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Flooring Ideas?

Stu L.

Stu L.

Nov 27, 2001
4,024
208
Corsicana, Texas
#1
I'm just about ready to start the floor in my new laundry room. I have hardwood throughout the living room and hallway, but this room does not meet those, so I would like something else. I like the idea of cork, as it helps dampen sound. Laminate wood planks are an idea too, as I can get a much different look from the other rooms. I hate vinyl, peel and stick, etc. I'm afraid of tile, as it's a pier and beam house and I think grout may crack. Although, I do have a tile floor in the current bathroom.

Here's the kicker; in addition to the laundry room, it's also the first room into the home. I need a floor that can get wet from shoes coming in, possibly muddy, etc. Durability is key, another reason I'm thinking a laminate. But I heard that lams can't get too wet. I have no idea on cork, but like the properties as this rooms boarders the kitchen/dining area, and backs up to my next project; the master bath :D Thanks for any ideas!
 
#2
Stay away from the cork then. Most manufacturers tell you not to install cork in kitchens, bathrooms, or other areas prone to getting wet.

That said, we put it in our kitchen. We have spilled water on it a few times. As long as you wipe it dry ASAP, you should be fine. We do have a couple seams that puckered up from getting wet, but laid mostly flat once they fully dried out.

-Mike
 
#6
My suggestion for wet, muddy, nasty, and easily cleaned up...


Tile. It lasts a lot longer than wood or laminate, and looks better (IMO) too.

And whats really funny is that my dad and I re did the bathroom floor saturday with laminate flooring.
 
#8
bassteban said:
On topic, I hate laminate. It looks great for about a year, after which it will begin raising at the seams from spills & moisture- especially if you have kids and/or a pool(if you have both, underline everything I just said).
Click to expand...

I agree. Laminate really does an easy temporary job but it does not last. We'll be replacing the laminate in the bathrooms one day with tile.
 
#9
joeinsprings said:
I agree. Laminate really does an easy temporary job but it does not last. We'll be replacing the laminate in the bathrooms one day with tile.
Click to expand...

How would you rate the quality of the laminate you used? Or, easier for someone like me, was it the stuff for $.69 or the stuff for $2.29 a foot? The only laminates I've seen in real use is the Ikea special at $.69, and it will never enter my home. Can't stand the look, feel, sound, etc.

I may have to go tile. Like I said, I do have it in the bathroom, and it has not cracked from shifting. So I may be ok.
 
#10
Carpenter here. Laminate is great, if you buy the good stuff. In the end, for good laminate, you will pay the same as tile or hardwood ($3 or more a sqft). The good stuff is water repellent and it shouldn't shrink. Don't buy it at Home Depot or Lowes, it will suck. Go to a flooring place, preferably some small locally owned place, they will know what is good and what is not. Don't buy anything made in China, that is the first thing you ask, where is it MADE, not grown. Try to find something made in Canada, as 90% of the best stuff comes from there.

Lastly, sometimes you can score some killer deals on granite tiles. For these, you can buy them at HD or Lowes, just in install it yourself or hire someone to do it. Check references for anyone that you have install it.

lowsound
 
#11
Stu L. said:
How would you rate the quality of the laminate you used? Or, easier for someone like me, was it the stuff for $.69 or the stuff for $2.29 a foot? The only laminates I've seen in real use is the Ikea special at $.69, and it will never enter my home. Can't stand the look, feel, sound, etc.

I may have to go tile. Like I said, I do have it in the bathroom, and it has not cracked from shifting. So I may be ok.
Click to expand...
I think we got the 2.29 a foot stuff. It's fairly decent quality, and was a cinch to put down. (even though I did stick a hobby knife into my finger) It'll probably last 3-5 years depending on how much water gets on it. Considering the tub no longer leaks :p, it will probably be closer to 5. I do believe my dad has every intention of putting in tile before that though.
iamlowsound said:
Lastly, sometimes you can score some killer deals on granite tiles. For these, you can buy them at HD or Lowes, just in install it yourself or hire someone to do it. Check references for anyone that you have install it.

lowsound
Click to expand...

+1 We put in a granite counter top ourselves a few years back. It looks fantastic still and was fairly easy to do. (If you know how to lay tile, or learn, it's fairly easy. It just takes time)
 
#12
joeinsprings said:
I think we got the 2.29 a foot stuff. It's fairly decent quality, and was a cinch to put down. (even though I did stick a hobby knife into my finger) It'll probably last 3-5 years depending on how much water gets on it. Considering the tub no longer leaks :p, it will probably be closer to 5. I do believe my dad has every intention of putting in tile before that though.


