Hello,
I need help choosing the right flooring.
We are looking for the right flooring for our new build, for the upper floor and attic.
We will have underfloor heating installed throughout the ground floor, upper floor, and attic.
On the ground floor, we will have tiles laid everywhere.
What flooring would you recommend for the upper floor and attic?
We definitely want to install the flooring ourselves (to save costs).
Our budget is around 35€/m² (approximately $37/m²).
I have researched but got overwhelmed by the wide range of flooring types available.
Laminate and vinyl are the classic options for affordable flooring.
Hardwood flooring is probably too expensive for us; we won’t manage with a maximum of 35€/m².
What are bio-based floors, luxury vinyl tiles/planks (LVT), or cork flooring?
Which wear rating should we choose if the floor needs to be as durable as possible?
Should you always go for the highest wear rating?
We also have a dog (in case that’s relevant for the selection).
I hope you can help me.
I need help choosing the right flooring.
We are looking for the right flooring for our new build, for the upper floor and attic.
We will have underfloor heating installed throughout the ground floor, upper floor, and attic.
On the ground floor, we will have tiles laid everywhere.
What flooring would you recommend for the upper floor and attic?
We definitely want to install the flooring ourselves (to save costs).
Our budget is around 35€/m² (approximately $37/m²).
I have researched but got overwhelmed by the wide range of flooring types available.
Laminate and vinyl are the classic options for affordable flooring.
Hardwood flooring is probably too expensive for us; we won’t manage with a maximum of 35€/m².
What are bio-based floors, luxury vinyl tiles/planks (LVT), or cork flooring?
Which wear rating should we choose if the floor needs to be as durable as possible?
Should you always go for the highest wear rating?
We also have a dog (in case that’s relevant for the selection).
I hope you can help me.
Taitv789 schrieb:
In the upper floor and attic, we don’t have large windows facing south.
On the upper floor, there are only two standard windows facing southwest, and in the attic there is only the roof window facing northeast and two floor-to-ceiling windows facing north.
We don’t have any issues with excessive heat from solar radiation. Well, then that problem is already solved.
What about the layout of the rooms? Floating installation of large areas isn’t possible continuously, as the stress becomes too high. This often leads to transition strips being installed at every room door, which isn’t very attractive. With glued installation, this is not an issue. Our house has an east-west axis measuring almost 17 meters (55 feet). Along the entire length, there is only one door, and it’s almost always open. So continuous installation of glued vinyl is no problem here.
Rigid (or SBC) vinyl can be installed as a floating floor over areas up to 400 m² (4,305 sq ft) without the need for transition strips at door thresholds.
If damaged, the affected section can be quickly repaired or replaced without having to pull up the entire floor.
Rigid vinyl is also less susceptible to damage from direct sunlight than described here.
If damaged, the affected section can be quickly repaired or replaced without having to pull up the entire floor.
Rigid vinyl is also less susceptible to damage from direct sunlight than described here.
@DeepRed Thanks for your message.
Our rooms are approximately:
11 sqm (118 sq ft), 13 sqm (140 sq ft), 16 sqm (172 sq ft), and about 36 sqm (387 sq ft) in the attic.
Is your recommendation rigid vinyl?
As a layperson, it's really hard to understand the different types of vinyl.
Our rooms are approximately:
11 sqm (118 sq ft), 13 sqm (140 sq ft), 16 sqm (172 sq ft), and about 36 sqm (387 sq ft) in the attic.
Is your recommendation rigid vinyl?
As a layperson, it's really hard to understand the different types of vinyl.
Yes, rigid vinyl, also known as SBC vinyl. Relatives installed it as a floating floor in their house. Admittedly, it has only been 3 years, but no issues so far. The sun shines on it for half the day. We are planning to install ours in 4 weeks, covering a continuous open-plan area of 45 m² (484 ft²) and 60 m² (646 ft²) on the ground floor.
One minor drawback: compared to regular vinyl, rigid vinyl is quite heavy due to its solid core. This makes transportation a bit more challenging.
Whether it is the ideal choice... no idea. We decided to go with it.
One minor drawback: compared to regular vinyl, rigid vinyl is quite heavy due to its solid core. This makes transportation a bit more challenging.
Whether it is the ideal choice... no idea. We decided to go with it.
The relatives installed it without impact sound insulation because, as you correctly pointed out, it is already integrated.
My friends from the upholsterer next door said that this approach is acceptable if the subfloor is absolutely level and clean (for example, with newly installed screed).
Otherwise, the underlay also helps to even out various irregularities and allows the rigid boards to "float" better.
We will probably use the underlay recommended by the manufacturer.
But as I said: there is still no long-term experience with the rigid boards. In the end, there might be a drawback that we can’t foresee yet.
My friends from the upholsterer next door said that this approach is acceptable if the subfloor is absolutely level and clean (for example, with newly installed screed).
Otherwise, the underlay also helps to even out various irregularities and allows the rigid boards to "float" better.
We will probably use the underlay recommended by the manufacturer.
But as I said: there is still no long-term experience with the rigid boards. In the end, there might be a drawback that we can’t foresee yet.
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