to use foam backed carpet tiles in the DC rooms?

[TillyTrauma]

We've had to rip out all the carpets upstairs due to a carpet moth infestation but we cannot afford to recarpet the whole upstairs of the house. We have been living on the floorboards for months and the DC aren't comfortable playing in their rooms as the floor is hard. I was looking around and i found some foam backed squares that lock together like jigsaw pieces and have a carpet top.

I think this is a perfect solution - it's about 1/3 the price of underlay and carpet, the DC can choose a colour they like and it should be really easy for me to fit myself.

The only downside i can see if you can of course see that it's made of small squares and it would be much less hardwearing than carpet - but its not being used in high traffic areas.

DH and DM are both horrified at this suggestion - DM thinks it looks cheap and nasty. DH thinks it will be useless and not last.

Has anyone used these for DC rooms? AIBU to want to use this cheaper option so the DC can actually have a comfy floor in their rooms?!

I'd say these would constantly moult. And you'll end up with threadbare bits. And in a fire would just melt?

Big, cheap ikea rug or off-cut from a carpet shop.

Is this is sort of thing you've got in mind?

If it is then they will squash down a fair bit when walked on or where furniture is placed.

I'd also be very wary if your floor isn't absolutely completely flat as the tiles will lift where the floor has any minor bumps or lumps, in fact to get these to look ok and reduce the risk of then lifting where the jigsaw pieces meet is to have a flat layer of hardboard fitted on top of your existing floorboards.

You'll also need to glue them or have some sort of edge to prevent them kicking up where you walk into a room or at the edges if you're not covering the floor completely wall to wall.

@TillyTrauma We have the NON carpet topped black/grey coloured ones on our deck boards on the back of our narrowboat - they’ve been in situ for around 15 years (of the 23 years we lived aboard). They are still there now we just use her as a leisure home. They’ve survived 7 cats, 5 dogs, snow, hail, torrential rain, extreme heat from sun and a Diesel engine, had things dropped on them, been stood on by 25 stone men (and fat me).

Make of that what you will, but ours seem indestructible- in fact the painted marine ply beneath them has had to be replaced once and that had a 10year life span guarantee!

I tacked ours down with pin nails and they’ve stayed resolutely in place.

Thats over £30 per square meter. I'm sure you could buy cheaper. I remember waaaaaay back having that cheap supercord in my room which was mostly covered by the bed. Mum bought me a ikea rug for Xmas. It's about £5/square meter (though no underlay). You could get foam backed bedroom carpet cheaper

If the rooms are small enough for foam tiles (which I don't have a problem with, by the way), it won't cost much to put cushioned vinyl down instead.

At over £30/square meter I didn't think they were especially good value at all

YANBU. But yeah, I don't think it's the best option. It's actually bloody expensive per square metre and I would bet money that anything like that sold on Amazon doesn't meet fire safety standards at all.

You can get basic carpet from the chains for about 6 or 7 quid per square metre. Fit it yourself with tape, you'll probably do a bit of a rough job but needs must. Don't bother with underlay.

Or actual carpet tiles are a bit more expensive and might make it look like an office, but still cheaper than what you were looking at.

This.
The fluff on the foam pads look like it would come off so easy and you would be left with patches. You can't even hoover it so it much be fragile

I have two kids under 5, one of whom isnt walking yet, and we have laminate flooring throughout our house. It's never been an issue that has prevented them playing so I'm a bit puzzled. We have fairly rugs in the living room and dining room and DD has two smaller rugs in her bedroom. I'd just get cheap rugs, they don't really need to cover the whole entire floor space anyway surely.

I think they're great. I'd try them.