Wood Flooring vs Tile

I am finishing my lower level and plan to put in wood or tile flooring. The floor is concrete, does this make any difference in deciding which type of flooring to go with? Thanks.

Reply to
Naomi.Ackerman
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You can put either material on concrete. More important is what the area is going to be used for, what the chances are of it being exposed to water, and personal taste. For example, wood is well suited to a living room, dining room, family room, etc. that are at or above grade. I would not put it in a basement family room. And probably not in a kitchen either. In a kitchen, the plus to wood would be that if you drop a glass jar, not likely to break. The neg is that anything you drop may dent the floor. And with a kitchen there is a higher chance of a leak ruining it. Also, I'd prefer tile for an area like the entrance, where it's going to be more exposed to water, high traffice, etc.

Reply to
trader4

Tile is easy to clean, maintain and holds its looks well for long periods of time. Many types of tile can enhance the beauty of a room, while some seem too sterile for my tastes. I like tile (and by tile I am speaking of ceramic or stone tile, not vinyl). They can be beautiful if done right.

Solid wood (3/4") is not recommended directly onto concrete. It is usually installed over sleepers or a mechanically fastened wooden substrate. This can cause problems due to the height differential that results next to adjacent flooring. With a 1x sleeper and 3/4" solid wood, you now have 1-1/2 inch height difference. This can be problematic.

Wood flooring requires more care than tile. It will need to be maintained and refinished to varying degrees to keep it looking great. But it is beautiful if done right.

I like wood floors.

Engineered wood floors can be applied directly to concrete and being thinner, are more compatible with adjacent floors. They will require similar care as solid wood flooring, but usually either can't be refinished, or can only be refinished once or twice, depending upon the type. But they are beautiful if done right.

Again, I like wood floors (NOT laminate floors).

Reply to
Robert Allison

There are many types of wood flooring. Lower level implies it is either at or below grade. That can make a difference too.

If you are talking about engineered wood, yes, it can be done with the proper barrier and would be much nicer than tiles, IMO.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I really like wood floors. But, vinyl does not have all the issues associated with a wooden floor:

expanding/contracting water under the floor may cause it to buckle more expensive than vinyl Vinyl cleans up easier, no water concerns May cause problems with threshholds/doors. There are vinyl patterns that look (surprisingly) just like wood. Vinyl is replaced easier than wood

For these reasons, I can't justify a wooden floor in the kitchen, bath or laundry room.

You can install a wooden floor or vinyl over concrete. A floating pre-finished laminate wooden floor is probably your best bet. It is fairly easy to install. Put down the foam layer first, as recommended by the manufacturer.

Reply to
Phisherman

For concrete, engineered wood over vapor barrier is nice, make sure it has at least an 1/8 inch of real wood at the surface so that if it gets dinged it can be spot restained/repaired/chip glued. Would not suggest engineered wood for bath at all, just tile it for the inevitable toilet overflow. Some engineered flooring is plywood substrate others are MDF substrate. Would only suggest engineered for kitchen if it has a plywood substrate not the MDF, due to swelling if a wet rag should lie there for a day or so (MDF swells a lot, plywood swells much less when wet). But I like a wood floor kitchen a lot, the patina after a few years is very nice once you learn to psychologically accept the patina of wood in a kitchen, it's great. All the above applies with at or below grade concrete. An engineered floor on concrete is installed "floating" meaning it is not physically glued or fastened to the floor, and requires a foam pad if it did not come with an integral pad (which is a late development with some lines).

Real 3/4 inch strip flooring over concrete below grade is never recommended, at grade it needs a plywood subfloor for the nail down.

Tile you already know you can use on concrete anywhere, be it vinyl, ceramic, porcelain, etc.

Reply to
RickH

IMO, bamboo is a good compromise.

Bamboo doesn't.

Banbii doesn't, at least I've never had it happen.

Bamboo is cheaper than mid-grade vinyl.

Bamboo cleans well.

True. It's not hard to cut doors. Thresholds may be a problem.

Vinly looks like, well, vinyl.

Good thing. It needs to be.

I wouldn't use vinyl in the bath or laundry either. Tile is the way to go in wet areas. I don't much like it in kitchens because it's too hard to stand on for long periods.

Most laminates looks cheap, IMO. I certainly wouldn't use them in high traffic or wet areas.

Reply to
krw

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