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
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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?
There is also design cork. It basically consists of an underlay and carrier layer made of cork, then a design layer, and finally a thin transparent protective layer with texture. It looks like wood planks.
Unfortunately, it is expensive, so you might as well consider parquet flooring...
Then I finally found linoleum with a wood appearance. Look up "DLW Flooring Naturecore."
It’s not quite the look I’m imagining yet, but where there is one option, there are surely more...
Unfortunately, it is expensive, so you might as well consider parquet flooring...
Then I finally found linoleum with a wood appearance. Look up "DLW Flooring Naturecore."
It’s not quite the look I’m imagining yet, but where there is one option, there are surely more...
S
Sparfuchs7718 Sep 2020 09:18exto1791 schrieb:
We’re probably going with nice tiles measuring 30x90cm (12x36 inches) in a country-style plank look.Keep in mind that the format is also important for the look. They don’t have to be 2 meters (6.5 feet) long. But consider whether you can get 20x80cm (8x32 inches) or 16x100cm (6x40 inches), or something similar. Narrower tiles tend to look more like planks, rather than tiles. It’s also important that the tiles are calibrated (rectified). This allows for narrower grout lines, which are less noticeable.
Our tiler installed the tiles in the living area yesterday. I’ve attached a photo to show how it looks over a larger surface. It’s not grouted yet.
For the upper floor, we chose simple laminate flooring for the first few years. Once the kids are through the roughest years, we’ll upgrade to something of higher quality.
It largely depends on the usage.
During the summer months, we spent a lot of time on the terrace and in the garden. In the old house, the real wood flooring was no longer in good condition. Refinishing it was too much effort and made a big mess.
Since children and grandchildren visit every 2 to 3 weeks, the new house has tiled floors. We chose a muted pattern so that not every crumb is visible. The focus is on different sizes and transitions.
During the summer months, we spent a lot of time on the terrace and in the garden. In the old house, the real wood flooring was no longer in good condition. Refinishing it was too much effort and made a big mess.
Since children and grandchildren visit every 2 to 3 weeks, the new house has tiled floors. We chose a muted pattern so that not every crumb is visible. The focus is on different sizes and transitions.
Sparfuchs_ schrieb:
Keep in mind that the format is important for the overall look. It doesn’t have to be 2 meters (6.5 feet), but you might want to consider sizes like 20 x 80 cm (8 x 31.5 inches) or 16 x 100 cm (6.3 x 39.4 inches), something narrower. That way, it looks more like a plank rather than a tile. It’s also important that the tiles are calibrated (rectified). This allows for narrower grout lines, which are less noticeable.
Our tile installer laid the flooring in the living area yesterday. I’ve attached a photo to show how it looks over a larger area. It hasn’t been grouted yet.
[ATTACH alt="dielen.JPG"]51422[/ATTACH]
For the upper floor, we chose simple laminate for the first few years. Once the kids have grown out of the rough phase, we’ll upgrade to something higher quality. Very, very nice, this is exactly what we are imagining! Just in a slightly different color.
Tolentino schrieb:
Unfortunately, it’s expensive, so you might as well choose hardwood flooring... It depends on the manufacturer. Cortex Vinatura averages around €35 per square meter (about $37 per square yard), while Egger Home Comfort is about €30 per square meter (around $32 per square yard). Egger Pro and Wicanders are definitely more expensive, ranging from €40 to €60 per square meter (approximately $43 to $65 per square yard). We installed Egger Home Comfort flooring throughout the entire ground floor and in the children's rooms (for the reasons mentioned by @exto1791).
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allstar8318 Sep 2020 10:35What are the disadvantages of vinyl floors made from rapeseed oil, like those from Wineo? They don’t contain PVC. Has anyone had experience with them?
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