My flooring dilemma, what would you do?

[bud16415]

Coming into the talk a little late but I have laid some of all the above before and lived with each numerous years after. I’m not an installer just a DIY homeowner like yourself.

Having done full soft and hard wood and refinished a few floors, when laminate came out I had a house that the floors were beyond repair and thought I would give the plastic a try. I used Formica brand knowing how tough the counter tops were and the color and texture we wanted they had. The Formica product back then was just tongue and groove and was installed as a floating floor but had to be glued. The glue was a Formica product also but was basic yellow glue as far as I could tell. Each strip was glued and then wedged in place and the glue came out the top and was wiped off. The cracks were totally invisible unlike the snap together stuff now.

The store told me that with gluing the floor was waterproof except at the edges. That floor has been down 20 years with dogs and cleaning and lots of spills and still looks like the day I laid it.

A few years later they started selling the snap together stuff and I asked about it at the same place and was told no glue required except if you want it water tight then you can glue it. I don’t know if they still say that or not.

IMHO I think it boils down to the look you want and if the product gives you that. Secondly is cost if you can afford it.

I see a lot of really cheap laminate being sold and I wouldn’t use that except maybe in a low traffic area like a bedroom maybe. It looks great but I don’t think the quality is the same as a better product.

Myself if I was planning this to be a rental in a few years I would look at the most durable products.

 

[JoeLink]

That is the proof I was looking for, not the greatest news but Job well done.
If the older hardwood floor has stood up in the kitchen I think you should be able to hard wood thru out.
For the bathroom, there is a product that looks like tile but is actually more like a vinyl tile with some special grout, that might stand up better to a flexable floor.
You do want to make sure the kitchen floor hasn't been glued down before you start ripping and tearing.
a Toe Kick Saw will allow you to cut the old floor under the cabinets so you do not have to remove the cupboards
http://www6.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/Kick_Toe_Saw/775-647018/

Coming into the talk a little late but I have laid some of all the above before and lived with each numerous years after. I’m not an installer just a DIY homeowner like yourself.

Having done full soft and hard wood and refinished a few floors, when laminate came out I had a house that the floors were beyond repair and thought I would give the plastic a try. I used Formica brand knowing how tough the counter tops were and the color and texture we wanted they had. The Formica product back then was just tongue and groove and was installed as a floating floor but had to be glued. The glue was a Formica product also but was basic yellow glue as far as I could tell. Each strip was glued and then wedged in place and the glue came out the top and was wiped off. The cracks were totally invisible unlike the snap together stuff now.

The store told me that with gluing the floor was waterproof except at the edges. That floor has been down 20 years with dogs and cleaning and lots of spills and still looks like the day I laid it.

A few years later they started selling the snap together stuff and I asked about it at the same place and was told no glue required except if you want it water tight then you can glue it. I don’t know if they still say that or not.

IMHO I think it boils down to the look you want and if the product gives you that. Secondly is cost if you can afford it.

I see a lot of really cheap laminate being sold and I wouldn’t use that except maybe in a low traffic area like a bedroom maybe. It looks great but I don’t think the quality is the same as a better product.

Myself if I was planning this to be a rental in a few years I would look at the most durable products.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Right now it seems like my best bet is engineered hardwoods.

 

[slownsteady]

Right now it seems like my best bet is engineered hardwoods.

I'd like to hear your reasoning on this. Not that I disagree, that is totally a value judgement. But since my basement floor is coming up soon, I'd like to know any factors that made a difference in your decision (price is a legit factor BTW).

 

[zannej]

neal, thank you for the link to the toe-kick saw! I didn't know that existed and I may rent or buy one when its time to take out my old parquet floors. That tool would have come in so handy when I was removing the old ruined floor in my bathroom. As it was I had to chisel that sucker out by hand. Wish they had an attachment like that for my Matrix.

I thought that I had commented on this post but apparently I didn't.. Maybe my post didn't go through...

I like the colors of the floors you were looking for, Joe. I would avoid the ones with the little grooves just because they would be harder to clean. All sorts of crud can build up in that. The colors you showed were pretty much what my mother is looking for, although we are considering vinyl plank. We've had bad luck with some water issues.

Since you have pets, I would recommend getting the little rubber/plastic mats with a bit of a lip at the edge go place under water bowls to protect the floor. I have those and they have really helped-- it also helps under bowls with wet food and even dry food since it tends to catch a lot of stuff. I forget the name right now, but Walmart sells some rectangular shaped ones.

Good luck with your flooring search! I hope you show us some pictures of what you choose.

 

[slownsteady]

Since you have pets, I would recommend getting the little rubber/plastic mats with a bit of a lip at the edge go place under water bowls to protect the floor. I have those and they have really helped-- it also helps under bowls with wet food and even dry food since it tends to catch a lot of stuff. I forget the name right now, but Walmart sells some rectangular shaped ones.

A boot tray works well and has room for multiple bowls. Found mine at Lowes

 

[mabloodhound]

I just finished putting down 330 SF of laminate in our kitchen. I had gone through the same thinking process as you are and ended up buying the SwiftLock laminate for less than $500.
The one question I asked the salesman who is also an installer is how well the new laminates stand up. He said he put engineered flooring in his kitchen 8 years ago, thinking it was the better product, but now he said it looks terrible.
The new laminates will take the abuse and clean up easily (like Bud said).
If you have the money than by all means go with solid hardwood. But I would forget the engineered flooring in the kitchen. JMO

 

[zannej]

A boot tray works well and has room for multiple bowls. Found mine at Lowes

That's a good idea too!