The home we are buying has off white carpet in every single room. (Bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, included.) That won’t work for us. ( Frankly, I am not sure where carpet in a kitchen, laundry or bathroom ever works, but the sweet couple we are buying the house from are very neat and clean.) We have tried to figure out the flooring for our soon to be second home. (That carpet is coming up before the first thing gets moved in.) I love the look of hardwood, but that is not in our near future. We are dog people (The big, loves to jump in the pond and creek then roll in the mud kind of dog people),
We are messy, hard-working, outdoor folk. Mud, dog dirt, dirty shoes and assorted tools (accidentally) walking right into our house would mean our floor would be a mess in a short time.
Source: Lumber Liquidators
I loved this look above, but at $3.50 a square foot plus the cost of glue it would be an investment that I am afraid would be damaged too soon. It does have a 30 year warranty, but not against water damage or heavy use.
We looked at engineered hardwood but the reviews said it scratched easily and I was afraid we would have the same problems as hardwood. I think that it would honestly be a good option down the road for us and we may be doing this in our suburban home before we sell it.
Source: Home Depot
Isn’t the engineered wood pretty?
The next option I explored, (and fell in love with) was tile that looks like wood. I love the look, the durability, and I know for sure we could install it in a short time without help. The problem is our ranch house shifts in the gumbo soil. Don’t know about gumbo soil? Here is the Audio English definition.
What the definition doesn’t tell you is that when it is full of water it swells. When we have super dry weather, it shrinks, and cracks open to leave gaping holes in the ground.
The foundation of our new home is sound but the house will flex as the clay based soil around and under it expands and contracts because the builder did not install bell bottom piers or a cable lock system. That means that 48 inch wood look tile I want is likely to crack as the tile is stressed with the movement. Bummer.
I liked the 24 inch tile here but I really liked the 48 inch tile at Lowe’s.
Source: Lowe’s
I am just not a fan of laminate flooring. My mom has it and loves it. I have tried to like it. It is cushioned and great to stand on. I just don’t like the clicking noise. I think there is beautiful laminate, it just isn’t for me.
After flaming out on the wood look tile, we were stumped. I even thought about staining the concrete but that would involve pouring a new top coat of concrete on everything because of the nail carpet strips, glued down carpet pad and the fact that the first owners did not plan on ever seeing the concrete so it is a mess.
We went out looking for options on a rainy afternoon and found an unlikely floor that I like… Vinyl. Yep, I said vinyl, I know what you are thinking.
I am talking about luxury vinyl planks ( LVP). Heard of it? I hadn’t. I made the salesman lay out some, clicked together, so I could walk on it to listen for the noise. Here is what I learned:
- It is quiet.
- It clicks and locks easily but the edges are fragile before they are locked so you have to be careful with them.
- It looks like wood. I mean it really looks like wood even when laid next to a solid wood floor in the showroom.
- There is texture on it that feels like wood.
- No underlayment is required so it saves money.
- It is still a floating floor so it works with the gumbo soil.
- It is waterproof.
- No glue, no fancy tools, no mess. The only tools are a chalk line, a box cutter and a straight edge.
- It has a 50 year warranty. I am thinking I wont be the one cashing that warranty in.
Source: Lumber Liquidators
The floor above is the one we bought a box of to try out at home where we tested it to see how hard it was to click and lock, looked at the color in a real home, and felt the texture. Did you notice I didn’t go with the gray colors I was leaning toward? I had time to think about it and the weathered wood I love to build with will show up better if there is contrast, I think. The cost will be just over $2.00 a square foot. We are fans for our country home.
The choices for flooring these days are huge and everyone has different situations, homes and styles. I am glad we found an option that works for us. I will keep you posted on how it really works out.
I would love to hear from anyone who has used luxury vinyl planks. Also, show off your floors if you have installed something different.
Have a wonderful day!
Blessings,
Karen
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