Sometimes it really does pay to read the fine print. Or, in this case, to listen to the justification. In an Orlando, Fla., studio apartment, Hildi faced the challenge of designing a new look for a room with a particularly serious case of ugly carpeting. The wall-to-wall carpet was dirty and stained and almost certainly beyond saving. Yet, this being Trading Spaces time and money imposed strict limits on what could be done about it.

When Hildi let it be known that she intended to paint the carpet, she told her quite obviously shocked co-workers that she was acting more out of desperation than good design sense. There's not much that can be done with old carpeting except to replace it, she explained. But removing glued down carpet can be a long and tedious chore, and she did not want to take the chance that the small team would inadvertently commit themselves to a project that could not be completed in two days. Still, something had to be done with that carpet.

Hildi decided to paint the carpet, using the same dark brown that she had selected for the ceilings. She mixed the latex paint with a healthy dose of latex paint conditioner and then applied the paint with a standard roller. Although she did not specify the exact ratio, it appeared that she mixed one part of conditioner with two parts of paint. As viewers of this episode could readily see, the paint went on easily and the change in color certainly helped the room. Hildi did mention that, had time permitted, it would have helped to give the carpet a second coat of paint.