Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend?

2sunshines · 04-07-2016, 03:29 PM

We are replacing the flooring in the family room and playroom. I think I want hard flooring since at least part of it is a very major traffic path for our family and the existing carpet was always getting SO filthy.

We need something that is either fairly easy to install or inexpensive to get installed.

What do you recommend and love?

gerberadaisy · 04-07-2016, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2sunshines

We are replacing the flooring in the family room and playroom. I think I want hard flooring since at least part of it is a very major traffic path for our family and the existing carpet was always getting SO filthy.

We need something that is either fairly easy to install or inexpensive to get installed.

What do you recommend and love?

We used click & lock laminate flooring for upstairs. We bought fairly inexpensively online at build direct.com. They sent us 5 samples free so we knew what we were getting. They also sell hardwood & other flooring.

I really loved their customer service. At least the woman we dealt with. about 3 weeks after we ordered our flooring, she called just to check up to see how things were going. She also told us to skip buying a tool we needed from them because the shipping would be more than the actual item.

A few downsides with them is they do have minimum amounts for ordering & shipping can be pricey but for us, even with shipping it was less than what we would have spent otherwise. You'll want to see if the flooring you like has the trim pieces as well. We needed a stair nose & forgot so have a slightly different piece for that.

mommylove · 04-07-2016, 08:15 PM

I second the laminate flooring; we've put it in my last 2 houses. The first house, DH did it himself. He was a trooper & did a great job. The 2nd house, Home Depot was running a special -- pay full price & get installation for $395 (or something.) Having someone else do it was way worth it. My only warning about the stuff is that sand will scratch the laminate. If you don't live where there's sand, you're good.

RiverRock · 04-08-2016, 10:49 AM

Laminate can be loud if you have a dog with clickity-clacking nails. Also, there are so many levels of quality in laminate now, that they aren't necessarily cheap. Have you looked at vinyl tiles that are made to look like hardwood?

I suggest you go to a few flooring stores to see what stands out to you, and then take notes on the pros and cons of your favourite options. There are so many factors to consider.

ViolaMum · 04-13-2016, 06:25 PM

I've always said that if I had the opportunity to redo a floor, I'd check into cork tiles. (I watched Martha Stewart install them in a kitchen once. It looked really good, and the one time I priced them out, they were affordable.) Never actually done it, though.

My parents have laminate flooring in their current house, and it's noisy. They installed pre-finished hardwood in their last house and it looked great! I think it was a little (?) more than laminate, but not as pricey as traditional hardwood. Plus it can be refinished.

Aerynne · 04-13-2016, 06:47 PM

I thought I wanted tile but I don't recommend it. Everything that falls on it breaks and it is not gentle on little heads that fall on it.

If I had it to do again (and someday I will) I will probably go with unfinished wood (that just means they bring it in unfinished and finish it after installing). That's a huge pain, though- definitely not easy to install. But it is SOOO nice!!

They are making some nice engineered hardwoods these days, though.

There is also a vinyl flooring that looks like wood. I have a friend who works for a flooring company and she thinks it's fantastic.

mamaKristin · 04-13-2016, 09:39 PM

We have vinyl flooring that looks like wood in our newly done bathroom. It's awesome, and I want to put it through our lower level ASAP.

squiddles · 04-14-2016, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamaKristin

We have vinyl flooring that looks like wood in our newly done bathroom. It's awesome, and I want to put it through our lower level ASAP.

Any chance you can post a pic? Would you put it in a kitchen? We are considering this in our new house and wasn't sure of it actually looked good, your review is encouraging

mamaKristin · 04-14-2016, 09:08 AM

Voila!

A friend of mine did the vinyl plank flooring like this in her whole house. It's lovely. They have three kids, 4 cats, and one dog, and it's holding up really beautifully after...4 years? I would totally do this in a kitchen. Mine is the sheet vinyl type, but it FEELS more like wood underfoot than vinyl.

ViolaMum · 04-14-2016, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerynne

I thought I wanted tile but I don't recommend it. Everything that falls on it breaks and it is not gentle on little heads that fall on it.

If I had it to do again (and someday I will) I will probably go with unfinished wood (that just means they bring it in unfinished and finish it after installing). That's a huge pain, though- definitely not easy to install. But it is SOOO nice!!

They are making some nice engineered hardwoods these days, though.

There is also a vinyl flooring that looks like wood. I have a friend who works for a flooring company and she thinks it's fantastic.

I ditto the tile. I loathe and despise the ceramic tile in my kitchen. Not only do things break if dropped on the tile, but we have a few cracked tiles (from the house settling) and it's going to be a huge pain to replace them. And it's also extremely slippery when wet. Then there's the grout - it's impossible to clean and therefore stained and not the same color throughout the kitchen anymore.The ugly sheet vinyl flooring I had in an old apartment was SO much easier to take care of and more comfortable to walk on than this "upgrade."

