Can’t afford carpet

Q: We have rental property with stained hard wood floor found under a stained dirty carpet. What would be the most cost efficient solution for us to consider? I thought of staining the floor dark to try to hide the stains and adding a large area rug to room with a one and half foot allowance of wood floor showing.

Not sure what to do. We don’t want the expense of wall to wall carpet.

A: I am at a loss here. You don’t want the expense of wall to wall carpet, which is actually cheaper than having a floor professionally stained and finished. Make no mistake: Flooring work is not for the do it yourselfer. You may as well paint the floor if all you are trying to do is save money.