Flooring Options?

[punkin]

I need ideas for new florring.

My family room carpet has lived through 2 dogs and a cat and has finally given up the ghost. It smells to the point that I cannot get it clean anymore. There's a good possibility that there's urine under the carpet soaked into the pad. It's time for new floors and I really don't think I want another carpet.

I'm not really sure what the best option for floors is. I do not have an unlimited budget, but I'm willing to pay for something low maintenance and pet proof. I'm assuming we will continue to have very occasional accidents.

Under the current carpet there is a concrete slab and part of the room is actually below grade. I honestly don't know where to start even.

Help please!

 

[Darcy03231]

I need ideas for new florring.

My family room carpet has lived through 2 dogs and a cat and has finally given up the ghost. It smells to the point that I cannot get it clean anymore. There's a good possibility that there's urine under the carpet soaked into the pad. It's time for new floors and I really don't think I want another carpet.

I'm not really sure what the best option for floors is. I do not have an unlimited budget, but I'm willing to pay for something low maintenance and pet proof. I'm assuming we will continue to have very occasional accidents.

Under the current carpet there is a concrete slab and part of the room is actually below grade. I honestly don't know where to start even.

Help please!

Our daughter and SIL installed vinyl plank flooring in their house (they also have a dog) and it looks wonderful. Gives them the look of wood, but is very durable and waterproof. DH and I plan to use it when we redo our floors.

 

[barkley]

our new flooring is being put in next week. we looked at a variety of options so i'm fairly aware of current costs of products/install. we are just doing kitchen/high traffic areas (i like my carpet in certain areas) so we wanted something water proof (we get snow that can get tracked in), scratch resistant (have cats). tile would have been the top pet proof wise but i'm getting rid of tile b/c i detest cleaning grout (it's also fairly expensive depending on product chosen). we ended up with lvp but i wouldn't have chosen the higher end we went with if i had dogs b/c even the best of the best is only 'scratch resistant' so it will show scratches (more so with certain colors). you could go with a lower to mid range lvp, keep them pet nails trimmed and not spend so much on flooring that it would hurt your budget to replace it if needed sooner vs. the later the highest end product lasts.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

@Darcy03231 recommendation of vinyl tiles is very good especially if you are going to install them yourself to save money. Be sure to examine the condition of the existing concrete slab for cracks or unevenness prior to buying any flooring because that could change the battle plan. Carpet and padding hide a lot of flaws. If you go to the vinyl planking route, be sure to buy the best quality vinyl you can afford. Cheap vinyl is cheap vinyl. Don't waste your money.

 

[RangerPooh]

In our last house we ripped out the cheaper vinyl plank and added carpet. But we had kids and they spent a lot of time playing on the floor. In our new house we have an interesting set up, where there are large 18" tiles framing the carpet. It seems odd, but it does help with muddy paws at the back door. We do plan to eventually replace the flooring, but are unsure if well go with vinyl plank again or carpet. The one issue we had with vinyl was that we didn't always see piddle spots and it might sit there for a bit. Always on a seam. We did use a good quality vinyl that had some enhanced water repelling features for this reason. It even held up when the tubing from to the dishwasher sprung a leak and seeped under it.

We too have a concrete slab. Invest in a decent underlayment pad for added cushion.

 

[SteveH]

We built our house over 15 years ago, raised 2 kids, 2 cats, 4 dogs... it was time. Whole house was carpeted, one dog dug into the carpet in our dining room so we used Costco planks there (hated the hollow sound it made), then later we changed our living room ourselves with wood planks from Lumber Liquidators - loved that but couldn't get the planks to to the rest of the house. We ended up with vinyl planks through out the first floor of the living space; and some water proof marble'ish looking planks in the kitchen and bath ares, and carpet upstairs for sound deadening. We also hired a flooring installer to demolish and install. I've used this guy for years at work so I trusted him.

Flooring is not as easy as it looks if you want it done right. If you've had urine soak through it maybe in the subfloor itself then you need to remove or encase with flooring paint for wood floor, never dealt with that on concrete though. But concrete often settles and needs to have a skim put down to really level spots - carpet is far more forgiving.

Another thing is when you change from carpet to something like a plank is your molding may need to be completely replaced as the molding is used to secure the edges of the planks and the height difference between molding for carpet and planks are not the same.

