New floors - what have you got?

[MarshaBrady]

We are looking at new floors.

What have you got in your

• living room
  
• bathroom
  
• kitchen
  
• bedrooms?
  

Do you like it, any recommendations. Thanks

[MarshaBrady]

Actually just bathroom. What do you have in the bathroom?

[TalkinPeace2]

Bamboo

Bamboo in the kitchen, dining room, utility room, hall, cloakroom and both the bathrooms.
Bedrooms, stairs and living rooms are carpeted.
Picture of the kitchen floor on my profile.

LOVE IT

[MarshaBrady]

Excellent! Bamboo. I had not thought of that at all.

Looks good.

[Rhubarbgarden]

We have black and white chequer board style ceramic tiles in our bathroom. Previous owners put them in. I don't like them but tolerate them because it could be a lot worse and there are other priorities to attend to before the bathroom. But eventually we'll put natural stone in there.

[MarshaBrady]

Interesting. I was thinking about black and white cheque tiles but fear they may be slippery or too cold (not sure if that is an issue at all), but perhaps natural stone is warmer and nicer.

[MarshaBrady]

For some reason bathroom is the hardest.

kitchen - tiles of some sort
bedroom - hmm fluffy carpet I guess
living room - wood I guess. Would love parquet.

[MarshaBrady]

btw Rhubarb are you enjoying the new house?

(I remember your moving threads!)

[BlissfullyIgnorant]

Talkin don't know how long you've had the bamboo but we've had it for about 11 ears now and it is totally loathesome. It was glorious for the first few months, then, very slowly the laquer started to wear under the dining chairs, then over the years it's shrunk quite a lot and where the glue has worked well, the boards have split along the bonds. It was the recommended type of flooring for a south facing conservatory with underfloor heating so we followed 'professional advice' and did as we were told like good little customers.
We were looking in a flooring shop a couple of years after we laid the bamboo and asked if he sold it (in case we could replace some of it) and the owner said they refused to sell it - he said it goes just exactly as you would expect the bamboo canes you have in the garden to go; grey and cracked, not the beautiful glossy blond we had installed. You know what? He was absolutely right.

Next time, it's Amtico! Got that in the kitchen (south facing) and the well used entrance hall and its fab.

[TalkinPeace2]

Ours is four years old, and no, its not glossy all over any more. This is a home not a showroom. The floor has scrapes and scrapes and dinks, just like the wooden floor in any old home. We have parties where everybody tramps in and out from the garden. People bring dogs and slide chairs. So what. I budget that in another 5 years time I'll have the whole kitchen diner sanded back by 1mm and resealed. the bamboo is 13mm thick and glued to the substrate (no underfloor heating) so have had no problems with splitting or stuff.

[1789]

just to add an extra dimension to your flooring decisions - it's good to be aware of the various chemicals that go into flooring products and choose the one that's safest for your family.

toxicfreekidsblog.org/category/going_toxic_free/insideyour_home/flooring/

[jollydiane]

Hi Marsha. I have a similar dilemma. Whilst I have not finally decided I think I am going for Laminate in lounge, Kardean in the kitchen dining room, vinyl in the bathrooms, and carpet in the bedroom.

[Mandy21]

Couple of points to add to the thread - we have bamboo is the hall - gets huge amounts of traffic and bashing with 3DC. Its been down about 3 years now, we have a high gloss version in quite a dark colour. If you look very closely (on your hands and knees) you can see scratches in it, but still has its lacquered finish completely in tact, hasn't warped, still looks great.

Bathroom - we have vinyl - something a bit like this design (although this is rubber flooring and ours is vinyl). www.rubbercal.com/Coin_Grip_Picture_Black.html

I wouldn't have this again, or any type of vinyl that has that rubber type finish. Its not sticky exactly, but fluff / dirt etc sticks to it iyswim. Means you can't sweep it and get it clean and mopping doesn't really work either. We literally have to be on our hands and knees with a cloth and properly wash it. We only have a very small bathroom so its not a massive job but still a pain.

We also had tiles in our previous bathroom which was huge but always very cold underfoot (no underfloor heating). Got the vinyl as I thought it would be cosier, which it is, but definitely harder to keep clean.

Not much help, sorry!

[MarshaBrady]

What sort of carpet jollydiane?

Do people do wool these days or something else?

For the bedrooms I was thinking something quite thick and luxurious.

