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downsouth_gw

We were all set to have tile put in our kitchen, BUT

downsouth
13 years ago

....I had a good a friend who told me we needed to think twice about installing tile because of my bad back and feet problems. She said her mother has it, and they hate it. It was the worse mistake they ever made, so this has me rethinking. We just had hardwood flooring (solid) installed in the great room and dining room. Both of these rooms have entrances into the kitchen/breakfast room. Right now we have cheap vinyl in there.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for the kitchen/breakfast room area? I have heard cork is a good flooring (good on the feet) but I don't know anything about it, and how it looks put down. We are both in our 60's and I don't want to get something we will regret, as we can't easily replace it.

Thanks, Dee

Comments (18)

  • nursetammi
    13 years ago

    We have hardwoods on the whole main level of our house. Personally I enjoy how it all flows. There are also some great tile look a like floors that have good cushioning. Maybe some others can comment on that.

  • kismet08
    13 years ago

    We are replacing our cheap vinyl with luxury vinyl tile from Armstrong (Alterna). We wanted to put hardwood throughout, but it just wasn't practical with 5 kids and 2 large dogs. Our entryway is hardwood, and it looks terrible. I didn't want 600 sq ft of scratched up hardwood. I also didn't want 600 sq ft of real tile, because it would be cold (we live in WI) and hard. The LVT they make today is a pretty realistic version of a porcelain tile and you can grout it just like the real thing. It does have more give/flexibility to it and should be a bit more forgiving to the feet. We haven't had ours put in yet, or I'd post pics of it.

  • brickeyee
    13 years ago

    "The LVT they make today is a pretty realistic version of a porcelain tile and you can grout it just like the real thing."

    If the grout is going to stay in place and not pop out and crumble the sub-floor is going to need to be as stiff as for tile.

    It is not the tile per se that makes the floors hard, but the very low flex that the floor must have for tile installations.

    By the time everything is done, the tile surface is very similar to standing on concrete.

    I have removed a number of tile floors for customers.

    Mostly in houses they purchased that already had tile, but a few times after the owner had the tile installed and found out how hard it was on ankles, knees, and hips.

    While the flex of wood floors may not seem like much, it is still more than concrete or a tile floor.

  • downsouth
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    We had two different flooring people tell us they had hardwood floors in their kitchens and they both had water issues. One had a dishwasher that was leaking and it ruined her floors. This convinced hubby he doesn't want expensive wood flooring in the kitchen.

    I still would like to hear from someone who has installed cork flooring and how they like it. I don't know anything about the pricing on cork floors.

    I'll have to check out the Armstrong Alterna luxury vinyl tile. Do you know if Home Depot or Lowes sells it?

  • kismet08
    13 years ago

    "If the grout is going to stay in place and not pop out and crumble the sub-floor is going to need to be as stiff as for tile."

    My understaning is that the grout they use for LVT is not the same as grout for regular tile either, it has flex in it as well. I'm not saying that it will be soft either, just less hard than regular tile. It's not a cushioney product by any means. I could be naive, and I can't speak to personal experience as we haven't had it installed yet.

    downsouth, I don't think it is available at the Big Orange or Blue - they do have similar products, but just not as high a quality, imo. You can go to armstrong's website and do a dealer search to find one near you.

  • brickeyee
    13 years ago

    "We had two different flooring people tell us they had hardwood floors in their kitchens and they both had water issues. One had a dishwasher that was leaking and it ruined her floors. This convinced hubby he doesn't want expensive wood flooring in the kitchen."

    While I am sure there are examples of problems with leaking appliances damaging floors, it takes a large leak that goes unrepaired for a decent amount of time to actually wreck a narrow strip hardwood floor.

    Casual spills will not make it into the wood with even a decent effort to wipe them up.

    Plain wood flooring is not all that expensive either compared to many competitors once you factor in the actual installation cost and expected life.

  • marlabe
    13 years ago

    I have cork and I LOVE it! We had it put in as part of a larger renovation and the floor guy was here. He put on two coats of Traffic and it is wearing very well. I have two sons one dog and a good amount of people in and out and it looks great. However, it has been only about four months since we have it so I can't speak for long term durability. I get many compliments on it and no one can believe it's cork. I am thrilled that I got it...love it, love it.

