What is the least expensive flooring to use in a bedroom?

ply wood squares stained or painted. use them like over sized tile.

Vinyl planks, laminate. Both easy to install.

What surface is below the carpet you tore out? Plywood? If so, sand and clean it well. Then you can paint it using porch & deck paint (more durable) and seal it with a satin finish clear coat (also porch & deck paint). Take a look at Lowe's. You can get ideas for a pattern (make it look like a carpet, for example) from the paint books there.

what is the flooring underneath the carpet?

Katie, If it's plywood underneath just go with it- sand, stain and enjoy!

How about paint? If the old carpet and all the nails, glue and splinters are gone, you can just pour paint in one area of the room. Use a long-handled sponge roller to spread the paint evenly, following the grain of the wood. Check the rest of your house for some throw rugs that would look good in your room. If you still need throw rugs, then go to places like Home Depot, Salvation Army, and Family Dollar, and get two or three throw rugs. Find the perfect painting, highlighting the new floor color, possibly in another room! Don’t be afraid to touch up the picture or the frame to make them look better. Change lamps if you need to, and even the bedcovers, and you will have an inexpensive makeover for your bedroom or a guest room. Katie, please take photos and post your work on Hometalk. I’d love to see it. ☺️

I have seen bead board put on a bathroom floor and stained, it looked very good, although I imagine it was a nightmare to clean!

I did see a tutorial once for a plywood floor that used plywood boards made to look like strips of wood/floorboards. Each board had been measured to show different widths and lengths of ”boards” and had been surface cut to represent those “boards” it was a shallow cut for effect only. That coils be stained or painted.

So many wonderful ideas....you guys are great! Thank you all so much

I just finished my living room area with vinyl peel-stick vinyl squares. I love the way it turned out.

Nice!

Plywood is no longer a dirt cheap material.

Sanding, painting, or staining it is not a physically easy job.

I have read a lot on this site about brown paper bag floors over the plywood then some type of laminate or poly. Check it out. Can’t get less expensive and may be a quick nice looking update. Good luck!

depending on budget paint is least expensive. Rolls of flooring have come a long way and depending on the size needed...see if there is a habitat store they have spare materials. or place a wanted ad on craigslist for size and type of flooring you are looking for. There may be sales at local flooring places for peel and stick floor tile which would be easy to install and depending on the traffic would look nice.