As I am changing schools, I am learning to be very creative and think outside the box.
My old school bought me a BEAUTIFUL Lakeshore Carpet that I loved.
It was colorful and awesome.
I cried when they delivered it.
I WAS SO HAPPY!
But guess what belonged to the school?
The carpet. So when I left, I had to leave it.
I also shed a few tears.
Here is my old room that was awesome…
with that awesome carpet.
I loved that carpet.
My new school does not provide carpets for their teachers.
It is a classroom expense the teacher him/herself is expected to provide.
That knocked the wind out of me.
Those carpets are expensive.
But… they last so long.
And my new school has all tile flooring so it is rather needed.
I am not going to lie.
I simple do not have $400 lying around to buy a classroom carpet.
It does not exist.
But I need one.
So I had to think outside my word of gorgeous Lakeshore Carpets that I adore
to a solution that I can afford.
If you follow me on Instagram,
you may recall my dining room make over this past spring.
I used these carpet squares from Flor.com
I liked how they have held up, not moved, and how easy they are to place down.
So why not use carpet squares again?
But make my carpet my own!
I went online to www.flor.com and went to their OUTLET store,
which I circled in this image for you.
{Note that if you give them a NEW email address, you get 15% off your first purchase!}
I searched by the color squares I wanted.
I chose red, purple, green, and blue squares since those were my colored tables.
I knew yellow would stain easily and I am not a huge fan of orange.
I was able to order those colors for $5.99 a square!
Kinda awesome!
The delivery came quickly and I took my boxes to school.
At first I thought about making the squares in straight lines like the Lakeshore carpet.
But one thing I hated about that set up was how the same kids who sat at a table together,
also sat by their friend on the carpet together.
{I make them sit color coded until they can earn the right to sit where ever they want.}
But I decided to to make this pattern to mix it up!
Here is another look at it.
Here is a look at the carpet from across the room.
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It look my own daughter about 3 minutes to head over to the carpet to start playing.
I count that as a success.
You can watch me setting up the carpet here.
What is the price difference?
Instead of spending $379 plus tax and shipping for the Lakeshore Carpet that seats 20 students.
Instead of spending $379 plus tax and shipping for the Lakeshore Carpet that seats 20 students.
I spent $150 plus tax and shipping on these square for 25 students.
That price was much more doable!And there are so many color options and styles you can choose from.
You can easily make this carpet unique and to fit your room.
It can be different colors, SIZES, and styles
I DID NOT use the dots to put the square together yet.
I want to see how they work without them first.
Plus I have some ideas for moving carpet square around too.{I did not get paid or asked to write this post on behave of Flor.com.}
That price was much more doable!And there are so many color options and styles you can choose from.
You can easily make this carpet unique and to fit your room.
It can be different colors, SIZES, and styles
I DID NOT use the dots to put the square together yet.
I want to see how they work without them first.
Plus I have some ideas for moving carpet square around too.{I did not get paid or asked to write this post on behave of Flor.com.}
Wow, love the look of your new "carpet" and I really liked your video. Your kids are going to love this.
Great way to customize a carpet to fit your classroom colors! It looks fantastic!
Your "carpet" is beautiful! What a great idea! Have you started your year yet? Hope it is off to a great start!
Amanda
This is a wonderful idea and it looks beautiful! Do you know how difficult it is to remove after you adhere it? I am moving up to 2nd grade this year and they don't provide carpets and like you, I can't afford Lakeshore. Also, we have to have carpets that are flame retardant or the fire dept makes us take them out so going to a local store for a cheaper carpet isn't working either. I will be in a new modular classroom so I know they will not like it if I stick anything to the floor that will be hard to remove. Any advice because I LOVE your idea! Thanks!
Jen
They don't stick to anything. I can pick them up and move them now. They have these circles you can use to make them stick to each other IF you want them to, but I kept them in the box for now.
Hi! I love this! Thanks for posting this! I am not understanding what you mean by you did not use the dots to put the squares together yet? Can you please explain? I was also wondering since these are all separate squares, how do you keep them all together and from separating from each other?
They give you these circles that are sticky. You can put them in the corners of the squares to "connect" them if you want to. I used them for my carpet at home. I did not use them here yet. I think I am going to feel out this arrangement first then MAYBE use it. I am not sure yet. I don't keep them together just yet. I am going to test it with my kids. BUT i like the idea of them grabbing their square and moving it to read to self somewhere in the room.
I love your idea!
I am deciding on a classroom rug. Before purchasing, I’d love to know how the squares withstood your kindergarten class. Thank you!
It withstood a full year! I had to use the Flordots to hold it together. This year I broke it down into table pods and they are still working extremely well. I do have to get Flordots every year, but that is because I have to take it apart in the summer for the custodians to clean my floors. AND I love that they can be extracted and cleaned. 🙂
I am just curious as to how this idea worked out. Did you ever use the dots to stick them to the floor, or do they stay in place pretty well without the dots? How many years of use have you gotten out of them?
I use them every year just under my tables now. The edges get a little frayed but I am LOVING them.