Help a novice! Views on kinds of floor

[Veronicar]

Newbie here, asking for help! We have just finished an extension on our house and I am now looking at flooring. I need something that will go in both the extended bit, which is concrete (with wet underfloor heating) and the original bit, which is knackered wooden floorboards.

Can I have any kind of flooring? Will the fact that the floor bases for the two rooms are two different materials be problematic? What would you recommend for something that works well in a kitchen with underfloor heating, that is easy to keep clean and kind on things like dropped cups and spills?

Aargh! I an no good at this sort of stuff! Links most welcome

I'd put really big square dark grey or black tiles with rugs in the non-kitchen part. I usually go for wood but the problem with wood if it breaches two areas only one of which has UFH is that it can warp. I don't like carpet, I don't like lino or vinyl so tiles are what you need.

definitely tiles. we have wet ugh throughout and it works best with tiles. ok with wood just not as effective. does not work well with glued down wood

ugh???? stupid auto. I meant ufh!

It sounds like you need to take up the old floor and level the two spaces. We had exactly the same problem. Different levels in 4 areas we had knocked through. In the kitchen and very large hall/core area, cloakroom and laundry, I have ceramic tiles of varying sizes but, they look just like expensive limestone. Very few people have been able to tell the difference. I am surprised you laid wet underfloor heating. We do have that in one part of the house but the electric elsewhere works better. Also ceramic is brilliant for underfloor hearing. It works very well. You cannot put anything on top of floorboards. Ceramic definitely not. If it is a yucky floor, take it up, level the whole floor space, and start again. You can then get skirting to match in both old and new bits.

If you tile over floorboards it's best to put a board over them to give a firm substrate. There is some debate about what to put under (although definitely not chipboard as this disintegrates if it gets at all damp) - you can get specific tile backing boards (from tile merchants) or use ply.

Do. Not. Tile. Over. Floorboards.

Particularly if they're knackered. They will be destroyed with a few years. You will have to make sure your floorboards are extremely stable and covered with thick marine ply before tiling and even then I wouldn't do it. I would consider amtico, which is naice vinyl, or engineered wood. You could tile in the kitchen assuming it is in the extension, then change to engineered wood for the rest. Won't warp like solid wood supposedly. Our extension has a suspended floor and no ufh, so we are having solid wood in the extension, with vinyl in the utility and possibly in the kitchen (depends on when we run out of the oak). The plan is to take the solid wood throughout the house as and when we can afford it. I do like our knackered painted floorboards, but they are a touch draughty, even with stopgap, over our massive underfloor void.

I know some people have had problems with tiles over floorboards but if you prepare properly then it can work we had large format porcelain tiles on backing board firmly screwed onto floorboards in both our kitchen and bathroom for 10 years in our edwardian house without cracking. As with lots of things preparation is key.

we have bamboo and it goes straight across the join between the old floorboards and the concrete
had no problems with in in 5 1/2 years
pic on my profile

Check out Earthwerks - like Amtico but much cheaper, I am very impressed at the sample I have - I am going with Wood antique- a lovely dark wood colour. If you tile over boards you must do the prep first or the tiles will crack ( been there :( )