Porcelain/Ceramic Tile Flooring v. Wood Laminate?? (Austin, Howe: hardwood floor, homes)

[centralaustinite]

Actually to me, all tile=too cheap to go with hardwoods!

I'd rather have carpet in bedrooms than tile.

[Snow-Flake]

We will keep carpet in the bedrooms, the stairs, and the entire upstairs of the house. The only areas I'm debating tile v. wood laminate are: extended entry, kitchen, breakfast area, and dining room. I have seen a lot of really beautiful tiles in various colors, but really dislike the dirt that builds in grout lines over years of use. I want to do something that will appeal to the masses when selling the house.

[eichlerfan]

Originally Posted by motherofthree

Is there any tile where you don't need grout lines or very small grout lines? I would love tile if it didn't have grout lines. Laminate so much easier to clean.

In our last house the tile setter made one type grout line for our slate floors and another type for a slate bathroom counter. Also there are a variety of grout colors to choose from so they don't need to be light in color if you pick a darker stone. Laminate maybe easier to clean, but in the end it's still a plastic floor.

[10scoachrick]

We have tile throughout the common areas on the main floor(it's the 4C pattern that creates some interest to the eye, IMO). Swapped the carpet out for cork in the master and the office. Three+ years later, we still enjoy the cork, especially in the master bedroom. Nice and neutral temperature, a bit softer on the feet. We have a 22lb dog and you can't tell she's been in either room. DW does enjoy her area rugs, however; we even have a cowhide on the office floor.

If we had to choose today, I'm afraid the 'romance' of wood would win over my DW(especially since one of her design clients just got beautiful hardwoods throughout her lower level). I'd likely go with tile again. I'd still go with the cork in the bedroom and I think it's fine in the office. BTW, the upstairs(3 bedrooms, 'wreck' room and landing) is carpet(tile in the bathrooms)...works for me.

Engineered wood has come a long way. I'd choose it over solid, unless there were some 'reason' to choose solid. Laminate has also come a long way; but I believe you must choose it carefully and have it installed properly. I'd have no problem going with a laminate in our master closet, but we will likely use cork again(whenever I get inspired to pull out the carpet).

[centralaustinite]

Oooh! Tell us more about cork! I'd love to put it in our master bedroom, who installed it? Where did you get it? Is it sealed? How is maintenance?

[nonexpat]

When shopping for a house in Austin last year, I noticed many houses with tile in the family room and dining area, not just the kitchen or entry. This wasn't the case in Dallas. I suspect it might be because of the warmer climate. Tile is nice and cool during the long, hot summer.

I saw several houses with laminate floors, which automatically turned me off. If your house is at a very low price point, then maybe it would be ok, but for me I would prefer a mix of hardwood and tile or tile and carpet over laminate.

I know I would never want hardwoods in a kitchen. I saw some houses with that as well. This may be good for extremely tidy people who never spill, but I actually cook in my kitchen and tile cleans up very easily. Furthermore, if I miss a spill and have to scrub it hard the next day, I won't hurt my floor.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Oooh! Tell us more about cork! I'd love to put it in our master bedroom, who installed it? Where did you get it? Is it sealed? How is maintenance?

Two different sources for our cork. Lumber Liquidators Lisbon brand(buy ONLY what they have on hand...getting the balance of our order from 'other' stores was a real pain) and a company back in Georgia(don't have the name handy). It was a DIY install...nowhere near as easy as 'clic-n-go' laminate; but not too tough. Most of the cork plank flooring is pre-sealed. You can add more sealer but we haven't. Maintenance is just a damp dusting or Swiffer. We haven't had to repair any areas; so I can't speak to 'damage'. In theory, a plank could be replaced, but that's not a project I look forward to. We were under $3/foot for the cork, DIY install and $50 worth of 6-mil vapor barrier.

We have very dark brown cork in both rooms(different shades). We will likely go with a natural look in the master closet. The dark colors look almost like leather when you first approach the room...pretty cool, I think.
Lumber Liquidators: Browse & Refine Products

LL has samples on hand(and on floor ). Also, Lowe's has a special order cork brand and it seems like I've passed by in-stock cork at HD(not sure which one--maybe MoPac frontage rd @ CapTexas Hwy---opposite end from Mimi's and Natural Grocer?)

I'm fairly cheap ; but I'd consider bringing in a pro for the next install. My knees ain't what they used to be! It'd be great to find an independent installer who knew his cork but would work with a 'helper'. Otherwise, I think you're looking at an install rate that would match the price of the cork.

Personally, I don't care for the newer 'skinny' planks of cork(designed to look like wood, I reckon) with the burnished edges. I prefer the 'no-grout' look of seamless joints. Easier to clean and certainly easier to install 1' x 3' planks rather than dealing with 4,5,6" planks.

[Snow-Flake]

What is the difference between engineered hardwood flooring and wood laminate? I think I may have seen some engineered hardwood floors that I liked and called them wood laminate by mistake, not knowing they are two different things.

[riaelise]

Laminate is NOT cheap. Some laminate is higher than hardwood. That being said, as with anything, if you get cheap laminate/tile you might have problems. I have both laminate and tile in my home and love them both. I have two kids who drop lots of things and used to have a dog and thank goodness we had a laminate floor -- spills were easily wiped up. I've had wood floors when I lived in NYC (where it is very common and not really an upgrade) and the maintenance was a pain. The refinishing is expensive. They scratched. I'd prefer a home with any sort of flooring upgrade -- turnoffs for me would be vinyl and tons of cheapie carpet. If you are upgrading on a budget, then definitely laminate and tile are worthy upgrades.

[centralaustinite]

wood laminate is plastic! No wood about it. It is a picture of wood attached to a core of plywood.

Engineered hardwood is hardwood that is prefinished in a factory, usually 3/4 of inch thick (so it can be sanded and refinished if need be that is attached to a core made up of plywood or other material.

Traditional hardwood floors are made of a single plank of wood that is the same from top to bottom and which is sanded and finished in place (ie in the home after installation).