cement floors and the stairs leading downstairs to the basement with a chocolate brown cement paint which tied in the color of the pergo.

Gardenarian

9-12-12, 4:28pm

decemberlov

9-12-12, 4:38pm

decemberlov - that paper bag floor is amazing! I would never have thought of using decoupage ona floor, but I guess with enough polyurethane anything is possible.

One thing int he instructions I thought was odd - it said she was careful not to overlap any of the pieces of paper. I wonder why this would be important?

Anyhow, fascinating idea!

I was also wondering the same thing...maybe just to keep it as smooth as possible? That's about the only thing I could think of.
I really love the look of it...although it's probably somewhat time consuming, the price is right :)

gail_d

9-13-12, 9:21am

This is one of the best DIY threads ever. I too checked out the blog, the DIY flooring , and the kitchen remodel that ToomuchStuff linked to, and now I feel new hope about the remodeling issues I'm working in my 1939 farmhouse (that was my paternal grandparents' house). They were very frugal people, always using what they had on hand, and the http://ipankhome.blogspot.com remodelers took the same approach.