Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 May 28, 2008 2:08 pm Interior floors - like the look of wood but the maintenance and cost involved put us off a little. Has anyone had experience with the VINYL wood look products and could offer some of their thoughts on wear/maintenance please? We have always had tiled floors but the grout drives me crazy to keep looking clean.
Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 3May 28, 2008 10:01 pm We have ordered laminate flooring (as it's called) from ***.
More info on the blog, but at $19 per sqm it's a bargain, and can be installed yourself if you are even partly handy. We were lucky enough to visit the new home of another forum member who showed us his floor. Looks awesome. Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 4May 28, 2008 10:04 pm house3wa Interior floors - like the look of wood but the maintenance and cost involved put us off a little. Has anyone had experience with the VINYL wood look products and could offer some of their thoughts on wear/maintenance please? We have always had tiled floors but the grout drives me crazy to keep looking clean. Check out Karndean, a great vinyl flooring!!! http://www.karndean.com/index.asp?check=true Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 5May 28, 2008 10:40 pm We were going with floating timber, but it was too expensive and too cold. We've gone for a Karndean product - Knight Tile in Calcite. It's warmer, doesn't dent like wood does, doesn't damage dropped things as much and a fair bit cheaper. The only other flooring in the house is tiles in the bathrooms and laundry, and carpet for lounge, dining, stairs and the whole upstairs. I'm hoping it will look good.
Judie Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 6May 28, 2008 11:23 pm house3wa Interior floors - like the look of wood but the maintenance and cost involved put us off a little. Has anyone had experience with the VINYL wood look products and could offer some of their thoughts on wear/maintenance please? We have always had tiled floors but the grout drives me crazy to keep looking clean. Agreed... tiles are not great to live with (except for wet areas). Agreed... timber can be expensive, and maintenance IS an issue. Good quality vinyl such as Karndean stuff is worth considering. Also, consider Marmoleum and Cork.... these have a lot going for them! Of course you will have nice carpets in appropriate areas, right? Ash. Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 7May 28, 2008 11:41 pm Thanks for the replies everyone. Ash - yes going for carpet in bedrooms/theatre and tiles in wet areas. As for the cork and Marmoleum - how does it go for maintaining and general wear. Have got 3 kids 7yrs and under plus an elderly family member living with us, so durability is a real big factor in the decision. Has anyone had the vinyl strips that have been suggested for a couple of years and can offer feedback on their wear? Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 8May 29, 2008 8:01 am When choosing the laminate flooring, do your homework - there are 6mm, 7mm and 8mm boards and the thicker the better. Some suppliers will also include underlay in the price - you you can't just go on the cost per square metre.
Cheers Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 9May 29, 2008 10:17 am house3wa As for the cork and Marmoleum - how does it go for maintaining and general wear. Have got 3 kids 7yrs and under plus an elderly family member living with us, so durability is a real big factor in the decision. ? Both exceptionally good. Cork has to be one of the friendliest surfaces. Both cork and Marm have a very good environmentally friendly profile too. Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 10May 29, 2008 9:50 pm (Yay first post )
We have laminate flooring in our current house and it has worn badly, especially since my wife repeatedly 'forgot' to take of her shoes at the door, and we picked up a couple of little 4 footed friends along the way also . I looked at replacing the floor and asked for the hardest wearing stuff out there, as we live in Canberra the response I got was quite a good one; the supplier told me to goto Parliament house and look at the floor in the 'great hall' be rest assured that is the best hardest wood in the country and see how it has worn. So along I went one day for work and happened to notice the floor, well to put it bluntly its stuffed! Sure it gets more feet over it than most floors but seriously it looks horrible now. "Point made" I said when I bumped into him again. I don't think any wood flooring that is anything but cared for with white gloves is going to stand the test of time. I was also at a PB display home and noticed the AWESOME dark timber floor in the Illoura building they had, but it was demonstrated by another couple there at even dropping keys on the floor from pocket height left a mark, sure not much and probably not noticeable to anyone but the person that dropped the keys but that coupled with my looking at the Parliament floors has convinced me that the wood is not for us and our growing family. I know it doesn't really answer your vinyl question but might be worth while for those thinking about wood flooring in general. Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 11May 29, 2008 10:00 pm That reminds me......
