Asked on May 14, 2016

Inexpensive flooring solution to hide dirt

Lisa Stenta
by Lisa Stenta
Looking to replace current laminate light wood looking flooring in the family room. It shows everything! Dusty footprints, drips, hair, especially when the sun shines in the side windows. I was told to look for "non-shiny" rougher looking laminate to hide it all better. I currently have to clean/mop every day or it looks horrible. I was looking into TrafficMaster Allure due to price and it is supposed to be waterproof (puppies still potty training). Any suggestions?
  19 answers
  • Robin Lueddeke Robin Lueddeke on May 15, 2016
    What I can suggest to you is that you get a "swiffer". Not the kind that squirts liquid, but the kind that has the dust pads and they also sell the wet pads to wash the floors. The swiffer is the BEST thing for cleaning wood floors... far better and faster than a vacuum. When I'm half way through, I take off the duster, go outside and shake it out and then continue to swiff! I use it in my bathrooms too! Best thing ever!
  • Robin Lueddeke Robin Lueddeke on May 15, 2016
    ..Also, I replaced my floor last year and I got a "no shine" flat finish laminate flooring that kind of resembles barn wood. It's rustic and everyone loves it and it so hides the dirt..lol. I only saw this particular design at one place...it's called LiquidWOODation. They are located in Union, NJ. I love, love, love the flat finish.
  • Robin Lueddeke Robin Lueddeke on May 15, 2016
    Here is a pic of the flooring
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  • Jaclyn Jaclyn on May 15, 2016
    Vinyl composite tile in "wood" planks are amazing. They are non shiny, easy to install and relatively inexpensive.
  • MN Mom MN Mom on May 15, 2016
    A different method of cleaning and some rugs would work. If you're mopping that often you're not getting it all clean. Chances are you're redepositing the things you're trying to clean.
    • Patrice Curtiss Patrice Curtiss on Jun 20, 2017

      I have the same flooring. I clean it EVERY day, and because I so much natural light (a wall of windows 14 ft. high), my floor still looks messy. Every dust particle shows. Every paw print, etc. It's ridiculous and I hate it. Lisa is not exaggerating.

