Decide Flooring
 

this isn't really a how to, but i was seeking advice. right now i have nasty carpetting in my room which i plan to exchange for either marble or wood. which should i go for, i like them both, pros/cons? thanks

Wood flooring will definitely save you on money, and depending on the size of the room, it can have much better acoustics as well. The newer "snap together" laminates that are out there are definitely tough to beat. They look great, come in every finish imaginable, and are priced reasonably.

the disadvantage to laminates is that they're still a repeating pattern, so if you look for more than a few seconds it still looks fake. The disadvantage to wood is that it is a plant and is quite easy to damage.

The disadvantage to marble is that it's expensive (a minimum of $5 a square foot, and that's if you get cheap stuff), somewhat difficult to install, and you will have to have a good, solid subfloor to support the stuff.

If you'll have heavy traffic you want to look at laminates. Diamond Plate is one of the best out there - the stuff is like armor. It's hard to scratch it even with a razor blade, and it has a lifetime construction warranty. Be sure to get a good underlayment if you go laminate - don't cheap out or you'll have a hollow-sounding floor that's an obvious fake.

Your floor should have continuity, whatever you choose, put it in all the rooms on that floor. Marble in one bedroom will not look right. The wood floor will provide a warmer environment, ceramics lead to a "castle feel" sometimes.

Flooring
 

Go with a Laminate, Wilsonart. Lasts forever

That's not necessarilly the case. As long as a door separates the rooms, there's no problem with, for example, wood in the hall and carpet in the bedroom.

Ya. What he said.

Don't worry about the repeating pattern. Once you put your stuff back in the room (furniture, rugs, pets, etc.) you will not notice a pattern.

You can typically minimize the repeating pattern by taking segments from at least three different boxes when putting the laminate floor down.

Here's a slightly different idea. How about cork flooring? It's very comfortable and can have a painted surface to look like marble.

If you're going to lay the flooring yourself, take a look at bamboo. It's amazingly easy to lay, lasts a long time, doesn't cost much more than Wilsonart/Pergo, and looks much better.

I had a friend who ran 1/2" pvc through his subfloor and ran hot water througha recirculating system to radiant heat his bamboo floor. It was amazing, and not that difficult to do.

Have fun!

I agree with thee bamboo idea--Have seen it a number of times and everyone who has it loves it. They also say buy the medium quality (there are three that I know of) they say the most expensive is too perect and looks fake.

Living with laminate, by jwoody.



It's easy to get carried away with laminate flooring. Like many laminate addicts before me, I started with just the lobby. It looked good and was easy to maintain, at first.

Then when my lounge carpet needed replacing I had only one thought in mind... more laminate.

A couple of months passed and more laminate flooring was laid, l I had comletely covered the ground floor in beech effect laminate and I didn't stop there.

Soon the bathroom, spare bedroom, and study were done and I still craved for more. Laminate stairs, skirting, kitchen worktops... nothing was safe. My home had changed from a comfortable and luxurious abode into a sock sliding rink in less than twelve months.

I moved out of there at the turn of year and never looked back.

I'm now involved in the complete re-decoration of my new home. I'm trying my best to stay away from the laminate but it's not easy. I've quelled the urge to laminate by sanding and painting the floorboards but the deep cravings haven't completely subsided.

.........................

I sell real estate for a living...nothing returns better than hard wood flooring...Not laminates, not marble, not granite....Hard wood (Red Oak Usually) goes with everything, is always rich and can be refinished if really abused.

I just installed a bamboo floor a year ago and I love it... the look is really modern.

Installed just like a hard wood floor.

The best part is you can feel all environmentally responsible...