Carpet remnants: good hack for an area rug?

[englishteacheralex]

We've got a toddler and an infant and our rock-hard ceramic tile in the living room is not going to cut it. I hate wall-to-wall carpet and it's only about a 9X9 sq ft space (it's a condo). Was looking at area rugs but man 8X10 ones are pricey. Plus I don't want any busy patterns. Just a plain beige berber carpet will do fine.

A friend of mine has a giant carpet remnant area rug in her living room and it's awesome. I visited the carpet warehouse today and they have 8x10 Berber remnants that are pre-cut and bound for $159. My belief is that though I might be able to find an 8x10 area rug for this price, it wouldn't be as high quality. Is this true? Keep in mind I'm in Hawaii and shipping tends to kill any bargains for this kind of thing.

ALSO: my friend with the carpet remnant swears by her carpet pad to make the whole situation softer and nicer. Carpet pads can be pricey, but the whole point of the carpet is to soften the impact so my poor toddlers' heads don't crack like a dropped egg when they inevitably wipe out as they learn to walk. So maybe a pad would be worth it. Any suggestions on carpet pads?

[trashmanz]

Depends on the pattern and the size.  Some remnant places offer good deals, but then you also want to have backing and then they I think usually sew or close up the edges somehow or you get frayed ends.  For us, we have a tile downstairs and we just threw down a cheap big remnant piece and it works for us.  Its not so much as a rug than as carpet thats not installed.  In our front room we have another remnant piece as well for the kids play area.  I think I rug may typically be more stylish, but a remnant can get just as functional.  How much you save depends on the store and the carpet type. 

[Metric Mouse]

You can get carpet padding for like 30 cents a square foot. So another 25 bucks to pad your room. I'd say it would be worth it.

[Ms Ida]

I think lot depends on the quality of the remnant. My mom baught a bound remnant of wool carpet and it lasted her over 20 years with a couple kids and dogs doing their worst :)

[GizmoTX]

We used Flor carpet squares to build an area rug. They connect by using an adhesive circle every place where 4 corners meet. They've held up for over 8 years. If one gets impossibly stained, you can simply replace it with another square.

[ltt]

A year or so ago, I was looking for some type of plush, plain carpet to cover an area in front of our bed.  I believe I was looking for around a 5 x 7 or so piece.  Unfortunately, they would only sell it in a larger piece--can't remember what size.  I found a piece of carpet that I liked, and it was fairly thick, but there was a minimum size that they had to sell me. What they did was cut me out the size I wanted, and then I had a piece of scrap left which I had them cut down even further to make 2 smaller rugs, which I placed on each side of the bed.  I had all 3 pieces bound.  I do use a carpet pad for all 3 of them.  Berber, while nice and I absolutely love it, is not what I would consider thick, especially for toddlers--even with a carpet pad.  I think what you are looking for is a higher end of carpet, a more plush carpet.  Area rugs just aren't that thick, but a piece of carpet cut to the size you need will be if you buy a better brand.  I do use carpet pads on all area rugs/carpeting, except for our kitchen rugs.  The kitchen rugs are always sliding around.  I have never regretted spending the extra money to buy a nicer, thicker carpet to cover an area.   

[PJ]

I bought some plain beige area rugs pretty cheaply at Home Depot a few years back.  Can't remember exactly how much I paid, but pretty sure it was less that $159, since I bought several (9x12, 8x10, and 5x7).  I suspect they are remnants that have been bound at the edges, but don't know for sure.

But I gotta question the choice of beige, with two young kids.  I have pets, not kids, but really regret not choosing something darker and with at least a little bit of pattern to hide stains and dirt.

[SKL-HOU]

Not trying to be a smart a$$ but will a 8x10 fit in an "about 9x9" space? Or is the space at least 10' on one side?

[englishteacheralex]

Some great ideas...8x10 would work because it's actually a giant condo rectangle of living/dining room and the rug gets to decide where the dining room starts and the living room ends.

Good thoughts about plush carpet vs Berber and a carpet pad. Thanks!

[SKL-HOU]

Ok that makes sense. :)