Flooring a new closet

[MBAustin]

So we had 2 water heaters in our not-that-large house and replaced them with 1, so I now have a nice 3'x3' closet available. Unfortunately, it's bare concrete slab. It's in the bedroom hallway, which is engineered hardwood, and I don't have enough spare to do that and also fix the water damage from the toilet leak while we were traveling.

I've tried looking for something similar but when I found one possibility, the least I could buy was way more than I need.

I would be OK with vinyl of some kind, but again don't know where to find such a small quantity. I do have plenty of leftover tile from various projects - should I just hire someone to put tile down?

Other creative ideas? FYI, I'll most likely install some shelving on one side and use the other for vacuum, broom, mop, etc. Nothing fancy.

TIA.

 

[Jerry1]

I would go with the tile and be done with it. I’ve always had left overs from flooring projects. I assume you could find a small quantity of many options on Craigslist, especially if you were patient. I think there are also ways to post Wanted to Buy. But, the tile is a good option and less hassle. You could even buy some tile and some trim pieces if you have something in particular that you want. A lot of tile can be bought in small quantities, even per tile.

 

[ivinsfan]

So we had 2 water heaters in our not-that-large house and replaced them with 1, so I now have a nice 3'x3' closet available. Unfortunately, it's bare concrete slab. It's in the bedroom hallway, which is engineered hardwood, and I don't have enough spare to do that and also fix the water damage from the toilet leak while we were traveling.

I've tried looking for something similar but when I found one possibility, the least I could buy was way more than I need.

I would be OK with vinyl of some kind, but again don't know where to find such a small quantity. I do have plenty of leftover tile from various projects - should I just hire someone to put tile down?

Other creative ideas? FYI, I'll most likely install some shelving on one side and use the other for vacuum, broom, mop, etc. Nothing fancy.

TIA.

Personally I might leave it cement or go with the free tile.I don't think you'll get anyone to bid such a small job..

 

[Aerides]

I don't think you'll be able to hire anyone (besides an unlicensed local handy-next-door type person for a job that small. But being that small, you can't really go wrong.

How about getting some nice planks of wood, sanded and sealed - maybe stained similar to the hallway - and laid in the space? You could then keep it in place with some very simple baseboard trim around it.

If you need to cut tile to fit your existing leftovers, you can usually rent a tile saw, or buy a cheapy one for a job like that instead.

 

[Bamaman]

You could paint the concrete floor. Or get a carpet scrap and put it down. Or, you could put shelves in the closet and cover it up.

Putting tile in is too much hassle for such a small place.

 

[Janet H]

Flooring stores have remnants. You could start there. Personally I would look for a small chunk of carpet pad and a piece of cut pile carpet and loose lay it in the closet. Almost no work and no expense.

Vinyl planks are also easy to lay. Again, you can probably ask at a flooring store about remnants.

 

[Scrapr]

Habitat restore? Or other building material re use store?

 

[YakGrl]

Peel and stick vinyl squares are an option. You can buy them by the box. Not fancy but they would do the job and be easy to clean.

 

[Walt34]

If none of the above suggestions work for you, how about a piece of plywood cut to fit, and then finished the way you want it? With the right stain you can make it look like almost any kind of wood you want, put a protective waterproof finish over that, and in a closet it's unlikely anyone is paying close attention anyway.

For a 3 x 3 piece, someplace like Lowes or Home Depot might have that in the scrap bin or at least small cost for what you'd normally pay.

 

[OldShooter]

Personally, I would go with DIY ceramic tile. Plastic (aka vinyl, fake stone, etc.) is a prohibited substance in our home and is presently isolated to the top of one metal table in the basement storage room. But few are as crazy as I am.

 

[zinger1457]

Since you have the extra tile already I would go with that, fairly easy DIY job especially if it's just a 3x3 area, you might even get lucky and not have to cut any tiles. Just pick up some pre-mixed tile mastic and a trowel (<$3) at HD or Lowes. It's just a closet, doesn't have to be super neat and it won't get a lot of traffic.

 

[RunningBum]

Peel and stick vinyl squares are an option. You can buy them by the box. Not fancy but they would do the job and be easy to clean.

I like that. Cheap and simple. You should be able to do this yourself.

 

[Senator]

Vinyl planks are also easy to lay. Again, you can probably ask at a flooring store about remnants.

+1
Vinyl planks. Life proof at Home Depot. Maybe one box, $3 a sq ft.

Stick on squares will not stick to raw cement. It's likely too rough. The floor will show through.

Ceramic tile is great, but a PITA.

Vinyl planks are the newest thing. Water proof, free floating, easy.

 

[Music Lover]

Check internet buy and sell...lots of people sell leftover flooring after a project.

Vinyl flooring also comes in 6' widths...you could buy a 3' piece for next to nothing.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Since everyone else already took all the good ideas, I'll throw this out there: if you're going to use it for storage, get those interlocking rubber tiles they have for kid's playrooms and playgrounds. You might only need one or two, and you can just cut it to size, you probably wouldn't need to glue it down if you fit it right.

 

[Music Lover]

^^

I was going to suggest that...they come 2"x2", so you only need 2 tiles. Can probably be done for less than $10

 

[pb4uski]

Peel and stick vinyl squares are an option. You can buy them by the box. Not fancy but they would do the job and be easy to clean.

+1 We did that for the half bathroom in DW's sewing loft and the kitchen and a couple bathrooms in Mom's house.... a little over $1/sf .... peel and stick and look like ceramic tile.... the nicer ones even have beveled edges so you can just put them down and even grout between the tiles to hide the edges. They easily cut with a sharp box cutter or drywall knife. After all.... it's a closet.

 

[mountainsoft]

Vinyl planks. Life proof at Home Depot. Maybe one box, $3 a sq ft.

Stick on squares will not stick to raw cement. It's likely too rough. The floor will show through.

Ceramic tile is great, but a PITA.

Vinyl planks are the newest thing. Water proof, free floating, easy.

I was going to suggest Vinyl Planks too. Floating floor, no mortar or grout to mess with, easily cuts with a knife (score and snap, or use a jigsaw). I used vinyl planks for my mom's kitchen and dining, easy to install, waterproof, and looks great.

If you already have ceramic tile leftovers and can do the work yourself, it would be a good option too. It's just more time and labor intensive.

 

[Ronstar]

A Lumber Luquidators store near us had a small supply of hardwood floor for sale. I bought it and installed it in our mbr closet.

Something like that may work for op, but may not match the adjoining room

 

[MBAustin]

Thanks for all the great ideas! The raw cement floor is pretty rough so the peel-n-stick may not be the way to go. I think I'll first get some of my leftover tile out and see if it would fit without cutting, and if that doesn't work, I'll check out the vinyl planks. Also our neighborhood is having a garage sale this weekend so I might just luck out on something there.

 

[pb4uski]

Depending on how rough that floor is you may want to apply some leveling first.... even if you go with vinyl planks.

 

[MBAustin]

Thanks for all of your helpful suggestions. I struck out at the Habitat Re-Store (only tile) and was still mulling over other options when I found a floor mat at Costco that was almost exactly the right size (perfect depth, a little too wide). For $13 I figured it would do for now and I can always do something else later.

I finished installing the shelving (IKEA Algot) today and now I have a terrific new closet! (Sorry, don't know how to fix the photo rotation issue.)