Key Post Flooring - alternatives to carpet/wooden floors

S

sueellen

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I don't want to be repetitive but I've looked at the wooden floors post and can't get an answer to my question.

I'm trying to select flooring for all the downstairs of my house post renovation project. I like wood but 2 people in flooring shops told me today that its not a good idea to get wood unless I'm willing to do the maintenance. We're not into maintenance cos we never have time so we want a floor that can survive with only being hoovered or swept occasionally. No oiling or sanding. It also needs to be able to cope with getting wet every now and then if someone spills a drink or something without it being a crisis. Does this rule our wood? If so, whats the option other than carpet. Have been meaning to look into that Amtico stuff.

For the kitchen, I know wood is out but I would like something thats not too slippy when wet and isn't too hard if something or someone (small) falls on it. Are all tiles hard and slippy? Is lino the best bet then? it doesn't look great.

Thanks for any insight you can offer.
 
Re: Most durable easily maintained floor?

Cheap lino can look nasty and is very slippy.

If you are choosing lino, go for a thick, textured option or even Marmoleum floors which can be very nice looking, and extremely durable and low maintenance. Good lino will mean that objects will "bounce - ish" and not smash if they fall, I've had some very bad experiences with tiles in the kitchen.

Recently a trend has been for people to chose underfloor heating with tiles for living areas and it sounds like a very good option, otherwise i would feel that tiles would be extremely cold.

HTH

Mo
 
Re: Most durable easily maintained floor?

Laminates - looks like wood, much more durable and no upkeep. Cheaper too.
 
Laminates

Thanks, Are laminates really low maintenance? The guy in the shop said laminate wood flooring needed maintenance as well which surprised me. What exactly do you ask for, I've seen lots of things calling themselves laminates. Thank you.
 
Re: Most durable easily maintained floor?

Hi Bren,

IMHO laminates are really suited to bedrooms. Solid wooden floors look better downstairs but require a lot more maintenance.

Laminates are not suited to kitchens/bathrooms because water damages them as far as I know.

The one thing that drives me mad about laminates is the amount of dust that accumulates - much more than any other flooring.

I feel sorry for a lot of dogs in houses that have laminate flooring because many of them appear to slide along rather than being able to walk properly. I would imagine narrow heels could possibly cause some damage also.
 
Re: Laminates

Thanks, Are laminates really low maintenance? The guy in the shop said laminate wood flooring needed maintenance as well which surprised me

Sounds like a strange thing for him to have said. AFAIK laminates require absolutely zero maintenance.

I'd term a laminate as being the type that click together. Hence relatively easy for you to put down yourself.
It's basically a thin piece of wood which has been laminated.

Laminates are not suited to kitchens/bathrooms because water damages them as far as I know.

Again, AFAIK, laminates suffer less from water damage than wooden floors do...for obvious reasons. They're sealed. At least that's what everyone tells me.
I have heard though that, naturally, they do not like a lot of water as they can warp.

I feel sorry for a lot of dogs in houses that have laminate flooring because many of them appear to slide along rather than being able to walk properly

I'd imagine some of them enjoy that ;)
 
Floor

Anyone know anything about cork tiles for a kitchen?
 
Re: Most durable easily maintained floor?

Bren,

Maybe I'm wrong (as usual :) ) but I don't like the sound of Cork tiles and water - bad combination - Cork and Wine maybe but not Cork and water ;)

If the washing machine/dishwasher develop a leak or if the sink overflows could destroy the floor.
 
Natural stone carpet

Why don't you try a stone carpet? Google will give you the page to see.
 
Stone carpet

What is a stone carpet? I looked in Google but didn't see any definition. Thanks.
 
re

I have cork floor tiles in my bathroom. There now for over 20 years. I put them down myself. They never have been a problem. Once they are sealed they will not allow water to get under them. Cork makes a lovely warm floor. Go for it.
 
Re: Most durable easily maintained floor?

Hi Bren

Read about stone carpets here

Marion
 
laminate

I rent in a house and I always notice a dust problem. Little balls of dust are constantly accumulating on the floor. Is this because the floors are laminate?
 
Re: Most durable easily maintained floor?

Annie,

The dust seems to accumulate much quicker on wooden floors than tiles or carpet. Have heard a lot of people comment on this.
 
chickenwire

I suspect both floors have the same amount of dust. It's just more apparent on laminate flooring. Dust can get stuck into carpets more easily
 
Re: Most durable easily maintained floor?

Have been meaning to look into that Amtico stuff
Click to expand...
we got Amtico for the kitchen from Floortex in Terenure
It's abit expensive. Very hard wearing. waterproof, in the sense that a flooded washing machine will not affect it. The one we have is not smooth like a tile, but has little ridges, and it's very hard to clean, the dirt seems to get into the ridges and you have to get down on your knees and scrub it out. There may be a smooth version of Amtico, and if there is, it would be worth looking at, but don't get the ridged one.
 
Re: Lino

Lino has really improved over the last few years, it's not all patterned and fake looking life what our Grannies had years ago. I'm a FTB and so money was really tight and when someone suggested lino I screamed in shock horror at the thought but... on looking into the "new" linos out there they're not too bad.

I went ahead with it and was really happy someone even asked me last week who fitted my wooden floors for me. Now that did make me smile!
 
Re: Most durable easily maintained floor?

The dust seems to accumulate much quicker on wooden floors than tiles or carpet. Have heard a lot of people comment on this.
Click to expand...

Actually carpet is just better at hiding the dirt. Get a carpet professionally (steam?) cleaned and it is obvious how much dirt a carpet can hold :)
 
Wooden Floors

I have been told that if you put wooden floors in a new house that you need to put the central heating on each day in order that the wood doesn't buckle or lift. Is this true and for how long after the laying of the floor does the heat need to be kept on on a daily basis??

m
 
Re: Wooden Floors

get the wood delivered and put the central heating on for a few days before you put it down.
 
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