Experts warn these flooring choices will make it harder to sell your home — why it may pay off (quite literally) to replace them before you move

Whether you’re currently looking to put your home on the market or just always conscious of your property’s future resale value, it’s well worth understanding the flooring choices that will make it harder to sell your home. After all, every penny counts when you’re moving house.

And while I’m primarily Ideal Home’s floorcare expert, I’m also looking to put my home on the market soon myself - which means that I’ve been making small changes here and there to add value to my home. So far, this has typically been cheap maintenance and repair jobs, but I’ve also been scrutinising the flooring in my home and questioning whether I need to replace it before getting my property valued.

Plus, as Harriet Goodacre, Style Consultant at Topps Tiles explains, ‘Certain flooring choices, while practical or stylish to the current homeowner, may deter potential buyers due to concerns around aesthetics, maintenance, or cost to replace.’ So, I asked the experts which flooring choices make it harder to sell your home, and what you (and I) should do about it.

1. Higgledy-piggledy flooring

It’s not uncommon for homes to have multiple floor types. After all, the age of having carpeted bathrooms is (thankfully) behind us, but most people still like to have carpets in bedrooms or living spaces. But having too many flooring types in one home can also make it harder to sell your home, so it’s important to maintain a balance.

Paul Hambidge, Managing Director at Factory Direct Flooring, echoes this. He says, ‘The days of different rooms in the house having very different personalities are long gone. Now, there's a trend for flow and continuity throughout the entire home.’ And having different flooring types in different rooms can be a turn-off for buyers, as it just seems too higgledy-piggledy.

So, if you plan on replacing your existing flooring before you attempt to sell your home, it’s worth choosing something that will seem both aesthetically pleasing throughout the house and easy to maintain from a buyer’s point of view. Hardwood flooring is a great option for that, and while this may seem like an extra cost, it’ll be worth it as long as you keep it clean.

In fact, Dave Sayce, CEO at Compare My Move, told Factory Direct Flooring that, ‘Research shows that hardwood floors could potentially increase the value of a home up to around 5% in some instances.’ And based on the latest average UK property price (£268,319 as of Feb 2025, UK HPI), that's a £13,400 boost in value.

2. Wall-to-wall, worn carpets

Although it can be an expense you might not want to spend, buying new carpets before selling your home can drastically improve its resale value, especially if you currently have wall-to-wall, worn carpets that have seen better days. This is mainly because they may be an unwelcome project for prospective buyers.

‘While once a commonplace in many homes, wall-to-wall carpet has largely fallen out of favour with modern buyers. Carpets tend to trap allergens, pet odours and stains, which can make a home feel untidy - even if it is well maintained,’ says Harriet. This is also the case with the carpet colours going out of fashion, as well as old carpets that have seen better days.

Jane Lee

Jane Lee is an award-winning professional organiser and home stager and founder of Jane Lee Interiors. She works 1:1 with clients across Sussex and online throughout the UK, easing them through the potentially stressful process of decluttering, organising and – if they’re selling – showing them how to present their home to entice more buyers. Jane was Organiser of the Year in 2023 (Clean & Tidy Awards) and is a member of the UK Home Staging Association.

However, that doesn’t mean that you have to get rid of the carpet in your home completely. Sometimes, replacing can make a big difference, and Jane Lee, a home stager from Jane Lee Interiors, saw this for herself when she convinced two of her clients to invest in expensive neutral carpet to replace their worn ones before selling.

She says, ‘Both homes had numerous offers over the asking price and sold quickly, for £15,000 and £40,000 over the asking price. I have no doubt that the new carpets made an impact and really helped. In today’s busy world, most people don’t want the disruption and expense of having new flooring laid soon after they’ve moved in: they will either pay a premium for somewhere move-in-ready or knock a large chunk off the asking price for the cost and hassle of doing it themselves.’

3. Cheap laminate

As someone who bought a house with cheap laminate and has yet to replace it, I can speak from experience when I say that it’s one of the flooring choices that will make it harder to sell your home. After all, it was one of the ‘cons’ on my pro and con list when debating whether to buy the house or not.

