@Limewater Laminate wood, LVP and LVT is offered with other finishes, like stone or high gloss. The variances in wood lends itself to a “warmer” feel, though.
/image laminate stone flooring
/image high gloss contemporary lvt
@narfcake I could get behind the high gloss. Like I said, I don’t have anything against vinyl floors inherently, and recognize the benefits and advantages.
I’m really put off by things pretending to be other things, though. I would not want fake stone finish. I’d love solid colors with few seams, or a star field, or other cool images or patterns.
@Limewater@narfcake Seems like high gloss would be hard to keep with a high gloss finish. The least little bit of dirt/grit would cause the finish to dull.
I have lived in enough houses with genuine hardwood floors to know that they suck. We have the fake stuff in this house, and you can’t even tell we have five cats, two dogs, and people who stomp around with gritty dirt all over their shoes because outside the house is a farm. I love these floors.
If by faux you mean hardwood-look tile. Then yes, totally. We’ve had enough of laminate. It chips if you drop certain things and exposes the lovely green compressed material underneath. Also, smudges look really bad, and you can’t mop the floor well because too much water and it’ll swell.
Oh, there’s a new floor I saw at Lowes which is basically like interlocking rubber slats (installs similar to laminate but doesn’t need underlayment) that look and feel exactly like wood. It’s super easy to cut and install and is totally waterproof. While we’ve been wanting tile for a while, this one is intriguing because it would feel warmer and softer to walk on, plus you could change it up later without the mess that removing tile would entail.
@jester747 LVP; luxury vinyl plank. The core material differs between brands – some are a more flexible vinyl core; others a more rigid stone core. They can be a very good choice in terms of durability, though they do cost more than laminate wood flooring.
Yeah, it does cost more than laminate but for me personally I wouldn’t even compare it to that on the quality scale. Compared to hardwood and tile it comes out costing less (installed, not just material) and taking less time to install (DIY). Again, this is just me. I want something beautiful (obviously) , that feels good to walk on, can be mopped like a ship’s deck, than can withstand you dripping a screwdriver, and if it didn’t and you did damage one, the luxury vinyl lets you just pop a new slat in. Although I have a few extra boxes stored away, our laminate would be ruined if we tried to dis and reassemble. (hmmm, why AM I storing those boxes then??). I guess with tile you could bust out a damaged tile, chisel out the thinset and install a new one too. But yeah, I’m liking the new vinyl stuff. Now if only I could afford more than 20 square feet at the moment!
@jester747 my mom just got those and their really nice. She had the cheaper style ones before and had a water leak which ruined them so upgraded to the waterproof.
@ThatsHeadly If the vinyl planks are sourced from recycled plastics, then great. Unfortunately, if it burns, it’s even better fuel for the fire consuming your home than real wood.
@olperfesser - We’ve always had pets and always had hardwood. Came time to sell we pulled the carpet, sanded and finished the floors, and put in the ad: “hardwood floors throughout.” Never had a problem selling.
We have laminate in the bathroom and like it well enough. Everything else in the house is real hardwood. It’s an old farmhouse, so we just pulled up the carpet and tack strips and said “eh, good enough.” We kind of like the way it wears.
I’m also currently flooring my workshop with reclaimed pallet wood. It’s a nice look, and quality wood if you can get your hands on the right kind.
@star2236 I’m actually taking a break from tearing down pallets right now. I got about half of it floored last fall - enough to have a usable workspace - and I’m working on another quarter of it right now. I’ll post pictures when I’m back inside.
I wish I could say it was an aesthetic choice, but the sad truth is that my budget allows for tools or materials, but not both. So I went with tools, 'cause I can use them to make materials instead. It’s worked out pretty well so far - I’ve put down about 300 square feet of floor, and built a pair of integrated workbenches and a hearth for a salvaged wood stove, all for maybe $150 in materials. Helps that I’ve got a good source for both pallets and crates.
@dannybeans I think the stuff people build out of pallets is so cool. I’ve always wanted to build a cool coffee table or something but I’m just not good with that stuff. I’m crafty as hell and can do anything craft wise just not measuring and cutting/building.
@star2236 Okay, so for whatever reason the forum software won’t let me add a picture. So here’s a link instead: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1f05o78uxybfuek/IMG_20190831_193919.jpg
And for the record, I love working with reclaimed materials, and I certainly couldn’t have afforded to do this any other way, but I am never taking on a project this big ever again.
I live in an older home built in the mid to late 1940s and it has its original hardwood floors-that I absolutely love! They’re beautiful and while they take time to care for, it’s worth the beauty. I have two little dogs and don’t allow outside shoes inside (which I would adhere to no matter what kind of floors I have because—eww—germs). I do bi-monthly Swiffer wet jet for hardwood floors and Murphy’s Oil every six months or so. Really, that’s not a lot of effort considering their beauty.
