Asked on Nov 19, 2013
Need help - floor covering decision. Limited budget, two dogs, cement
by
Maggie Lais
+47
Hi! I Need help on a floor covering decision. We have a limited budget, two dogs, and a cement slab. The berber and thin pad there now are really dingy, and the puppy has torn up a 6 or 8 inch by 12 inch section. A kitchen tile next to this carpet area is broken, and we do not have spare tiles. We are thinking of several possibilities: 1. cut out carpet only in a strip from bedroom door, across entry to kitchen, and under the bar, to the wall. This would mean the dining room would have the old carpet, as well as new flooring. 2. we could take out all the carpet in the main part of the house, leaving carpet only in the bedrooms. More cohesive, but more cost, too? what is better for resale? carpet, tile, or wooden flooring? Which is more money, and which is 'easier' or more DIY friendly? Also, is it possible to break out a few kitchen tiles here and there to replace some with chips, and to create a random pattern, or not random... with new tile? Thanks already for any suggestions! I'll try to get some photos of the areas as soon as I can. Thanks again, Maggie
29 answers
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My $.02...through the past 20 years, we have replaced the original vinyl tiles with ceramic tiles, then finally hardwood. The tiles were a big and costly mistake. Once one cracks, it is inevitable that it's neighbor cracks, and on and on...about seven years ago, we finally bit the bullet. Ripped out carpeting and tile everywhere except the bedrooms and replaced it with nail down hardwood. Best decision we ever made. The house is way more cohesive and the housekeeping is so much easier. I am a big cook, and I've had zero problems with hardwood in the kitchen. Of course, the project will spiral out of control because you will want to beef up your baseboard/crown moulding, etc., but it will be worth it in the end. It will increase the value of your home for sure. Hardwood will solve the pet problem, too. Except that you can see every little hair! Hope this helps because I struggled with flooring for years. Now, my plan is to continue the flooring into the bedrooms as the carpet needs to be replaced. P.S. We purchased all our hardwood from Home Depot. All baseboards/mouldings purchased from a local woodworking shop. Good luck!
Susan Ross
on Nov 19, 2013
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I won laminate flooring in a contest - we installed throughtout whole house (except for kids bathrooms) and have had no problems with being in kitchen. It was easy to install I did several rooms by myself. And cleaning is simple. And so far VERY durable-- with 2 teenagers and 6 dogs in house-- holding up great!
Cynthia E
on Nov 19, 2013
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For resale value, real wood is probably your best option but it is not necessarily the most budget friendly choice. You did not mention considering laminate but I just wanted to go on record as saying I do not think laminate is a good option with pets since moisture is Enemy #1 of laminate. Urine, vomit, wet feet, sloppy water bowl drinkers etc., can leave moisture on the floor that will make the laminate seams bubble, buckle and peel if not cleaned up immediately. I hate my laminate. Detest it! I do not understand why it is so popular. Laminate is also slippery and noisy to walk on. I recount this story often here on HomeTalk when people bring up the subject of laminate. We had 3 big German Shepherds (which have now all passed). The sound of those 48 toenails constantly clicking across our laminate floors was enough to about make me and my husband crazy. It was also slippery and hard for the dogs to walk on as they got older and less agile. I had to put down throw rugs in all the pathways just so they could get the traction to move from room to room. If your sub floor is in good shape (smooth), you might want to consider TrafficMaster Allure vinyl planks that look like wood. (Home Depot sells it.) I have it in one of my bathrooms and love it. Allure is very budget-friendly, soft and quiet to walk on, really easy to care for and water resistant, which is a great option for bathrooms and kitchens! I had someone install my Allure but installation is suppose to be an easy DIY project requiring only something to measure with and a utility knife or scissors to cut the vinyl planks. The only downside of vinyl planks is if your sub-floor is not smooth, over time the vinyl will conform to any lumps or bumps. However, a leveling compound can be used to address imperfections in the sub-floor and then the vinyl planks can then installed. I've attached a couple photos of the Allure in my bathroom. (Can't wait until I can afford to rip out my laminate and replace it all with Allure). Also, here's a link for a brief Allure installation tutorial showing how easy it is to put down: http://theoldpaintedcottage.blogspot.com/2013/04/cottage8-our-flooring-photo-tutorial.html
Shari
on Nov 19, 2013
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Save yourself some time money and heartache, go with either wood or laminate flooring. Some laminates are really really nice so you could possibly same some money by going with that option. If you have plans to sell in the near future check with your realtor.
Debbie Harris
on Nov 19, 2013
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You might want to consider LVT (luxury vinyl tile) which is available as wood plank flooring (generally 6" X 48") or 16 inch store tiles. Easy to install, water resistant and the products from Shaw carry a lifetime residential warranty. HD stocks a LVT plank floor that "floats" and has adhesive to hold each plank to another,,,not the floor. The stone tile look can be installed with or without an actual grout line.