[MarshaBrady]

No, it's all good to know Mandy!

[Rhubarbgarden]

Loving it, thanks!

The tiles aren't cold or slippery (no underfloor heating), I just don't really like them. I prefer the look of stone, though as far as practicalities go it's pretty much the same as ceramic tiles.

[lljkk]

I am agonising over this, too, although not in bathrooms. We have something like vinyl in one bathroom and some kind of handsome mock wood (?karndean) in the shower room.

Interesting about the bamboo. I like sound of it, but our karndean has deep scratches & holes in it after 10 years, so heaven knows what would happen to bamboo.

[FishfingersAreOK]

Engineered smoked oak in sitting/dining/family room and kitchen. Quarry tiles in porch and futility. Sanded floorboards in our bedroom. Carpeted in DCs. I chose a wool mix carpet (didn't like the feel of the 100% manmade) but one that is not as dense as a downstairs carpet (so only 40grammes per er...inch I think rather than the 60 or 70 grammes for a sitting room style carpet). Was about £15 per square metre plus underlay/grippers/fitting. 2 rooms costing £850. Sanding was £550.

Carpetwise -go to an independant and ask for advice from owner - feel the stuff, take samples home - what looks right in the shop can look awful at home.

[lljkk]

I shudder to think what all that lovely wood flooring cost!

We have been quoted £3.2k for carpets (2 lounges, 3 bedrooms, stairs & landing). £800 for kitchen floor.

[MarshaBrady]

I know, it is a lot isn't it. Trouble is all ours are the same state (here before we moved in) and if you do one room it looks odd.

Thanks FishfingersareOK. I have an independent guy coming round in a couple of weeks to measure it all up. They sound really good actually.

But even they said not 100% wool, too expensive. Which fibre are you getting Lijkk?

[FishfingersAreOK]

Wood was 3.5K for 75 square metres - that included the underfloor heating underlay. Doesn't include fitting though. Got from www.ukflooringdirect.co.uk/Engineered/Florence_Engineered_Fumed_Oak_189mm_Oiled.html Worked out just under £40 sq/m if it helps.

Oh and ensuite - tiles floor (same as walls) and main bathroom just sheet vinyl (got a strong black white brick tile look on the walls so plain white my only option - that is going to cost£14 sq/m plus minimum fitting as it titchy - so will be around £100

When we do the loft conversion in about 100years time due to money! I would pick one of these for the floor and then choose wall tiles. www.harveymaria.co.uk/

[lljkk]

Wood floors: I was going to ask if were cold, but I guess not if you have underfloor heating! Not sure we're up for that. I love wood floors, though. If cost were no object (so I could just replace it or get someone in to sand down any problems as occurred). I'd have an interior decorator, though, if cost were no object. I have zero interest in home decour or improvement, otherwise.

Fibre: man said that 80:20 wool:synthetic was what we already have & have been happy with, and is good because 100% wool sheds like a furry cat (I already have 3 of them ).

I can't find the sodding carpet-flooring quote (sob). I think we need about 80m2 carpeted, though. I just estimated my fairly large lounge as about 29 m2 (does that seem plausible?). Plus 6 other rooms (effectively). The £3.1k quote includes fitting cost and not having to move most the furniture out (headache).

I was quoted £425 to have most the downstairs furniture & some boxes moved out & stored a mile away for a week & put back. Don't think would be cost effective, although I have an extremely heavy piano that has to be moved out & back by professionals (I'm hoping get that done for £80 or so).

They said carpet-fitting-only costs for our fairly large lounge, even with fitters having to move furniture, would only be £45.

[MarshaBrady]

Thanks lijjk. Will check out 80:20. Your post has reminded me I'd love a piano some day soon.

Have ordered 3 samples from your site fish so that's great.

The problem is there are so many options. Even when you get onto one site it's so many. Then if you shop around. Anyway will stick with this and the local people who seem good.

We did all the walls last year and new walls make the old floors look so much worse.

[CanYouHearMe]

Is there a way of viewing profile pics larger? I can't see the detail AND I have my glasses on!

[DalekInAFestiveJumper]

I have massive (12" x 12") slate textured ceramic tiles in the bathroom and kitchen. They look amazing. They're easy to clean.

I hate them with a white hot passion.

If they get even a bit damp, they become ice-slick. I litter the bathroom floor with mats, as it's the only way to prevent disaster.