Last Updated on July 14, 2022

These cheap flooring ideas are budget-friendly, but high on style. Check out these affordable ways to update old tile, wood, vinyl and linoleum floors. 

Y'all, we all know that one of the most expensive things to replace in your home is flooring. Hardwood, tile, laminate hardwood…there are lots of choices, and most require a professional installer and come with a seriously hefty price tag. But there are cheap flooring ideas that can save your budget and are absolutely beautiful! I have personally used many of these flooring ideas myself and have never regretted it!

Check out the AMAZING ideas below and get inspired! 

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Affordable DIY Flooring Ideas

Update Tile With Tile Stickers

Tile stickers allow you to update outdated tile floors without any sort of demo or hard work. Tile stickers are made from vinyl and are completely waterproof. And they are far more affordable than entirely new flooring! They are quick and easy to install and are completely painless compared to re-tiling. They work beautifully on ceramic tile, porcelain tiles and any other tiles that don't have textures. I would not recommend using tile stickers on travertine, slate or other natural stone tiles. Tile stickers really need a smooth surface to adhere properly.

I have personally used tile stickers in Avery's bathroom makeover. Here are the tile stickers we used in Avery's bathroom.

And we also used tile stickers to update the tile floor in Attley's budget-friendly bathroom makeover! Here are the tile stickers we used in Attley's bathroom.

Below are some of other beautiful tile stickers that I've seen.

Scroll and click on any image for full product details.

I'm not the only one who has used tile stickers. My friend Laura used them in her bathroom, as you can see below!

Vinyl Floor Stickers Over Old Tile by TheTurquoise Home

Install Sheet Vinyl Over Outdated Tile

You can also install sheet vinyl over tile like my friend Lauren of Bless'er House did.

Sheet Vinyl Floors Over Tile by Bless'er House

Paint and Stencil An Outdated Tile Floor

Painting and stenciling an old tile floor is always an option as well! Just make sure that you use the correct products (porch and floor paint is a must) and prep the surface correctly. As long as you do that, your paint job should last for YEARS. And no, you don't need a topcoat on the floor as long as you use porch and floor paint. Just look at the beautiful painted tile floors below!

Painted Tile by Remington Avenue

Faux Cement Tile Painted Floors by Bright Green Door

3 Ways to Revive Damaged Hardwoods

Hiring a professional to refinish hardwood floors can be expensive. It generally costs $3 to $8 per square foot. But having wood floors refinished is not the only way to save them! You could choose to sand, restain and seal your hardwood floors yourself, but it's a tricky DIY job and would require equipment rental and a lot of time.

Have you heard of having your hardwood floors screened? Also known as “buffing,” screening involves sanding a thin layer of polyurethane from your hardwood floors. Then a fresh coat of polyurethane is applied. This is a great option if you have surface scratches, but no deep or extensive damage. There's still a decent price tag involved in this option. The cost to screen, buff, and recoat hardwood floors is generally $1.00 to $2.50 per square foot. But it's far less than having floors fully refinished.

The most budget-friendly option for reviving worn-out hardwoods is applying a project like Rejuvenate. This is what we plan to do in our house very soon! It fills in scratches, restores shine and protects hardwood flooring. Best of all, it bonds to existing polyurethane finishes and you simply pour it on and mop it in a circular motion to apply it. It dries in 1 hour! And the price can't be beaten–one 32oz bottle covers up to 525 sq. ft. Talk about a cheap flooring idea! One thing to note, you cannot use it on wood floors that are waxed or oiled.

Paint Your Damaged Hardwood Floors

If your hardwood floors are seriously damaged (or you just don't like them) but replacing or refinishing them is not in your budget, you still have some awesome options! Whether you like colorful decor or prefer neutrals, you should definitely consider painting your hardwoods. I have painted and stenciled hardwood floors myself and can tell you that as long as you use porch and floor paint and prep your floors correctly, you do NOT need to worry about the paint peeling or chipping! And NO–you really, truly don't need a top coat on them. This is the kind of paint you MUST use for durable painted hardwood floors. Paint is an excellent way to hide stains and even out imperfections in worn-out wood floors! And painted wood floors can look beautiful no matter your style.

