I want black and white (diagonal) checkerboard-pattern flooring in my kitchen and bathroom in my little cottage. I've never had laminate flooring and have concerns about whether it will be slippery if used in the kitchen with the miriad possiblilites of spills and in the bathroom with water spills. Second, a friend said he thought there were laminates available 12 in. black and white square 'sections'. I tried searching online but haven't found anything but wood patterns. Has anybody seen laminates in 12 in. squares and solid colors? And can I install a laminate floor all by myself???
I'm just going to spout out my HO and not be the mildest bit insulted if you ignore me completely. Okay? Mr. Esther's sister, the decorator - and she was a grand one - did her own kitchen in black/white tile sections. The white blocks showed everything but if they happend to miss a bit of dust, flour or whatever else was tracked in, the black blocks happily took care of them and amplified their existence. It was only pretty when just vacuumed and mopped. Other than that, it ALWAYS looked like she never cleaned house. She hated it. Okay. There. There it is. Now, OTOH, we put down a whole lot of laminate flooring about 2 years ago. Not because it was cheap; mercy no. It was not cheap. We were looking for soft, quiet and easy care. And warm. Well, warm-ER than assorted stone stuff. Yes, we did try the 12" square tiles DIY in Mr. Esther's bathroom. Big mistake. They didn't stay stuck. The fine fellow that installed the other floors said our mistake was not using glue in addition to the stuff already on the separate tiles. YMMV. Your knees may vary too but that is a hard job. I say go with the professional floor guy and let him do it. I'm guessing your son is decades younger than Mr. Esther and I, and he might be fine but we surely were not. Our new laminate floor is a beauty and a joy to live with. And, just one more thing. We had never noticed until all was done but the way the tiles line up, there is a line that runs from the bar in one kitchen, through the laundry room all the way to the far end of 'my' kitchen. The floor guy got it so straight and perfect that we could enter it at Paducah. HTH, Polly
"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@r18g2000vbs.googlegroups.com...
I have no experience with laminate, myself. BIL/SIL are looking at the wood versions for their home. One thing they have found is that, as Polly says, it ain't cheap if you want a good product. Also with most, the grain/color does not run through the entire plank/square - only the top layer. I don't think I'd use it in my home with my 2 labs and their nails. DH isn't much better with what he tracks in the house, either! In fact, I want to put ceramic tile in my dining room. It's a room that we use very infrequently and it's the one every dog we've ever had opts to get sick in! We have ceramic in our kitchen/powder room and I love it. Does get a bit slippery when dripping wet from the pool to the potty but otherwise it's great. I went with a mottled brownish/tanish color and used dark brown grout. Have chocolate labs. Until the hair gets to tumbleweed size, you never see a speck of dirt on this floor. DH and I laid that floor by ourselves - 20 years ago. It was a chore but entirely doable. I really want to get rid of all the carpet but that's not going to happen. Good luck!
Pretty much the worst thing you could choose, I'm afraid, Leslie. Laminate does not like water - you are not supposed to clean it even with water - there is a special stuff. I have it on most of my ground floor, but not in bedrooms (carpeted), nor in kitchen, bathroom, utility room - all the potentially watery areas. For those areas I have a cushion floor vinyl - quite suitable for wet areas. There are numerous vinyls with a black and white tile pattern. However, the best bet is, probably, to check out the colour of the mud at the new house and ensure that the floor covering you choose blends with it! With your big dogs, you'll need to be aware of mud! Finally, if you do decide to risk all and lay laminate, you will have to take off the skirting board (I've forgotten what you call it - would it be base board?), so that the laminate goes under it and then put it back. If you don't do that, you have to use a fairly visible (mine is about 1" wide) along all the walls. Where I have the vinyl, the flooring chap put a seal of silicone all around the edges, so that water could not get underneath.
I just went and put a bit of water on this (study) floor and checked for slippery: yes, very slippery, even with my rubber soled slippers.
