Flooring Options

[Irishgirlyc58]

That’s good to know [mention]pb4uski [/mention]
I’m in California. I had to look up what radiant slab is. [emoji23]

 

[Badger]

Our 1955 home had old nasty carpet when I bought it. It was so bad that it started coming up with the first time I vacuumed it. I ripped it all out and found that 2 bedrooms had oak floors. I sanded and refinished those and replaced all the carpet in the kitchen, dining room, living room, family room, and sun room with different porcelain tiles in each room. So much easier to keep clean. Dog and cat mistakes clean up easily. Looks great with our many hand-knotted middle eastern carpets. Just run the Roomba every once in awhile or use a rice straw broom and keep the air purifier on for a dust free house. Since my air ducts are in the floor and blows across the tile the floor is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I have used vinyl flooring in houses in the past and I'm not sold on their durability and/or how they look after a few years. I think if I was to put flooring down in another house I may consider bamboo.


Cheers!

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

[mention]Badger [/mention] air purifiers are a great idea. I already have a couple and will get maybe 2 more.

 

[Chuckanut]

I put in manufactured oak flooring about a decade ago in all downstairs rooms except for the kitchen which got ceramic tile. The only problem with oak is that it is rather soft and vulnerable to dents whebn something is dropped on it.

I considered bamboo at the time but back then all the bamboo I saw looked like it was made of bamboo. That's too bad because I understand that bamboo is quite a bit harder and holds up well. If I was putting flooring into a my native style hut on a tropical island it might go well, but not in my home. Since then, I understand bamboo flooring can now be made to look like wood.

On the whole I am happy with the oak flooring. Despite some nicks and dents it still looks good. The gloss has not worn off. I attribute that to leaving shoes at the door, and a lack of animal friends whose claws and nails grind down the finish.

 

[pb4uski]

We have a carmelized bamboo and it looks good and is very hard... IIRC they needed special tools to install it... heavier duty saws and bladed to cut it and heavier duty nailers to fasten it to the subfloor.

 

[JP.mpls]

I put in manufactured oak flooring about a decade ago in all downstairs rooms except for the kitchen which got ceramic tile. The only problem with oak is that it is rather soft and vulnerable to dents whebn something is dropped on it.

I considered bamboo at the time but back then all the bamboo I saw looked like it was made of bamboo. That's too bad because I understand that bamboo is quite a bit harder and holds up well. If I was putting flooring into a my native style hut on a tropical island it might go well, but not in my home. Since then, I understand bamboo flooring can now be made to look like wood.

On the whole I am happy with the oak flooring. Despite some nicks and dents it still looks good. The gloss has not worn off. I attribute that to leaving shoes at the door, and a lack of animal friends whose claws and nails grind down the finish.

Chuck,
I put this in my townhome, and I think it looks beautiful. Will see how it holds up long term.

The vinyl is obviously more durable, but I'm typically not fond of the appearance. Maybe I've just noticed some of the cheaper stuff.

JP

 

[Sue J]

Another factor is how hard the floor feels. We just spent a month in FL, at a condo complex with tile floors. Many of the residents are suffering from plantar fasciitis, likely from going barefoot on the hard surface.

We chose luxury vinyl planks for our kitchen remodel almost 3 years ago. One nice thing is that the planks have a cushioning layer. Makes a big difference compared to tile.

Our 1955 house has the original hardwood floors everywhere but the bathrooms and kitchen. We looked at hardwood options for the kitchen and I was concerned with all the water that happens in the kitchen. I find drops near the refrigerator from getting ice, near the dishwasher after loading dishes and glasses, and near the stove while cooking. Also, we have 2 entrance doors and track in a lot of stuff.

We are very pleased with the LVP. They look great and are looking as good as new after almost 3 years. Very good choice for us. We didn't try to match the original wood floors, but chose a color that looks similar.

 

[RockyMtn]

We ripped up some carper recently and installed wood looking porcelain tiles. Looks very nice.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

My son did these in gray, they look fantastic and very durable and easy to clean.

 

[UpQuark]

Thanks!
I was always a fan of carpet. I like the feel and look. But I’ve decided that carpet just never really gets clean after the first few years and I don’t have a dog now but I intend to adopt one once I get the house redone.
I’m going with LVP and then I’ll look for area rugs. Those should be easier to clean and change out over time. I could be wrong though.