DahliaRW · 04-14-2016, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamaKristin

Voila!

A friend of mine did the vinyl plank flooring like this in her whole house. It's lovely. They have three kids, 4 cats, and one dog, and it's holding up really beautifully after...4 years? I would totally do this in a kitchen. Mine is the sheet vinyl type, but it FEELS more like wood underfoot than vinyl.

Do you have the brand name that was used? I've been considering this for our family room.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

2sunshines · 04-15-2016, 01:57 AM

Ok, we're at this decision place... Hopefully this weekend we will go and make a choice.

The drywalling is done. I finished priming the new drywall yesterday. Next step is paint BUT I can't really make a final paint choice until I know what the flooring is going to look like. SO... I am going to push for a decision this weekend.

I like tile but I agree we have it in our kitchen and bathroom and I hate it when a tile gets cracked... Which can happen too easily. Plus installation of tile sounds like a LOT of work.

Wood is still in the running if we can make the price work for us...

laminate sure has come a long way since I last looked at it. I'm impressed. I tend to be a laminate hater (probably because we have cheap laminate throughout most of this house that was put here by the previous owner) but I have to admit it's not out of the running.

Kristin what installation type was that vinyl flooring? Was it in planks that you interlock like laminate? Or glue down? Or stick? Or other?

Earthmummy07 · 04-15-2016, 04:27 AM

We have the vinyl that looks like wood and after 6months it was ruined. I think it wasn't laid properly though. Our dog has bitten holes in it (chasing sunlight

) and our vacumme cleaner has ripped it where it lifted as I vaccumed. My mom has the same stuff and its holding up well years later, but she had it installed on a better surface than us and has no dog. If you go that route for sure make sure your floor boards are level, pay for the good underlay and the highest quality vinyl.

We're looking at having to replace it now and thinking of going for laminate for the durability, but it's upstairs and I'm concerned how noisy it will be for MIL downstairs.

For easiness to clean and just enough bounce for little heads the vinyl was great though.

WanderingJuniper · 04-15-2016, 04:42 AM

Ack! All of you with the negative time reviews are making me nervous. We just bought time to do our kitchen floor. :nervous what we currently have is hideous and impossible to clean cheap vinyl. We have slate tile in the bathroom and I prefer that to any of the other flooring we have in the house.

We have Wood laminate in a hallway and bedroom. It is loud but looks nice and was easy to install.

ValiantJoy07 · 04-15-2016, 06:04 AM

We have high quality laminate plank in our family room, it has been wonderful!!

04-07-2016, 03:29 PM	#1
2sunshines Moderator in Celebrations, Cloth Diapering & EC, Empty Arms, Prayer & Praise, and Swap n' Shop Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 27,027	Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? We are replacing the flooring in the family room and playroom. I think I want hard flooring since at least part of it is a very major traffic path for our family and the existing carpet was always getting SO filthy. We need something that is either fairly easy to install or inexpensive to get installed. What do you recommend and love? __________________ married 25 years mom to two young adults (23 and 20) and two teens (17 and 15)

04-07-2016, 08:15 PM	#3
mommylove Rose Garden Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 9,120	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? I second the laminate flooring; we've put it in my last 2 houses. The first house, DH did it himself. He was a trooper & did a great job. The 2nd house, Home Depot was running a special -- pay full price & get installation for $395 (or something.) Having someone else do it was way worth it. My only warning about the stuff is that sand will scratch the laminate. If you don't live where there's sand, you're good. __________________

04-08-2016, 10:49 AM	#4
RiverRock Moderator Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms. Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: In green pastures Posts: 9,770	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? Laminate can be loud if you have a dog with clickity-clacking nails. Also, there are so many levels of quality in laminate now, that they aren't necessarily cheap. Have you looked at vinyl tiles that are made to look like hardwood? I suggest you go to a few flooring stores to see what stands out to you, and then take notes on the pros and cons of your favourite options. There are so many factors to consider. __________________ RiverRock, mom to a 24 year old diamond, 22 year old granite, 19 year old pearl, and 16 year old tiger eye. Married for 25 years to a rugged boulder and resting together on the one true Rock.

04-13-2016, 06:25 PM	#5
ViolaMum Rose Garden Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 5,542	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? I've always said that if I had the opportunity to redo a floor, I'd check into cork tiles. (I watched Martha Stewart install them in a kitchen once. It looked really good, and the one time I priced them out, they were affordable.) Never actually done it, though. My parents have laminate flooring in their current house, and it's noisy. They installed pre-finished hardwood in their last house and it looked great! I think it was a little (?) more than laminate, but not as pricey as traditional hardwood. Plus it can be refinished. __________________ Darcy married to my Photographic Genius (1/00) Mom to: Prima, Secunda, Tertia, and Quarta Youth and Beauty are fleeting, but the ability to bake a great chocolate cake lasts forever!

