Flooring Q

[clare]

For an experienced DIYer Ceramic isn't that much more than GOOD vinyl. costwise. A bit more work though.

[Casper]

Ed Pawlowski was heard to mutter:

My friend's house came with the Pergo.

As for me, I don't want tile. Not on the kitchen floor.

[Casper]

I've done tile and don't want it here.

I want this floor both level and the same across the entire house. Tile would be too cost and labor intesive.

[Casper]

I am finding relatively decent prices on LVP on th einternet but I need to see it in person and know where it is manufactured.

I may very well go with sheet vinyl and a pro install. That would mean I would have to find a really good local professional installer. Reason follows...

Same friend I mentioned earlier went with a local place to lay sheet in his guest bath and bedroom. You can see and feel every nail, bump, etc., everywhere. A week later he showed it to me and I told him that was a bad install, not counting the damage to his bathroom walls. He called the place and they were completely gone. Out of business.

[clare]

THAT is telegraphing. Sheet flooring WILL show every imperfection - which is why I would NOT use it directly over OSB. Preparation is key. Using a floor leveler product on the osb - basically like a real thick paint or thin cement- to get rid of the texture first would eliminate the need for a thick "underlay" - That's what a "professional" is for.

I only deal with companies that have been around for a good while and have a stellar reputation if I'm paying them to do a job. If I'm just buying product and installing it myself the company I'm buying from is less important than the material I'm buying from them (brand and quality)

[Ed Pawlowski]

Your choice, of course. Had it in my last house, eventually will have it in this house. Very easy to keep clean, never needs wax or special products.

Both bathrooms and the downstairs hallway are 12 x 12 tiles with epoxy grout.

[krw]

FWIW, I agree with you. We have a hardwood kitchen floor in this house and would *greatly* prefer tile. Anywhere there is water I'd prefer tile over any other surface.

Not sure I want it in the hallway but if "downstairs" = "basement", I agree.

[clare]

The "hallway" in our house is the front foyer. Nothing better than porcelain tile for that job - or kitchen or bath. Main floor "powder room" and kitchen in our house are solid vinyl sheet flooring - about 15 years old and just like new. Living and dining room are ash prefinished hardwood. Upstairs bath is a laminate product that looks and feels like ceramic or porcelain tile, comes in

1X2 foot sections that click together, and the joints are wax sealed so the finished floor is waterproof. Bedrooms are original narrow strip oak hardwood. Upstairs hallway and stairs are carpetted. I'd rather have them harswood too, but carpet is safer on the stairs.\

Basement rec room is 14mm laminate. Laundry/office is Berber carpet, along with basement steps. I would never install the cheap polypropylene Berber again - drag anything across it and you have a melted streak that never comes out.

[krw]

Agreed. Anywhere water...

Agreed for everything but vinyl. Hate the stuff. I have two bathrooms and a laundry that are vinyl. I have plans to replace them with tile. The vinyl in the laundry is torn (washer or drier caught it at some point). As far as I'm concerned DIY tile is time consuming but not all that difficult. It's cheaper than vinyl, too.

Laminate on a concrete floor? Below grade? My basement floor is concrete and sawdust. ;-)

[Casper]

Don't get me wrong, tile is nice. I've had it in bathrooms and have a couple friends who have it in their kitchens.

Let me clarify. I want my entire house to be the same across all rooms, all floors same level. Trying to do all that in tile would be more costly and time consuming done DiY.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I have a raised ranch and this is on the concrete on the lower level. Hall goes from the family room to what is my office on the other end, stairs and bathroom in between. Originally it had horrible indoor/outdoor carpet, then engineered hardwood that got wet a couple of times.

Upstairs hall is carpet.

[clare]

The laminate is on a 1/2" plywood subfloor supported on treated 5/4 strapping laid on 30 lb felt on the concrete floor. Was originally carpetted. Basement is heated/conditioned like the rest of the house - no door between basement and main floor, just like between main and upper. Humidity is always a wee bit higher in the basement. Currently

40% at 25C.