Oh and pro-tip, scratches can be erased with a walnut. Rub the nut (not the shell) into the scratch and watch it disappear.
Anything but wall to wall carpeting really. That shit is disgusting.
I grew up in an old farm house, so I have a bias toward real wood, even knowing how it gets over time. I have yet to own a home that’s worth the cost of putting real wood floors in though, so the fake stuff is what I’ve got. It looks fine and cleans easy.
Laminate… Meh…
Vinyl plank… Great especially for the basement and DIY.
Tile… Also good but vinyl is easier to install.
The real wood I have above grade is nice but it wears in high traffic areas more than I’d like.
Slightly off topic, but we removed carpet (and 2 cups of dirt attached to the padding) and went with porcelain tiles that looked like wood, distressed and all. Concrete base underneath. Loved it. Some work, but should last forever. It was weird when furniture was ‘slid’ across it. I was worried about scratching that never happened. Always cool on the toes, and super easy to roomba. The underlying bonus was our central air filter was clean for 3 times as long. So easy to clean. Just don’t let glass cups tip over, even if they are on the floor. We were 0 and 3…
Older part of the house still has old 2 inch wide oak strips. newer parts are mostly ceramic tile. Some laminate in an upstairs loft library and our bedroom.
No, no, no. Real wood is good!
Faux hardwood is wallpaper for floors.
Manufactured waterproof “wood” in the kitchen is okay. Elsewhere screams “I am cheap, hear me roar.”
Whichever one is easier to clean the blood off of.
@therealjrn That would be laminate wood, then.
@therealjrn Linoleum?
@narfcake @therealjrn you want vinyl plank for blood.
@therealjrn
Iron grate.
Real is good until:
Laminate may not be the most unique, but it is more durable than real wood and has its place.
@narfcake I don’t have anything against laminate. I just wish they’d use its strengths to do interesting things instead of just making fake wood.
@Limewater Laminate wood, LVP and LVT is offered with other finishes, like stone or high gloss. The variances in wood lends itself to a “warmer” feel, though.
/image laminate stone flooring
/image high gloss contemporary lvt
@narfcake I could get behind the high gloss. Like I said, I don’t have anything against vinyl floors inherently, and recognize the benefits and advantages.
I’m really put off by things pretending to be other things, though. I would not want fake stone finish. I’d love solid colors with few seams, or a star field, or other cool images or patterns.
@Limewater @narfcake Seems like high gloss would be hard to keep with a high gloss finish. The least little bit of dirt/grit would cause the finish to dull.
Since I don’t like real hardwood floors, I like fake ones even less.
I have lived in enough houses with genuine hardwood floors to know that they suck. We have the fake stuff in this house, and you can’t even tell we have five cats, two dogs, and people who stomp around with gritty dirt all over their shoes because outside the house is a farm. I love these floors.
With everything that has been said above about hardwood floors, I prefer cork.
If by faux you mean hardwood-look tile. Then yes, totally. We’ve had enough of laminate. It chips if you drop certain things and exposes the lovely green compressed material underneath. Also, smudges look really bad, and you can’t mop the floor well because too much water and it’ll swell.
Oh, there’s a new floor I saw at Lowes which is basically like interlocking rubber slats (installs similar to laminate but doesn’t need underlayment) that look and feel exactly like wood. It’s super easy to cut and install and is totally waterproof. While we’ve been wanting tile for a while, this one is intriguing because it would feel warmer and softer to walk on, plus you could change it up later without the mess that removing tile would entail.
@jester747 LVP; luxury vinyl plank. The core material differs between brands – some are a more flexible vinyl core; others a more rigid stone core. They can be a very good choice in terms of durability, though they do cost more than laminate wood flooring.
@narfcake That’s exactly it, thanks.
Yeah, it does cost more than laminate but for me personally I wouldn’t even compare it to that on the quality scale. Compared to hardwood and tile it comes out costing less (installed, not just material) and taking less time to install (DIY). Again, this is just me. I want something beautiful (obviously) , that feels good to walk on, can be mopped like a ship’s deck, than can withstand you dripping a screwdriver, and if it didn’t and you did damage one, the luxury vinyl lets you just pop a new slat in. Although I have a few extra boxes stored away, our laminate would be ruined if we tried to dis and reassemble. (hmmm, why AM I storing those boxes then??). I guess with tile you could bust out a damaged tile, chisel out the thinset and install a new one too. But yeah, I’m liking the new vinyl stuff. Now if only I could afford more than 20 square feet at the moment!
