Redoing flooring? Suggestions.

[NTave]

Completely redoing the living room, ready to choose a flooring option. I cant afford hardwood (although I would like it), its just above my budget for this room. I can do a laminate with a rug over or a carpet. Carpet has been there for 11 years and held up decently. It seems cleaner to not have carpet, but the room is very large with high ceilings so it needs something to quiet it. I have a large dog which makes me want to lean towards a laminate..laminate I could also keep going with into the kitchen, which I was planning on tiling but would look decent with laminate that flowed from both rooms. Decisions...Suggestions?

 

[movie zombie]

I went tile throughout.
we have very high ceilings and a very open floor plan.
pulled out all the carpet and tiled.
that was almost 10 years ago and I've never regretted it.

eta: one does learn very quickly to be careful handing a wine glass to another!

 

[Roxy]

I went tile throughout.
we have very high ceilings and a very open floor plan.
pulled out all the carpet and tiled.
that was almost 10 years ago and I've never regretted it.

eta: one does learn very quickly to be careful handing a wine glass to another!

+1

We have tile in the family room that flows into the kitchen and then out into the sunroom. By having the same flooring that flows from room to room, it actually adds to the openess of your home. Tile is so durable and you can put area rugs down where you want to feel "softness" (and warmth) under your feet. If it's possible to put heating coils underneath the tile, that'd be great, but not a must.

Before bringing any furniture or rugs in, we had the grout stained (a little darker than the original color) and sealed which has held up well 10 years later. Dirt can easily lodge itself into the grout, but the seal has kept that from happening.

Not that you asked, but in case you have a floorplan like ours where the kitchen is on one side of the family room and the downstairs bath is on the other, our designer suggested we run the tile into the hallway that's shared by our downstairs bath and bedroom. It turned out to be a great idea to combat the wear & tear you'd usually see on a carpet.

 

[zoebartlett]

We just had a high end laminate installed in a rental condo we own. We wanted hard wood also but the product we chose was a great second choice. It's made by Shaw, the planks are thick, and since they have beveled edges, they look like the real thing. It doesn't have the same plastic look or feel that thinner laminates have. I had briefly considered tile, but as others pointed out in a thread here, tile's hard on your feet, and it's not the best choice for certain climates. I'd recommend a high end laminate with an area rug.

 

[JewelFreak]

I go with Zoe. If you can put in a high-quality laminate that looks most like hardwood, it's more forgiving than tile & you don't have worries about it cracking or chipping, especially with a dog zooming around (if yours does, like mine). Taking it into the kitchen is a super idea -- makes the space look more consistent, warmer, & bigger. I have hardwood in the kitchen & LOVE it -- kind of a cozy feel.

--- Laurie

 

[dk168]

My house is small, only a 2-bedroom semi detached, and I opted for ceramic tiles in the ground floor with under-floor heating.

Easier to keep clean than carpets, and I have a cat and a dog.

DK

 

[artdecogirl]

NTave, We went with laminate about 7? years ago maybe and we love it as much as the day we put it down, we went with a Armstrong product and we put it in the kitchen, dining and hallway and then downstairs in the living room and it makes it all look huge and it is beautiful. We have vaulted ceilings upstairs and 10 foot downstairs and have area rugs and a big rug in the living room and under the dining table and that took care of any sound issues, the only thing neg I would say is it is a little slippery for the dogs, we had a bigger dog and she would come barreling around the corner and slide sideways (the grandkids do the same in their footy pjs, they think it is hilarious). I wish we had done it sooner, good luck with your redo

 

[PetitiePoire]

We are choosing flooring options now. I've been researching vinyl plank flooring. It looks like wood, but is obviously vinyl and soft. A family member has it, along with 3 dogs and a teen, and loves it. They've had no problems with the dogs scratching it up and they find it comfortable to walk on. It's even textured like wood. We've grabbed samples from tons of flooring companies and so far we prefer Home Depots Allure Ultra. The cheaper one still has great reviews, but it looked like it had a higher chance of peeling then the allure regular.

Cost wise though, it seems to run the same price as laminate. I love the look, durability, and quietness of it, but cost makes me hesitate between laminate and vinyl planks.

 

[NTave]

The vinyl planks look like a nice option. I think I may watch a little too much HGTV lately because Ive seen a lot of that recently. Has anyone had experience with the vinyl planks being down with pets? I really would like to tile the whole living room and into the kitchen, except we are a cold climate and its not something that is done usually. I think down the road it might detract from the house value, although I do plan on staying for the next 10 years, so Im not sure what Im worrying about.

 

[movie zombie]

I originally wanted tile, then got talked out of it by people saying it was too cold here for it.
then I was at a neighbors and I saw their tile and went back to tile which as I said in my first post has been down for almost 10 years.
I wear sandals I the house year round.
and with aging cats that vomit or have urination issues I thank the floor gods that I went with tile.
admittedly, I don't live where it snows.

and because the area is so big I decided to use a the largest size tile in the one I selected in the main room and then used a smaller 12 inch tile in the remainder [kitchen & family rooms]. same tile just different size. continuity but defines space. looks really good.

I also looked at real linoleum and cork but with the cats i'm really Really REALLY glad I got the tile.

 

[stepcutnut]

Good quality vinyl planks are a great 2nd option to wood to look into, they have a nice texture and hold up really well with pets-have used them in 2 projects so far and have purchased for a 3rd. Good luck with your decision!

 

[luv2sparkle]

We have a lot of tile, some carpet and we are soon going to put wood floors upstairs. I would just add a couple of things. If you pick tile, make sure you opt for something that you really love. Tile is hard to pull out later, a huge mess, and a bit costly. I personally would opt for 24 inch tiles set on the diagonal. I think it is more pleasing to the eye(but this is only my opinion).

I have mostly tile downstairs, because we have a pool and our kids were younger when we put it in. In my kitchen, it is very hard on the feet and legs. I make a mess with water, so wood really is not a very good option for me.

 

[NTave]

I chose a vinyl plank floor for this space today. I found I like laminate, but I was worried about spills with the kids, and this would be a great solution with a rug tossed over it that I can change out. I like the planks.
I checked out Home Depot and I did not love the Ultra Allure, I felt like it scratched too easily. I also did not love the peel and stick plank floor at Lowes (because I read that they can peel up), and instead went with a click in system with a 50 year warrantee. Im excited. I cant wait for the install. I am not installing it myself, although it looks super easy. Thanks for your help!