 

[tvguy]

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring or Laminate are nice. We have LVP in our bathrooms and Laminate in the rest of the house.
HOWEVER, we had carpet before, and both the LVP and laminate show every bit of fuzz, dust, etc. You never realize how much of that stuff carpet hides so we find we have to sweep and Bona a lot more often than ever vacuumed the carpet.
Oh, and don't be around when they pull up your carpet. We had a beachs worth of very very fine sand that worked it's way through the carpet and pad to the subfloor. Yuck.

 

[punkin]

I will definitely not be installing anything myself. I am worried about the state of my concrete slab as well. I was looking at a bamboo floor. Does anyone have any experience with that?

 

[SteveH]

Our flooring in our loving room was bamboo, looked great and held up well. Actually the assistant to the installer asked he he could have it, I gave it and the 3 unopened boxes we kept and he volunteered to remove it and we didn't get charged for that so it was a win-win. If we could have matched it and found something for the kitchen/baths that was the same height I would have kept it.

 

[SteveH]

HOWEVER, we had carpet before, and both the LVP and laminate show every bit of fuzz, dust, etc. You never realize how much of that stuff carpet hides so we find we have to sweep and Bona a lot more often than ever vacuumed the carpet.

I agree, we vacuum a lot more often now with LVP. But it's Dust Bunny Hunting mostly.
I'd been a fan of Oreck vacuums for years. Never really believed the Dyson hype... until I bought a refurb Dyson and OMG!!! I did one last vacuum of our house with the Oreck then pulled out and went right over everything again with the Dyson. I now believe in the hype. I was shocked, and disgusted, how much it pulled out of our freshly vacuumed carpet. We kept the Dyson for the carpets up stairs and out area rugs, the rest of the LVP we use an LG to capture the Dust Bunnies.

 

[barkley]

I was looking at a bamboo floor. Does anyone have any experience with that?

beautiful stuff but neither water proof nor scratch resistant so if there's a urine issue with pets you could be looking at immediate visible permanent damage with scratching damage down the line.

 

[_19disnA]

We have a mixture of tile, engineered hardwood and carpet and think they all serve their purpose in various parts of the house. Tile is very wear/scratch resistant and works great in any high traffic areas or places where water might splash on the floor (such as the bathroom/shower areas). It is also very easy to clean with many types of householder cleaning products. Choose a darker color grout to not only highlight the design of the tile but to also make it easier to clean. Plank laminate type flooring tends to have an artificial looking printed on wood pattern and there is no practical way to fix any scratches or wear/tear you might get over the years.

Your budget, preferences and if you have pets are probably the 3 main factors in deciding what works for you.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I would take into consideration what other flooring o=you have in the same area as the living room and how it will match/blend with whatever new flooring you buy. Just my opinion, but I like continuity of flooring. I wouldn't want tile in the kitchen, hardwood flooring in the dining room, etc....something different in every room. I'd also get someone in (contractor) about what you can and cannot do. Some flooring requires a sub floor and a concrete slab doesn't always have that. Engineered wood is nice but have to take into account that it can only be refinished once or twice in its life time and needs a barrier between the slab on the engineered wood. I've heard good things about the vinyl flooring that looks like wood. We put in a ceramic tile in a jack and jill bathroom recently and I like it more than I thought I would. Check out the ceramics, lots to choose from.

 

[punkin]

I would take into consideration what other flooring o=you have in the same area as the living room and how it will match/blend with whatever new flooring you buy. Just my opinion, but I like continuity of flooring. I wouldn't want tile in the kitchen, hardwood flooring in the dining room, etc....something different in every room. I'd also get someone in (contractor) about what you can and cannot do. Some flooring requires a sub floor and a concrete slab doesn't always have that. Engineered wood is nice but have to take into account that it can only be refinished once or twice in its life time and needs a barrier between the slab on the engineered wood. I've heard good things about the vinyl flooring that looks like wood. We put in a ceramic tile in a jack and jill bathroom recently and I like it more than I thought I would. Check out the ceramics, lots to choose from.

The family room is on a completely separate floor so it's not vital that I match. The rest of the house is hardwood in a natural oak stain. I cannot do hardwood in the family room because of cost and pet issues.