I wonder what the best flooring for dogs is? I detest carpet with pets because it needs a lot of cleaning, but when we had dogs they either skittered all over the non-carpeted floor, or the old one just didn't want to try to walk off the carpet and we had to put rug runners across the floor for her, but then the younger skittery dog was constantly causing the runners to bunch up.

 

[pb4uski]

We ripped up some carper recently and installed wood looking porcelain tiles. Looks very nice.

I like this one too:

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I wonder what the best flooring for dogs is? I detest carpet with pets because it needs a lot of cleaning, but when we had dogs they either skittered all over the non-carpeted floor, or the old one just didn't want to try to walk off the carpet and we had to put rug runners across the floor for her, but then the younger skittery dog was constantly causing the runners to bunch up.

My daughters Malamute mix has not done well with Laminate floors ever since he was a pup. Her other large dog, a lab never had any trouble with the floor but did not run full speed everywhere like Frye did. He's a heavy dog, built like a tank and extremely long with short legs and has fallen many times and as he got older he became very anxious and fearful so she had a line of throw rugs for him to walk on. Now his back legs are paralyzed with hip dysplasia and he's in a diaper due to an inoperable tumor so he has to be picked up in a sling to help him outside. Not sure if the flooring helped cause his problems or not, he's still his happy go lucky self, he just can't get up. They have a wheeled cart which he resisted when he could still walk a little but now he's more receptive to it. He's such a happy dog in spite of all his problems so as long as he continues to eat and smile all the time they won't put him down.

 

[Bamaman]

In past homes, I installed 660 square feet of 2 1/4 inch prefinished oak flooring in the master bedroom and hallway. At just $2 a square foot, it was a bargain.

I installed 15' x 30' of Tarkett 3" x 36" thin vinyl floor that looks like oak hardwood. Best thing was the $1.50 a square foot where it retailed @ $4.35 a foot. I also have put the same flooring downstairs at our lake house. It's installed with Domco 404 mastic--a special glue for vinyl flooring. Next time, I'm going to replace it with porcelain tile--since I do all my own installations.

I recently went to Floors and Decors and picked up wood look porcelain tile for my lake house bathroom for something like $2.50 a square foot. Hope to install it this week with thinset on top of 1/2 inch Wonderboard. Man, what a flooring store!!!!

It all comes down to price. As long as I can install real hardwood or porcelain flooring cheaper than laminates or engineered wood, I'm going with wood or tile.

We've had hardwood in the last 3 kitchens, and we really like it--no problems. But we have rubber backed carpet pads in front of the sink/dishwasher, stovetop and refrigerator that takes the wear.

Those with big dogs need a harder flooring--like Brazilian Cherry--that doesn't easily scratch. And everyone with a hard flooring needs a robo vacuum. Our's is named Rosie.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

I wonder what the best flooring for dogs is? I detest carpet with pets because it needs a lot of cleaning, but when we had dogs they either skittered all over the non-carpeted floor, or the old one just didn't want to try to walk off the carpet and we had to put rug runners across the floor for her, but then the younger skittery dog was constantly causing the runners to bunch up.

That is a good point. During the 18 months of my dogs life he had issues with his back legs, hips, and neck. We ended up putting those black utility rugs in all the areas with only tile so he could get good traction. Had the whole house lined with them. But he was 15 when we had to let him go and prior to those last months he never had an issue.
I would probably just put area rugs from one end of the house to the other should I come across that issue with a dog again.

 

[badatmath]

Bring home floor sample. Throw some dirt on it. See what you like. Seriously I tried to avoid a dark floor so it would not show every speck but it is still *too* dark for me. Really kind of a mid-tone.

And I have an issue with the recliner sliding on this hard floor that I do not like. I have tried all kinds of things under it to glue it down but not none have been very successful.

 

[RobbieB]

As far as dogs go, I can recommend laminate. We put in the premium stuff (12 mm thick) and 5 years, no scratches. Our 85 lb Husky and our 65 lb AmStaff mix both with big claws and run like crazy have not put 1 scratch on it yet.

The only down side is the noise. Louder flooring I've never heard. Drop something, bang, dogs running sounds like a race track.

But that's it. No water marks, no fading, no scratches. Looks like it did 5 years ago when it was installed.

