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I'm almost ready to put my house on the market. Everything is repaired, painted, decluttered and clean.

I ripped out my bedroom carpet. After years of kids and dogs, it was beyond repair. I have a large bedroom and can't afford to put in new carpeting. Are there any acceptable alternatives to carpet? Unfortunately, there was no hardwood underneath.

Thanks for posting, OP, with a good question and the answer is pretty obvious - think you know it yourself!

Anyway, if the flooring beneath isn't suitable, then you need to cover it with carpet. No problem, actually a pretty easy and cheap fix - what were you expecting for suggestions? Maybe I missed something?

You could, of course, put down ceramic tile or squares of laminate wood but neither one of them really fits into a bedroom set-up - let us know what you decide.

Look at some almost flat weave commercial-type carpet as it usually is the least expensive. Now, before everyone yells at me, it does look cheap in a bedroom but it will look new and clean and finished and the chances are that anyone that buys the house will replace whatever carpet is installed regardless of price.

Before you go with carpet, look at laminate and vinyl flooring. If you install them yourself they can be cheaper than carpet.

Have you looked into room-size carpet remnants? You can save a lot of money this way. Inquire at your local carpet store.

ETA: Here's some info from the WiseGeek website.

"Carpet remnants are less elegantly titled as left over carpet. When a person orders carpeting, some of the roll of the carpet ordered may remain, but it usually isn’t enough to fully carpet another person’s home. What usually occurs when there is sufficient leftover carpet is that this material is sold as carpet remnants, at a reduced price. There are many reasons why you might want to look for remnants, and lots of uses they can have.

You can take some remnants and have them bound around the edges to produce elegant area rugs, or remnants can be perfectly sized for things like hall runners. You do need to have any remnants bound, or they will start to deteriorate. If you like a specific style of rug but don’t care for wall to wall carpeting, it makes sense to check available carpet remnants to see if any will suit your needs. Sometimes you can find terrific varieties, and other times there isn’t much available."

This message has been edited. Last edited by: aychihuahua,

How rough is the sub-floor? You could fill and sand well any holes and the prime/paint the floor. Then add a large area rug, perhaps borrowed or from another part of the house. If you chose the right colour to compliment the rest of the room I know it will look ok. This way whom ever buys it has the option of any flooring they chose without worrying about what might end up at the dump.

I've been in several new build homes where the finished flooring didn't end up fitting into the budget so it had to wait a few years. A painted sub-floor was the answer every time and did it's job well.

Cheers
Mary

Have to say, each of the above posters provided great alternatives. You didn't mention the type of flooring in either the remainder of your home and/or the hallway outside your bedroom.

If at all possible, because you are listing your house, I would attempt to match/use the same flooring as exists in the hallway. It can be difficult or prohibitively expensive if an older hardwood is no longer available. Or, if available, the planks/flooring strips must be interwoven for the best look.

If you can't afford the carpet or hardwood or whatever's in your hallway, I'd go for the next best thing that's within my budget - that will hopefully serve to enhance/expand my space in a buyer's eyes.

Good Luck!