I can't see any advantage, even if you could find black and white squares. Cushion floor vinyl is so warm and easy on the feet, and easy to lay. . In message , Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. writes
Uh oh. Apparently, ...! I don't know the difference in laminate and cushion floor vinyl. It's probably time for me to go get my tracking chip implanted. Polly
Oh Polly, I NEED black and white floors! Wah! I want the little cottage to look Victorian even if I can't afford to really do it properly. The bathroom I have dreamed about has black cabinets. In the little groove in the molding on the doors I want a tiny strip of gilt gold paint and a decoupage effect of a deep pink rose in the center of flat panel on the doors. The kitchen needs white cabinets for the gorgeous floral wallpaper border I want to use- it's about 28 in. wide. and will go above the baseboards with a chair rail at the top edge of the border.
Black and white is the only thing that will work in this extra girly house- for me for forever. Will you forgive me? ;-)
Leslie & The Furbabies > I'm just going to spout out my HO and not be the mildest bit insulted if = you
Leslie, I don't know about the tile type but we have the wood look laminate from Costco. 5 Years in and it still looks like new with the exception of where I drop knives in the kitchen. (only a few of those nicks and they have been touched up so I really notice them just when I clean) DH did the install himself and it went pretty smooth. A nice big square room helps there though. The earlier manufactured stuff was hit and miss but I think from about the time we got ours forward it is pretty tough. I took a scrap of the stuff and tossed it in a pie plate of water for a good several weeks (I can't remember exactly how long but it was a while) That stuff showed not a bit of bother from the water. It was amazing. The dogs don't seem to give it any wear. It is amazing stuff. The trim gets pricey if you need a lot of that so keep that in mind. I think you and your son could do a good job with it. Oh, we are on a slab foundation so not sure how your old wood one would be in comparison. HTH, Taria
I want black and white (diagonal) checkerboard-pattern flooring in my kitchen and bathroom in my little cottage. I've never had laminate flooring and have concerns about whether it will be slippery if used in the kitchen with the miriad possiblilites of spills and in the bathroom with water spills. Second, a friend said he thought there were laminates available 12 in. black and white square 'sections'. I tried searching online but haven't found anything but wood patterns. Has anybody seen laminates in 12 in. squares and solid colors? And can I install a laminate floor all by myself???
Some day I want a yellow and white checkerboard floor in a kitchen. Hexagon tiles are cool in an old house, the tiny ones. I am not a big fan of tile though. Tough on dog knees. Taria
Oh Polly, I NEED black and white floors! Wah! I want the little cottage to look Victorian even if I can't afford to really do it properly. The bathroom I have dreamed about has black cabinets. In the little groove in the molding on the doors I want a tiny strip of gilt gold paint and a decoupage effect of a deep pink rose in the center of flat panel on the doors. The kitchen needs white cabinets for the gorgeous floral wallpaper border I want to use- it's about 28 in. wide. and will go above the baseboards with a chair rail at the top edge of the border.
Black and white is the only thing that will work in this extra girly house- for me for forever. Will you forgive me? ;-)
Leslie & The Furbabies > I'm just going to spout out my HO and not be the mildest bit insulted if > you
Whatever you do - cheap laminate is NOT worth it. I was in a rental with this stuff and it was horrible, didn't lay properly, couldn't stand wet and even looked cheap.
I only ever saw laminate in wood-look. In fact, I thought that was the whole point of laminate, to get real wood look (for more expensive laminate the top layer is, I believe, real wood laminate). Vinyl is good and easy to keep. If you can get your pattern, I'd suggest doing a whole piece, not tiles, since tiles might not stick down properly or be tight. Then again, if done right with good materials, vinyl tiles are probably fine.
I know you are looking for black/white, but you might also see if you can get one with expanding stuff in it. My Aunt got vinyl that has tiny little fleks of fake cork (for want of better description) that expands a little when wet and gives traction. In the bathroom that seems really smart? Lasted well for about 20 years so far.
Ask quilters a question and we aren't shy with opinions, are we?
