ᐅ Which types of flooring are recommended for single-family homes? What does the building expert community suggest?
Created on: 14 Sep 2020 07:43
E
exto1791
Hello everyone,
We are slowly starting to consider the flooring for our planned single-family house and are still completely undecided.
We have an open-plan living-dining area with a kitchen. We believe that a seamless floor transition looks nicer than separating the kitchen from the living/dining area. For this reason, we want to have a uniform floor covering throughout.
Now the question: vinyl or tiles? We have already read about the pros and cons, but maybe we can get some first-hand tips or tricks here that might put some of the disadvantages into a more positive perspective?
1. Question: Is vinyl really safe to use in the kitchen? Is vinyl fully waterproof? How does vinyl flooring react if, for example, a knife slips from my hand and falls on the floor? Will I get immediate dents or marks? Are there vinyl floors that are significantly more resistant?
2. Question: How does vinyl respond to sunlight? Since we will have several large glass fronts in our living-dining area, vinyl "technically" seems to be excluded... Does vinyl actually deform? Is it true that vinyl, like parquet, fades significantly in sunlight?
3. Question: Is vinyl really only suitable for 10-20 years? What happens afterward? Do I have to replace the vinyl, or can it be refurbished or maintained?
--> We are considering tiling the entire area because then we would be "done," have a robust floor that works perfectly with underfloor heating, is simple, and very resistant to sun/fading/stains/impacts. We think generally that you can’t go wrong with tiles.
However, I see the problem that the tiles will likely stay in place for a lifetime, and I may not want or be able to replace them later due to the high effort involved. Also, any chip or damage to a tile will be visible for life since I can’t quickly repair it (true, vinyl also can’t be easily repaired, but I could replace the floor after 15-20 years). Another downside is cost. Tiles are generally more expensive, and I wouldn’t be able to install them myself (I don’t feel confident with tiles but feel okay with vinyl), so we are wondering what is best for us.
What flooring have you installed in your living/dining areas? What good or bad experiences have you had?
Now about the upper rooms:
1 bedroom and 2 kids’ rooms: vinyl/parquet/cork/laminate?
We are familiar with the pros and cons here as well. Parquet is "technically" out of the question because it is very expensive (is there good parquet for around 30€ (about $33)?). Opinions on vinyl are divided... We also have clear concerns (especially in the kids’ rooms) regarding plastic flooring... Are they really completely safe and non-toxic nowadays? If I pay attention to this, can I safely choose vinyl for the kids’ rooms? The kids’ rooms should be "good and affordable" above all. Cork might be an option? Laminate is somehow excluded because it is very noisy and offers no advantages over cork or vinyl.
Is parquet sensible for the bedroom? Here there is no fading, parquet is durable, and sunlight is limited. Very durable and might make the bedroom more visually appealing. What do you think?
We are open to any suggestions.
Where did you buy your flooring? From a hardware store? A specialist dealer? Are there recommendations, including manufacturers or models?
We are slowly starting to consider the flooring for our planned single-family house and are still completely undecided.
We have an open-plan living-dining area with a kitchen. We believe that a seamless floor transition looks nicer than separating the kitchen from the living/dining area. For this reason, we want to have a uniform floor covering throughout.
Now the question: vinyl or tiles? We have already read about the pros and cons, but maybe we can get some first-hand tips or tricks here that might put some of the disadvantages into a more positive perspective?
1. Question: Is vinyl really safe to use in the kitchen? Is vinyl fully waterproof? How does vinyl flooring react if, for example, a knife slips from my hand and falls on the floor? Will I get immediate dents or marks? Are there vinyl floors that are significantly more resistant?
2. Question: How does vinyl respond to sunlight? Since we will have several large glass fronts in our living-dining area, vinyl "technically" seems to be excluded... Does vinyl actually deform? Is it true that vinyl, like parquet, fades significantly in sunlight?
3. Question: Is vinyl really only suitable for 10-20 years? What happens afterward? Do I have to replace the vinyl, or can it be refurbished or maintained?
--> We are considering tiling the entire area because then we would be "done," have a robust floor that works perfectly with underfloor heating, is simple, and very resistant to sun/fading/stains/impacts. We think generally that you can’t go wrong with tiles.
