Here at Home Flooring Pros we love a challenge, so when we were asked to find some really great, budget flooring ideas we jumped to it; the main condition was to ensure that the flooring came in at under $2 per square foot – and we’re pleased to say that we found lots of top rated and inexpensive flooring options for you, from clever, cheap DIY flooring ideas, to low cost flooring products that don’t actually look cheap at all!
So here you are, the best cheap flooring options available today!
Vinyl Sheet Flooring | Luxury Vinyl Flooring | Laminate Flooring | Oak Flooring Seconds | Plywood Flooring | Paint Your Flooring | Wallpaper | Carpet Tiles
Vinyl Sheet Flooring – Updated for Today’s Tastes
Sheet vinyl flooring has always been inexpensive, but gone are the days when sheet vinyl meant having to make do with some horrendous, yellow-brown, floral designs!
Vinyl sheet has had a wonderful renaissance in recent years, and has been updated to include modern designs that are majorly on-trend. Coupled with improved imaging techniques, there are some really beautiful vinyl sheet options that are easy on your eye and easy on your wallet.
Check out this gorgeous faux, hexagon marble mosaic design from Tarkett, currently available at Menards for just $1.39 per square foot!
Source: www.menards.com
Plus, contemporary vinyl sheet is being designed to mimic just about every kind of flooring, so if you look carefully you’ll find some pretty authentic looking options.
For example, over at the Home Depot you can get this rather lovely TrafficMASTER faux oak plank design for a very decent $1.91 per square foot, cheap flooring from a respected manufacturer.
Sheet final is our favorite low budget flooring idea based on choice alone.
Source: www.homedepot.com
Vinyl Tiles and Planks – Super Easy to Install
If the idea of putting a huge roll of vinyl sheet into place seems a little daunting, then a better option might be to go for some luxury vinyl tiles or planks. Don’t be put off by the word ‘luxury’ you can still find some price friendly products.
Again, the technology has come a long way with these products, and you’re now able to get some very good looking vinyl tiles that are made to resemble real encaustic cement, porcelain or stone tiles for a fraction of the price!
Plus, you can make things super simple with the click-lock or peel and stick versions – easy to install, even for the novice DIYer, making your flooring project even cheaper.
For instance, the Home Depot currently stock these superb tiles from Armstrong made to look like stained and distressed reclaimed wood for only $0.89 per square foot!
Source: www.homedepot.com
And these trendy concrete look vinyl tiles from Casa Moderna are currently available online at Floor & Décor for $1.09 per square foot.
Source: www.flooranddecor.com
Laminate Flooring – Bargain Opportunities
Another relatively easy and low-cost flooring option for occasional DIYers is laminate flooring. Much like the vinyl planks mentioned above, advances in how they are made means that many have a simple click-lock installation, and some even come with attached underlayment, making the whole process even simpler.
Check out the offers available at the online Pergo Outlet Store. Featuring an ever-changing selection of discontinued Pergo lines, you can really pick up some great bargains, like this Golden Bamboo with underlayment which works out at $1.68 per square foot.
Source: www.pergoonline.com
And this warm and characterful wood laminate flooring from Lamton retails on BuildDirect between $0.79 and $1.09 per square foot, depending on how much you buy! The more flooring you buy the cheaper it is.
Source: www.builddirect.com
Oak Flooring Seconds – Best Kept Industry Secret!
But what if you want real, solid wood underfoot? Well, a little known industry secret is that you can get perfectly good, but also cheap, oak wood flooring! You’ll find it at lumber yards that advertise seconds oak flooring, also sometimes known as common grade, rustic grade, utility grade, builder grade or contractor specials.
But be aware that if you go down this route, you may have to buy more oak than you need as these planks tend to be more “characterful” than the more expensive oak options – that is to say there will be more knots and streaks, a greater variation in color and also often shorter planks (makes it super perfect for herringbone and chevron parquet patterns though!).
