Sue G in PA Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 it was disgusting, stained, old, and just plain ugly...even if the floor underneath wasn't "finished"? Okay, my living room carpet is just plain filthy. Nothing works to clean it. I clean it and a week later the stains just "reappear" out of nowhere. Crazy. I'm simply disgusted with it. I want to just rip it up and put down a large throw rug. Our lr isn't that large anyway. So, the floor underneath isn't exactly just a plywood floor...it actually has some color to it (like a orangy-brown color) so I'm not sure WHAT exactly to call it. I really don't care if it is just plywood...that's how much I hate my carpet. AND, we cannot afford to get new floors right now. So, WWYD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Can of paint = $30 Is painting the floor an option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I have heard of people going down to the plywood floor, sanding it smooth, sinking and puttying the nail/screw heads, and using a porch paint to paint it. You can do a design to give it a faux look or just a single smooth color rolled on. Then a rug over the top to give it a cozier feel. I say go for it! We almost painted a map of the world on ours before the new floor was laid, but we didn't get to it with the baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Yes! I hate carpet with a passion. Would love to get rid of the last bit we have in the bedrooms. I agree with Cindy, painting the wood looks great if it is too hard to re-finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 it was disgusting, stained, old, and just plain ugly...even if the floor underneath wasn't "finished"? Okay, my living room carpet is just plain filthy. Nothing works to clean it. I clean it and a week later the stains just "reappear" out of nowhere. Crazy. I'm simply disgusted with it. I want to just rip it up and put down a large throw rug. Our lr isn't that large anyway. So, the floor underneath isn't exactly just a plywood floor...it actually has some color to it (like a orangy-brown color) so I'm not sure WHAT exactly to call it. I really don't care if it is just plywood...that's how much I hate my carpet. AND, we cannot afford to get new floors right now. So, WWYD? I had carpet in my den that I hated so bad I would have GLADLY lived with the concrete underneath it if dh would have let me rip up the carpet. He wouldn't let me though and I had to live with the gross carpet for 4 years. If it was wood floors that need re-finished or concrete I would definitely say yes. If you have some sort of subfloor I might not, because you might have issues with splinters and clean-up might be difficult too on an unsmooth surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Rip it up and paint. I remember the carpet guy told me that, I think polyester carpeting holds everything and impossible to keep clean. Jet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticklbee Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 We did this in our bedroom. DH hated the carpet and although the floor underneath was hardwood, it is old, discolored, and stained in places. It still is an improvement over the old dirty rug. I say go for it and maybe use some of the suggestions above and then put a throw rug down. You'll be much happier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenniferlee Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Without a doubt. You can always put a couple coats of polyurethane over whatever is there to make it sweepable. Throw rugs are great, you can beat them outside to get the dirt out. Carpet is so unhealthy. My husband worked for a carpet cleaner business once and I could not believe the stuff that came up out of even clean looking carpets. Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Book Crazy Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Go for it. Maybe you could replace it with this ;O) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Believe it or not, some of the really chi-chi places here in Los Angeles are now doing floors with plywood and a fairly high-gloss polyurethane finish. You might just be ahead of the curve :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Go for it. Maybe you could replace it with this ;O) :lol: I thought you took a picture of my dining room/living room connecting point! We ripped up the carpet in the dr (carpet? in a dining room? PALEASE!) and found the most horrid vinyl floor underneath...but it beats carpet with young children. Okay, THANK YOU! Everyone, great ideas. I never thought to paint the floor! Yeah! I'm going to rip it up this weekend. I'm so happy. Carpet...bye-bye! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 :lol: I thought you took a picture of my dining room/living room connecting point! We ripped up the carpet in the dr (carpet? in a dining room? PALEASE!) and found the most horrid vinyl floor underneath...but it beats carpet with young children. Okay, THANK YOU! Everyone, great ideas. I never thought to paint the floor! Yeah! I'm going to rip it up this weekend. I'm so happy. Carpet...bye-bye! :D If you paint, get some expert input on "prep" and materials, including primers and paints. Since wood floors tend to "flex" and get a lot of traffic, you want to use the right products and techniques to avoid having the paint chip. But painting is an inexpensive option that can look really nice! