Leftover Flooring? 5 Projects to Make Use of It

Congratulations! The contractors are cleaning up and your brand new floor looks amazing. But wait, you see in the corner a stack of floorboards, or vinyl and laminate pieces, or ceramic tiles and your contractor wants to know if they should take it with them when they leave. If you are even a little bit crafty and have some free time, you might want to consider keeping the extra flooring. Searching for leftover flooring ideas online will give you many different ways to use up your extras AND spruce up your home.

• Bowling Alley in the Yard—How fun! Using extra hardwood or laminate flooring, piece together a 15-20ft long section for a bowling alley. Use 4x4s as the rails or bumpers and a sheet of plywood for the back. Yes, you will have to go get the pins every time or you can make your kids, husband, partner, or best friend stand down there while it’s your turn. Check out this version from Apartment Therapy.

• Signs— Paint your leftover laminate or hardwood boards and put your favorite phrase or quote on them. These also make great gifts for baby showers, weddings, housewarmings, and birthdays.

• Frame a Mirror—You know those inexpensive full-length mirrors they sell at the big box stores? The kind where the frame cracks almost as soon as you get it installed? Remove it when you get home and frame it in your leftover hardwood flooring. You can even distress or varnish the wood to make it rustic or shabby chic.

• Install a Backsplash—Depending on the size of your kitchen, you can use you leftover flooring as a custom backsplash. The options are endless with paint, stain, and stencils. You can also do the same with a small bar area and to be very on trend, stain or paint it a dark color.

• Wainscoting—Depending on the amount you have left over, you can install wainscoting in a bedroom or dining room. Customize the look with paint or stain and install a chair rail to top it off.

• Ceiling Panels—This is a cute idea for an attic bedroom, install light-colored floorboards on the ceiling using adhesive and nails. It would be the perfect finishing touch for a rustic, cabin-themed bedroom.

• Doormat—Take several hardwood floorboards and trim to the size doormat you want to make. Drill four equally spaced holes on each board and string them together to create a mat. It’s cute AND functional with dirt, rocks, and other debris falling through the slats.

Don’t have enough leftover flooring to finish your project? Check Craigslist and other yard sale sites to see if anyone has listed some for free. It’s surprising how often people give away great material. Remember to play it safe when contacting people online. Many police stations will offer a safe space for vendors and customers to meet, contact your local precinct to see if they are one of them.