They do make stone look laminate, which I suspect is what you are thinking of. This one comes in Ebony and Ivory Sand which might work to make a black and white floor:
formatting link
I don't know that you could do a checkerboard with it because it still comes in strips rather than squares. I'm sure if you call a nice flooring place and just ask they would know if such a thing is possible.
We just put in a new kitchen floor and really, really love it. It's marmoleum - it's old fashioned linoleum made with jute and linseed oil and sawdust just like grandma had. It comes in a zillion colors and they can cut it into any shape and design you can dream of. Oh, and they have really, really cool border that you can make any color you like. Also comes in squares for that checkerboard look but they heat seal the seams so no worries about water. Maybe if laminate doesn't work it's something else to consider - in case you don't have enough ideas already :-)
LOL, Marcella. HoooEeee yes we do have opinions. But - when I first came to rctq, I asked for all advice about do/don't for my new kitchen. And - 10 years later I still am mighty grateful for every word written in response. IMHO I have a purrfect kitchen; couldn't ask for more and it certainly is because so many folks climbed in with their opinions, successes, failures and wish-I-had. And speaking of opinions, I think the HGTV folks who go all warm and fuzzy about: stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and hardwood floors in the kitchen, I think they are quite mad. Once again, IMHO. We just want Leslie to be happy; even if we have to kill her. Polly
"Marcella Peek" wrote > Ask quilters a question and we aren't shy with opinions, are we?
Depending on the condition of your subfloors in the areas where ceramic would go, you may need to do some backer board or an extra layer of (thin) plywood (forget what it's called). That may lessen or add to the difference of your other flooring. But there are wood, ceramic, marble and metal 'transition' pieces to be used between the two types of flooring. We have metal between the carpet and tile in both the kitchen downstairs and the bath upstairs. The original portion of our house is about 250 years old. We put on an addition about 20 years ago. The kitchen/powder room is in the new half and those floors were prepped specifically with ceramic in mind. Our upstairs bath spans both the old and new halves of the house. In that room we used sheet vinyl. The sheet vinyl only gets glued on the edges. It was tricky at best to install due to the shape of the room. And, yes, as someone else mentioned you will have to remove/re- install the baseboard to have things look right. And the sheet vinyl that we used was about the same price per sq. ft. as the ceramic tile.
I don't know that I'd go for the 'stickum' type vinyl squares. I've not seen any stay put for very long. We also have the newer version of the old linoleum in our laundry room. That stuff stays put as you use real glue over the entire tile. And the color/pattern goes through the entire tile so wear is not an issue.
If I was going to the vintage look, I'd probably go for the small hexagon shaped tiles as well. I think they are very charming. Can't offer an opinion as to cleaning black/white. Even though the original part of our house is 'vintage' there was not enough character/charm on either the outside or the inside to go with that theme. Inside and out are both just very traditional.
When my DH and I moved into our new townhome 6 years ago, we got a variety of flooring. We got " standard-grade" vinyl in the powder room and laundry. In the laundry some bluish stains have appeared. I think they're coming from under the vinyl. Like, maybe some printing is seeping through to the surface? In the kitchen we upgraded the vinyl and chose a natural tile pattern. Several people have mistaken it for ceramic, but it's sooo much easier to keep clean. In the master bath, we have ceramic tile which matches the tub and shower surrounds. It's beautiful, BUT, the grout lines tend to get stained right outside the shower where water drips and lays. In the front foyer and powder room we have wood laminate. It wears well, looks good, BUT if you don't get it almost dry when cleaning it, every streak or drop shows. Even "sweaty" footprints show! I use a Bissell steam cleaner, and it does a good job on all the surfaces, but especially on the vinyl. By the way, the rest of the house is carpeted....we upgraded both the carpet and pad....and it's holding up well. I love it! Some folks in our neighborhood have taken all the carpeting out of their homes and installed laminate or wood throughout. We were told when we ordered our place, that since we're on a slab, wood was not an option....only laminate.
