Cheap flooring...

[ktgrok]

How wet is wet? LIke spills?  Or like a sink flooding?  Or like little muddy feet in the spring?  

 

Like spills that don't get cleaned up right away, or steam mops, or too wet of a mop, etc. Puddles. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Or, in our case, a houseplant in a dish left on the floor--just the continuous damp was enough to damage our laminate.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think in this case I'd put carpet.  I don't love carpet, but you'll get 5 years out of it and it won't be hard at all to get up.  The other options won't be as easy.  Floating wouldn't be bad, but none of it is super cheap once you factor in all the materials.  And labor...lot of labor in doing that. 

 

 

[KathyBC]

For the subfloor, you can rent a floor sander to remove the glue and fill in the cracks with leveling compound.

 

ETA: Should have checked with hubby before posting. In one room he used a heat gun and scraped off glue. In another room he laid another thin layer of plywood over the old subfloor.

Edited February 9, 2017 by KathyBC

[Another Lynn]

Did you have light colored grout? My mom literally ripped up her whole kitchen when it was about 2-3 years old so that she could replace the tile with sand color instead of white.

We tiled our backyard door in our living room and used dark grout. ;)

 

A friend mentioned cork. I love the idea. I like the way it looks. Then I priced it. Not such a low cost option afterall and the same chemical issues as LVT.

Peach. (Color scheme was there when we bought - not a color I would choose. But, no way to change it without ripping out everything. )

[Katy]

So I haven't read all the comments, and it hasn't been two years, but I'm in the process of installing this Stainmaster Luxury Vinyl Tile from Lowe's.  The price seems to fluctuate between $1.30-$2.00 per square foot.   I just got a bunch of samples and tried to scratch them with scissors and this was BY FAR the best value of any of the cheap ones I found.

 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/STAINMASTER-1-Piece-18-in-x-18-in-Groutable-Coppermine-Copper-Peel-And-Stick-Slate-Luxury-Residential-Vinyl-Tile/999957681

 

ETA: the steam mop ability is the deciding factor for me.

Edited February 9, 2017 by Katy

[SparklyUnicorn]

So I haven't read all the comments, and it hasn't been two years, but I'm in the process of installing this Stainmaster Luxury Vinyl Tile from Lowe's.  The price seems to fluctuate between $1.30-$2.00 per square foot.   I just got a bunch of samples and tried to scratch them with scissors and this was BY FAR the best value of any of the cheap ones I found.

 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/STAINMASTER-1-Piece-18-in-x-18-in-Groutable-Coppermine-Copper-Peel-And-Stick-Slate-Luxury-Residential-Vinyl-Tile/999957681

 

ETA: the steam mop ability is the deciding factor for me.

 

I have this in my pantry.  It's not bad, but I did break a piece of the tile by dropping something on it.  I dropped a ceramic pan of food and it cracked a piece right off.  I suppose I might be able to just replace the one tile, but I don't happen to have any extra so for now I haven't.

 

It was easy to install and looks decent.

[BlsdMama]

I am really grateful for all this input.  It helps me to think decisions out loud.  

 

So turning over the tile choice in my head........

 

So we went with carpet in the living room when DH wanted to do real wood because we had a crawler.  Then I kicked myself because - ugh.  Cleaning.

 

BUT, carpet would be so comfortable for now.  I love the idea of tile.  But I really wonder... Those of  you who love tile are you texture people? I ask because I must be the most sensory needy seeking human in the world.  Soft sweaters, cozy tight socks, I love constant, comfortable sensory input.  And I'm wondering how people like me do with cold tile.  Shoes all day?  I'd rather crawl.  I cannot imagine wearing shoes at all in the house. Ever.

 

Out of curiousity - has anyone done carpet tiles?  I would think they might be my best bet - easy to replace if we have a bad spill and not permanent (so no glue to change later.)  My one concern: cleaning.  Can I steam clean them I wonder? 

[Katy]

I don't know about steam cleaning carpet tiles, but I don't recommend ceramic, stone, or porcelain tile north of the Mason Dixon in a room you'll spend so much time in.  It is cold and hard.  Luxury vinyl, wood, or carpet are all better choices for what you're describing.  I wouldn't choose carpet personally because we have dogs and allergies, and once you've pulled up enough carpet you realize how impossible it is to actually get clean.  But many people feel the opposite of me.