+1 We put in a granite counter top ourselves a few years back. It looks fantastic still and was fairly easy to do. (If you know how to lay tile, or learn, it's fairly easy. It just takes time)
Click to expand...

My dad found granite tile for $0.99 a sqft and is going to redo the counter top in it. Cheapest way in the world to do it.

lowsound
 
#13
iamlowsound said:
My dad found granite tile for $0.99 a sqft and is going to redo the counter top in it. Cheapest way in the world to do it.

lowsound
Click to expand...

I think we got ours for $2 something. It was a great learning experience for all of us as well. We extended the cabinets with another row of them on the back, put some plywood down for a spacer, then the concrete backer board. Grout, tile, more grout, sealer, and then a food safe sealer on top. Works great.

From what I understand, doing a floor is almost the same, but with no food safe sealer.
 
#14
I saw someone use heavily sealed chipboard as flooring. It looked extremely cool and was not at all cheap-looking - in fact it was used as the kitchen flooring in a multi-million dollar house.
 
#15
The right way to do it would be Tile. My father and I recently did a whole bunch of work to my parents house. It sounds like we had a similar situation to what you have.

This is the hallway that we tiled. The door in the center leads to the garage, it's a steel entrance door, and a lot of foot traffic would be coming through it. The double doors on the left are the laundry, and the door on the right is a crawlspace. You can also see the edge where we stopped the tile. The adjacent room was carpeted right up to the tile, with a transition piece in between.
hallway.jpg


This is the Laundry area itself. We ended up putting the washer/dryer side-by-side and installing shelving on the wall behind them.
laundry.jpg


This is the crawlspace, which we tiled too. We eventually put a half door at the back of the crawlspace, to close off the utility connections.
under_stairs.jpg


This is an up-close view of the tiles we laid under the laundry doors and crawlspace door, for a bit of detail.
tiles.jpg


We did the floor for about $2.50 a square foot, and it came out great. Definitely up to the task for a high-traffic area.

One thing to consider when looking at the cost of tiling a floor is the cost of the adhesive. It can cost as much as the tile itself, if not more.

And as always, a serious amount of money can be saved by doing the work yourself.
 
#16
OK, good laminate or tile seem to be the best options. I'll be on the lookout for a good deal on granite. I am all about the DIY aspect. Installed the air conditioning yesterday, and intend to texture any day now.

Trooper, that looks great. I hadn't thought of the accent pieces under the doors, nice touch. But, if you unstacked the washer and dryer, where did the radio go? :D

edit; I've always wondered, do you have to use cement board behind the tile? I have a sturdy 3/4" plywood floor, not particle. I never understood the need if you have a solid and non-porous surface.
 
#17
For tile, make sure you reinforce the floor. Tile is heavy and will cause the floor to sag and eventually make the tile crack. You have to add another half inch of plywood or double up all the floor joist, that is a minimum. Doing both is better. If it is a cement floor, it is all good.

lowsound
 
#20
Stu L. said:
Trooper, that looks great. I hadn't thought of the accent pieces under the doors, nice touch. But, if you unstacked the washer and dryer, where did the radio go? :D
Click to expand...

On the shelves, of course

Stu L. said:
edit; I've always wondered, do you have to use cement board behind the tile? I have a sturdy 3/4" plywood floor, not particle. I never understood the need if you have a solid and non-porous surface.
Click to expand...

We also did a tile floor in the kitchen. In the downstairs hallway, it was cement, so we just put the tile right down. In the kitchen, we put down hardibacker. Why? Not sure exactly, my father insisted we use it, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say it's for 2 reasons.

First, the adjacent rooms all got 3/4" solid hardwood floors. The tile on top of the hardibacker came out to the same level as the hardwood floors, so we didn't need transition pieces, we just created edges with hardwood perpendicular to the rest of the floor.

Second, the hardibacker is waterproof, so if water manages to seep through the tiles and grout, the hardibacker will prevent it from getting through the plywood and rotting it.

Since you already have 3/4" plywood in place, you should be fine, I don't think you need additional support. If it was 5/8" or 1/2", then yes, but 3/4" is very sturdy, if it's in good shape, you'll be fine.
 

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