Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Oct 15, 2011 12:30 am We have been going crazy trying to work out what flooring we want to go with. We started off wanting vinyl planks but after some research my hubby got put off it due to emissions from the manufacturing process and he also didn't like the rubbery feel underfoot. We then thought maybe bamboo, but the more we looked at it we realised that the spotty look in it would annoy us over time. This took us to laminate or timber. We love love love the look of timber so are leaning towards that, but with 2 young boys and a dog we are not sure if it is a smart idea!?!?! IF we do go with timber, is it best to go a prefinished solid (can this be glued down instead of on top of ply?? I came across a thread on about page 7 saying it could?) or floating? We are looking at spotted gum, it is stunning!!! Anyone used Armstrong Lifestyle engineered floating floor? Re: Solid or engineered timber flooring? Solid glued down??? 3Oct 15, 2011 10:25 am Don't know about engineered flooring. We have solid flooring over chipboard and other boards. Ours is glued and secret nailed. Ours gets as much punishment as possible. We have dogs, horses, boys, dirt .....and ours is great. Some has been down over 16 years and has wear / scratches in places, but we will polish it again soon as it will come up new again Re: Solid or engineered timber flooring? Solid glued down??? 4Oct 15, 2011 4:58 pm tjilpi thank you for your reply I am very pleased to hear your flooring has held up well to all the punishment your household has inflicted on it hehe. What wood have you got down? After reading last night I am leaning towards overlay. It is slimline solid and can be glued to slab without need for ply etc. Re: Solid or engineered timber flooring? Solid glued down??? 5Oct 16, 2011 1:20 am I have never heard of Vinyl plank having emission issues, was that something a timber sales person told you? I would bet a quality 3mm/.7mm vinyl plank would be so much more practical & hard wearing with a young family than timber could ever dream of. I have seen timber in a commercial environment destroyed in 12months, yet a Quickstep 8mm laminate still do the same job for over 10 years without issue. Timber is great as long as you are super careful, plus It looks awesome if it is looked after. Correct Installation of a quality product is the other important consideration. Ask lots of questions. Re: Solid or engineered timber flooring? Solid glued down??? 6Oct 16, 2011 9:33 am I think it is Brsuhbox through part of the house and we have just laid Greybox in another part. We are anything but careful, in fact, it would be be hard for a floor to get more punishment than at our place and ours is still looks great. At times it can look 'rustic' but the good thig with solid is you can re-polish if you want. One thing I would say is DONT have roller office chairs on wood flooring.....bad result Put a bit of carpet or something under the chair. Re emissions....natural is always better and the environment will love you even more if it is recycled or plantation timber Re: Solid or engineered timber flooring? Solid glued down??? 7Oct 16, 2011 11:10 am You can sand & recoat Readyflor or various other overlay flooring as long as they have 4mm or better top layers. A 18mm Hardwood floor is not any better than Readyfloor in terms of lifespan. You have a top layer, the middle & the bottom. Split the 18mm t&g into 3 & its a similar top layer of approx 6mm which then needs sanding & ends up around 3.5mm to 4mm the same as Readyflor. If they have a Aluminium Oxide wear layer it may last really well, but it makes it more difficult to sand as it is so damn hard. You need the ability to be able to sand your timber floor as it will require it. I would not consider it an advantage, merely a way to rectify the damage it will sustain from everyday living. Commercially, I see timber floors looking destroyed in a short time, yet Quickstep Laminate & 3mm/.7mm wear layer looks good for a decade. Its good to hear that you are having a good run with your timber. Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 11480 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 4570 If this is a custom build then I would expect the builder to set out the door frame closer to the wall to avoid the gap between architrave and the wall and or specify… 9 6274 |