Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 May 08, 2020 10:51 pm Hi Everyone... I'm trying to problem solve on two issues 1) my husband has a crippling physical condition in which all bones in his body have fused and 2) due to his condition, he has to wear footwear 24/7 and that footwear quickly causes huge dirt and wear patches on our carpet. I want to replace the carpet in our loungeroom to something that wears better but it has to be soft or flexible underfoot as he has no give in joints etc.. every step is quite jolting. What is the softest best wearing options for us? Is there an underlay that could give a bit of flex to say a vinyl floor or will I have to stick with a carpet of some sort? Thanks for any assistance/suggestions you can provide, I've been thinking about it for ages. Re: Flooring for physical disability 2May 09, 2020 12:19 am Hi Robyn. The first thing that came to mind was vinyl but if that isn't soft enough have you thought about cork flooring? There are new engineered versions such as below. https://www.premiumfloors.com.au/brands ... ient-vita/ Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: Flooring for physical disability 3May 09, 2020 9:30 pm chippy Hi Robyn. The first thing that came to mind was vinyl but if that isn't soft enough have you thought about cork flooring? There are new engineered versions such as below. https://www.premiumfloors.com.au/brands ... ient-vita/ thanks Chippy, I will check out the cork floor link. Re: Flooring for physical disability 6Jun 09, 2020 9:41 am Marmoleum and cork are still hard flooring so not much cushion at all. Best bet is concentrate more on the underlay for your softness and if it were me I would get carpet and underlay glued to the floor(dual bond installation).We do this when people shuffle their feet or use walkers and wheelchairs to prevent bubbles in the carpet long term. You will then have more freedom with carpet choice loop piles will last longer but cut pile carpets will be softer.You just need to work out what works for you. Re: Flooring for physical disability 7Jun 10, 2020 5:09 pm bitrusty Marmoleum and cork are still hard flooring so not much cushion at all. Best bet is concentrate more on the underlay for your softness and if it were me I would get carpet and underlay glued to the floor(dual bond installation).We do this when people shuffle their feet or use walkers and wheelchairs to prevent bubbles in the carpet long term. You will then have more freedom with carpet choice loop piles will last longer but cut pile carpets will be softer.You just need to work out what works for you. Thanks Bitrusty - I'm finding our current carpet gets very dirty and 'worn patches' quite easily as my hubby has to wear shoes (he cant walk barefoot at all) therefore all the dirt from the gravel yard (no grass) transfers from his shoes to the carpet and its hard clean. Im thinking a soft vinyl of some sort (if possible) would be easier maintenance. Im waiting for some samples of marmoleum to come in the post to see what that is like. Re: Flooring for physical disability 8Jun 11, 2020 10:46 am robynlee bitrusty Marmoleum and cork are still hard flooring so not much cushion at all. Best bet is concentrate more on the underlay for your softness and if it were me I would get carpet and underlay glued to the floor(dual bond installation).We do this when people shuffle their feet or use walkers and wheelchairs to prevent bubbles in the carpet long term. You will then have more freedom with carpet choice loop piles will last longer but cut pile carpets will be softer.You just need to work out what works for you. Thanks Bitrusty - I'm finding our current carpet gets very dirty and 'worn patches' quite easily as my hubby has to wear shoes (he cant walk barefoot at all) therefore all the dirt from the gravel yard (no grass) transfers from his shoes to the carpet and its hard clean. Im thinking a soft vinyl of some sort (if possible) would be easier maintenance. Im waiting for some samples of marmoleum to come in the post to see what that is like. There are domestic vinyls that have a pretty good cushion backing on them.These might be a better option.Marmoleum is a pretty thin and compressed product. 1000000% definitely add insulation. I have in my home and it makes a big difference minimising sound transfer. Insulation is pretty cheap and definitely worth it 2 6191 Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15909 Hi there, I'm a conplete newbie to this, but I'm looking to put a floor down in my 6x9m shed. It's currently sitting on a 100mm thick concrete perimeter (dirt floor… 0 6467 |