Liz Marie painted the hardwoods in her farmhouse the perfect creamy white/cream color. Aren't they stunning with the rest of her neutral decor?

If you prefer a pop of color, then you will love these painted green floors by White Dog Vintage. They add so much depth and character to the space.

And I love how Teri Moore of T. Moore Home painted her historic hardwoods white in an otherwise colorful space!

Paint Your Vinyl or Linoleum Floors

We painted our vinyl floor in our old laundry room using this porch and floor paint. Simple stripes gave it a fresh new look that we loved! Again, as long as you use porch and floor paint, they should be super durable without the need for any topcoat!

Install a Luxury Vinyl Tile Floor Outdated or Damaged Floors

If you don't like the idea of painting or reviving your hardwoods, all hope is not lost. You can install a floating floor right over them! The term “floating floor” does not refer to a type of flooring material. Instead it refers to the method of installation that can be used with a variety of materials, including laminates, engineered hardwood, and luxury vinyl flooring. With a floating floor, individual planks or tiles interlock edge-to-edge to form a single surface that rests on the underlayment. It is MUCH quicker and easier than glue-down or nail-down methods and can look absolutely gorgeous. We installed a floating floor in our laundry room and it's beautiful! Best of all, it's incredibly durable and was inexpensive! This is the floating faux marble tile we used–it's gorgeous.

Install Peel & Stick Tiles Over Any Flat Floor

We installed peel & stick luxury vinyl tiles right over vinyl floors in our old house. The installation only took about an hour and it looked beautiful! This should work on any flat floors–vinyl sheet floors, linoleum floors, hardwood, even bare subfloors! But if you wanted to install this over grouted tile, you would need to fill in/level the grout lines first.

Seriously Clever and Cheap DIY Flooring Options

By cheap I mean the most affordable options! And none of these ideas skimp on style. I love every single one of them! In fact, some of the least expensive flooring ideas are my favorite!

Wallpaper Your Floor

Wallpapered Floor by Grillo Designs-Medina updated the scratched laminate flooring in the entryway of her rental with wallpaper. How cool is that?!

Stain Your Subfloor

If you really want the look of hardwood floors without the huge price tag, consider this stained plywood subfloor by Ana-White!

Create the Look of Hardwood Planks With Plywood

Or you could create your own plywood plank floors like Christina at Remodelando la Casa (below) or the white wide-plank plywood floors from Little Green Notebook (second photo below).

Make Your Own Geometric Wood Floors

And if you are feeling SUPER adventurous and are patient, then you could install these DIY geometric wood flooring like Mandi at Vintage Revivals. I love, love, love these floors so much. Someday I will install them somewhere!

Cover Your Floor With Unusual Materials

Now let's look at some of the most original flooring ideas I've ever seen. Check out his incredible scrabble tile floor by Katie Lo of Mullo Designs. I mean… it's so cool. I've never seen anything like it!

And these gorgeous green art paper floors by Lazy Cozy are like nothing I've ever seen before. So creative!

I am so impressed with all of these cheap flooring ideas! They are so pretty and don't blow your makeover budget out of the water. Which is your favorite? I am seriously in love with those green-painted floors! Also, the scrabble tile floor is insanely clever and fun. I love seeing how creative people can be with their budgeting dollars!

I hope these cheap flooring ideas have given you some ideas for updating the flooring in your own home. Sometimes all you need is a little info and inspiration!

Here are some other posts you may enjoy:

• How to Install a Floating Luxury Vinyl Tile Floor
• How to Install a Stair Runner Yourself
• The Easy Way to Update Bathroom Tile Without Replacing It!
• 15 Affordable DIY Countertops That Will Blow Your Mind
• DIY Concrete Fireplace For Less than $100!
• 18+ Budget Friendly DIY Backsplash Ideas
• DIY Staircase Makeover in 2 Days: Tutorial & Reveal

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