Flooring Choices

[Beth]

I need any advice you could give on what is the best flooring choice for us. I want to replace the carpet in our living room. We replaced the carpet in our old home with laminate and we were happy, but I am not sure this time as we have engineered hardwood in our dinning room and foyer.
The specifics.
We have children a 2 year old and a baby. We don't eat in the living room, so spilling has not been an issue, well unless it was my husbands fault. We also have two dogs, a small and medium size. They have not really scratched the engineered hardwood in the other areas. They have had accidents before, but they only have those on carpet. Other flooring should stop that issue.
We don't want tile or LVT. Tile is just to cold and hard on your feet, at least for me. My husband is totally against LVT. I guess it is just hard to change peoples opinion about linoleum.
It is about 340sq and I live in North Carolina. I don't want to spend over $3.50sq for the flooring. I realize that it will not last 20 years and that is ok. With 2 children and 2 dogs I do not except it too.
Soooo the question is, Does someone have a brand of laminate, engineered hardwood and or bamboo that they would recommend. There are so many options and everyone seems to put down everyone elses product and I am finding it hard to get a straight answer.
Oh we have Bruce engineered hardwood in the other areas of the house, but it is about $5sq and that is too much for us to spend and I am not sure I want that color in the living room.
Thank you for your suggestions and time. I am looking forward to real answers.

 

[rugaddict]

hi beth come on in get cumffy--you of course have started your search with the most classic and difficult question of all time--what is the best flooring?-----------the answer of course is ----it depends---------it depends on what you want from your flooring------they all have advantages and disadvantages and you need to ask yourself what you want from it-------for instance if you want the most durable--the answer is ceramic tile---hands down--a properly installed tile floor can out last your house---the most popular?--hardwood--------the softest? carpet---------the most waterproof? sheet vinyl-------there are lots of subsets of each of these but thats the big picture----as far as my advice----it seems to me you have kids--pets and a mostly house trained spouse--i would probablly go with a multicolored carpet because of the kids---they are young and might fall a bit---accidents will happen and there will be less of an investment when they destroy it---as for laminates quickstep is my fave--good luck with your hunting

 

[Floorist]

Good advice, rugaddict. Carpet is always a good choice for young kids. They need a soft landing. I can only magine how much damage my grandkids and their dog would do to laminate.

 

[Ernesto]

Yea, but kids need to learn that the world out there is not soft.

Let'm bump their heads, I tiled my whole house when the kids were growing up, and they ain't retarded.

I have but one alternative word for carpet....BIO-HAZARD!

Can you tell there's lots of rugwrats round here. heh heh

 

[DarisMulkin]

Yea, but kids need to learn that the world out there is not soft.

Let'm bump their heads, I tiled my whole house when the kids were growing up, and they ain't retarded.

I have but one alternative word for carpet....BIO-HAZARD!

Can you tell there's lots of rugwrats round here. heh heh

Bio-hazard, how do you figure that?

Daris

 

[Ernesto]

Ha ha. I knew I'd get a bite from that.

It's very simple Daris, no other flooring can hold so much krap in it and under it. Body fluids included.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Not a bite, just a little nip.
I understand what you are saying about it holding those things. That's the point it holds it not letting it get back into the air. Here the schools went to tile but found out that there was a higher rate of absenteeism blamed on the fact that everything was kicked around and was airbourne and inhaled. They are going back to carpet.

Daris

 

[Ernesto]

Again, the air quality depends on how the floor is taken care of. I shudder to think of the germs in that carpet. Plus it's in hospitals, evey nurse I have spoken to about carpoet in hospitals is freaked out about it. None of them clean it as frequently as they should.

When I was a kid, a simple sweep down the hall with the wood shavings took are of the problem. And they did that every day. Do you know how long it takes to vac an clean a carpet?

Now in hotels the carpet might be better to sleep on than the bed. lol Take sleeping bags and a black light, if you can.

 

[highup]

In a living room, carpet takes the echo out of the room. I find most hard surfaces get a rug laid down on top of them anyway.

 

[Ernesto]

You can send a rug out to be throughly cleaned, top to bottom. Actually in a bath depending on the rug.

 

[highup]

You can send a rug out to be throughly cleaned, top to bottom. Actually in a bath depending on the rug.

Walk on the flooring, don't touch your tongue to it.
People rarely send a rug out to have it cleaned, so might as well enjoy wall to wall quietness. Thinner, or denser carpets hold the dirt near the top so it can be cleaned easier. Vacuum often and there won't be a problem.

 

[Ernesto]

Really? You know how many Bio-harzard carpets I pull out, and have pulled out over the last 35 years? Some won't even go into the bed of my truck they are so filthy.

You can clean the top but there's still all that pet and human body fluids all dried up in there no carpet cleaner can get out that wicks to the surface.

 

[DarisMulkin]

You keep talking body fluids, is it common practice for people in Az to relieve themselves on the floor. Here we are more civilized than that, we at least find a tree.

Daris

 

[Floorist]

You keep talking body fluids, is it common practice for people in Az to relieve themselves on the floor. Here we are more civilized than that, we at least find a tree.

Daris

That's funny.

 

[Ernesto]

We ain't got no trees.

 

[DarisMulkin]

We ain't got no trees.

Ok how about some mesquite or one of those big cactus plants and lean up against that.

Daris

 

[Ernesto]

Yea like this one!

 

[DarisMulkin]

That would work but ya got to get behind it. Don't you have any modesty? We don't want to see what you are doing!

Daris

 

[Beth]

The Biohazard part of the carpet is why I am afraid of putting it down again. Dogs, hair, kids, husband, and I can't imagine what is under our current one. I have pulled up carpet before and it is never pretty. I know when you steam clean it or have it professionally cleaned it never gets up all the water and it molds and seeps into the subfloor. I would rather replace or clean a rug then remove carpet.
Do you think Bamboo would last longer than hardwood or laminate?

 

[Ernesto]

The Biohazard part of the carpet is why I am afraid of putting it down again. Dogs, hair, kids, husband, and I can't imagine what is under our current one. I have pulled up carpet before and it is never pretty. I know when you steam clean it or have it professionally cleaned it never gets up all the water and it molds and seeps into the subfloor. I would rather replace or clean a rug then remove carpet.
Do you think Bamboo would last longer than hardwood or laminate?

Stranded Bamboo would. Some Bamboo is softer than others, harvested to early, carmelized is softer than natural. Then there's the finish. Some just throw on poly and it scratches to easy.