The basement carpet is on the same plywood raised floor. The raised floor is over 40 years old and standing up well.

[clare]

My tile and hardwood are within less than 1/16 inch of the same hight

- transition to the vinyl is less than 1/4 inch.

Laminate to carpet in the basement is less than 1/4 inch transition as well.

The local discount flooring emporium currently has tile on at $0.67 and $0.97 per square foot, Laminate at $0.97 for the cheap stuff, and $1.37 for the better (Krona) stuff, and hardwood from $1.97 up - lots of it at 3.25. Installation is $1.25 per sq foot for 300 sq ft or more.. Vinyl plank at $1.37 and Clik vinyl plank at $1.97. Clik engineered maple hardwood $2.97.

[Casper]

Still a transition.

Again, still a transition and not desired here.

What "local discount flooring emporium"??

Every local place I have been to has no tile that cheap except small leftover lots that would be insufficient to do an entire home. I can only find cheap VLP for $0.89 when it is on sale and again in low quanities. Most are $1.99sq ft and up. Hardwood is over $2 sq ft and installation starts at $2.50 and up, depending on material. Those prices don't reflect underlayment and old material removal cost.

I was quoted for medium quality VLP, installed with underlayment, for a cost of $6k. That includes a special 15% discount for being referred by a friend to the owner. I left the store.

Our trash pickup company will not take carpet, tile, etc,. Our community switched to a new trash company a year ago and everything must fit in the provided can, the lid must close and you must adhere to the weight limit. Nothing will be picked up outside the provided can. No paints, flooring, oils, electronics, etc,. They do not provide any recycling pickup.

Moving is not an option. In case someone was going to bring that up.

[clare]

Kitchener Ontario Source Flooring. So the prices are in $0.77 dollars too.

Sucks to be an American??? Here I can haul any construction materials to the local landfill - costs $75 per ton.

I can buy flooring at places like that here too. I can pay more than that too - just need to know where to buy and where to walk.

I bought the carpet for the stairway and hall from a higher end store

- and paid their installers - with their best underlay - cost me $1000. We bought what we wanted, not what was the cheapest.

The tile we bought for the front foyer was a bit more expensive too - but for less than 40 square feet I told my wife not to even look at the price - just choose the tile she wanted. Cost us less than $3 per square foot. IIRC the ditra, thinset, and grout cost as much as the tile.

The hardwood I bought directly from the mill for $2.35 per sq ft, IIRC. I bought the air nailer on sale for about $50 - plus the cost of the cleats/nails.

The transitions are all transitions - not offsets. The transition from one level to the other is spread over about 2 inches - definitely not a trip hazard even for someone n crutches.

I installed all of my own tile, hardwood, and laminate. (also all but

2 of my windows)

I own a little pickup truck.

[clare]

How big is your home?????

[Ed Pawlowski]

The only sure way to eliminate transition is to use the same material throughout. Even then you may have 1/16" Or spray the floor with self leveling concrete. The 1'16" difference is barely perceptible with baby feet or a wheelchair.

The problem with one material is there is none truly suitable for every room.

Sure they will, but it becomes a long term project to put the pieces in the can every week.

[J. Clarke]

Does kind of suck. Do your spring cleaning and the options are to store it for several weeks or rent a dumpster.

And how is it the old guy who used to ride on the back of the truck was able to lift so much more than the hydraulic arm anyway?

[Casper]

[e-mail] was heard to mutter:

Ah that explains a lot.

That's not an American thing, it's a company thing. Our previous trash company picked up anything as long as it was tied up or boxed up in packages not too difficult to pick up.

Hardwood would be a waste imho in a mobile home. No return on value.

I have various seniors and handicapped people who come in and even a folded carpet has caused issues for a few of them.

Nice.

I own an SUV.

[Casper]

[e-mail] was heard to mutter:

1390 sq feet. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1 utility hall/room, combo kitchen dinning that opens into living room.