I need HELP with flooring

[Control-Z]

It's been over a year since the cat knocked a roll of TP into the downstairs toilet. One of the kids flushed. I was alerted after the kitchen (with wood floors) was under two inches of water and rising. The rest of the downstairs became carpet swampland.

The wood actually held up rather well considering how long it was under before I could drain all the water. But there was already significant damage under the refrigerator, and the finish was completely destroyed by the water. The carpet was not salvageable and had to be pulled out.

We've been living on concrete with area rugs ever since because I can't make a decision. Now I'm in deep shit. I have company coming for Christmas.

I know I don't want carpet in the downstairs at all with the animals and kids. I want wood all the way through the downstairs but I don't know if I should refinish the kitchen and try to match it with new flooring (which would run straight through - no doorway to break up the old from the new) or rip it out and start from scratch.

The house is small but it would be so much more expensive and I start thinking if I'm going to start over I could maybe do a less expensive ceramic tile (I'm in So Cal so that works well in any home) - except the bathroom and entry are both marble (earthy toned) and I can't even think how I could make that look right together. Maybe a mosaic design where they join?

I also need to replace the carpet upstairs so at this point I'm thinking I could refinish the kitchen and just put carpet back where it used to be downstairs and be done with it.

But that is not what I really want. I am open to suggestion, criticism - whatever my DU friends have to offer. I need help.

[Longhorn]

1. We replaced the carpeting in our living and dining areas and

replaced the vinyl in the kitchen and baths with ceramic tile. We always have several dogs (four now) and it was the best decision we ever made. The carpet we pulled up was disgusting, especially when we saw the back side of it!

We also have wood in our office and sunroom. At the junctions of different types of flooring, there are different types of transitions or thresholds that you can install. My husband (a remodeling contractor) said whether you can salvage what's in the kitchen depends on what kind of wood flooring it is. If it's laminate, it probably cannot be refinished. If it is hardwood, you may be able to pull up a few planks, blend in the new ones, put down wood in the rest of the house, then refinish all of it to match.

You might want to call in a flooring person to give you an opinion and estimate. Ceramic tile isn't too difficult to do on your own, especially if you rent a tile saw. Hardwood flooring isn't so easy for nonprofessionals.

Good luck and if you have any more questions, I'd be glad to ask Mr. Longhorn! :hi:

[Control-Z]

4. Wow , you guys are all great

as usual here at DU.

Well. my floors are "called" hardwood but they are, I believe, 1/4 inch on top, tongue and groove. I'm not sure if that is what you call a laminate. (I think of laminate as Pergo or something along that line.) The wood can be sanded, except for the really damaged part that would need to be replaced with new planks/boards. I was so worried about blending new ones. You and Mr. Longhorn make that sound like the easy part - if in fact the floor can be fully finished.

Do you know if there is a standard or protocol for the direction the boards run? That is another concern. The wood runs front to back as that is what looked best for just the kitchen at the time. With the entire downstairs it would one long line running front to back and seems wrong to me.

I really appreciate yours and Mr. Longhorn's valuable input!:)

[Warpy]

2. I know which way I'd go

although you might have other ideas. I'd rip up the flooring in the kitchen because it may be hiding some mold underneath. Water always wins, you know. Then I'd go with a laminate flooring throughout, something that's a little cheaper than hardwood and not as tough on kids when they go splat as tile is. It won't survive drowning like tile will, but you're not going to repeat the toilet roll down the loo, are you? In any case, if some of it is damaged down the road, it's really easy to patch, no sanding and finishing needed.

All you'd need to do is pick the color. :hide:

[Control-Z]

5. Nope, no more tp

down the loo, I hope. :silly:

The kids going splat on ceramic tile is exactly the reason I've steered away from the idea for the most part. Wood is so much softer to the fall. I am also thinking resale while I brainstorm this flooring solution and I worry laminate flooring might not be the best choice in the long run. Of course, I'm beginning to wonder if I really know what laminate is. :dunce:

[wildeyed]

3. Bamboo is a fairly affordable choice.

It comes in different colors, is harder than hardwood and a renewable resource. I did my new kitchen in cork. You can kind of see the flooring in this photo.



I like it because it is softer on the feet than wood, looks cool and, again, is renewable resource.

Another idea, depending on your design taste, you could polish and seal the concrete. You can get different effects and colors. I think it looks great with modern furnishings, and also as a counterpoint to a more traditional vibe.

Good luck!

[Control-Z]

6. I soo wanted

to polish and seal the concrete but there is a giant crack down the middle of the living room.

I do like your idea of bamboo, or cork. The floor in your photo is beautiful! It has that feel of cool/ modern, like you said, that I'd like out of ceramic tile with the warmth richness of wood. The renewable part makes it coolest of all - but what about price? Is is something I'll choke on?

There's a Home Depot right down the street. I think I'll run down and take a look at what they have to offer for ideas (not that I will buy - there's a wholesaler in LA with great prices that might have what I need when I make a decision.)

Thanks for the suggestion. Something like that could work with my furnishings quite well.

[wildeyed]

7. Price for cork is reasonable, $3-4 per square foot for the floating floor.

Less for the stick down tiles, but your sub floor needs to be perfect for that option to work. If you have concrete, it might work and you could get out for under $3 per foot.

iFloor is a great resource for cork. They get you the samples really fast, like overnight sometimes, and I found their customer service to be excellent.

http://www.ifloor.com/index.html