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in the Kootenays Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 In fact, I'm contemplating doing just that. Paint and a rug are way better than disgusting carpet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Yes, I would and I did. I ripped up 35 year old shag green/gold/white (used to be those colors) carpet out of our house. It was disgusting. I ripped it up all by myself and we now have concrete in 50% of the house. It is so much better than nasty carpet. I'm determined to never have carpet again and stick with a few area rugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 If it is soft wood - don't uncover it. We ahve hard wood in most of our `100-yr-old house, but in the 1920's when someone added a two-room addition they used a softer pine for the floors. We HAVE to cover them with carpet as they are gouged, splintery, awful. You could rip up the carpet and replace with loose floor rugs that are washable??? Or even lay down peel and stick tiles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*anj* Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I did that in my dining room. The carpet was just as you described, and I hated it. And even worse, because the former owner had had an old, sick dog that used to lie around under the dining room table. Need I mention that the poor old thing was incontinent? Not a good situation at all. You could smell it as soon as it got humid out. So anyway, should you do it? I don't know. How soon can you have it finished or do it yourself? I pulled my carpet up ummm, about six years ago and we still haven't had the floor sanded and finished. It's a hardwood floor. About 90% of it is covered by an Oriental rug, but the rest is just plain wood. I'm still glad that I pulled mine up, but I can't believe that we still haven't gotten around to fixing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Paint with a sturdy, outdoor porch type paint and seal it so you can mop it. Then cover it with a pretty throw rug (or rugs)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura K (NC) Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 My dh said we had money for flooring so I ripped up our carpet with gusto. Then all of a sudden there was no money for flooring. I swept it really well and then the kids and I started painting. We have so many assorted cans of paint that we made it really colorful. My artist son painted a mural on one side of the room. I didn't seal it or anything, knowing that it wasn't permanent. I was a little tired of it by the time we got the flooring, but it was fun and funky for about a year and a half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 One of the happiest days for me was ripping out the carpet in my kids' bedroom. It was really old, covered with stains and an ugly grey color. Ugh!. We replaced it with laminate flooring from Costco. It was not that expensive $2 per sq foot and easy to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 One of the happiest days for me was ripping out the carpet in my kids' bedroom. It was really old, covered with stains and an ugly grey color. Ugh!. We replaced it with laminate flooring from Costco. It was not that expensive $2 per sq foot and easy to do. We have laminate flooring through much of our home. It is inexpensive and very durable. We love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted August 7, 2008 Author Share Posted August 7, 2008 Yes, laminate is what I eventually want to put down. But to cover the area I'm speaking of...it would cost over $1000. Now, Home Depot has clearances every now and again on laminate which would save us some money, but it will still be a while before we can afford it. I won't use a credit card for it. So, I'm going to paint! The kids will have a blast! Home Depot also has lots of OOPS paints (esp outdoor types) now so maybe I can find a can cheap! Yeah. I can't wait to rip out this nasty carpet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom to Aly Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 We replaced our nice carpet a few years ago because of an older cat with kidney probs. We got individual tiles (very easy to put down) with a wood look--everyone thinks they are wood, they are cheaper than carpet, and so easy! Beware rugs that have any wool in them if you have animals--they will go for them--chewing or peeing--more often than not, because it is an animal product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Yes, laminate is what I eventually want to put down. But to cover the area I'm speaking of...it would cost over $1000. Now, Home Depot has clearances every now and again on laminate which would save us some money, but it will still be a while before we can afford it. I won't use a credit card for it. So, I'm going to paint! The kids will have a blast! Home Depot also has lots of OOPS paints (esp outdoor types) now so maybe I can find a can cheap! Yeah. I can't wait to rip out this nasty carpet! One thought about using outdoor paint with so many littles about... Outdoor paint has mold/mildew chemicals in it for the high moisture problems of the outside of a house. Is is possible to have the youngers go somewhere else for a few days? Even if it is just during the day to minimize the exposure? I do recommend using porch paint if possible, it is made to be walked on and is very strong. Just make sure to ventilate really, really well! Hope you have lots of fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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