ᐅ Flooring Options for Different Rooms – Ideas & Tips

There is nothing less comfortable than tiles in living areas... even the cheapest laminate would be preferable to me. Wood-look tiles (and yes, there are some quite stylish options nowadays) don’t help either, because as soon as you step on them barefoot, you get that bathroom or hallway feeling. Underfloor heating, even with today’s low flow temperatures, makes tiles always feel cold, which is never pleasant. Especially for children, it’s not very nice.

Personally, I like hardwood flooring by far the best; there are also quite durable types available (though of course not comparable to tiles). If you want something more robust and care less about texture, you can also switch to vinyl.

ludwig88sta schrieb:

Do you have standard width grout lines or extra narrow ones?

They haven’t been laid yet; I hope they don’t have to be too thick.

Tego12 schrieb:

There’s nothing less cozy than tiles in living areas...

Yes, wood definitely feels different. For us, durability is more important, so we chose a compromise with wood-look tiles.

We glued and sealed cork flooring. The feel underfoot is very comfortable. In the children's rooms, I also find it very good—warm, soft, and yet smooth (an ideal play surface for all kinds of activities). In the bathrooms and utility room, we used tiles.

The alternative for me would be hardwood flooring or carpet, the latter especially in the bedroom.

Utility room, HTR, entrance hall, kitchen, bathrooms: tiles

Bedrooms and dressing areas: carpet

Living area, study, hallways, children's rooms, storage rooms, children's rooms: parquet flooring

When you mention parquet here, did you install solid hardwood flooring or engineered wood flooring? And at what price per square meter (per square foot)?

The prices for tiles are also interesting.

Vicky Pedia schrieb:

My most recent project was a single-family home fully equipped with underfloor heating. A small family, mother with two young daughters. In the bathroom, guest toilet, and utility room we used tiles (thanks to the underfloor heating they’re never cold underfoot). The hallway and kitchen have click vinyl flooring (very easy to install yourself and perfect for wiping clean, not cold on the feet); in the living room click cork (very warm underfoot but also louder than vinyl) – please note, the heating pipes of the underfloor heating need to be installed closer together here. Both children’s rooms and the bedroom have Parador Modular One flooring (similar to click laminate).
All in wood design and color-coordinated with the overall concept. It holds up well in everyday use, even when small stones are tracked in on shoes. A side note: the partner wanted to tile the entrance area, but the client strongly refused and ultimately made the better choice.
However, you should aim at least from the mid-price range upward.

Photos will follow if the homeowner agrees.

Great, thanks!

Vicky Pedia schrieb:

Vinyl is absolutely as good as tiles and feels nicer and quieter to walk on. Just visit some specialty stores and touch the materials yourself. Both floorings are easy to clean and are scratch resistant.

Any concerns about plasticizers in vinyl?

Pinky0301 schrieb:

We decided on tiles throughout in our new house. In the living areas, we chose wood-look tiles, so they appear like hardwood flooring. Firstly, tiles are the best choice for underfloor heating. Secondly, we dislike the sensitivity of hardwood. We have cats, and when they race around the room, the floor gets scratched. Also, I want low maintenance. With tiles, I can easily use a steam cleaner. I don’t want to worry about damaging the floor when walking through the house with wet or dirty shoes. Laminate and vinyl are not an option since we don’t like their appearance.

We will also have underfloor heating installed and I tend to go for tiles with relatively large formats, but somehow I also like wood – only hardwood is personally too expensive (depending on the finish) and also quite sensitive.