 

You could also spend a little more money and install a tile heater under the floor - which would warm up the tiles when it's cold.

[umsami]

Wanted to add when I bought my Pergo...both Lowes and Home Depot had a deal on installation at $0.89/square foot.  Not sure if it still exists, but ask.

The Lowe's lady also steered me away from one pattern I was looking at because she said it would show more scratches and stuff.  The pattern we have now still looks like new.

[Guest]

Go to Costco and get an area rug. Big enough to make it wall to wall. It won't look great at the end of 5 years, but you pull it up and put in the flooring you want at that point.

[BlsdMama]

This area is about 18' x 13'  - so it's a BIG room. :)

I think after weighing everything and spending WAY too much time reading forums and reviews, that we will go Luxury Vinyl Plank.

 

Reasons:

 

1. I love tile.  Love.  But I can deal with scratches FAR better than I can deal with cold or hard.

2. Carpet - I will eventually have to clean it and when I do I will hate myself.  

3. Easy install and no underlayment necessary over plywood subfloor - which is a huge perk.  The hardest part is that I will need to sand off any glue areas from the linoleum part of the room.  But there is clear floor under the carpet.
4. Really pretty inexpensive - the Costco plank is $1.50/sq. foot but I think we'll actually use the Shaw Teak from Lowe's instead.  It has FAR better reviews.  

 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Shaw-14-Piece-5-9-in-x-48-in-Resort-Teak-Loose-Lay-Luxury-Residential-Vinyl-Plank/50043188

 

5. I read a ton of reviews on laminate and Pergo. I love the way it looks. However, it seems like the one thing it really hates is water.  We spill DAILY.  Often several times a day - life with several under seven.  

[FriedClams]

I'll just throw in that laminate can be REALLY REALLY loud. We had it in our old house and I'd NEVER do it again. Every time a dog walked on it "CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK".... Every time someone dropped something it echoed... With a bunch of kids and a dog I'd go crazy.

 

I vote vinyl.

Edited February 9, 2017 by FriedClams

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'll just throw in that laminate can be REALLY REALLY loud. We had it in our old house and I'd NEVER do it again. Every time a dog walked on it "CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK".... Every time someone dropped something it echoed... With a bunch of kids and a dog I'd go crazy.

 

I vote vinyl.

 

Huh...ours is not loud at all.  There are various types though.

[mom@shiloh]

It sounds like you've made your decision, but I'll weigh in anyway.....

 

Tile -- I absolutely hated it.  Would NEVER do it again.  The grout is hard to clean even though it was sealed and you can see it in high traffic areas.  Yuck.

 

Carpet -- with several spills every day?  Double yuck.

 

Vinyl -- it sounds like you're going with this.  Smart lady.  It's super durable and easy to install and will look ok even though the floor underneath isn't perfect.  It comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns and will be the perfect fill-in until you can get your hardwood.

 

Laminate -- been there, done that.  Never again.  

[BarbecueMom]

I have LVT (actually the wood-look plank stuff) everywhere upstairs and love it. The kids accidentally dumped acrylic paint on the school room floor. In a couple of weeks, when I got around to it, I peeled it up and wiped the rest with a magic eraser. I give DS3 paper and markers to sit on the floor and color with during school. Again, comes right up with either a wet cloth or magic eraser.

 

I did put one gouge in it by dragging an old couch across the living room that I didn't realize had a nail sticking out of the bottom. It's right in the middle of the floor, but really hard to notice unless you are looking for it.

 

My only two complaints are that the subfloor really, really REALLY has to be prepped, or eventually every tiny imperfection will try to push up through the floor. We have about 6-7 "bumps" throughout the house from the subfloor from rushing the prep and leaving missed screws or staples pushing up, or a piece of dirt, or wood splinters. And second, the matching transition strips between rooms are cheap and flimsy. The stair nose is especially awful, and I'm going to have to get that glued down at some point.

 

It isn't hard or cold to walk on, but not very comfortable on Old People Butts. Kids don't mind it at all though. My kids' friends like to slide up and down the hall in their socks, but you have to actually try to slip. There's enough grain to it to keep from falling.

 

I can't tell if it's louder are not because my kids were already at volume 11.

[sarasue7272]

How does the lvt do on stairs? I would love to get this, we could afford it in the near future, unlike hardwood. My house is split foyer, so the stairs need to match the living areas. We stayed in a vacation rental last summer that had laminate (I think). It looked nice and was practical, but the stairs were so slippery!

