Remodelling: what flooring do you recommend?

[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?

[gerberadaisy]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.