  • peggy555
    13 years ago

    When we remodeled our kitchen my husband wanted ceramic tile, I didn't! I am like you with feet and leg issues. We put in a sheet vinyl called Flexitec. We both absolutely love it! Visitors think it's ceramic tile until they touch it. It is so easy to care for, just mop! It also has a slight built in cushion, which really helps me. The only thing you have to do is put furniture pads on the feet of your chairs, etc. We've had it down for over 3 years and it still looks new! The one we picked out was Wondertile Montana. I promise you'll love it.

  • Jbrig
    13 years ago

    peggy555, do you have any pics of your Flexitec? That's what I'm planning to use in my kitchen for comfort reasons--back/neck issues, in my case. I'm sure that's what I'm going to use, but I would enjoy seeing pictures of your actual installation.

  • peggy555
    13 years ago

    I hope I posted the pictures correctly. Haven't done this before

    Here is a link that might be useful: Facebook album

  • Jbrig
    13 years ago

    Thanks so much, peggy555!

  • peggy555
    13 years ago

    I should have noted that the pictures I posted were taken today, after the floor has been down for over 3 years. Also, it could use a little mopping, but I wanted to get the pictures posted - Sorry :)

  • john_geary
    12 years ago

    peggy555

    Your dog looks just like our Westie Mac. Are you still happy with your floor?

  • Built-to-last
    11 years ago

    It all comes down to extent of use, budget and where you live. If you have a full house and the kitchen is used regularly then tile is probably your best bet. If you don't mind the extra 20.00/month on the electricity bill during the winter, installing a heating element under it is a good way to go. Tile floors also keep the kitchen relatively cool during the summer. Given it's a high traffic area the sub floor needs to be solid. Durock, cemented and fastened every 24 - 36" will ensure rigidity. Active kitchens are a messy affair, hardwood flooring looks in my opinion 100 times better but in my experience doesn't hold up well. Generally cheaper to replace the broken soup tureen than it is to replace the dented, scratched and chipped hardwood floor. One quasi inexpensive route alternative to the heating element is to use a felt underlay between the wooden subfloor and the durock. Compressed between the durock and the wooden floor it will loos a lot of it's R value but is an noticable improvement you can also insulated under the floor and install tyvek moisture barriers. I also prefer durock over hardiboard as it's a poor medium for mold from the inevitable kitchen flood. Vinyl, I've never found to be satisfactory even professionally installed. It's obvious and not durable when you move the fridge, stove or dishwasher. If one chooses the vinyl route then might consider 12 x 12 vinyl tile with at least 10 units in reserve to replace the tears down the road. The replacements should be stored in a cool and relatively dry location to maintain it's integrity and adhesive properties. A 2 gallon zioploc bag might be large enough. Hope this helps as a counterpoint.

  • heartspeace
    11 years ago

    Built-to-last,

    Why would you installing a heating element under a kitchen floor and dining floor?

    Is this is because you expect people to take off their shoes and walk on it and it might be cold? Or go barefoot and that they might be cold?

    HP

  • weedyacres
    11 years ago

    HP:
    In a word, yes. We don't wear shoes in the house, and our tile gets cold in the winter. So we put heating wires under the floors in our master bath, kitchen, breakfast nook, and sunroom. It keeps our toes toasty warm in the winter and we absolutely love it.

  • heartspeace
    11 years ago

    Do you live in a place where it's very cold? Can the heating in the house eat the tile well enough and if it's above a heated basement be warm enough that heating element is not necessarily required? For example in a place where does it that cold such as the Mid Atlantic is it required if one is to tile and for people to feel comfortable on the tile floor?

    HP

  • heartspeace
    11 years ago

    downsouth,

    A quick question for you and all other people have tile in their kitchen.

    Is it much harder on the back and on the feet to have tile versus another type of flooring? Is their a difference between the different types of tile such stone versus porcelain?

    hp