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Home bar. Decor advice requested.
- Thread starter Eric Perry
- Start date
Not that I recall, anyway, but the lack of notable lacerations I don't recall the origin of as well would support the idea that I have not. Plenty of bandages and a few units of O+ should keep the party rolling along...
Well, as an independent flooring retailer, I’d recommend going to a flooring store. The yo-yo’s At the big box stores don’t know what they’re selling, and they’re not always as cheap as you’d think, especially if you’re looking for decent stuff.
Couldn't have said cleaner myself. I get high levels of frustration going to box stores. I sometimes believe that they get applicants that may know what they're doing, but then they put them in a department they know nothing about.
I went to them just to look. They both had a decent amount in stock to check out, and prior to this thread I was unfamiliar. Plus, I grabbed a bunch of sample pieces to start considering color/style. I don't typically make purchases like that through them, as I know they're kind of a joke as well.
One thing I know I want is beveled edges on the tiles. That really nails a detail of true hardwood. Not many I've seen yet offer this.
Hardwood doesn't normally have beveled edges. That little trick is something developed so that prefinished hardwood floors look like they piece together better than they actually do. Wood floors are sanded after they are installed to make the floor smooth. Seams can all but disappear on some joints because of grain matching. Prefinished floors can't be sanded, the bevel hides the little imperfections in the seams.
Not beveled edges, but pressed tile offers rounded edges and with matching grout you make joints all but disappear. Add a sealer after installation and it's easy to clean. Available in lengths up to 36 inches.
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I didn't think ceramic or porcelain could have such small, almost.nonexistent, grout lines? That looks really nice.
The pictures are a little misleading; the tiles are 6 inches wide, so the grout line looks narrower. Wayfair has this too, not wood. but with a staggered grout line, wow.
Saunter 15.75" x 23.75" Porcelain Field Tile in Arena
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Sorry playing catch-up. Went to Rock on the Range in Columbus this weekend to get my metal infusion for the year in, still recovering as I’m clearly not 25 anymore, lol
Yes, as far as beveled edges in vinyl planks, they are definitely available, but often in the better quality lines. A lot of the cheaper to mid priced lines are still square edged, but more and more are available with a bevel, as that’s what people want, the technology is finally catching up to fashion.
Btw, I have no problem with porcelain wood look tiles, so if that’s what you want or end up with, I wouldn’t argue. We sell lots of that kind of look, and people love it.
But if a customer asked me “what would you put into your home bar?” I’d still show them a nice vinyl plank first. Warmer, more comfortable under foot if you’re standing a while, easy cleaning, no grout lines to get dirty, and more forgiving if you drop something.
Again, just a personal preference, I’m in Canada, so not sure of pricing in the States, but I’d expect to pay $3-5/sf for nice stuff, maybe less if someone is stocking it. And if you’re relatively handy (as I assume you are), and have the time, you can install it yourself easily, probably throw it down in less than a day.
Yes, as far as beveled edges in vinyl planks, they are definitely available, but often in the better quality lines. A lot of the cheaper to mid priced lines are still square edged, but more and more are available with a bevel, as that’s what people want, the technology is finally catching up to fashion.
Btw, I have no problem with porcelain wood look tiles, so if that’s what you want or end up with, I wouldn’t argue. We sell lots of that kind of look, and people love it.
But if a customer asked me “what would you put into your home bar?” I’d still show them a nice vinyl plank first. Warmer, more comfortable under foot if you’re standing a while, easy cleaning, no grout lines to get dirty, and more forgiving if you drop something.
Again, just a personal preference, I’m in Canada, so not sure of pricing in the States, but I’d expect to pay $3-5/sf for nice stuff, maybe less if someone is stocking it. And if you’re relatively handy (as I assume you are), and have the time, you can install it yourself easily, probably throw it down in less than a day.
I still refuse to accept that I'm not 25 anymore. Even the following morning(s) when I'm hungover and creaky all over. Lol
Regardless of what I go with, I'll be laying it myself. I wasn't looking forward to laying tile, so this option is very nice in that regard. I also just saw that Pergo makes a water resistant laminate. What I like there is the height is the same as the tile it'll be bumping up against, and it looks more "woody" than the LVP. Because it's not water *proof* I'm still leaning toward the vinyl, however.
What actual brand/line would you recommend? There are a few I've seen that I like. COREtec looks good. As does Smartcore Ultra. What are your thoughts on them, or others? I want at least a 7mm plank to minimize the offset from the tile. I also want a beveled edge of some sort. The straight edge does nothing for me.
Thanks!
Regardless of what I go with, I'll be laying it myself. I wasn't looking forward to laying tile, so this option is very nice in that regard. I also just saw that Pergo makes a water resistant laminate. What I like there is the height is the same as the tile it'll be bumping up against, and it looks more "woody" than the LVP. Because it's not water *proof* I'm still leaning toward the vinyl, however.