 

[skyking1]

I personally love the wood look tiles, but DW wants a 'softer' floor, so we are going LVP.
The house will be a traditional crawlspace, and I won't go overboard on making it stiff. That would defeat the "softer" somewhat. It goes against my instinct of more is better.
I'll screw and glue and T&G the subfloor for squeak control, but let it have a natural bounce.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

As far as dogs go, I can recommend laminate.

I've never had that breed. Do they shed?

 

[f35phixer]

finish in place HW, We have red oak Common #2. Love the variations in boards... Installer did a wonderful job of having select and the #2 spread out..... Floor is ~15 or more years old and still looks new !

 

[zippy2020]

Boy howdy!
The choices are overwhelming!
I appreciate all of the comments and have read each one.
I have decided on the LVP. Listening to all of the pros and cons of each type has really helped me decide. For my lifestyle and location I think the LVP will be the best fit.
I have a sample and it does not look like plastic at all. I did have other samples that looked like cheap office flooring. I wonder if that is the type that looks more like plastic?
I guess time will tell! I plan to schedule the floor measurements to get an estimate. I’m prepared for sticker shock.
Now to pick out paint color.

We have Mannington LVP in a large master bedroom, and 1940 red oak HW flooring, random width with walnut pegs, in the main LR/DR area. We have had at least half a dozen contractors in the house over the last five years and not a single one has been able to tell that the master has LVP instead of HW. Neither can any of our guests.

I will say IF you do get dogs, you need to talk to the flooring store's rep - if it's a reputable dealer the reps should be knowledgeable about what they're selling - about nail scratches from pets. Some products are going to be better than others for resisting scratching - and one issue with LVP is that you can't refinish it. That's a factory-baked clear coat on top.

And you definitely want to have a product (any flooring other than poured) rated to resist wetness, with dogs. They have "accidents" when they're young and the same when they get old! It isn't the top layer, it's the underlying strata that can get damaged.

Flooring is indeed a very personal decision. If I had to buy a house with a concrete floor I'd immediately have to budget to cover it. I have back and foot issues and hard floors like that are a killer for me. OTOH I have friends who have a beautiful concrete flooring that was custom-colored for them and they love it, it's gorgeous (and stands up to their two big dogs, LOL).

Don't forget the cost of materials really isn't the biggest issue. It's the installation, and the QUALITY of the install, that is the most important, in any flooring.

 

[zinger1457]

I think some people over think wood floor maintenance issues. I have 20 year old engineered cherry hardwood flooring around the house, never been refinished. A few dings on a wood floor adds character over time, no different than antique furniture. Growing up in New England I lived in a major furniture manufacturing area, for some lines of furniture they had a tool that was basically a circular wire filled with different sizes of nuts and washers connected to a wood handle and someone would go around dinging the piece of furniture before staining. You can find some lines of wood, laminate, and vinyl flooring that do the same thing.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

We laid LVP un entire house minus shower rooms and kitchen. We wanted a transitional look end zero maintenance. Was afraid of chlorine on real wood and baby spills making engineered bubble. We got wide long planks, green guard gold certified so no offgassing and we just love it. Looks great with traditional area rugs, against tile, and in more modern rooms. Spills just bead right up. Vacuum it. Bang it. I think its Trucot
Very thick wear layer.

 

[Freedom56]

We installed 3/4" solid hardwood (select grade maple) throughout our home, except the kitchen and bathrooms that have tiles, back in 2005. The stairs are 1 1/4" solid hardwood. Seventeen years later it still looks great.

 

[l8_apex]

I didn't read every response, so this may have already been mentioned: if you go LVP - be mindful of the thickness of the top layer.

I built my home in 2014-2015. I chose carpet with the thickest foam pad underneath, then tile in the bathrooms and hardwood in the majority of the home. I'm quite happy with those choices. I went with hickory as it's the hardest of the reasonably-priced woods, but there are lots of gouges from the dog's nails. So not a good thing, but I have a strong preference for real wood over any imitation product. Engineered would be fine for most folks I would think.

 

[stevemac]

Funny coincidence, we have a flooring repair guy here today fixing some engineered hardwood, and I asked him about your situation. Given the pool and grandkids, he recommends SPC (not WPC) luxury vinyl plank.