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?
S
SamSamSam26 Jan 2021 01:30I don’t want to create a separate post just for this, so I’m adding my question here:
We are currently considering what type of floor covering to use with underfloor heating for our new build. I was thinking of simply installing click vinyl and laminate, and that would be it.
However, I keep reading that heating performance decreases when you install a “floating” floor over underfloor heating… is this really that significant?
I don't want to get involved in the debate about wood versus plastic, as seen on earlier pages. My main concern is whether to install the flooring as floating or to glue it down.
Unfortunately, due to COVID, it’s not possible to get advice from specialists in store right now :/
We only want tiles in the bathroom, kitchen, and similar areas, but not in the living spaces.
We are currently considering what type of floor covering to use with underfloor heating for our new build. I was thinking of simply installing click vinyl and laminate, and that would be it.
However, I keep reading that heating performance decreases when you install a “floating” floor over underfloor heating… is this really that significant?
I don't want to get involved in the debate about wood versus plastic, as seen on earlier pages. My main concern is whether to install the flooring as floating or to glue it down.
Unfortunately, due to COVID, it’s not possible to get advice from specialists in store right now :/
We only want tiles in the bathroom, kitchen, and similar areas, but not in the living spaces.
Well, if you’re choosing between vinyl and laminate, you’re basically getting either wood with some plastic, plastic with some wood, or just plastic.
Regarding floating versus glued installation, floating laminate is said to have more impact noise and a somewhat “hollow” feel when walking on it. I experienced this in an old apartment, but that was because the floor was very uneven. This shouldn’t be the case in a new build.
Floating floors don’t bond as well to the screed, which can potentially reduce heating efficiency. However, glued floors are much harder to replace later on.
Personally, I decided to install the most affordable laminate that my wife still likes (floating) in the upper floor, meaning the bedrooms and kids’ rooms. When it wears out after about 10 years, I’ll replace it with either tiles or high-quality linoleum (maybe even cork, if there are nice designs available by then). Maybe my taste will also change, and I’ll go for bamboo.
Regarding floating versus glued installation, floating laminate is said to have more impact noise and a somewhat “hollow” feel when walking on it. I experienced this in an old apartment, but that was because the floor was very uneven. This shouldn’t be the case in a new build.
Floating floors don’t bond as well to the screed, which can potentially reduce heating efficiency. However, glued floors are much harder to replace later on.
Personally, I decided to install the most affordable laminate that my wife still likes (floating) in the upper floor, meaning the bedrooms and kids’ rooms. When it wears out after about 10 years, I’ll replace it with either tiles or high-quality linoleum (maybe even cork, if there are nice designs available by then). Maybe my taste will also change, and I’ll go for bamboo.
S
SamSamSam26 Jan 2021 07:15Tolentino schrieb:
I have personally decided to install the cheapest laminate flooring I could find in the upper floor, meaning the bedrooms and children’s rooms, as long as my wife finds it acceptable visually (floating installation). After about 10 years, when it’s worn out, I plan to replace it either with tiles or high-quality linoleum (possibly cork, if there are nice designs available by then). Maybe my taste will change as well, and I’ll go with bamboo.Do you also have underfloor heating? That’s exactly what I had in mind, since at the end of the house construction there’s often still so much house left over after the money’s gone 🙄Maybe there’s an expert here who could give a rough estimate of how floating installation affects the heating efficiency.
B
Bertram10026 Jan 2021 07:31SamSamSam schrieb:
And do you also have underfloor heating? I was thinking the same because when building a house, you often end up with much more house than money at the end 🙄
Maybe there’s an expert here who can give a rough estimate of how floating installation affects heating efficiency. I’m not an expert. I installed multi-layer parquet as a floating floor over underfloor heating. Yes, you lose a little bit of heating efficiency. But in my opinion, not enough to give up having a nice floor covering. I have tiles over underfloor heating in the hallway. When I walk barefoot from the living room into the hallway, I can feel the tiles are just a little bit warmer. Wearing socks I don’t notice the difference anymore.
ThomasH721 schrieb:
Since I’m just starting to get into house construction, and didn’t find much about exposed screed in this thread or via search, I wanted to ask how it stands. Is there anyone here with experience using it? Or could someone mention the main pros and cons compared to the floor coverings frequently discussed here?This is a somewhat older question, but since there hasn’t been an answer yet:
We have exposed screed in the “public areas” (hallway, living room/kitchen/corridor) and tiles in the rest of the house. Looking back, I would have preferred to use exposed screed everywhere. It’s very comfortable for walking barefoot on, and in my opinion, simply looks nice. We chose it in “white.”
Advantages:
- Durable and long-lasting
- Easy to maintain
- Ideal for underfloor heating due to high thermal conductivity
- Customizable design
- “Modern” appearance
- Few joints, and those that exist are filled with color-matched silicone and tend to disappear
Disadvantages:
- Not exactly inexpensive
- Seamless repairs or touch-ups are only partially possible
- The final look is only visible once completed; an exact shade or pattern can’t be pre-defined. The installer’s skill, especially in sanding/polishing, greatly affects the result.
- Echo can be an issue if there is little sound-absorbing furniture, etc.
I can’t share long-term experience yet, as we are just moving in.
Schimi179126 Jan 2021 08:07Obermuh schrieb:
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We have a visible screed floor in the “public areas” (hallway, living room/kitchen/corridor) and tiles everywhere else. Now, in the ...Is the floor open-pored? What happens if a bottle of wine falls on the floor?Similar topics