I used to clean the carpets at Parliament House in Perth for about 8 years. Often when I was in there working, other tradies were also busy doing other work. The main foyer had a big parquetry timber floor, and it was being refinished one weekend I was there. I returned a fortnight later to do more work. The glossy finish on the floor was absolutely riddled by thousands of marks (where stilettos had left their impression). As beautiful as timber can be, it is clearly one of the most over-rated floor-coverings today! People far too often choose costly timber floors without considering the up front or ongoing costs. Ash. Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 12May 29, 2008 10:42 pm Agreed - so often the nicest looking material isn't always the most practical.
Check what's put down in display homes, and ask them what it is - if you like the look after thousands of feet have been pounding it. I think the laminate timber stuff (we are getting Armstrong) is a really good compromise. Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 13May 29, 2008 10:57 pm People confuse HARD with 'hard-wearing'.
A hard surface isn't necessarily good at withstanding wear & tear. In many situations, a resilient service is far more durable, because it gives a bit. Trees bending & swaying in a storm are an example. If they didn't, they would snap with the force of the weather. Resilient surfaces like cork are like this.... firm yet they give sufficiently to withstand most of the traffic they are exposed to. Ash. Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 14May 29, 2008 11:53 pm Why the lynch mob after wood ? We have 70 year old Tasmanian Oak floors throughout and they're incredibly hard wearing and take heaps of punishment. As well as being easy to keep clean. And don't forget - they're 70 years old. Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. - Dale Carnegie Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 15May 30, 2008 12:30 am Cabinfever Why the lynch mob after wood ? We have 70 year old Tasmanian Oak floors throughout and they're incredibly hard wearing and take heaps of punishment. As well as being easy to keep clean. And don't forget - they're 70 years old. I have no real issues with timber. Actually I have sheok flooring in much of my home. I just think far too many people spend a lot of money on it because of trends and fashions, and don't consider the practical realities of their choices! My comments are to balance up the taste for it, as it really is over-rated. An older home with floor-boards is fine if they are already there and you like it. Its new home buyers that I feel should consider more sensibly what they choose! Ash. Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 16May 30, 2008 9:37 am Cabinfever Why the lynch mob after wood ? We have 70 year old Tasmanian Oak floors throughout and they're incredibly hard wearing and take heaps of punishment. As well as being easy to keep clean. And don't forget - they're 70 years old. Opps didnt mean to start a lynch mob Each to their own for sure! I personally think they look FANTASTIC! Like I said the floor in the Illoura was one of the things that sold me on the place, but then again the price broke my heart Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 17May 30, 2008 10:47 am I guess it all comes down to the way you live. Timber floors are no different to carpets, and cork, they need to be looked after or suffer the consequences. If you want a durable reasonably priced floor go with polished concrete, on the other hand if you want something else then be mindful of the cleaning and durability of it. Have you seen a titled floor with stains in the grouting, which looks terrible IMO? Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 18May 30, 2008 11:52 am royalblue An older home with floor-boards is fine if they are already there and you like it. Its new home buyers that I feel should consider more sensibly what they choose! Ash. OK, have a look at my floorplans and tell me what you think is the most sensible flooring for each area: http://www.gregpierce.net/new_house/Hou ... _Floor.JPG http://www.gregpierce.net/new_house/Hou ... _Floor.JPG We are two professional adults with no kids, 2 cats and lots of friends and family to entertain:) Oh, and don't mention the garage, I already have plans for this: http://www.ultimategarage.com/homegarage/430a-800.jpg Re: INTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS 19May 30, 2008 12:22 pm ALL floor coverings require maintenance and have their pros and cons. Even polished concrete can be a pain particularly since you really should ensure the floor base is 32 mpa as opposed to the usual 20 mpa concrete that is laid. This can be expensive.
Be prepared to live with hairline cracks as no concrete floor is without its flaws and care should also be taken with hydronic heating/cooling due to expansion of cracks (or so we heard from the flooring guys). Carpet also needs to be cleaned regularly and can look tired after a while. Polished timber is fine in new or old houses IMO. It needs up keep and can scratch but it is warmer than tiles and isn't likely to crack if something heavy is dropped on them. So there are pros and cons to every floor covering. Go with what you can afford and what suits your personal taste . I am looking for someone who might have tackled a similar issue as me. I have a few rendered interior walls, the surface condition is hardly flat. I can see all the bumps… 0 7938 Hi All, I am looking to go with tiles instead of laminate timber flooring throughout my living areas for my new build (Ashbury 29 - Henley). My whole colour scheme is on… 0 24320 Hi Would love some advice on a DIY project I've dived into that's now keeping me up at night. We've got a cool 1970's Mid Century style house here in NZ and have always… 0 3984 |