What actual brand/line would you recommend? There are a few I've seen that I like. COREtec looks good. As does Smartcore Ultra. What are your thoughts on them, or others? I want at least a 7mm plank to minimize the offset from the tile. I also want a beveled edge of some sort. The straight edge does nothing for me.
Thanks!
The coretec is an excellent product. Don’t know much about the smartcore, it’s a Lowe’s exclusive product. Looks like a typical WPC floor, probably a good product from what I see.
I own a Carpet One store, not sure if there’s one in your area, not sure where you live, but we have several lines under our Invincible H2O label that are really nice floors with some sharp looks, warranties are the best in the business. Check it out if there’s a Carpet One store near you.
Problem is, the vinyl plank products are the fastest growing segment in our business, and there seems to be new and updated products coming out monthly, it’s hard for me to even keep up with it all, and you have even more selection in the States than we do up here.
Fact is though, most of them seem to be excellent quality, some have cork or foam on the back to add a little insulation and sound deadening, so have an eye for those too. Not that I fully believe it’s necessarily a “needed” benefit, the floors are generally quieter than laminates anyway, but it’s nice addition.
And some of the water resistant (and some they are actually calling “waterproof”) laminates coming out now, (to compete with vinyl) seem quite nice and likely will perform excellently. Around here they are a little pricy compared to most standard laminates, but they are pretty new on the market.
Thanks for the info! I'm just outside Phoenix, AZ. I do have a Carpet One store maybe five miles away or so. I'll be visiting them at some point in the next few days to check out what they have.
Nice! Well if you buy anything from them, tell them they owe me a beer at our next convention, lol
Welp, just got home from the flooring place. The optiins were great, but it was a little pricey for our needs. For the 8mm H2O line, it was $5.99 sq./ft. Being that I've seen some others, like the Smartcore Ultra stuff, that look very comparable to my admittedly untrained eye at $3.28 sq./ft., then I can't justify spending that much. I'm going to keep looking for now though. Thanks!!
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Well, fair enough. The H20 is definitely top of the line, and priced accordingly. Though I will admit $6 seems a little high.
And as individually owned stores, despite being part of a co-op, sometimes the big box stores beat the crap out of us on certain products, we run into it on hardwood a lot, and I’ll just say “go buy it, hopefully there’s no issues”.
Just can’t compete on certain diy stuff as they do so much volume.
Some stores buy a lot of inventory, and can be quite competitive, but depends on the store and their market.
But hopefully they were at least helpful. Even if I know I’m not getting a sale, I try to educate people.
As I said earlier, so many of the products coming out now are of excellent quality, you’ll find the right stuff for you. Don’t buy strictly on price, buy what you think you’ll love for the next 15 or 20 years.
And again, if there’s anything I can help with, I’m more than happy.
Thanks! The woman that was there was great. I'm glad I went. Also, the product looked very nice. Definitely no complaints there. It just seemed to be priced a little high. Granted, that's to my untrained eye. It may very well be worth the differential, I don't know. The one thing with this particular project is longevity is kind of a non-issue, to a degree. We don't plan on being in this house more than three years or so. Obviously things can change, but that's our current plan. Even with traffic. We have some absolutely killer parties here, with more than our share of debauchery, but that's maybe once a month or so. The vast majority of the time the room only sees my fiance and I. So realistically, the floor won't be taking too much of a beating.
For those reasons, my primary focus right now is on aesthetics... and price. I don't want to cheap out, but I also think top-end stuff, with a top-end price, is overkill. If I was doing say our kitchen, I'm sure I'd prioritize a little differently, based on traffic.
For those reasons, my primary focus right now is on aesthetics... and price. I don't want to cheap out, but I also think top-end stuff, with a top-end price, is overkill. If I was doing say our kitchen, I'm sure I'd prioritize a little differently, based on traffic.
The flooring is (finally) ordered! I did a ton of research, and kept going back to the SMARTCORE Ultra planks. I like the color and texturing, the reviews are very positive overall, and it has the nice bevel that I'm so hell bent on. Also, what I've read suggests there is a ton of variation between planks, which is nice. Not like old school ceramic tiles where each one was identical. Lol. For the planks, and the reducers to bump up to the tile also in the room, it was right around $1k. Not bad.
Invalid Link Removed a link of the planks I got. It not supposed to be here until the 18th, so it'll be some time before I can tackle it. I can't wait to see it finished! I'll post pics when all is said and done. Thanks again for everyone's input!
Invalid Link Removed a link of the planks I got. It not supposed to be here until the 18th, so it'll be some time before I can tackle it. I can't wait to see it finished! I'll post pics when all is said and done. Thanks again for everyone's input!