 

[_19disnA]

We have engineering hardwood on most of the main floor and it was glued directly to the concrete subfloor. My understanding is that solid hardwood can't be glued directly to concrete but the price is a LOT higher for that type of product and once it is on the floor you can't really tell the difference between solid & engineered hardwood just by looking at it. Good engineered hardwood has a thick enough top layer that permits future refinishing. Laminate flooring basically needs to be replaced once the top surface has worn out/scratched, so it won't last nearly as long. Mostly depends on your budget as I mentioned earlier.

We have tile in the kitchen which stands up well to foot traffic and is easy to clean. Also works great if anything spills or water drips from the sink and stands up well to foot traffic. They sell all sorts of molding/transition strips between various products so that really wasn't a consideration in what room we decided to use which product.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We had the carpet in our living room and the tile in our kitchen replaced with hardwood. It was the prefinished kind from Lowes. It has been down for 13 years with 3 cats and is still in great shape. It's super easy to clean - I just use a Bissell Steam Mop with just a little bit of Vinegar mixed into the water.

 

[dhardawa]

I need ideas for new florring.

My family room carpet has lived through 2 dogs and a cat and has finally given up the ghost. It smells to the point that I cannot get it clean anymore. There's a good possibility that there's urine under the carpet soaked into the pad. It's time for new floors and I really don't think I want another carpet.

I'm not really sure what the best option for floors is. I do not have an unlimited budget, but I'm willing to pay for something low maintenance and pet proof. I'm assuming we will continue to have very occasional accidents.

Under the current carpet there is a concrete slab and part of the room is actually below grade. I honestly don't know where to start even.

Help please

I foster kittens and having carpet in my kitten room was NOT working. Too many babies potty training! I installed luxury vinyl planks in there. I put it in myself and it looks great! It was easy to install and went quick too. It was my first ever floor install.

 

[Anthony1971]

I have real Bamboo and Bamboo plank (plywood base with bamboo layer) as well as Hardwood throughout. Bamboo Plank would be what you have to use as the real is nail down (they may make a glue down but I am not sure about over concrete. You can 100000% tell the difference between the real and plank. With that the real is very soft and will scratch or dent easy if things are dropped on it the plank is harder buy can still get dents if hit hard enough. Hard wood will do the same but takes a lot more to dent it. As far as where any factory finish will last. 3 rooms in my house with hardwood are going on 20 years and the finish is perfect. The bamboo is around 10 years and the finish is perfect but one room has dents thank you child..... the plank is around 4-5 years old and still perfect I had a family room that i could not use nail down becuse of the tile under it. With that for concrete and pets I would look into Vinyl plank it is water proof can be installed over concrete and will hide slight defects Hardwood and Bamboo is none of this and Bamboo plank you will at the very least need a barrier to protect against moisture form the concrete. My Neighbor did her floor in Vinyl plank around 3 years ago because she has pets and it has held up well. The only warning I will give with Vinyl plank as it does wear the spots will be the color of the Vinyl but it is easily replaced just keep some extra planks when you have it installed. I did have vinyl plank wear this way when i used it in a very high traffic area (think rubbing feet with outside ?) that has since been easily replaced. The only place I place i would stay away from Vinyl is by a door and if you do have there frame it (transition molding around a small area) and make it different so yo can replace a 15 SQ feet rather than an entire room so it all matches. If you are doing one room look for a handyman to put it down most places way over charge for installation unless you are doing multiple rooms.

 

[Cynt]

We've been looking at replacing our flooring for three years. We currently have carpet and tile in the wet areas - kitchen, bathrooms and hallways. I'm so sick of tile and I loathe the carpet.

I would love to get engineered wood throughout However not a good idea for the wet areas. I haven't seen any lvp that I like. It all looks fake to me. And it's just as expensive as the engineered wood once you add additional cost for quality lvp and quality padding.

I was discussing with my next door neighbor who went with wood. She said her deciding factor was she had to live with it so she wanted something she would enjoy looking at for the next 10+ years.

I'm still at a lost.

Thanks everyone for your recommendations and suggestions.

 

[SueInBoston]

I am also on concrete and have LVP with cork. The cork makes it a little cushiony on the hard concrete. My contractor had to do a fair bit of leveling after the carpet was pulled and revealed a bunch of cracks. I run the Roomba every 3 days (I'm an empty nester) and wet mop once every 2-3 weeks.