Pros & Cons of new floor types?

Question

Hi.
Here is the situation. Every room in this house is carpeted. When we pulled up the one in the kitchen we found two more layers of carpet and an uneven cement slab. The cement has been leveled, sealed and painted. Now we want to have floors put in. Our options are tile, hard wood and linoleum (sp). All are within our budget, but we cannot figure out what is better and less breakable. I have cast iron kitchen furniture, heavy wood bookcases, steamer trunks, two kids who forget to remove thier shoes while inside, and two large dogs.
Any ideas which type will last longer?
Thank you.

Answer 1

I would do a combination of hardwood flooring (can be refinished, too) and ceramic tile. (porcelain is best) Those two flooring's will give you the best wear overall and stay the nicest looking. I had a horse ranch and two kids and indoors dogs. We did ceramic tile in 90% of the House and it was awesomely easy to care for! It is cold, compared to many floors so some don't like that. Didn't bother us! You can also check into some of the engineered wood flooring's available now. I hear they are great.

Answer 2

I had the exact same problem in my house. I have an alternative solution that is cheaper and more durable and looks fantastic inour bathroom. I hate linoleum but my husband thought ceramic tile was to cold. What we did is put in a paint called "Stoneffects". We bought it at Rona which is Canadian but I am sure Home Depot would have a similar product. It is a textured stone like finish that is designed for decks and patios so it is extremely durable. It looks fantastic and comes in a variety of colours. There is a base coat which is rolled on, then a second coat which is the stone (looks like sand) and it is trowelled on then the final coat is a clear coat varnish. It is the easiest floor to install and it is easy to even out a bumpy or uneven floor. The problem with ceramic tile is you need an extremely flat floor and would have to install a plywood subfloor on top of your cement. This type of floor would look great in a kitchen. It is easy to wash and you can litterally take a shovel to it and chip of ice and snow, so it will likely stand up to your kids and dogs. Check it out anyway, it is a unique and beautiful look. This stuff is a breeze to use and looks fantastic when it is done. I found a link to the brand.

Answer 3

I would suggest hard wood: it is durable -I have it installed at home 25 years ago and have raised two kids and several dogs- , warm looking and easy to replace if there is any damage. You just take the planks out and nail the new ones in.

My second option would be tile, but make sure that it's infrangible with light glazing. It is also beautiful to look at, easy to clean and somehow easy to repair. Watch the glazing: if it's too much, it might be slippery and is not safe for either kids or dogs (even for adults, who rush to answer a door or a phone call).

I would never chose linoleum, because after some time it looks dirty and "tired".

Good luck!

Answer 4

Ceramic Tile is hard Wearing Looks Great and is easily cleanable!
Fit an Underfloor heating element (Which aren't that expensive), and you have Durable floor!
Laminate Floor is also worth Considering!
Or maybe a Combination of Ceramic and laminate!
Lino wears too quickly and looks shabby in a short period of time!!

Answer 5

you have 2 large dog's what every you do do not do hard wood floor's they will not last under those dog's paws they will scratch i don't Care how hard is that wood wood is the most soft flooring tile is the way to go with kids and dog's if it's installed correctly you should never have a problem with it linoleum will scratch too under the dog's paws tile would last a long time just get a good tile and a good installer you should be fine .

flooring expert @ city floor's

Houston, TX

Answer 6

You've got to watch out for your footing. All those corks tend to roll around a lot. On the plus side, they're pretty soft when you land on them. Once they get to three layers thick then they stabilize out a bit. My living room floor is covered in corks up to about 2 feet thick. My head now touches the ceiling and I saved a fortune on underfloor insulation.

Answer 7

my aunt and uncle in illinois have ceramic tile .......and a 300 pound pig who likes to come into the basement when it's too cold outside. (heated floors)

they've lasted 10 years so far and don't even look worn!
and 13 children (catholic farmers)

Answer 8

if i were you i would go with ceramic tile, at least it wont get dents in it, but it will chip, so all of the floors will have trouble with cast iron. good luck, actually many of the design shows are showing colored cement floors, you might look into that , all they would have to do is top yours off.

Answer 9

keep the painted cement and use big area rugs.

they can be changed easily when you want to redecorate. or can be moved from room to room to avoid too much wear.

with the heavy furniture you need something that won't scratch or break (cast iron is incredibly heavy).
you need something cleanable,wearable,sturdy, indestructible. that would be cement.
you also need something soft and comfortable and something to 'set the mood' of the room. that would be area rugs.

Answer 10

real wood floors are the longest lasting.