04-13-2016, 06:47 PM	#6
Aerynne Rose Garden Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 27,359	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? I thought I wanted tile but I don't recommend it. Everything that falls on it breaks and it is not gentle on little heads that fall on it. If I had it to do again (and someday I will) I will probably go with unfinished wood (that just means they bring it in unfinished and finish it after installing). That's a huge pain, though- definitely not easy to install. But it is SOOO nice!! They are making some nice engineered hardwoods these days, though. There is also a vinyl flooring that looks like wood. I have a friend who works for a flooring company and she thinks it's fantastic. __________________ Erin born of water and of the Spirit 4/96 married 5/02 Mama to: 2004 2007 2010 2012 2017 2019 Jan 2, 2024 And many I hope to hold in heaven one day

04-13-2016, 09:39 PM	#7
mamaKristin Rose Garden parenting better than I garden Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: just here :) Posts: 26,586	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? We have vinyl flooring that looks like wood in our newly done bathroom. It's awesome, and I want to put it through our lower level ASAP.

04-14-2016, 09:08 AM	#9
mamaKristin Rose Garden parenting better than I garden Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: just here :) Posts: 26,586	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? Voila! A friend of mine did the vinyl plank flooring like this in her whole house. It's lovely. They have three kids, 4 cats, and one dog, and it's holding up really beautifully after...4 years? I would totally do this in a kitchen. Mine is the sheet vinyl type, but it FEELS more like wood underfoot than vinyl.

04-15-2016, 01:57 AM	#12
2sunshines Moderator in Celebrations, Cloth Diapering & EC, Empty Arms, Prayer & Praise, and Swap n' Shop Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 27,027	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? Ok, we're at this decision place... Hopefully this weekend we will go and make a choice. The drywalling is done. I finished priming the new drywall yesterday. Next step is paint BUT I can't really make a final paint choice until I know what the flooring is going to look like. SO... I am going to push for a decision this weekend. I like tile but I agree we have it in our kitchen and bathroom and I hate it when a tile gets cracked... Which can happen too easily. Plus installation of tile sounds like a LOT of work. Wood is still in the running if we can make the price work for us... laminate sure has come a long way since I last looked at it. I'm impressed. I tend to be a laminate hater (probably because we have cheap laminate throughout most of this house that was put here by the previous owner) but I have to admit it's not out of the running. Kristin what installation type was that vinyl flooring? Was it in planks that you interlock like laminate? Or glue down? Or stick? Or other? __________________ married 25 years mom to two young adults (23 and 20) and two teens (17 and 15)

04-15-2016, 04:27 AM	#13
Earthmummy07 Rose Garden Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: UK Posts: 8,586	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? We have the vinyl that looks like wood and after 6months it was ruined. I think it wasn't laid properly though. Our dog has bitten holes in it (chasing sunlight ) and our vacumme cleaner has ripped it where it lifted as I vaccumed. My mom has the same stuff and its holding up well years later, but she had it installed on a better surface than us and has no dog. If you go that route for sure make sure your floor boards are level, pay for the good underlay and the highest quality vinyl. We're looking at having to replace it now and thinking of going for laminate for the durability, but it's upstairs and I'm concerned how noisy it will be for MIL downstairs. For easiness to clean and just enough bounce for little heads the vinyl was great though.

04-15-2016, 04:42 AM	#14
WanderingJuniper Rose Garden Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 10,819	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? Ack! All of you with the negative time reviews are making me nervous. We just bought time to do our kitchen floor. :nervous what we currently have is hideous and impossible to clean cheap vinyl. We have slate tile in the bathroom and I prefer that to any of the other flooring we have in the house. We have Wood laminate in a hallway and bedroom. It is loud but looks nice and was easy to install.

04-15-2016, 06:04 AM	#15
ValiantJoy07 Rose Garden "Take Joy Home, And make a place in thy great heart for her...Joy is the grace we say to God." ~Jean Ingelow~ Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The Forest Posts: 16,337	Re: Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend? We have high quality laminate plank in our family room, it has been wonderful!! __________________ Hannah Joy Intuitive People Loving Introvert Married since '05 to Ryan software and web applications developer. Homeschooling Mama to my 5 Joys... dd1 RJ (12/07), dd2 AJ (08/09), dd3 PJ (01/12), ds1 Ziggy (09/15), ds2 Sunny (05/18) Enjoying a Healing Diet to manage SPD and other health challenges. Sorry for the typos and sloppy grammar I don't have a good excuse anymore.

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