Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Oct 20, 2009 11:20 am We are in planning stage of our "forever" house, at this stage unsure of whether it will be slab or stumps and timber floor. I have a few questions regarding flooring options for all rooms except the bedrooms (they will have carpet). We currently have laminate floating floors which we put down to cover the awful existing floor. We chose laminate for price as we will be knocking down this house. Problems I find with the laminate is it marks easily (foot prints etc) but does wash well with metho/water. Some bits are lifting in the kitchen - they have probably had too much water on them. If we go with timber floating floors will they show marks as easily as laminate? Are they easy to clean and will they lift with water? I presume proper timber floorboards are a totally different kettle of fish to a floating floor in so far as ability to handle water on the surface? Timber of course scratches, does a non-gloss surface make the scratches less obvious? If we use timber floorboards on a house with stumps do we still have the usual floor under the floorboards or do the floorboards form the floor? Has anyone had sandstone flooring? I've heard you have to add something to the water when washing every 3 months or so to keep the sealed coat sealed. Is this correct? Any advice is most appreciated. Thanks. Susan Re: Floating floor vs timber floor boards vs sand stone tiles 2Oct 20, 2009 11:45 am Hi Susan, Yes you've learned that laminate flooring is quite moisture sensitive. True timber is much more resistant and preferred (IMO). Sandstone can be a beautiful floor. It is an absorbent stone however and normally requires a top coat sealer to act as a sacrificial coating and protect the sandstone from soiling and staining. Any top coat will require maintenance and after some years possibly restoration. There are high gloss or satin type finishes. You just sweep it and mop it with neutral cleaner regularly. Then after a couple of years or so, a contractor can give it a clean and apply a couple more coats of sealer. Eventually (maybe after 15-20 years or so) it may need to be stripped, cleaned and resealed. This is quite a big job, but then the floor is good for another 15-20 years. If you build on stumps, I think timber is a better option. I would only but sandstone on a concrete slab. Reason is any movement at all may lead to cracking of grout in a stone floor. Ash. Re: Floating floor vs timber floor boards vs sand stone tiles 3Oct 20, 2009 12:46 pm I agree with Ash that if you decide on timber, go with timber bearers / joists / boards. The boards form the floor in these houses. They don't mark easily at all in my experience so I wouldn't be worried. Timber & laminate are different beasties. Part of the patina that develops on timber over time is part of its charm. Perhaps choose a harder grade of timber of you are concerned with scratching. As far as water, we have never had damage to timber floors from spilling drinks or anything BUT some floor polishing mobs will tell you not to put floorboards into wet areas. If washing machines or dishwashers leak for a length of time & the boards are constantly wet then you will get some damage. Some people guard against this by applying a marine varnish to these areas. If you want a stone floor (which i love!) go for a slab. Sandstone/limestone/travertine/marble is much easier to look after these days. Most people go for a penetrating sealer which maintains the natural look of the stone. Check out Dry Treat. It is warranted for 15 years so you have a long time between re-sealing. Re: Floating floor vs timber floor boards vs sand stone tiles 4Oct 20, 2009 1:51 pm Yes, sandstone can be sealed using a penetrating type sealer which provides a natural finish. Good penetrating sealers work well also, BUT they offer no protection to the surface of the floor from abrasive wear. As sandstone is a fairly soft stone, it will ultimately wear in the traffic ways. This is why I think a good top coat type sealer offers better protection. But any top coat type selaers will require more maintenance. Here is a chart showing sealing options from Aquamix... http://www.aquamix.com.au/pdf/how-to-ca ... one_CM.pdf Ash. Re: Floating floor vs timber floor boards vs sand stone tiles 5Oct 20, 2009 6:55 pm Thank you both for your information, it has made things a lot clearer. The ultimate choice will probably depend upon whether we build with a slab or stumps. I'm a sucker for sandstone but hubby prefers floorboards. I appreciate your replies. Re: Floating floor vs timber floor boards vs sand stone tiles 6Oct 21, 2009 3:48 pm Now a day sand stone tiles and timber floor is rock. I am also planning sand stone living room and timber floor in my master bed room. Re: Floating floor vs timber floor boards vs sand stone tile 7Jan 09, 2010 4:34 pm Maybe you choose laminate flooring which performance of abraion resistance is no good, so there is some marks after people walk on the flooring. For your home, it is very difficult for scratches appears on heavy domestic laminate flooring after people work on it. Unlike solid wood floor, laminate flooring is strong abrasion resistant. But there will some little sound when people work on it. Actually it is not suitable to install laminate flooirng in kitchen as it is not water resistant. Can someone show some pics of sandstone flooring? To put anything over slate you will need to put self level compound over the entire area as slate various in thickness and is very un even. To install most types of… 1 389 Thanks Simon, I guess I'm no concerned with the volume of the noise rather that dead and hollow sound and feel that is associated with floating floors. But I'm not sure… 3 6141 |