Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Nov 07, 2010 1:32 pm Hi all, Need to get some costings for floors sometime before chrissy...it would help if I knew what I wanted. I love polished porcellin tiles, but I am worried about the sheen/cleaning. I love wide plank timber floors, but I am worried about damage as I have young kids. Can't do carpet because of allergies. I love the bamboo flooring, but I have no idea how much it costs to buy and install. Everyone seems to be talking about vinyl planks, but I don't know if they give that hollow sound. So just wondering how other people made this decision!! Any comments would be welcome, I am more concerned with wear and tear over cost. Building with Life$tyle Homes in Perth SOR Key Dates on First Page of my Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38761 Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 2Nov 07, 2010 1:50 pm We have big dogs, an evil mastermind cat and a kid. I've lived with both tiles and floorboards, and I couldn't be bothered worrying that my floors would get scratched every five minutes. Tiles were a no brainer for us, but we went for matt porcelain as opposed to polished porcelain as they are little more forgiving showing up dust etc. We also went for a mid-type colour, not too dark, not too light for the same reason. I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 3Nov 07, 2010 1:54 pm We chose tiles when building our first house, mostly due to cost (much cheaper than timber). With young kids I found they were very unforgiving on falls, and very cold. The upside was that I really didn't worry about damage. I did need to mop them often as I had quite a light colour that showed up the dirt. This time, we went for solid timber flooring (Rosegum). We chose them because we love the look of timber and as this was our dream home we wanted it to be perfect (for us). I was worried about scratches from the kids and also how much cleaning I would need to do. So far I am cleaning them far less than the tiles (just a quick run over with a microfibre broom/mop), and the kids have been doing their usual activities and no scratches yet. The floor is much warmer than the tiles. The downside is that I am more paranoid about damaging them so am insisting people take their shoes off before coming in, and the extra cost. I don't regret going timber at all. I love the look of the solid timber, and am not such a fan of the timberlook laminate flooring. I did like the look of bamboo flooring, however our builder got us a great deal on the Rosegum so we didn't look further into Bamboo. My advice is if you can afford it then go the timber! Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 4Nov 07, 2010 1:57 pm ^^^ Depends on the tiles as to which is cheaper. Rectified porcelain is similar in cost to timber floors and sometimes more expensive. Timber won't necessarily be more expensive. I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 5Nov 07, 2010 1:59 pm We had floorboards at our old house and they got so damaged from chair legs and kids dropping things on them, it was horrible. We went with gloss ceramic tiles, easy to clean if the kids throw up on them, look fantastic, don't have to worry about chair legs damaging them, and not too expensive. However, I did learn the hard way that they are not so good if you faint and land on your face as I was unfortunate enough to do. Two black eyes, a broken nose, a big lump on head that is still there after 9 weeks and a concussion were rather unpleasant! I still love the tiles though, very solid! Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 6Nov 07, 2010 2:07 pm Fallen Apple - omg. My friends 2 yr old fell on her head (flying off the couch) and was out cold until they got to the hosp. Very scary!! This had made me little more confused. Maybe timber??? I saw a display home once that had tiles in the foyer, which could be an idea. Oh dear I might need to another consult with the designer so she can tell me what I want. I think I might go to a bamboo or timber display. Some ofthe flooring companies just have tiny samples... i need a whole room!! Building with Life$tyle Homes in Perth SOR Key Dates on First Page of my Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38761 Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 7Nov 07, 2010 7:26 pm upsydaisy We chose tiles when building our first house, mostly due to cost (much cheaper than timber). With young kids I found they were very unforgiving on falls, and very cold. The upside was that I really didn't worry about damage. I did need to mop them often as I had quite a light colour that showed up the dirt. This time, we went for solid timber flooring (Rosegum). We chose them because we love the look of timber and as this was our dream home we wanted it to be perfect (for us). I was worried about scratches from the kids and also how much cleaning I would need to do. So far I am cleaning them far less than the tiles (just a quick run over with a microfibre broom/mop), and the kids have been doing their usual activities and no scratches yet. The floor is much warmer than the tiles. The downside is that I am more paranoid about damaging them so am insisting people take their shoes off before coming in, and the extra cost. I don't regret going timber at all. I love the look of the solid timber, and am not such a fan of the timberlook laminate flooring. I did like the look of bamboo flooring, however our builder got us a great deal on the Rosegum so we didn't look further into Bamboo. My advice is if you can afford it then go the timber! I can relate to everything upsydaisy has said, first build went for tiles due to cost. I find it much easier to clean my timber floors. Definately warmer than tiles. I too am a little paranoid of damage, I also make people take off their shoes if wearing heals or shoes that may have stones caught under them. Overall I just love them!! Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 8Nov 07, 2010 11:44 pm hmm - I might need shoe racks at the garage entry and front door. Maybe that will be enough to let people know I don't want shoes in the house? My friend is chinese and it is her custom not to wear shoes in the house.... which seems to work for her.... I might ring her for tips, NO ONE wears shoes in her house! Building with Life$tyle Homes in Perth SOR Key Dates on First Page of my Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38761 Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 9Nov 08, 2010 12:14 am hope Erin doesn't mind - but some pics of laminate flooring - a whole room http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=35754&start=720 Built with RedInk Custom 5000 Key Handover 15/12/2009 Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 10Nov 08, 2010 6:30 am My husband and I both love timber and have deliberately chosen less expensive options in other parts of the house so that we could afford solid timber floors. I prefer the spring of floor boards under my feet to tiles or polished concrete. I am concerned about the kids and the potential for damage but I am going to try not to be too precious about the floors either. Our house is elevated so I'm hoping much of the dirt underfoot will have been lost as they run up the stairs and across a couple of strategically placed mats on the verandahs. But in the end dings and scrapes are a part of living and I believe I'm prepared to accept them. (Let's see when the first scratch happens! :0 ) In ten-fifteen years' time the kids will be older and we can sand and refinish the floors. Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 11Nov 08, 2010 8:49 am In relation to 'hardness' of flooring, polished wood floors may *feel* softer under food, but it wouldn't make any difference if you face planted on them. It's still a solid flooring surface. There isn't really any give at all in solid wood flooring. In terms of looks, it depends on the style of the house! I've seen houses that look amazing with wooden floors, and tiles wouldn't do it justice. I've also seen houses that look absolutely amazing in tile, and wood just wouldn't look right. Building at Warner Lakes in sunny Queensland. Building with Bold Properties. Building thread is here! - https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38957 Blog is here! - http://campoutforland.blogspot.com Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 12Nov 08, 2010 9:13 am A very subjective topic, but, for what's worth, we've got both tiles and timber in our current home. The tiles are Italian ceramic and weren't cheap, looks great.....but....I dunno just something about tiles comp0ared to the timber floor. The timber floors are Tassie Oak, and now wish we'd done the whole house in it, except the bedrooms (carpet - wool). We are building again and definitely timber, toss-up between Ironbark and blackbutt. Why you may ask? Well, my pedigree chums, timber has a 'warmth' and just looks damn good. Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 13Nov 08, 2010 9:24 am I'm one of those people who has opted for the Vinyl Planks. They are 3mm thick and applied directly to the concrete. http://www.karndean.com.au/site/index.cfm They look nice, warm under the foot, durable and not noisy. We are having the Vinyl planks throughout the house (except for bathroom, laundry and ensuite) We haven't had our flooring laid in our new home but we had them in a previous home and really liked them. Initially we wanted proper timber floors for our new home but it was too expensive where we live. Depending on which Karndean floor type you pick it can also be expensive (and depending on where you live you might be able to find timber floors at that price- We just can't here) I didn't want a timber laminate due to the number of stories I've heard about water damage, scratches and the noise (I acknowledge that the stories I heard could just be isolated cases and if I looked into it- it may be possible to find a good quality timber laminate without those issues- but the vinyl planks suit us so we decided to stick with that!) We have tiles in our current house and I quite like them in terms of the way they look and ease of cleaning etc- We have carpet in the theatre rooms and bedrooms which I detest and we won't be having any carpet (Aside from possibly having non fixed mats/rugs) I probably would have been happy to have tiles in our new house but my husband would never have agreed to have tiles in the bedrooms whereas he is happy to have the Vinyl planks everywhere. I have no doubt that I'll be putting pics of the floor on my building thread when we get to that point in the building process Good luck with whatever you decide! Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 14Nov 08, 2010 10:41 am interesting interesting interesting.... I think I will go timber just need to decide on a material.... and really get some number crunching happening... whaqt is more important good floors or a good holiday??? Might take the hubby round this afternoon and get some quotes. You guys have been rediculously helpful and I can't thank you enough! Building with Life$tyle Homes in Perth SOR Key Dates on First Page of my Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38761 Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 15Nov 08, 2010 11:40 am If you are choosing flooring for the entire house I would go wood - looks so much nicer than tiles in the bedroom. Especially with your colour tones. I love bamboo. We're going for tiles as I know I'd be very upset with scratches from sliding my coffee table around! But we are having carpet in bedrooms. Go for real wood so that it can be sanded back and re polished in 5-10yrs when theres lots of scratches. Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 16Nov 08, 2010 1:42 pm Our flooring is: Bedrooms and Home Theatre - Carpet - Bedrooms for the warmth and the feeling under your feet when you get out of bed! And the HT for the acoustics of the room (apparently!) Wet Areas - obviously tiles Remainder of House - timber laminates - so Formal Lounge, Living, Kitchen, Dining, Rumpus and hallways. Reason being: As part of the promotion when we signed up we had flooring included as part of the package, we had the option of cermaic floor tiles but we really wanted real timber flooring - as the tiles were a promotional offer, we would not have received any money back if we opted to have no flooring in these areas so we could get real timber floors after handover (our builder does not do real floors) Anyway - it only ended up be a couple of hundred for us to upgrade from the ceramic tiles to timber laminates and then about $2k to upgrade from carpet to laminates in the formal lounge, rumpus and hallways. We figured that timber laminates will do for now as it won't break the bank straight away - and from previous experience with ripping floor tiles up - timber laminates will be 100 times easier to rip up when we want to put real timber in! REAL Timber wins over tiles for me because - Warmth, it may not necessarily be warmer in temperature, but it looks and feels warmer. No Grout with Timber - I HATE GROUT WITH A PASSION. Timber can be sanded back and re stained if it gets scratches and dints. You can change the colour of the timber stain if you get sick of it and want something different. Timber in kids areas and high traffic areas for ease of cleaning up spills etc. (same as tiles here) IMO - Tiles in a living area feel like a doctors surgery waiting room - even with rugs - I cannot fully relax (again don't want to offend anyone there - just my personal preference) So at the moment we will be having timber laminates - the aim is to keep them until our (future) kids are at an age where they won't be throwing around toys/food and basically until they (the floors) are worn out... Sleven Moved into our Atlantique MkII 36 by Carlisle Homes Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 17Nov 08, 2010 2:20 pm We are going with floating bamboo floors from a company that has no formaldehyde etc in their glues.
I was going to go with tiles for added thermal mass, but decided they would just be too cold to live with. I was very concerned about the VOC levels of the different flooring types, and the bamboo we are going with looks great and is nice and safe... I spoke to a few floor board places and the consensus seems to be floating is better than solid as the whole floor expands and contracts together, while the solid boards expand and contract individually, so u get gaps. Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 18Nov 08, 2010 2:20 pm We had timber in our old house and love them....Put them down when DS#1 son was nearly two and they survived four kids.We had them in the living/rumpus area. The kitchen had lino that was fantastic...we just never got around to updating that. In this rental we have white tiles which i hate!!!...Ive developed a disorder(I'm sure of it) in which Im constantly sweeping....Did I mention I hate them.They are cold too... Our new house will have timber/carpet/tiles to wet area's only. Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 19Nov 08, 2010 4:14 pm We had a 2 story flat with wooden floors, one kid was really good at using it to get attention and nothing would stop him, which was really good as I do 24/7 shiftwork, so at that stage we madethe decision the floors of our house was going to be tiles. He now hurts his feet instead and gave up that trick within a couple of weeks of moving. If I was to win Lotto, I would build with a different builder, now to win lotto Re: Why did you choose either Tiles or Timber Flooring? 20Nov 08, 2010 9:55 pm hmmm - interesting. So the wopod will hold up to a barbie car being pushed around? And the silly little stroller thing that makes a racket. hmmmmmm Building with Life$tyle Homes in Perth SOR Key Dates on First Page of my Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38761 Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15908 1 15753 That sucks! Hope it all works out. Good to move away from steel anyway for all your reasons, but it's also thermally poor. 16 17871 |