However, I see the problem that the tiles will likely stay in place for a lifetime, and I may not want or be able to replace them later due to the high effort involved. Also, any chip or damage to a tile will be visible for life since I can’t quickly repair it (true, vinyl also can’t be easily repaired, but I could replace the floor after 15-20 years). Another downside is cost. Tiles are generally more expensive, and I wouldn’t be able to install them myself (I don’t feel confident with tiles but feel okay with vinyl), so we are wondering what is best for us.
What flooring have you installed in your living/dining areas? What good or bad experiences have you had?
Now about the upper rooms:
1 bedroom and 2 kids’ rooms: vinyl/parquet/cork/laminate?
We are familiar with the pros and cons here as well. Parquet is "technically" out of the question because it is very expensive (is there good parquet for around 30€ (about $33)?). Opinions on vinyl are divided... We also have clear concerns (especially in the kids’ rooms) regarding plastic flooring... Are they really completely safe and non-toxic nowadays? If I pay attention to this, can I safely choose vinyl for the kids’ rooms? The kids’ rooms should be "good and affordable" above all. Cork might be an option? Laminate is somehow excluded because it is very noisy and offers no advantages over cork or vinyl.
Is parquet sensible for the bedroom? Here there is no fading, parquet is durable, and sunlight is limited. Very durable and might make the bedroom more visually appealing. What do you think?
We are open to any suggestions.
Where did you buy your flooring? From a hardware store? A specialist dealer? Are there recommendations, including manufacturers or models?
Martial.white schrieb:
I always wonder if the people who say “vinyl is plastic and toxic” are the same in other areas. No faux leather on the steering wheel, please only genuine. Only real wood kitchens. Fully stainless steel refrigerator interiors, and so on... whether the adhesive or the foil beneath the surface is safe isn’t discussed anywhere here either... To be honest, I don’t really care about the environmental or health aspect of “plastic.” I just think plastic isn’t a good material for flooring—there are so many better options.
Martial.white schrieb:
I often wonder if the “vinyl is plastic and toxic” group is this critical about other topics as well. No fake leather on the steering wheel, only genuine. Only real wood kitchens. Full stainless steel refrigerator interior, etc... Yet no one here discusses whether the glue or the foil beneath the surface layer is safe... It’s simply also about the amount—approximately 120 m² (1300 sq ft) less plastic in a typical house means about 120 m² (1300 sq ft) less plastic overall, especially since it’s kept warm in winter and can off-gas well.
There are also tactile aspects to consider, where vinyl clearly falls short.
Mycraft schrieb:
There are also the tactile aspects, where vinyl clearly falls short. However, there are differences. At one showroom, I touched a vinyl design floor that felt just like wood when my eyes were closed. Of course, I can’t say if it would still feel that way after 5 years.
Also, it cost 50 EUR/m² (about $54 per sq ft), which I’m not willing to pay just for a bit of petroleum-based material...
exto1791 schrieb:
How do tiles behave with underfloor heating in new builds nowadays? Since houses are much better insulated, the underfloor heating doesn’t need to work as hard, and the floor doesn’t get as warm, right, or am I wrong? Well, our tiled floor feels comfortably warm when the underfloor heating is on, and you can easily walk barefoot. If the heating in a room is off, you notice a clear difference—your feet get cold right away.
Best regards,
Sabine
M
Martial.white14 Sep 2020 12:10So, after the discussion, I took some time to reflect and reconsider the decision to use vinyl flooring on the upper floor.
To be honest, I would prefer hardwood flooring, but I either cannot or do not want to afford it. Reading here that the price of hardwood equals vinyl suggests that I might have researched it incorrectly so far.
On the other hand, I know that we won’t maintain the hardwood as carefully as we should. I’m not going to be crawling on the floor twice a year to oil the hardwood, nor will I be checking every five minutes whether an apple slice or a glass of water is slowly seeping into the wood.
To be honest, I would prefer hardwood flooring, but I either cannot or do not want to afford it. Reading here that the price of hardwood equals vinyl suggests that I might have researched it incorrectly so far.
On the other hand, I know that we won’t maintain the hardwood as carefully as we should. I’m not going to be crawling on the floor twice a year to oil the hardwood, nor will I be checking every five minutes whether an apple slice or a glass of water is slowly seeping into the wood.
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