You will also more than likely have to budget for staining and finishing the flooring on site as most seconds oak is unfinished. For example, here’s a link to one lumber yard’s specials page, with red oak flooring options from as little as $0.99 per square foot and white oak from $1.09 per square foot!
Source: www.hursthardwoods.com
Plywood for Flooring – An Effective Alternative
If you really want the real wood look, but are on a really super tight budget, then you might be interested to know that you can create a great looking floor that looks very much like solid hardwood using nothing more than simple plywood sheets, stain and sealant! At the Home Depot the cheapest plywood sheet retails at $5.63 for a sheet that is 2 x 4 feet wide; that works out at just $0.70 per square foot!
Proficient DIYers have found all kinds of ways of finishing plywood flooring to create unique and interesting looks, including charring it with a blowtorch for dramatic color contrasts or painting it with stencils; have a peak at our post here about plywood floor ideas and also this useful DIY tips on Remodelaholic. For a more rustic feel, we’ve also seen flooring made using Oriented Strand Board.
Painting Existing Floors – Budget-Friendly Update
If ripping out your existing flooring for a complete remodel simply isn’t an option – either because your time or your budget is limited – then your best cheaper option might be painting the floor you’ve already got!
One gallon of paint should cover about 400 square feet, and with most top quality floor paints coming in between $30-$40 a gallon, that works out at $0.10 or less per square foot! Even when you add primer and top-coat sealant, you’re still look at well under $1 per square foot!
Source: www.architecturaldigest.com
Just about any kind of flooring can be painted (even vinyl, linoleum and laminate flooring can be painted), provided you‘re prepared to do the necessary grunt work of prepping it to ensure good adhesion.
Paint also has the added advantage of allowing you to be as creative as you want, from straight block color to sombre effects, stenciled or freestyle patterns, stripes or checkers. Have a look at our painted flooring trends article for inspiration.
However, even the best paint job in the world won’t stop a painted floor eventually showing signs of wear and tear. This could be great news if you love the distressed, lived in feel. If not, just be prepared to repaint in a year or two – and in the meantime minimize erosion by having a no shoes policy!
Source: www.architecturaldigest.com
Wallpaper for Flooring – Super Clever DIY Flooring
If you love the idea of stenciled flooring, then you might also like to know that you can actually wallpaper your floor! Yes, indeed! Wallpaper can adhere to wood, vinyl and linoleum floors. Once you’ve papered your floor, simple paint over with several coats of polyurethane to provide a fairly tough sealant.
This option gives you on-trend patterns without the worry of smudged stencils, or the permanence of paint. Plus the design options are endless – Wayfair currently stocks a huge selection of peel and stick wallpapers for under $1.50 per square foot, with designs ranging from geometric to floral to everything in between.
Have a look at how Medina at Grillo Designs papered her flooring and take note of some of her top tips: wallpapering your floor is best for smaller spaces like a hallway or WC, and not suitable for family bathrooms or kitchens where there will be too much humidity. Here are some more top tips if you want to try wallpapering your floor in your home!
Carpet Tiles – Softness Underfoot for Less
Finally, you might be wondering if there are any soft cheap flooring ideas for under $2 per square foot! And the answer is: yes!
Carpet tile is an ideal budget solution if you’re looking for a softer flooring option: the advantages are that not only can you find plenty of decent options for under $2 per square foot, but also that individual tiles can be easily replaced if they get to the point of being beyond repair or cleaning (note this is only true if you’ve bought more tiles than you need in order to have some spare, of course).
For example, Wayfair currently stock a number of Mohawk Flooring carpet tiles including this rather smart one from their Epsom collection for $1.85 per square foot. It’s pictured here in a bedroom, but we think it would work even better in a home office.
Source: www.wayfair.com
And one last top tip for budget flooring shopping from us: Flor, one of the most popular carpet tile manufacturers, have an outlet store that sells random pattern carpet tile for $1 per tile (each tile being just over a square foot at 19.7” square). The only catch is color and patterns are not specified online – it’s just whatever is available on their inventory at the time… worth a shot, then, if you’re going for a patchwork look like this one below.
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