Flooring for combined laundry / living area?

[Lee B]

1950's rancher. Sometime in its past, the carport was enclosed to create a combination den and laundry area. The laundry area was separated by two half walls with wooden spindles to the ceiling. (And the world's semi-ugliest navy blue carpet - some of you may remember this is the house with the rose colored carpet and the pinkish brown cement floor in the "Florida room").

I'm in the process of having a laundry closet built - typical bi-fold door affair, and the half walls removed. I have to replace the carpet (hurray!) and am not sure what to use? I'd figured on that vinyl product that looks like stone. Then at HD the other day, I saw some sort of laminate pergo type stuff, with a notation that said it was good for use in wet areas like the laundry. When I mentioned this to my contractor, he said laminate doesn't do well when wet.

Any suggestions? There is a wooden layer under the carpet, and I assume concrete from the carport under that. If this was strictly a laundry room, I wouldn't care too much about appearance, but it will also be a living area that happens to have a laundry closet in the far corner, and I care because of resale. It's also the first area people see if they come in through the driveway door. Additional info: two shedding dogs and their crates will be in the area, so durability and ease of cleaning is important.

Thanks!

[Bob]

I would take the floor down to the concrete under the washer and put some sort of dam along the edge to stop dripping water from seeping under the finished floor. Alternatively put the washer in a catch basin.

[Vic Smith]

I've put down sheet vinyl in a few rooms with excellent results. Comes in many patterns/looks. Different quality grades. I used mid-grade. Never in a room with a dimension bigger than 12', so I never had to join seams. But that shouldn't be a big deal. If you're having it done, it's nothing for a pro. Main thing is a flat floor. I put hardboard sheeting on one floor first because the old tongue and groove gaps might show through from the vinyl settling. Didn't bother when putting over old and good linoleum. Never used leveling compound. Didn't use a drop of glue, didn't use a single nail. It just laid flat. The edges might peek up until you put the cove or quarter round in. Didn't use a pattern. Measured carefully, cut a bit oversize, then finished the edges with a utility knife. That's one option.

--Vic

[John]

If the concrete base is solid I would remove the wood and go with ceramic tile. Looks great, holds up in a possibly damp area and is a plus at resale.

John

[HeyBub]

After putting down laminate in a bedroom, I took a 1" wide bit of scrap and measured its thickness with a micrometer. I then stuck it in a glass of water. Replenishing the water periodically, I left the piece of laminate soaking for a MONTH. Measuring it once again, it was still the same thickness within the tolerance of my micrometer (0.002").

That said, you can get laminate flooring from Lumber Liquidators or Floor & Decor Outlet at less than half the price you'd pay at the box store. The laminate I used for two bedrooms cost $0.67/sq ft from LL. I did another bedroom with even cheaper material at $0.47/sq ft. from F&DO.

Flooring with laminate is a straight-forward and rewarding project. Heck, it's even fun. Some tools you may not have:

• A powered saw (table saw is best)

• A 2# rubber hammer

• A Z-shaped piece of metal to force-snap the pieces together long-ways. Hook one end on the laminate plank and whack the other end with a hammer. A big hammer. I can't stress how important this tool is in preventing gaps: Another hint:

• Remove the baseboards. Use this opportunity to take them outside, sand, fill in the dings, and re-paint. Sub-hint: Do not pound the baseboard nails out - pull them through the wood.

You can easily do a big room in a weekend.

Good luck.

[trader4]

I would agree that laminate is a reasonable choice for the application. It's water resistant enough that it's used in laundry rooms, kitchens, basements, etc. And it's going to look a lot better than vinyl.

[Norminn]

With laminate flooring and a lot of traffic, I think there would be a lot of grit, sand and dog hair floating around (not to mention noise). I would be inclined to use indoor/outdoor carpet with short loop pile with waterproof membrane under the carpet...membrane to protect against doggie accidents permeating subfloor. Cold or warm climate? Ceramic tile, but same issues except not easily scratched by dogs.

[HeyBub]

You make an interesting point.

Most laminate, however, is coated with the same stuff from which they make fighter jet windshields. As such, it is impervious to ground-in dirt, dog claws, golf shoes, and being slammed with the pointy-ball thingy on the end of a chain. I've tried scratching laminate with a nail and a wood rasp with no detectable effect.

There MAY be a lot of dirt, dog hair, and the like deposited - depending on the traffic, but whatever won't migrate to the nether regions as it would on a carpet. Laminate is FAR easier to keep clean than a rug.

[Lee B]

Thanks, that is what I'm thinking. I have long haired dogs with an undercoat that clings to everything when they shed, so I figure a laminate or something else hard would be much simpler to mop than carpet. Hmm, maybe a leaf blower! I'm not too concerned with noise and traffic. And somehow the idea of tile just doesn't do anything for me. I associate it with being cold and slippery, but then my only real experience with tile is in bathrooms, LOL. BTW, mid-atlantic climate so currently coldish.

I'm going to have to go find a Lumber Liquidators. You are making that laminate sound appealing!