@jester747 Yeah, the DIY friendlier aspect is a huge plus. If the existing flooring is still solid, it’s even possible to install LVP right on top.
@jester747 my mom just got those and their really nice. She had the cheaper style ones before and had a water leak which ruined them so upgraded to the waterproof.
Vinyl plank > real wood.
@ThatsHeadly If the vinyl planks are sourced from recycled plastics, then great. Unfortunately, if it burns, it’s even better fuel for the fire consuming your home than real wood.
I have real. If I had pets, I could see having laminate, but otherwise, real is real.
@olperfesser - We’ve always had pets and always had hardwood. Came time to sell we pulled the carpet, sanded and finished the floors, and put in the ad: “hardwood floors throughout.” Never had a problem selling.
@aetris Refinishing is one aspect that real wood allows, provided it’s just surface wear.
I’ve seen some fancy faux hardwood planks that are pretty nice, but the laminate stuff is awful.
We have laminate in the bathroom and like it well enough. Everything else in the house is real hardwood. It’s an old farmhouse, so we just pulled up the carpet and tack strips and said “eh, good enough.” We kind of like the way it wears.
I’m also currently flooring my workshop with reclaimed pallet wood. It’s a nice look, and quality wood if you can get your hands on the right kind.
@dannybeans I’d love to see how your shop floors turn out. I think the reclaimed pallet look (or wood) looks so cool once done.
@star2236 I’m actually taking a break from tearing down pallets right now. I got about half of it floored last fall - enough to have a usable workspace - and I’m working on another quarter of it right now. I’ll post pictures when I’m back inside.
I wish I could say it was an aesthetic choice, but the sad truth is that my budget allows for tools or materials, but not both. So I went with tools, 'cause I can use them to make materials instead. It’s worked out pretty well so far - I’ve put down about 300 square feet of floor, and built a pair of integrated workbenches and a hearth for a salvaged wood stove, all for maybe $150 in materials. Helps that I’ve got a good source for both pallets and crates.
@dannybeans I think the stuff people build out of pallets is so cool. I’ve always wanted to build a cool coffee table or something but I’m just not good with that stuff. I’m crafty as hell and can do anything craft wise just not measuring and cutting/building.
@dannybeans @star2236
@star2236 Okay, so for whatever reason the forum software won’t let me add a picture. So here’s a link instead:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1f05o78uxybfuek/IMG_20190831_193919.jpgAnd for the record, I love working with reclaimed materials, and I certainly couldn’t have afforded to do this any other way, but I am never taking on a project this big ever again.
@dannybeans @star2236 currently having trouble with the pic upload software at meh…
@dannybeans the floors look so nice. You should be proud of yourself, you’ve done a good job.
I live in an older home built in the mid to late 1940s and it has its original hardwood floors-that I absolutely love! They’re beautiful and while they take time to care for, it’s worth the beauty. I have two little dogs and don’t allow outside shoes inside (which I would adhere to no matter what kind of floors I have because—eww—germs). I do bi-monthly Swiffer wet jet for hardwood floors and Murphy’s Oil every six months or so. Really, that’s not a lot of effort considering their beauty.
Oh and pro-tip, scratches can be erased with a walnut. Rub the nut (not the shell) into the scratch and watch it disappear.
Anything but wall to wall carpeting really. That shit is disgusting.
I grew up in an old farm house, so I have a bias toward real wood, even knowing how it gets over time. I have yet to own a home that’s worth the cost of putting real wood floors in though, so the fake stuff is what I’ve got. It looks fine and cleans easy.
Laminate… Meh…
Vinyl plank… Great especially for the basement and DIY.
Tile… Also good but vinyl is easier to install.
The real wood I have above grade is nice but it wears in high traffic areas more than I’d like.
Slightly off topic, but we removed carpet (and 2 cups of dirt attached to the padding) and went with porcelain tiles that looked like wood, distressed and all. Concrete base underneath. Loved it. Some work, but should last forever. It was weird when furniture was ‘slid’ across it. I was worried about scratching that never happened. Always cool on the toes, and super easy to roomba. The underlying bonus was our central air filter was clean for 3 times as long. So easy to clean. Just don’t let glass cups tip over, even if they are on the floor. We were 0 and 3…
@PlutoIsAPlanet Get stronger drink glasses?
@narfcake @PlutoIsAPlanet Im glad to see the clear takes 49,000lbs. The green would not have met my needs
Older part of the house still has old 2 inch wide oak strips. newer parts are mostly ceramic tile. Some laminate in an upstairs loft library and our bedroom.