Help with floors (carpet tile)

[sheltona01]

I am renting a space for my saddles. It is not client facing. It has really nasty carpet floor tiles down and I want to remove them. I have the landlords permission. It is plywood under them. Normally I wouldn’t care and just pull up the carpet tiles, but there will be glue left on the plywood. Any suggestions on the most economical ways to deal with the floor? I was thinking about just laying plastic vapor barrier down and be done with it. However worried about ripping it as I walk over it.

Suggestions welcome!

[cbg]

Look at the rolled carpet at Home Depot. I think it’s 12’ wide by whatever length you need and as I recall it’s about $1 per square foot. It’s easy to cut to fit with an exacto knife.

We’ve used it in our basement work areas and it holds up well. We do use double sided carpet tape where it meets a doorway or other high traffic areas just so we don’t catch a toe.

[OnAMission]

Vinyl sheet flooring?

[Ajierene]

Depending on how the glue looks, floating floor may be a good option - inexpensive, easy to install and relatively easy uninstall, hides minor deviations in the subfloor (uneveness, glue and other stuck items) so you are walking on a smooth surface. Also easier to clean than carpet (spills and what not).
https://www.lowes.com/pl/Laminate-flooring-Laminate-Flooring/4294856495

I am not sure what the carpet is that @cbg mentioned, there are indoor/outdoor options that are easy to lay down and tape as mentioned but there may be some bumps in the floor if the glue from the carpet tile doesn’t all come off. There is a version of indoor carpet with attached padding that will hide some of that glue and you can use tape in the doorways and high traffic areas.

Regular indoor carpeting doesn’t always work well with just tape since the backing isn’t smooth.

I wouldn’t suggest sheet vinyl since it will curl if not properly secured and properly securing is probably more work than it’s worth.

Self stick vinyl tile may be an option but plywood is relatively porous so self stick adhesive on the tile doesn’t always stick well.

My vote is plank flooring…but I also tend to prefer hard surfaces…so…

[ShenanAnna]

There are clear plastic carpet protector runners that are stiff enough to be sturdy and safe, and don’t actually attach to the floor so you can reuse (or sell) them when you’re done with them.

[LCDR]

You didn’t give us the size, but if it is approximately stall size, another option is rubber mats, And if a finished appearance is not needed just screw down a few sheets of fresh plywood over the existing plywood. Or just find a suitable area rug on sale and put that down.

Another thing to consider is how much effort you want to put into keeping the new floor clean. Carpet, even outdoor carpet, will need a vacuum cleaner. Wood and vinyl you can sweep.

[JanM]

They sell remnants of sheet vinyl at the big box hardware stores. They also have carpet remnants too. Price is good on both, colors or patterns may be a little ugly, but it will do the job.

There’s usually a section of the remnants at the end of the flooring section.

Since you need huge sections, I would go with sheet vinyl. Rug of any kind will hold dampness, and soon smell musty. They make some very thick sheet vinyl, that is very hard to scratch. Even when they do an entire room, the installers only glue the doorways, and a few other areas down, so you just need a little adhesive to keep the vinyl from shifting, or pervent it being a trip hazard in doorways.

[sheltona01]

Thank you everyone! This gives me some good ideas. The space is an old restaurant, which gives you the idea of the size.