# Which flooring for whole-house (including kitchen)?



## JoeLink (May 4, 2014)

I'm closing on a 716 sq ft two bed one bath condo this month, and one of the first tasks I have is replacing the flooring in every room. There's currently some sort of wood in the kitchen (probably laminate?), and carpet in the living room, bedrooms, and hall. 

I'm looking to replace everything except the bathroom flooring with the same wood or wood-look material, but I'm very concerned with moisture. Eventually this will be a rental unit (probably 3-5 years from now). The color I think I'll be going with is a dark dark brown or black. 

I've looked at strand woven bamboo, simulated wood tile (porcelain and ceramic), and vinyl plank, but I'm really not sure which would best suit my needs. I went to six different flooring places and most told me something different. I was pretty convinced bamboo was the way to go, but the color I'm looking at can't be refinished, and the moisture still concerns me. I like the idea of tile for the durability, not sure of the drawbacks. 

I'd like to keep this under $5-$6 per foot, installed, if at all possible.

Thanks in advance!


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## JoeLink (May 6, 2014)

Anyone have any input at all?


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## nealtw (May 6, 2014)

Years ago we put down vinyl or vinyl and carpet without thinking about it.
And welcomne to the site.


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## nealtw (May 6, 2014)

I have seen this stuff, it is thick, looks like wood goes down without glue and peices can be changed out easily
http://www.laurentiansales.ca/drop_and_done.html
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbXI7YqlANU[/ame]


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## slownsteady (May 7, 2014)

Are you going to be removing the old flooring? What condition is the subfloor in? Everything I have read about vinyl planks (I have been considering them for my basement) talks about a perfectly smooth subfloor being required.


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## JoeLink (May 7, 2014)

Thanks for the replies guys. 

I was originally leaning toward luxury vinyl tile, but as slownsteady said, everyone says you need a perfectly smooth/level floor or you can see waves (since it's thin and flexible). After doing a bunch of reading yesterday, it looks like long plank ceramic tile is what I'm looking for, but I'm concerned about the installation costs. Anyone have any input on that?


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## beachguy005 (May 7, 2014)

You should also check your condo's bylaws.  Some only allow carpet because of noise.


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## Jungle (May 7, 2014)

If it's going to be rental then you don't put wood it. If you rent it consider it will end up getting abused.  Generally landlords will go with cheap and tough with a generic style.
click locking vinyl planks


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## slownsteady (May 7, 2014)

beachguy's right. Check with your management company. The decision may not be entirely yours.


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## JoeLink (May 8, 2014)

I read through the bylaws. I didn't see anything regarding flooring types, and there's already some sort of hardwood or laminate in the kitchen. 

I definitely want to go with something durable. I'm concerned about the vinyl planks being wavy, as I don't think the floor is completely flat.


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## bud16415 (May 8, 2014)

I don&#8217;t know if all vinyl has this problem but my nephew put down a very good quality product and has a very major issue with temp changes. When the sun hits it in one area and not another it pops apart and has cracks between the pieces. He saw my laminate and how it locks in our new house and said he would do that having to do it over. At my old house I did over 500 square foot of laminate back in the day before snap together it was just T&G and required glue. That was a tougher install getting all the joints tight and gluing it 100% but the end result is so good I think it was the way to go. Those glue joints are so strong and waterproof it&#8217;s like the floor is one large piece of material.


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## JoeLink (May 9, 2014)

Ah good point, thanks for the heads up. This area gets a lot of sunlight, so that is definitely a factor. 

Does anyone have an experience with those laminates that are made of plastic rather than particleboard?


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## nealtw (May 9, 2014)

I would think the plastic would be better in the kichen as the mdf will get moldy if they get wet. I have not seen them used.


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## slownsteady (May 10, 2014)

I thought all "laminates" were wood products. If it has plastic in it - or if it's all plastic - isn't it considered a vinyl product? And might that have the same problem in the sunlight?


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## bud16415 (May 11, 2014)

Flooring like pergo and Formica have  a base material that's a wood based product that's very dense. The top layer of laminate is the same stuff counter tops is made from. I guess the reason Formica first got in to flooring. The surface is waterproof the seams depend on the product and how it's installed. In the old days it was glued as it was installed and that made it quite water proof. I don't know if anyone glues it any more the flooring guys should check in. 


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## slownsteady (May 12, 2014)

Yeah, that would explain some. I have been shopping for a basement floor, and so I automatically rejected the laminates without really spending any time researching them. Thanks for the info.....


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## Rusty (May 15, 2014)

Laminates are plastic with a picture of wood on them, and usually has a particle board core. Engineered is a thin layer of real wood on a plywood core and can usually be refinished. Laminate cannot be refinished.


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## daltonbrain (May 21, 2014)

+1 for the vinyl planking. Especially being for a rental, vinyl planking is very durable. There is a wide variety of different styles to match any taste or decor. Be sure to buy a quality product, like Armstrong. We've installed it in many high-traffic commercial applications and it's held up well after several years in service.


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## JoeLink (May 22, 2014)

One thing I'm concerned about, which is leading me to look into ceramic tile, is the potential for waviness in the vinyl plank. Any thoughts on that?


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## Rusty (May 22, 2014)

JoeLink said:


> One thing I'm concerned about, which is leading me to look into ceramic tile, is the potential for waviness in the vinyl plank. Any thoughts on that?



What is the subfloor, wood, concrete, gypcrete?


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## JoeLink (May 23, 2014)

I'm almost certain it's wood. It's on the second floor of a complex built in 1970.


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