The Bedroom Flooring Option That Can Quickly Bring Down The Value Of Your Home

Flooring is one of the first things visitors to your home will notice when they walk in the door. The right flooring can really leave an impression on guests — and if you're trying to sell, potential buyers. Unfortunately, so can the wrong flooring. That's why choosing the correct flooring material for the room is important, even in the bedroom. No one wants to climb out of bed and have their feet hit a cold, hard floor. Christy Walker, owner and broker of REMAX Signature, spoke exclusively to Hunker about which flooring options can hurt the resale value of your home, especially in the bedroom. "Typically hard/cold surfaces such as tile or stone are less desirable in bedrooms. While many people like to use rugs to create a warm environment and add style, they don't provide as great a cushion on a hard surface," she said. 

Like the kitchen and bathroom, flooring choices in the bedroom can make or break a home's resale value. "Here in Arizona, we often see carpet or LVT [luxury vinyl tile] as the most common flooring in bedrooms. In other parts of the country, wood floors tend to be more desirable," she said. While stone or tile are beautiful, they aren't very desirable in bedrooms because they are hard and cold. People often use rugs to create warmth and style, but throw rugs don't do much for softening the feel of the hard floor on your feet.

Not only should practical uses be taken into account, but so should home trends in your area. "Fairly often, flooring, like other interior selections, tend to be consistent in certain areas. So anything that circumvents typical expectations will detract from the home and may impact what a buyer is willing to offer if they are considering replacing that flooring for something more traditional," Christy Walker told Hunker in an exclusive interview. The best bedroom flooring choices will be in alignment with other homes in the neighborhood. 

If you were to use flooring materials that are too different from other homes in your area, it may have a negative impact on your resale value. It will certainly limit your pool of potential buyers. Homeowners who replace bedroom flooring with the intention of improving the look of it for resale purposes may be tempted to cut corners and use an inexpensive material. Think about it from the buyer's point of view and purchase flooring that not only looks good, but will last a long time. Hardwood flooring installation is one DIY option that would net great results. Some other DIY flooring options could be considered outdated flooring materials that may lower the value of your home. 

If you are planning to sell your home and you're concerned your flooring may be off-putting to potential buyers, replacing it may actually not be the best option. Real estate broker Christy Walker exclusively told Hunker that a better option may be to offer potential homeowners a credit for new flooring. "That leaves room for the buyer to choose the material and color that works for them – which is an added incentive – as opposed to taking whatever the seller might have selected." There is a risk, however, that some potential buyers won't be able to see past the current flooring and may be unwilling to make an offer despite the credit incentive.

Real estate agents can help mitigate some of that risk by offering visual aids to help buyers see the room with updated flooring. Walker said agents can set up poster boards with "before and after" pictures or use AI to demonstrate a room remodel. They can also get quotes from contractors to show the cost of an upgrade along with samples of the updated flooring. If you want to add an extra incentive to buyers, offer a flooring allowance and let them begin construction before closing so that it's move-in ready as soon as the new owners get the keys. If you really want to go the DIY route, though, engineered hardwood is a stunning bedroom flooring option that won't kill your budget.