Can’t afford to carpet my council house

[Florafloral]

I have recently moved into a council house with my 5 year old after being made homeless. It’s a new build so All rooms are painted which I’m grateful for but I can’t afford to carpet it. It’s concrete flooring throughout which is impossible to keep clean, is very powdery and dusty. It’s making our clothes and furniture dusty too. I applied for a grant for flooring with the council but was turned down because my DD isn’t under 3 and we have no health conditions. Does anyone have any tips or how I can try and get cheap flooring. I’ve been quoted over £2000 for the whole house. It just seems impossible

Ask them about off-cuts at your local shop, especially for the smaller rooms. Some of them have good quality off-cuts at a much smaller price.

Seal the concrete and get rugs. You can get rugs for very little.

B and M home store do rolls of vinyl and floor tiles reasonably priced.

https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/diy/flooring-and-tiling/vinyl-and-carpet-tiles

I am a trustee of a charity that would be able to help but you need to live in our town and have done so for 6 months. Have you tried the local CAB as they could signpost you to chairities that might be able to help.

Sorry, haven't been through the six page thread, but you can get absolutely fine synthetic, dirt cheap stuff at https://carpets4lessoxford.com/

Dirt cheap as in £6 per m2.

May not be dirt cheap for the OP !

Our previous house was almost exclusively carpeted with pieces from a carpet warehouse, they used to buy carpets that had been used in exhibitions so were pretty large, you may find places like that if you ask around your area. It was Manor Carpets in Bolton, depending where you live!

I put cord carpet down in the same position, then replaced it as I could.

https://www.onlinecarpets.co.uk/products/cord-carpet?twsource=google&twwadid=216036101006&twcampaign=910487462&gaddsource=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlvrsrKbyhQMVR5RQBh0Prgs2EAQYASABEgIYLDD_BwE

Have a look on Facebook market place.
Last week I got brand new Lino for my kitchen for free 1 I've just got to cut it down slightly as it's slightly too wide but the length is spot on and it's perfect. Brand new as they had some left over.

Also, carpet tiles - they sell them for 20p each near me and you'd just need to clean them & glue them down

Someone was selling brand new carpet for £40 - obviously they had it left over from their own house

Paint over the concrete to stop the dust. Then look for a big rug. My DP bought a huge rug, by mistake actually. I don't know where he got it from unfortunately, but it was very cheap and is as big as my living room, which is quite big. It looks like a regular wool carpet but actually the pattern is printed, rather than being wool.

Bit confused about the MNHQ message, I’ve not seen OP ask for anything but advice

not quite the same but I moved into a fully newly plastered house and the dust just wouldn’t stop. Agree sealing is the quickest and cheapest option

It is said on all these types of threads and tbh someone did suggest we all send money..

https://www.poundland.co.uk/pep-co-home-self-adhesive-floor-tiles-30cm-x-30cm-wood-effect-pack-of-5

Could buy buy some of these and add more when you can afford too?

Be fore the OP uses stick-on tiles she will still have to seal the concrete as the dust will prevent them from sticking properly.

Have you said where, roughly, you are, it's possible that more localised help/advice might be available.

Have you looked at getting roll ends? Usually ends up being far cheaper but obviously you don’t get as much choice. Never bought carpet any other way & our carpets are so thick I struggle to get the upright vacuum over them now even 3 years later. Didn’t pay more than £200 per room inc underlay & fitting, all grey carpets but not the exact shade of grey in each room

B&M do carpet tiles, you're not going to get a luxurious feeling carpet but don't need underlay or gripper strips, very easy to lay yourself so no fitting costs, just spray some adhesive and put the tile down. They can be cut with a Stanley knife to fit in door frames or trim down to size.

They won't last 20 years but will give you a few years use to find a longer term solution.

Weird comment @Midwinter91 seeing as they haven’t mentioned anything about not working

You could try painting the concrete floors for the time being. Try and get some rugs from freecycle or ask shops for remnants and just mix and match it and try to start saving for carpet I guess.

Congratulations on your new home!
Don't let the carpets get to you too much- you will get there!
How frustrating that the council don't provide any sort of flooring. Would it be worth contacting yoyr local mp about it? Seems ridiculous you can't get a grant for a floor because your child is 5 not 3, is that not discrimination?
If you've explored all options, I would be inclined to put lino down for now and a nice rug.. at least in tge living room and try all the places others have suggested, as and when you can afford it. Just go a bit at a time. Seems impossible but you will get there!

I was in your position a few years ago and it was not even the price of the flooring but the crazy price of someone fitting it. I got a nice wood effect vinyl throughout the apartment and it looks great and got some help from council via a grant. But we did live with the cement floors and the dust and smell is awful and cannot be good for you at all. You will get there slowly as it takes time. Try charities to see if they can help you also and hope you get sorted soon. Even if you have to do one room at a time you will get there and lucky it is a new build and you will get settled, took me around 2 years to feel settled here. Hope things work out for you.

Meant to add got a large rug for living room which makes it cosy. In time would like to replace the vinyl with hardwood as the vinyl gets soo dusty but could not get carpet as have a dog. We have St. Vincent De Paul here in Ireland, do you have any charity like that who will help you also. Pls update and let us know how you are getting on.

Lots of advice on here and @BOOTS52PollyPrissyPants there is StVince here, but not everywhere.

I was in a similar situation when I moved in to ine OP I managed to get a large thick throw and I put that on the floor like a carpet square.

I had laminate put down but as I was doing a whole bungalow I could negotiate on price as I was buying as much as a fitter would.

It will become home in time OP,

For anyone shocked by the council not fitting carpets. If the OP carpets the place beautifully and then in 10 years moves out, the council will rip up the carpets before a new tenant moves in.

Hi Sassh other housing associations here in Ireland do tile the bathrooms and kitchen and do a better finish. How do you find the laminate, does it gather dust alot. Maybe I just need to hoover more....would love hardwood but it is the fitting of it that is expensive but flooring looks nice and wear slippers and lucky have triple glazing on new build. Takes a while to get settled and I remember we only had a rocking chair and a garden chair at the start and the cement flooring. Thank god have sofa and slowly got bits and pieces and artwork so places looks more homely. Now just need start on front garden as like a jungle..