Good cheap hardwearing easy to maintain flooring for a playroom?

[reastie]

We've just today turned our dining room into a playroom for DD. The room had a big rug on the floor and original floorboards underneath (stained dark and not really been touched for over 30 years).

We've taken the rug up and were going to have bare floorboards with a big playrug in the middle of the room (which would be smaller than the old rug so quite a bit of unstained generally mucky looking floorboards on show). this doesn't bother me too much but we've found the room is now really breezy from the holes in the floorboards and also quite echoey (and we have neighbours next door to the playroom we need to be wary about).

We push the buggy into the playroom after walks for DD to have a sleep in her buggy (she only naps in the buggy and usually has to be walked to sleep) so the floor needs to be easy to clean and withstand not showing up dirt and mud from the buggy. It seems the floorboards we have are quite slidey and I DD has nearly fallen over alot today on them (not ideal).

So, we're not sure what to do. Do we just buy the big playrug and hope for the best with the echoeyness/slippiness on the floorboards (which won't look very nice as the floorboards arn't in very good condition) but at least will be cleanable for when the buggy comes in the room or do we splurge on a carpet which is quite dark so it won't show up stains (esp as dd gets older and gets more messy things to play with - she is 1yo), or maybe a big and cheap regular rug from ikea? I really want the room to look complete and like it's meant to be like that IYKWIM. I hate everything all higgldy piggldy.

If we do get a carpet any recommendations on what to get or not get? Should we just buy a really cheap one on the basis it will only last a few years? How cheap would a really cheap one be?

I don't think we can afford wooden floors on top of floorboards plus we have piping underneath, so laminate would be a no go because of this too (plus wouldn't solve the slippy issue)

Apologies for typos

Thanks for your help (in hope)

Have the most amazing white board effect laminate in dd bedroom. Looks great -shabby chic effect ( not too shaby) but very cold underfoot. Will check the name if you like the sound of it.

Sorry didn't read whole thread. Unsuitable

Can you not just put the original rug back?

If not I'd just replace it with another big rug. It's great to have some hard flooring in a playroom IME.

Some big cushions or beanbags will really help dampen the sound.

hetty the rug that was there was from my parents on loan. It is apparently a highly expensive rug that my Mum was a little obsessive about keeping clean - I just can't take the stress of it not getting ruined now we've turned the room into a play room. I will look at ikea website and see if there is a practical coloured cheap big rug and may do that

would this rug be very impractical to vacuum and keep clean does anyone know?

Sisal carpet is hard wearing

Hard wearing yes but would it be hard to keep clean with all the bumpy bits?

If it is gappy old floorboards, I recommend that before putting carpet or rugs or vinyl down, you overboard it with WBP ply. Otherwise dirt will blow up through the gaps and stain rugs, and carpet or vinyl will wear bald in lines on the edges of the boards. The ply only needs to be 6mm or 9mm if it is just being used to make floorboards flat and smooth, and will give a good surface for whatever you might want to fit in future (except tiles, which need a stronger, thicker, more rigid floor).

Look for pipe and cable runs under the boards first (1) so you do not nail into them and (2) so that you can make lift-up panels for future maintenance.

If you want you can paint the ply, or stain and varnish it, it can look quite presentable like the deck of a boat, depending on the grade of the top veneer. Birch or spruce ply is white and not very attractive.

You can also use hardboard if you want a cheap, short-term job, but it will take just as much work and may bubble up in humid weather.

How about some of those interlocking foam squares, comfortable to sit on and fairly cheap and cheerful.

moomoomie that could be an excellent idea. We are thinking we may as well just get a new cheap dark carpet for the playroom with the thinking it will need to be replaced in a few years so why bother with anything decent or expensive. We've given ourselves a budget of £200 meaning it really will be the cheapest of the cheap in carpeting but those mats may just work. I will google how much they are

We have lovely oak floor which is mostly covered up by interlocking foam squares. They get lifted & hoovered under, buggies, wagons, cars get dragged across them, and they still look as good as new & most importantly, the floor underneath is just like new. Plus they're a soft landing for trips & falls. DD also still enjoys taking the shapes out & putting them back in. If one gets a spill, it's easily & cheaply replaced & they're nice bright colours.

I've just been looking up these foam square things and it seems the cheap ones have chemical residues that are deemed unsafe for children and some countries have stopped selling them - so now I have to find ones safe . Plus, my playroom is about 13 m sq, even taking account of the sofa in there that may still be 3 or 4 packs of the foam things which is I can't get cheap ones look like they'll end out to getting towards the cost of a cheap carpet