LandlightS
on Nov 19, 2013
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Wood has better re-sale value. But I tiled my family room, along with my kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room. We have a fire place and dogs. My dogs can't go past the tile. It is also life style. My animals are part of my life style. Wood heat is also messy and burns things with popping embers so for me it's more about living then about re-sale. But because of tiling and wood in my house the updates increased the value of my home a whole lot. I won't have a problem reselling my home, I have torn out old tile and re-tiled. It is messy but doable. We did the work ourselves. Including the wood floors. If you are paying someone else do wood it will instantly increase the value of your home.
Sherrie
on Nov 20, 2013
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I have had laminate floors since 2005 and they look like they were put down yesterday...It is in the den right off the back deck that gets all the wet weather and we have a 65 lb. Lab! Before I put it down, I brought home a sample and put it in a bowl of water...all that happened was it got wet...no changes whatsoever! I would have loved to have put down real hardwood, but at the time I could not afford it and dogs ruin the finish on it. I have real hardwood in my front foyer, living and dining rooms and love it...but it is a closed off area to the dog. Since laminate can be handyman installed and you can purchase the laminate quarter round to finish it off, it is about a third of the price of hardwood. It comes in a variety of patterns and colors from the oak I chose to the darkest of colors. You just want to make sure you do your homework! A GOOD TIP: make sure you use the "quiet" pad which eliminates the hollow sound and gives some cushion under it. And, you want to check out your concrete for burrs that might need to be ground off and high/low places that can be a problem with almost any floor other than carpet. Actually, laminate was designed as a "room to go" for apartments where it was to be laid over carpet but taken up and taken with the renter when they left! I have since added laminate golden oak in the kitchen, back foyer, and downstairs master suite!
Jeanette S
on Nov 20, 2013
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we have a big big golden doodle and a very large bay window in the living room, combine this with wood floor and voila, a million scratches from his nails when he gets exited in either seeing a squirrel or other dogs
Diane Renaud
on Nov 20, 2013
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My hubby and son just installed laminate in the downstairs of the condo of a friend. They had to use the leveling stuff like concrete that you mix and pour and then let dry. It was quite a job, but well worth it. She chose one that was more blonde than mine and with almost no grain, and it had a wider looking pattern for the plank widths. You can even get it almost black with an uneven surface that looks distressed (very pretty). I chose the traditional oak because I have real oak in the Living and dining rooms.
Jeanette S
on Nov 21, 2013
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We have 3 dogs in the house and recently replaced our worn out vinyl floor with luxury vinyl planks. We love it! It hides the dog dirt and hair well! It was relatively inexpensive and my husband and I installed ourselves.
Deb Hernandez
on Nov 21, 2013
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If you have concrete under the carpet. Sealing and staining it are the "IN" thing right now. You can make all kinds of designs with paint but if you are looking for resale, the staining would probably work better. There is also wood look plank style linoleum that looks pretty good and is not too costly. I have laminate and I do not like it at all.
Jennie Brinker
on Nov 23, 2013
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I love the idea of just using the concrete floor and polishing it. I have always wanted to try this.
Mama Faye
on Nov 23, 2013
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Looking into Luxury Vinyl Flooring or Tile. We are doing a wood grained look and it looks and feels like real wood, NOT vinyl. It's virtually indestructable and holds up agains water and pets.
Through the Dutch Door
on Dec 01, 2013
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The biggest problem that we've had with laminate is replacing damaged boards in the middle of the room. We installed it ourselves, and the local hardware store that sold it to us refused to help with the repair for "insurance reasons". If a puddle of liquid is left on a seam, the pressed board underneath will slowly absorb it and swell. We went on vacation, and the people watching our cat emptied the litter box but forgot to refill it. The cat improvised, using a plastic drop cloth on our new laminate floor. We came home to 5 boards permanently damaged. We ended up cutting them out, cutting off the linking edges of the new boards, and dropping them in place. Most of the time, long standing puddles aren't an issue. Still, we'll never install laminate again.
Paige Ritter
on Dec 08, 2013
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I have 6 dogs inside,laminate flooring has been down 6 months and still looks as if installed yesterday.
Cynthia E
on Dec 09, 2013
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Cynthia E, I am beginning to wonder if we are talking different brands of laminate, or even different types of woods... There are really some vast differences of opinion on laminates! Whose did you use? or can you give me some more info?
Maggie Lais
on Dec 09, 2013
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I need a clarification about a response: I am asking anyone who has had laminate, (and is still interested in this thread!) to let me know the brand or the store you used, and what was the surface you chose? Like Oak, Bamboo, Cork...And did yo install or did someone else? and was there perhaps a finish or epoxy or something that was applied to yours? anything that might make it perform better under normal household circumstances? I see the opinions are so vastly different! Thanks anyone who wants to get to the bottom of this difference of opinion! Maybe we can come up with why we all seem to have such different experiences! THANKS! This is really great to get all this response!
