The Bedroom Flooring Style Designers Say Makes A Room Look Cheap

Your bedroom should be a sanctuary that reflects your personal style and creates a cozy atmosphere. The flooring you choose plays a huge role in setting the tone for the entire space. I’ve consulted with top interior designers to identify the bedroom flooring styles that can instantly downgrade your room’s appearance.

Here are five flooring options that professionals recommend avoiding if you want your bedroom to look elegant rather than cheap.

1. Linoleum With Dated Patterns or Colors

Remember those kitchen floors from your grandmother’s house? That same linoleum has no place in a modern bedroom. The faux marble swirls, checkerboard patterns, or floral designs that were popular decades ago instantly make your sleeping space feel outdated.

The material itself often yellows over time, especially when exposed to sunlight. Beyond aesthetics, cheap linoleum tends to tear easily near furniture legs and doorways. When it bubbles or warps from moisture, even the most beautifully decorated bedroom looks neglected and uninviting.

2. Outdated Carpeting With Stains or Wear Patterns

Nothing screams “neglected space” louder than worn-out bedroom carpeting. Those traffic patterns that form pathways from the door to the bed instantly age your room and make it appear unmaintained. Stains that never quite came out tell tales of spills past, while sun-faded areas create an uneven color palette.

Even worse are those once-trendy carpet colors from decades past – the salmon pinks, hunter greens, or baby blues that immediately date your bedroom to a specific era.

3. Laminate Flooring With a Shiny, Plastic Appearance

Walking into a bedroom with super-glossy laminate flooring feels like entering a showroom rather than a personal retreat. That artificial shine creates unnatural light reflections and highlights every speck of dust or footprint.

Designers particularly dislike the hollow sound these floors produce when walked on – a dead giveaway of inexpensive materials. The worst offenders are those with unrealistic wood patterns that repeat too frequently, creating an obviously manufactured look that lacks the natural variation of authentic hardwood.

4. Mismatched or Poorly Installed Hardwood

Real hardwood should elevate your bedroom, but poorly executed installation achieves the opposite effect. Large gaps between boards collect dust and create an unfinished appearance that cheapens even expensive wood varieties. Mixing different wood species or finishes creates a patchwork effect that looks like a DIY gone wrong.

I’ve seen beautiful bedrooms ruined by hardwood installed perpendicular to natural light sources, which emphasizes every imperfection instead of creating that warm, inviting glow that properly oriented boards can achieve.

5. Peel-and-Stick Vinyl Tiles With Obvious Seams

You might be tempted by the low cost and easy installation of peel-and-stick vinyl tiles, but designers consistently warn against them. When these tiles are installed improperly, the seams become glaringly obvious over time, creating an uneven, patchy look across your bedroom floor.

The thin material also tends to curl at the edges after exposure to humidity or temperature changes. Many cheaper versions can’t accurately mimic natural materials like wood or stone, leaving your bedroom looking obviously fake and budget-conscious.