If you haven't read the Diorama 101 page, please do so.  It is sort of the syllabus for this diorama course.  If you've already read it, carry on!!

Flooring for dioramas frustrated me at first until I realized that if you are photographing the dioramas, flooring, like wallpaper, doesn't have to be perfect.  It will show more in a doll house, but you can hide a lot in photos.
The easiest wooden floor to do is a tabletop.  You will see a number of my one wall dioramas done this way.  The only problem is that you have to have a big enough table to do it and that, unless you're faster than I am, you will probably force everyone to eat several meals in the family room with their plates in their laps.

For dioramas, I have a number of floors I've created by using wood grain contact paper applied to foam core.  I have a stack of these in my doll room and pull them out as I need them.  Two of my favorites are a butcher block pattern in a lighter color and a rustic looking floor that is slightly darker. The pattern on both looks small enough for doll flooring.  I used the rustic floor in the Antique Booth because it looks like the floor in an old building, which seems to be where most of the antique malls are.  The butcher block pattern, which is more sleek and modern, I used  in the Contemporary Living Room.

For bathrooms and kitchens, I prefer tile.  I have a number of tile pieces I picked up for next to nothing at garage sales.  (If you don't go to garage sales, ask family and friends if they have left over pieces you can have.  Everybody seems to have a few bits left from old projects.)  You can use 12x12 inch pieces by just laying them together in whatever patterns you wish.  This works with peel and stick tiles or ceramic tiles.  If it's peel and stick, I prefer to cut them to look Barbie size, but do what works for you. 

If you don't mind working with grout and money is no object, there are wonderful sheets of tiles, that are held together by string mesh.  They are meant for counter tops and back splashes and are available at Lowe's, Builder's Square, etc.  I would apply these to plywood, then fill with grout.  I've considered doing this, but am too lazy and am allergic to spending that much money.

One of the fun things about the diorama hunt is looking for things you can adapt.  Consider the floors below.  They are bamboo mats in white, light brown and dark brown.  I love these because they can pass for paneling, too.  The white I would use for cottage flooring or in a girl's bedroom.  The light brown would work in any contemporary room.  The dark brown I would use in a very formal or old fashioned room. (You can see it in the first picture in The Failed Dining Room.  The floor in the last picture is one of my contact paper floors.)

No, that's not a mistake, I said wallpaper.  Some patterns on wallpaper will pass nicely for flooring of various types.  See the Wall section to see 2 wallpaper floors- one in the picture with the statue and one in the pic of with the bamboo background.  Look for papers with patterns that look like tile or marble.

Once you've decided on your flooring it's time to add carpets and throw rugs.
I love oriental rugs so I have a number of them and I use them in many of my dioramas.  There are very few oriental carpets that are really 1:6 scale, so you will probably have to use 1:12 scale.  Some of the rugs I use are not doll rugs, but very small oriental rugs whose pattern looks in scale.  Most of these are a little too thick, but if photographed carefully, they will do in a pinch.  The fringe on most of them are too long, so I trim them with a rotary cutter.  These rugs can be pricey, so shop around to see what they are going for, that way you will  know a bargain when you see one. 

The rug in the picture on the right is actually a mouse pad given to me as a gift by my friend Mary.  The pattern is wonderful.These are available at places like Barnes and Nobles or Schuler Books for ten or fifteen dollars.  The rug on the left is from e-bay.

I use various mats, placemats, coasters and doilies for rugs as well, but you have to choose them carefully or they look like place mats.  Try to find something that looks as much like a real rug as possible.  It shouldn't be too thick and the weave shouldn't be too big.  Ask yourself: "If this was 8x10 feet, would I put this in my living room?"  If in doubt, pass on it.

Fabric that looks like rugs and carpeting can be cut to size to use in your dioramas.  Again, ask yourself the question: "Would I, or one of my friends, use this in our living room?"  If not pass on it.

Have fun looking for rugs, and if you have ideas of suggestions, feel free to send them in.