  • Linda Linda on May 15, 2016
    I put trafficMaster in my large bathroom. iT IS the best thing I've ever done!
  • Shari Shari on May 15, 2016
    I have had Trafficmaster Allure in one bathroom for about 5 1/2 years and love it. I highly recommend it and, in fact, I would really like to replace the laminate flooring in other rooms of my house with the Allure...if my *ship* ever comes in. ;) My Allure (Mahogany) has a matte finish and grooves to mimic hand-scraped wood. The medium chocolately brown shade hides pretty much everything except light colored things like white lint, talcum powder dust etc. We are currently pet-free (except for our furry *grandchildren* who visit daily) but I would have no qualms about using it in a home with human or furry kids. One note about Allure though... the regular Allure is water RESISTANT, not waterproof. Each piece adheres to the next with sticky strips along the sides so an extreme amount of moisture could potentially damage the adhesive and cause the planks to become loose. Small amounts of moisture should not be a problem (damp feet, small occasional puddles of pet urine that were wiped up promptly etc.). The waterPROOF version of Allure is called "Ultra" and it is a bit more expensive than the Allure. The Ultra planks snap together (like laminate), which creates a waterproof barrier.
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  • Rae Rae on May 15, 2016
    Never having laminate in my house we recently rented a condo for a month and it had dark laminate floors which drove me insane with the dust and footprints and lint. I had to clean daily! Maybe the rough cut would eliminate that but be careful how dark you go because it showed everything!
  • Lakylberg Lakylberg on May 15, 2016
    We just replaced our laminate with vinyl planks, amazing results! Shows only dust if the sun is shining on it.
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  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on May 15, 2016
    I have Laminate flooring in my house . I love the look ,the down side is Three Dogs. I just recently switched from using the swifter mop to the new Bona mop system for the Laminate flooring. It comes with the microfiber pads with velcro and works terrific. No streaks just clean floors.
  • Liz Liz on May 15, 2016
    I talked with the owner of a local flooring installation company and he told me that any type of flooring that is applied in 'sections', from wood flooring to laminate, will allow pet urine and water to seep between the sections. His suggestion was to purchase 'high end' sheet vinyl in a wood pattern. We were amazed at how much this looks like hardwood flooring, but it's waterproof, scuff proof and durable. We checked Lowes and Home Depot and they both carry this type of sheet vinyl. They have samples on display so that you can choose the color and price range. We took several samples home to see which we liked best. They will send someone out to measure your room and then order the amount you need and install it. A color in the mid-range shows dust and lint less than one that is too light or too dark.
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    • Well you will always save if you do the legwork yourself, how much, depends on a myriad of things. For granite, I would do the legwork. There are so many stone yards in The Valley. They usually have their own install/fabricators. You will always save money doing that rather than the big box. And of course, the pre-fab counter tops offer even more savings. Kitchen cabinets, it depends. A lot are from China. Not bad, per se, just mass produced. My friend asked HD for refacing of his existing cabinets. They quoted him 40K !!! Just for refacing! I almost fell over. He contacted a custom cabinet maker who would do it (and probably a better job) for $6000. That's what HD charges to be the middle man. As for flooring, have you looked into cork?? It's come a long way. Very cushy. Can be laid like a laminate. Not sure on the cleaning but I would check into it.
  • Dianna Dianna on May 15, 2016
    We replaced and put allure vinyl flooring in our kitchen. Not soo keen on it. My table gets moved back an forth to allow people aaround the table. It leaves scratches and looks dirty and dull always. We dragged something across it the wrong way and it left quite a scratch. Ive tried everything on it. The best soo far is using vinegar on it to clean it
  • Linda Johnson Linda Johnson on May 16, 2016
    We bought floating vinyl flooring (looks like stone - one piece vinyl) for our mud room. Works like a champ!
    • Linda Johnson Linda Johnson on May 18, 2016
      @Liz Our dogs love the floating vinyl floor in their mud room, too! It's easy to clean and maintain. Since ours looks like multi-colored rocks - it doesn't show the dirt, either!
  • Darla Darla on May 16, 2016
    The allure vinyl plank flooring (get the snap-together kind) is great and very easy to install. No floor prep needed unless your floor is very uneven. We have had a few scratches on ours, but I think if you get a medium color they won't show much.
  • Debbie Stokes Cotter Debbie Stokes Cotter on May 16, 2016
    Vinyl plank flooring is THE BEST! Scratch resistant, waterproof and care free. I ordered mine from Build Direct online. To prevent scratching any kind of flooring, I go to my local big box or hardware store and get either magic sliders that stick on the chair legs or nail on chair leg caps that come in either nylon(plastic) or metal. Never have a scratched floor ever again.
  • Jemma Dee Jemma Dee on May 19, 2016
    We put laminate flooring in our kitchen and family room. It bubbled and looked terrible in the areas under the table where people sat with wet shoes. Also bubbled where the dishwasher leaked. I talked to someone in a flooring store and they showed me their laminate floor entrance that was wet mopped daily - it did not bubble. Also, before we installed I soaked a sample in water for a week and it did not bubble. Not sure what happened once installed, maybe the soap from the dishwasher. Can't figure out about the wet shoes.
    • Debbie Stokes Cotter Debbie Stokes Cotter on May 20, 2016
      @Jemma Dee THAT is why we got the vinyl plank flooring! In our old house, the former owners used Pergola in the kitchen of all places! The dishwasher leaked under the flooring and we had to tear up the whole floor because of the tongue and groove started at the dishwasher wall. The vinyl plank may look like hard wood, but it looks at least as good as laminate. So sorry for your trouble!
  • Darla Darla on May 20, 2016
    Laminate is pressed wood, like particle board, with a paper and plastic film coating. If water gets past the plastic film, it can cause problems. That's why I'd rather use vinyl or ceramic in wet areas.
  • Robin Lueddeke Robin Lueddeke on May 20, 2016
    Yes, I agree that vinyl plank flooring is a great choice too! I actually had that in my kitchen until I replaced all my flooring. I would have kept it, but i wanted my flooring to "flow" and so, but yes, the vinyl floating plank flooring is great!
  • Elisabeth Elisabeth on Nov 12, 2020

    The answer is....there is NO answer other than to avoid the WITCHING HOUR!! Each hour is different for every homeowner since it is based on the time of day/ position of the sun related to your windows. Your floors could look perfectly clean and spotless but when that witching hour sun pours through windows it shows the dust suspended in the air so of course It’s going to show every imperfection on my gorgeous wood floors. And the witching hour changes throughout the seasons but as soon as it’s about 30 minutes from starting, ALL The shades I purchased from blinds.com come down for about one hour until the witching hour has passed. My best friend has learned the same exact thing. There is no way to avoid this, there is no floor that can stand up against the witching hour!!! You’re fighting against mother nature so stop fighting and if you can afford it find blinds with a remote control on a timer that automatically closes before the witching hour enters your home and ruins your floors...& your mood 😂