ᐅ Which type of flooring is recommended for a utility room with a screed base – DIY options or tiles?
Created on: 24 Feb 2023 10:32
J
Jurassic135
Hello everyone,
In our house, built in 2007, the utility room only has the bare screed floor. The original builders probably cut costs and just left it like that.
The room is just under 7 square meters (about 75 square feet) and, as usual, besides the technical installations, it also houses the washing machine, dryer, and freezer.
Directly adjacent is the kitchen, where tiles have been laid and end with a metal strip at the utility room. From there, the floor drops down a few millimeters (inches) to the screed.
Bare screed is neither visually appealing nor comfortable to walk on, so we would like to install some kind of floor covering.
Option 1: Have tiles installed – but then we would first need to find a tiler willing to take on a 7 square meter (75 square feet) job with many awkward cutouts (pipes, etc.). I’m not sure if we’ll find someone.
Option 2: DIY – install something ourselves.
Can you recommend a floor covering suitable for a utility room that can be installed by beginners? We are absolute novices when it comes to flooring; so far, we haven’t even laid laminate or carpet. We also don’t have any large tools. I’m unclear how to manage the floor around all the pipes. You can use pipe collars for the cutouts, but I imagine that will still be difficult.
The flooring should be suitable for damp environments since there is always a chance of water from the washing machine etc. Our washing machine has leaked before, and the heating system’s expansion vessel has sprayed water, so the floor must be able to handle that.
Is this even a reasonable project for beginners, or should we look for a professional tiler? Maybe you have experience or ideas on how we could do this cost-effectively but properly.
In our house, built in 2007, the utility room only has the bare screed floor. The original builders probably cut costs and just left it like that.
The room is just under 7 square meters (about 75 square feet) and, as usual, besides the technical installations, it also houses the washing machine, dryer, and freezer.
Directly adjacent is the kitchen, where tiles have been laid and end with a metal strip at the utility room. From there, the floor drops down a few millimeters (inches) to the screed.
Bare screed is neither visually appealing nor comfortable to walk on, so we would like to install some kind of floor covering.
Option 1: Have tiles installed – but then we would first need to find a tiler willing to take on a 7 square meter (75 square feet) job with many awkward cutouts (pipes, etc.). I’m not sure if we’ll find someone.
Option 2: DIY – install something ourselves.
Can you recommend a floor covering suitable for a utility room that can be installed by beginners? We are absolute novices when it comes to flooring; so far, we haven’t even laid laminate or carpet. We also don’t have any large tools. I’m unclear how to manage the floor around all the pipes. You can use pipe collars for the cutouts, but I imagine that will still be difficult.
The flooring should be suitable for damp environments since there is always a chance of water from the washing machine etc. Our washing machine has leaked before, and the heating system’s expansion vessel has sprayed water, so the floor must be able to handle that.
Is this even a reasonable project for beginners, or should we look for a professional tiler? Maybe you have experience or ideas on how we could do this cost-effectively but properly.
W
WilderSueden24 Feb 2023 17:40If necessary, you can also rinse something by hand to prevent the leaked diaper from drying in too badly. Alternatively, you could tile in two stages and move the washing machine in between, but honestly, that seems like more work than washing by hand.
Jurassic135 schrieb:
I think I need to take a closer look at click vinyl; you can even cut it with a utility knife.Well, I recently had click vinyl that couldn’t be cut with a knife. I had to use a circular saw, which was quite a mess despite dust extraction. Apparently, there are different types—so be careful when shopping!
Jurassic135 schrieb:
I think I need to take a closer look at click vinyl; you can even cut it with a utility knife.
Although I find "real" flooring (like tiles or hardwood) the most beautiful, I’m not sure how we’re supposed to do without the room for so many days during active use. I installed self-adhesive vinyl in the bathroom of my temporary house. It was affordable, has a wood look, and was actually very easy to work with. You could cut it with a utility knife, and the adhesive holds up very well.
I installed about 7m² (75 sq ft) rather hastily in one day and didn’t do a very thorough job, since we’re only living here temporarily and I wasn’t very motivated. 😀 Plus, I applied it directly over the old tiles without any preparation or leveling.
Still, I’m quite satisfied with the appearance. I think if you install it carefully, this material should be perfectly adequate for a utility room.
J
Jurassic13524 Feb 2023 17:58It is very smooth, but if it weren’t so uncomfortable and the threshold to the kitchen wasn’t so awkward, I probably would have just painted it to improve its appearance and left it as is. 😀
I need to think about the sections. How long does tile adhesive need to cure before I can place the washing machine and dryer on it to tile the rest?
I need to think about the sections. How long does tile adhesive need to cure before I can place the washing machine and dryer on it to tile the rest?
J
Jurassic13524 Feb 2023 18:00kati1337 schrieb:
I installed self-adhesive vinyl flooring in the bathroom of our temporary house. It was affordable, has a wood-look finish, and was actually quite easy to install. You could cut it with a utility knife, and the adhesive holds very well.
I laid about 7m² (75 sq ft) rather quickly in one day without paying much attention to detail since we’re only living here temporarily and I wasn’t very motivated. 😀 Also, I applied it directly over the old tiles without any preparation or leveling.
Still, I’m pretty happy with how it looks. I think if you install it carefully, it would be perfectly fine for a utility or laundry room. Oh, that sounds like something we could use. 😎 Do you remember the manufacturer? And do you happen to have a photo of the “rough” result? Maybe that would be good enough for us… The edges aren’t really visible anyway; you mostly see the floor in the middle and near the door because the room is so cluttered.
A wood-look would also work well here and provide a nice contrast to the beige-grey kitchen tiles.
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