ᐅ Flooring Options for Different Rooms – Ideas & Tips

ludwig88sta schrieb:

Because you said quality in terms of durability can’t be judged by price. Have you seen or installed products from any of the three manufacturers in person?

Classen is only available as a floating floor. We have it as the "Sono" variant on the upper floor with the Blue Angel certification. The surface is relatively smooth compared to vinyl and feels cooler underfoot. So far, it’s very durable. Furniture and such are not an issue. However, hard, sharp-edged objects can leave scratches. In the house with the "cathedral" in the house pictures thread, Classen (Neo 2) was just installed.

I’m only familiar with Meister as a click design floor from showrooms; I know Wineo only from online research. I discovered these manufacturers because they advertised that they would soon offer adhesive vinyl with Blue Angel certification. Unfortunately, it was not yet available in our area.

If regular vinyl is acceptable, I can recommend Ter Hürne, which we have as the "Pro" version, glued down on the ground floor. Except for the missing Blue Angel certification, it is very pleasant and truly durable.

I have handled other vinyl products; some felt unpleasant, others had lower abrasion ratings without offering any other advantages.

Okay, at that time you had basically chosen Classen because it was the best suited for underfloor heating. Since the two blue angel adhesive vinyl options weren’t available then, that’s understandable. Thanks.

With today’s options, though, you would probably always prefer the adhesive vinyl because it performs even better with underfloor heating.

**Edit: Regarding ease of maintenance again: since the seams of adhesive vinyl are sealed afterwards, I assume the vinyl floor can be cleaned with a steam cleaner just like tiles or linoleum, right?

ludwig88sta schrieb:

With the current technology, you would probably always prefer the glue-down vinyl because it performs even better with underfloor heating.

The difference won’t be huge. With Classen (which also has good impact sound insulation), we observed a 1-degree higher return temperature compared to the glued-down vinyl, meaning the flooring absorbs slightly less heat. For regular luxury vinyl tiles, it might be somewhat less efficient. Of course, underfloor heating still works fine regardless.

That said, I find glued installation clearly better; it feels more solid, also when walking on it.

We have tiles on the ground floor and in the bathroom.
Upstairs (mainly bedrooms), we had vinyl flooring installed. By now, I’m quite disappointed with the vinyl. I don’t find it very comfortable, and it constantly reminds me of cheap PVC.

Regarding the tiles: It’s often said that tiles are cold and uncomfortable. In my opinion, that’s complete nonsense. Tiles are the perfect heat conductor for underfloor heating, so they stay nice and warm during the cold season. We also spend a lot of time walking around in socks or barefoot in the house…

With vinyl, hardwood, or similar materials, I would be very concerned about them getting damaged too quickly when small stones and debris are brought in, for example.

So my clear preference: tiles!

Good to know that using a steam cleaner on vinyl is probably not a good idea! Figured that out myself.
So, the steam cleaner really remains a great cleaning device for tiles and also for appropriately (temperature) sealed linoleum floors.

There are many phases in new houses when the underfloor heating is not running... (all transition periods in spring and autumn, meaning several months...) during which the tiles remain unheated and therefore completely cold. Of course, you can lay rugs everywhere...

If the tiles feel pleasantly warm in winter, then the heating system is definitely not up to current standards and/or is running inefficiently; rather, it is either poorly designed or poorly adjusted, or it is an older building that requires significantly higher supply temperatures. With typical supply temperatures of 25-30 degrees Celsius (77-86°F) in new buildings, tiles feel cold or cool (unless you are a vampire with a body temperature near zero).

Durability of parquet flooring: This always depends on your expectations... If you cannot tolerate scratches, you should definitely avoid it, especially with children and/or pets. If you accept it or even like having a "living floor," it is not a problem. It is, of course, more maintenance-intensive, as regular oiling is necessary to keep it looking good for a long time. If the floor no longer looks good enough after 10-15 years, it can be sanded down and oiled again, making it look like new. Even with "engineered parquet," you can generally sand it down 2-3 times.