Maggie Lais
on Dec 09, 2013
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I have also wondered why so many people seem to have laminate that wears like iron and love it while mine is loud (despite having the underlayment that is suppose to reduce noise), it's slippery to walk on, and easily bubbles if you so much as sneeze on it. As I mentioned above, I DO NOT recommend what I have--Columbia Clic made by Columbia Flooring ( http://www.columbiaflooring.com/series.cfm?collection_id=24), although they no longer carry the carmelized claro walnut color I have. Mine is 8mm thick, which seems to be average or above average thickness. Mine was purchased from a local family owned flooring business and professionally installed by them. I found this link to a Laminate Floor Buying Guide you might find helpful if you are seriously considering laminate: http://www.nucasa.com/resources/LaminateFloorBuyingGuideHowtochoosealaminatefloorWhatyouneedtoknowtomakethebestlaminatefloorchooice.htm
Shari
on Dec 09, 2013
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I also meant to say I hope @Jeanette S will share what brand of laminate she has that survived the submerged in water test she put it through. That's amazing! I didn't know any brand of laminate could do that.
Shari
on Dec 10, 2013
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We got our floor in 2005 and it was made by Shaw. There was a dispute over the locking style and it was changed so Shaw no longer makes the oak we picked. Actually, we went to their outlet in Dalton, GA and bought ours. Ours is a type that is a photograph laminated to a core. We absolutely LOVE IT! I have never had floor put down where kids, dogs and all sorts of things come through and it looks like it was put down yesterday.
Jeanette S
on Dec 10, 2013
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Jeanette S. Thank you for the details. I'll be going to dalton GA is like going to the garment district in LA! So many things to see, so many that you like... So I was on the right track in thinking there might be differences in quality or longevity with the different products used to laminate, etc... This is getting really interesting!
Maggie Lais
on Dec 10, 2013
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Shari, I just read through my responses, and realized I missed a few of your in the beginning. Anyway, I am so glad you and Jeanette S continued the conversation, since I will know to look for the sawdust and the plastic! What a major difference, and why your sellers didn't point out the difference... Especially when you wanted it in your kitchen and bath... Thanks so much!
Maggie Lais
on Dec 10, 2013
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I grew up on real hardwood floors as did my hubby. They are a lot more fragile than people would like to think. I know there are a lot of better sealers, varnishes, etc. than there were then, but I am extremely careful with all of my floors because the subfloors are pressed boards...UGH! I even have laminate in my bathroom. I do not have kids and I am very careful with it. It is not the Shaw that I bought before.
Jeanette S
on Dec 11, 2013
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I have more dogs than I can to admit - we put down a click n go laminate and also ordered from Dalton 3x3 carpet tiles - THEY ARE THE BEST ! laminate is slippery for the dogs and the left over tiles we used for the sleepy spots - there is an overstock shop there called carpet corporation of america - thousands of styles to choose from
Liz Edwards
on Feb 18, 2015
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A few months back a poster showed pictures of her before and after carpet.....she used an open cut welcome mat as a stencil and used it on the carpet....amazing results.....the tile can be painted. Both projects for the cost of a doormat and paint.
Janice
on Feb 18, 2015
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@Maggie Lais, I have medium grade laminate (can't remember the brand) and had friends install it. It's just your basic wood lamitate, not bamboo or anything and it looks like nice oak. It's installed over concrete with a thin pad under it. The pad has a foil-like sheet on one side. My laminate has been in place since 2009 and has held up perfectly to 3 dogs and 4 cats. The cats have been known to pee on it occasionally, where it sometimes sits until I notice it. There is absolutely NO damage to it and it looks just as good at the day I got it. It's easy to clean (Swiffer pads, or - because I'm cheap - a mop with a micro-fiber cloth attached to it and a spritz of vinegar or Windex or something works great). I love it and consider it the BEST flooring I've ever had.
Mary Tonningsen
on Feb 19, 2015
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Hi @Maggie, I'm glad my response was helpful - I hope this info is helpful, too. I checked my garage and found a leftover carton of laminate. It's 'Quick-Step' brand at https://us.quick-step.com/our-products/search-our-products I looked it up and can't find my actual product, since it's so old now, but they have similar. It appears that I have one of the premium laminates based on my specs for the plank size (I guess I was feeling rich at the time). There's a place on the site to locate sellers in your area, you can go in and check the product out in person and get a better feel for it. I tell ya, it's the best purchase I've made for my home. The only downside it's slippery for my older dogs and I've had to put down some rugs for them. Wish I'd thought of that, but I didn't have old dogs at the time. Cat's love it - Wheeeee! :) Let me know if you have any more questions!
Mary Tonningsen
on Feb 22, 2015
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For resale value try wood look laminate flooring. You can buy it for about 99 cents a sq ft and the dogs nails won't scratch it. Try to find hand scraped type like traffic master. I did my living room, hallway and one bedroom and it's beautiful. I installed it alone, so that should give you an idea of how hard it is to put down.
MamaSita
on Aug 25, 2015
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You could paint the floor. I don't think it is too expensive and with a nice finish over it they look great. You could also put a large area rug over it if you need to carpet. I think the carpet tiles are another great idea because if dogs have an accident and you can't get smell out you could replace the one tile. Make sure you buy extra. Also the wood laminate looks very nice and hard for dogs to scratch but I think it could be a more costly alternative.
Barb
on Aug 25, 2015
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