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The room I’m planning to use for my guests has a concrete floor… As does the rest of my place except where the floor is raised for the den and kitchen. There is hardwood and linoleum at that point.
Debating going with having wall to wall with a 7/16" rubber underlay installed or getting a carpet to fit the room… Wall to wall, almost. The hallway will have a runner to make it easy to clean since the kitchenette is out there.
The underlay will make it warmer and cushier and probably not much more expensive. Lots of places offer to install for free.
Have you considered doing carpet squares? Concrete is mighty hard on the feet and legs, and can be quite cold [depending on your climate, this could be good or bad.] The advantage to squares is, someone spills, stains, has a dog that pees, you can replace just one or two squares, and be done with it. I think some of the higher quality squares, which may be more expensive than wall to wall, are actually quite nice. It is also an opportunity to build “custom” art on your floor.
I suspect that laminate flooring would be your most attractive option, but as I recall your price point is lower, and so that cost might be hard to justify.
On balance, think about what kind of guests you want. Do you want people who are staying for three weeks for a conference or visiting family or will you attract folks for just a night or two. That should also inform your choice. What would YOU want in a space for that amount of time?
My suggestion would be laminate wood flooring and “throw rugs” at each side of the bed and a small area rug if needed. Our listing has a tile over concrete floor, and we have throw rungs at either side of the bed, so your feet are warm when you stand up. Then we have an area rug at the foot of the bed, and of course a fuzzy bath mat in the bathroom.
I have a side-by-side comparison: Our house has a finished basement that is separated down the middle. On one side, we have our AirBnB apartment. It has linoleum flooring that is easy to clean. We have a couple strategically placed bath mats and will add good area rugs when the budget will allow. It’s a good STR space. The other side is fully carpeted, and our teenage son has claimed that as his room. It is much cozier, but wall-to-wall carpet is harder to keep clean. I’m worried about stains and lingering odor in the carpet.
I like the floor laminate with area rugs idea. Had a friend suggest that early on but now, in rethinking Ken’s idea, it’s making more sense.
That part of the building’s floor level is raised up off the ground by several feet so while concrete may be less cold than the side I live in, which is below grade by a foot. Or is it the other way around?
I have some left over laminate from the kitchen together with the foam underlay. Will lay out a section this weekend to test the “warmth” factor.
Would cost $400 for the materials with my labor to lay the laminate. Wall to wall would likely cost more… But the cleaning, the smells… Make throw rugs the way to go. Again, this is funky-chic here so my guests will need to go with it or go elsewhere.