Although my laminate flooring is easy to clean and maintain, I do find that it looks cheap - and that’s what Jane thinks, too. She says, ‘All the rage in the 1980s and 1990s, thin laminate is prone to warping due to lack of water-resistance, chips easily and (depending on how good the installation was) can peel and buckle as the protective top layer has worn down in high-traffic areas.’

And while opting for real wood floors instead will no doubt counteract any potential buyer’s qualms, there is a cheaper alternative if you don’t want to splash so much cash. Natalie Mudd, Co-Founder and Creative Director Knot & Grain, suggests opting for engineered wood instead as it strikes the middle-ground between cheap-looking laminate and expensive hardwood flooring.

‘Opting to invest in engineered flooring helps to future-proof your space and is designed to withstand the everyday wear-and-tear of a busy household,’ explains Natalie. ‘Alongside the practicalities that an engineered wood floor offers. The style of planks also makes a big difference to the overall finish. By choosing a classic plank or herringbone style, it helps to add value when selling a home as it offers buyers a turnkey experience.’

4. Outdated tiles

The problem with a lot of tiles - including the best bathroom tiles and kitchen tiles - is that trends come and go. And while it’s exciting to try something new when you first move into your house, they can quickly go out of fashion and cause you hassle when it comes to selling your home later down the line.

Most notably, outdated tiles can put off visual prospective buyers who like to imagine themselves living there. In fact, Harriet says, ‘When the style is decades out of date - featuring old-fashioned colours, intricate patterns or glossy finishes - it can significantly age a home.’

Not only that, but it can also get in the way of buyers looking for a turnkey home that doesn’t need any work done to it. ‘Buyers often associate outdated tiles with a need for immediate renovation, which reduces the home's perceived value. In addition, replacing tiled flooring is labour-intensive and expensive, which may discourage offers,’ Harriet adds.

Of course, you could simply take the hit without having to do the work yourself, but Harriet says it may be worth taking the time (and the money) to upgrade your kitchen or bathroom in preparation to sell. She advises to avoid tile trends and, ‘consider neutral-coloured and large-format tiles. Porcelain and ceramic options in tones like beige, grey or soft stone effects tend to have broad market appeal to the majority of buyers.’

5. Impractical flooring

Flooring is so much more than just an aesthetic choice, as it also needs to be practical for a space. This is why so many kitchen flooring ideas differ from bedroom flooring ideas. So, it’s worth noting that impractical flooring options in your home can also make it harder to sell your home, as many prospective buyers keep an eye out for this.

Harriet warns, ‘Installing flooring that doesn’t suit the function of the space can cause a whole host of issues. For example, flooring that isn’t suitable for rooms which experience high humidity, such as kitchens and bathrooms is likely to show signs of deterioration or damage if installed as well as being more susceptible to mould growth.’

If a prospective buyer sees this during the viewing (or maybe even in the online photos), they’ll be less likely to put in an offer or even book a viewing in the first place - unless they’re actively looking to put their stamp on their new home and would be willing to put in the work themselves.

So, it may be that you need to replace your flooring before you put your house on the market. And Harriet advises, ‘If you’re unsure about how suitable a surface is for a specific room then always double check with a specialist who will be able to inform you on the best approach to take such as whether it’s waterproof or not. Failing to do so is likely to cause problems when you come to selling your house.’

FAQs

What type of flooring is best for resale value?

Most experts would agree that hardwood flooring offers the best resale value. Not only is hardwood flooring timeless and always on-trend, but it’s also extremely hard-wearing. This means that it’s difficult to tarnish and will last longer than any other flooring type out there.

As a result, prospective buyers will feel confident that they’re buying a home with high-quality flooring that shouldn’t need to be replaced anytime soon. They may even be willing to pay a premium for a home with hardwood flooring.

What is the rule of 3 flooring?

The flooring rule of three states that you should never have more than three different types of flooring in your home. So, while you can opt for carpets in your bedrooms, hardwood flooring in your kitchen and tiles in your bathroom, you should avoid adding another into the mix.

If you reject the rule of three, you may find that your home starts to feel and look disjointed, and the flooring looks out of place. It can also affect the resale value of your home and put off prospective buyers.

If you're looking to sell your home, do you have any of these in your home? And if you're a potential buyer, are any other flooring choices that will put you off? Let me know in the comments!