[Spryte]

Just affirming your choice not to with cork. That is not a good choice for high traffic areas, or areas with potential water. At all.

 

We have a zero out gassing cork upstairs due to allergies. No dogs allowed. But I can tell that we've slacked a few times and this edoggy toenails have been up there.

[Supertechmom]

You could have carpet ends rugged out (they can make a carpet into a rug the size you want)  and then paint the floor that shows.   

 

Or just get two really large rugs and paint what shows.   

 

that would last 5 years, would look good, allow you to clean, not hurt the budget, and not make you feel bad in 5 years when you are ready to replace but everything still looks "good" - ya know that look-  not good enough to be new but too good to justify replacing LOL!

[AngieC]

I would go with luxury vinyl planks. The Traffic Master Allure mentioned above is a high quality, thicker plank so the wood underneath will not have to be as perfect as if you were using a cheaper vinyl where any imperfections would telescope through the vinyl.

[BlsdMama]

How does the lvt do on stairs? I would love to get this, we could afford it in the near future, unlike hardwood. My house is split foyer, so the stairs need to match the living areas. We stayed in a vacation rental last summer that had laminate (I think). It looked nice and was practical, but the stairs were so slippery!

I would think this is scary slippery.  We are doing our stairs going down the basement with a hardwood "cover" on top, but then doing adhesive carpet ovals that can be replaced.  

[BarbecueMom]

We just had cheap carpet installed on the stairs instead of attempting to use the LVT or Cap-a-tread. With three kids, a DH with nerve damage in the back/leg, and a concrete wall at the bottom of the steps, the injury risk was too high to put in non-carpeted flooring.

[Hilltopmom]

Just commenting on your decision, definately no to tile- it's a killer on my feet, have to wear shoes inside!

 

Vinyl will clean up great & you can always use a big cheap area rug on the library side but not the eating side.

 

I LOVE your restaurant booths, btw! Awesome :)

[BarbecueMom]

I'm happy to report that our vinyl plank held up well this morning to a large projectile vomiting session, a round of bleach spray (not sure if you are supposed to bleach it but don't care), and a thorough mopping. Blargh.

[Lawana]

I was going to suggest carpet tile. But Steam cleaning is not recommended, due to the joints. But as far as all the other criteria, it would work really well. Heck, I might be tempted to try the steam cleaning anyway and see what happens.

[Scarlett]

This area is about 18' x 13' - so it's a BIG room. :)

 

I think after weighing everything and spending WAY too much time reading forums and reviews, that we will go Luxury Vinyl Plank.

 

Reasons:

 

1. I love tile. Love. But I can deal with scratches FAR better than I can deal with cold or hard.

2. Carpet - I will eventually have to clean it and when I do I will hate myself.

3. Easy install and no underlayment necessary over plywood subfloor - which is a huge perk. The hardest part is that I will need to sand off any glue areas from the linoleum part of the room. But there is clear floor under the carpet.

4. Really pretty inexpensive - the Costco plank is $1.50/sq. foot but I think we'll actually use the Shaw Teak from Lowe's instead. It has FAR better reviews.

 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Shaw-14-Piece-5-9-in-x-48-in-Resort-Teak-Loose-Lay-Luxury-Residential-Vinyl-Plank/50043188

 

5. I read a ton of reviews on laminate and Pergo. I love the way it looks. However, it seems like the one thing it really hates is water. We spill DAILY. Often several times a day - life with several under seven.

I think that is a great price and really pretty.

 

As for spills....I would do something radical to stop the that.

[TX Native]

If you get LVT or LVP, get a distressed look so the scratches look like they are supposed to be there.

[TX Native]

Dp

Edited February 14, 2017 by TX native

[Pawz4me]

We have Armstrong Alterna LVT in our bathrooms and laundry room. It wasn't inexpensive. I love it. It looks, feels and behaves just like real tile. I can't imagine what it would take to scratch it. Likely something way worse than we'd ever do. That stuff is hard and heavy.  Ours is also not slippery at all. It has quite a lot of texture to it. I suppose if I had to come up with a complaint that would be it -- there's enough texture/"grip" to it that it's a bit hard to mop. But if I had the funds it would be my choice for flooring throughout the house due to how sturdy it is, how easy to clean (in terms of not having to be picky about what you use), resistance to scratching and how many looks are available. I puffy heart love it.