Looks like the definition of "laminate flooring" differs quite a bit around here. Usually it's a layered product, vinyl or thin veneer of wood layered w/ paper, vinyl, wood, or whatever. Installation & durability depends on the type of "laminate", so who could advise? We have a very durable vinyl laminate called Kardean in the kitchen/breakfast room; it is FABULOUS! I wouldn't change it for anything else. It is not self-stick; it's high quality, & super durable.
formatting link
chose a stone look for the kitchen.Upstairs in the bathroom there's Kardean that looks like wood; it's fooledseveral of our decorator friends & 2 builders. "I thought you wouldn't put wood flooring in wet areas, Sandy!" I won't. The other baths have Armstrong self-stick vinyl, a "laminate"; it's beenthere for 10 yrs, shows no signs of peeling or un-sticking, has a couple offaded/scuffed areas right in front of the sinks, not a problem. We havea cement (slab) foundation downstairs, w/ plywood base flooring upstairs;the self-stick handles both. Quality matters. Wood flooring in the living room is a laminate, also. Laminate: layered.
Go for it, Leslie. Get what you like. Then like the heck out of it!!
The laminates are not as slippery as the stone or ceramic floors. And are much easier (kinder) on ankles, knees & hip joints.
By the way, for butting flooring up against the baseboard, if you don't remove the baseboards you can add a little quarter-round trim to close that gap, if it matters to you. If you do remove the baseboards, number them, w/ a matching number on the wall area (saved me hours of confusion & frustration ).
Not mentioned in Leslie's post but: btw# 2: linoleum is not the same thing as vinyl flooring, be it tiles or sheet. I hear "linoleum" all the time when the speaker means vinyl, esp. on the home repair/remodel t.v. shows. arrggggh! Lino disappeared from home remodeling for a while; it's back, and better...but not self-adhesive. FYI
My guess would be that when folks refer to laminate floor they generally mean 'Pergo' type products. They have changed a lot since the early ones that had a lot of issues. The Kardean looks wonderful and I have been quite envious of Marcella since I saw her Marmolean on her blog. Lots of choices that?s for sure! Taria, floor here needs vacuuming!
Howdy!
Looks like the definition of "laminate flooring" differs quite a bit around here. Usually it's a layered product, vinyl or thin veneer of wood layered w/ paper, vinyl, wood, or whatever. Installation & durability depends on the type of "laminate", so who could advise? We have a very durable vinyl laminate called Kardean in the kitchen/breakfast room; it is FABULOUS! I wouldn't change it for anything else. It is not self-stick; it's high quality, & super durable.
formatting link
chose a stone look for the kitchen.Upstairs in the bathroom there's Kardean that looks like wood; it's fooledseveral of our decorator friends & 2 builders. "I thought you wouldn't put wood flooring in wet areas, Sandy!" I won't. The other baths have Armstrong self-stick vinyl, a "laminate"; it's beenthere for 10 yrs, shows no signs of peeling or un-sticking, has a couple offaded/scuffed areas right in front of the sinks, not a problem. We havea cement (slab) foundation downstairs, w/ plywood base flooring upstairs;the self-stick handles both. Quality matters. Wood flooring in the living room is a laminate, also. Laminate: layered.
Go for it, Leslie. Get what you like. Then like the heck out of it!!
The laminates are not as slippery as the stone or ceramic floors. And are much easier (kinder) on ankles, knees & hip joints.
By the way, for butting flooring up against the baseboard, if you don't remove the baseboards you can add a little quarter-round trim to close that gap, if it matters to you. If you do remove the baseboards, number them, w/ a matching number on the wall area (saved me hours of confusion & frustration ).
Not mentioned in Leslie's post but: btw# 2: linoleum is not the same thing as vinyl flooring, be it tiles or sheet. I hear "linoleum" all the time when the speaker means vinyl, esp. on the home repair/remodel t.v. shows. arrggggh! Lino disappeared from home remodeling for a while; it's back, and better...but not self-adhesive. FYI
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.