Replacing a disgusting carpet, what material should I use?
Our livingroom carpet has seen around 10 dogs that weren’t housebroken, two episodes of whipworm, dog vomit, dirty diapers, baby spit up, formula, a variety of food and about 30 gallons of water from a leaking aquarium. It’s a very tightly woven commercial type carpet of a light color that is absolutely NOT standing up to heavy traffic. To make matters worse it wasn’t installed properly and is wearing in areas without a threshhold.
We have a hardwood floor in our Diningroom/Kitchen (10×20) that I absolutely hate. Not only is it a yellow color that won’t even go with a neutral paint, it too was not installed properly and is warping, etc.
We want a non-carpet floor to cover our livingroom, diningroom, kitchen and hallway. I have heard good and bad things about bamboo, hard wood and laminate flooring. What would you recommend for a very high traffic area, small kids and dogs? We’d like something that will last and not cost a small fortune to put in. The total area (for the sake of a nice round number) is around 600 square feet.
Any brands that are better than others would be great. I’d love something that we can install ourselves.
Also, is there anyway to "recycle" the current wood floor?
These days Concrete Floors have become very popular. They solve all the problems that you are having currently with carpets. Concrete floors are beautiful, affordable and durable.
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:37 am
we have a similar situation with deciding on a new floor. we are going with tile at a total cost of about $2 a square foot by installing it ourselves, but it is a lot of work. the bamboo, hardwood and laminate need maintenance and don’t stand up to abuse and moisture. maybe you could try the sheets of vinyl flooring . they have ones that wear well. even the peel & stick tiles are better made than before. at least you can replace damaged tiles easily. the hardwood floor can probably be stripped and refinished, and the warped areas can be fixed.
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January 3rd, 2010 at 11:07 am
I took out the carpet in our main living areas and installed true hardwood floors, maple from Lumber Liquidators. It took a lot of work but was worth it, it looks great and is holding up very well.
I would not recommend laminate flooring in a kitchen, this house had it when we moved in and is easily damaged from water.
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January 3rd, 2010 at 11:48 am
In your case I d recommend a sheet vinyl because is on complete surface. Un fortunately its not a DIY job if seams are needed.
Ceramic will fit the bill if you want to install it but unless your on a slab, the extra under layment ( cement board) that is normally needed drives the cost up.
Don t rule out the sheet good even if you have to have it installed. A medium or better grade will hold up to your needs.
If you can keep excess water off the floor a laminate ( good grade) will really fit your needs, it can be reasonably priced and DIY friendly.
There I d recommend Quick Step or Alloc.
Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar.. GL
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20 years in flooring as a store owner/installer
January 3rd, 2010 at 11:53 am
These days Concrete Floors have become very popular. They solve all the problems that you are having currently with carpets. Concrete floors are beautiful, affordable and durable.
References :
http://www.duraamen.com