Why are you "a little leary" because your refrigerator is going to need replacement soon? I don't understand your concern.

Sheet vinyl is an attractive flooring alternative. Like any other flooring choice, expert installation is a must.

They make sheet vinyl now days that is not like the old stuff that got such a bad name. Some of it is really nice and looks high end. I am using a high end sheet vinyl for the same reasons you are attracted to it....it is one of the the best flooring for kids, pets, wet areas and a tight budget.

Ccoombs:

"They make sheet vinyl now days that is not like the old stuff that got such a bad name."

How about sheet vinyl with a wood pattern on it? The booklets have pictures of wood prints that seem to look amazing on paper. Too good to be true?

I do worry about cleaning textured sheet vinyl. I've read some reviews where homeowners say they can't get the dirt out of the texture.

Glenn- sorry, what I meant was, out of all the other alternitves, sheet vinyl seems like it would be the hardest one to move a fridge over. I picture it ripping. And yes, we would definitely have the sheet vinyl installed.

Some other considerations:

-- I'd like our floor to last 10 years. Would a high end sheet vinyl do this?

-- would like to future-proof a fairly easy time upgrading at a later time. Can other products (hardwood, for example) be laid on top of sheet vinyl later? Or does it all have to be scraped off?

We just had 1000+ square feet of Duraplank installed in our basement. It looks AWESOME. If I get some time I'll take a picture and post it later. Not cheap, though. Cost was about the same per square as engineered hardwood. But our basement has gotten water in it on occasion, and I wanted the floor to be able to stand up to the water. I let a sink overflow in a bathroom on the first floor (long story) and I'm happy to report that the duraplank performed as advertised.

THAT said...we had vinyl installed in the kitchen of our little basement apartment seven years ago. The kitchen is also the exit to the lower deck...where parties happen when The Boy is home from college. It has held up very well over the years...and those "kids" are anything but careful.

Mjsee - is Duraplank a sheet vinyl, or a vinyl plank system (individual planks?)

Both of our floor dealers have recommended Congoleum products. I saw something called "Air Step" made by them that looks pretty interesting.

I would LOVE to see a picture.

Duraplank is a vinyl plank system.

Here's a "Before" picture...yes, those ARE 1960's 8"x8" tiles:

And here's an in progress picture:

I don't have any finished pics uploaded yet. I'll try to get to it today.

melanie

Have you considered the new linoleums, too? They are really attractive and durable and you could create a checkerboard or other pattern that looks just right in your historical farmhouse.

We used LOW-end sheet vinyl in our kitchen/DR about 15 years ago (installed it ourselves), and it looked and wore very well for about 12-13 years. The past couple years we had really talked about replacing it, then the house flooded this summer and we moved, so... problem solved. LOL

We moved the fridge over it several times (for cleaning purposes) and never had a problem with tearing. The only place where it ever tore was where we had a rolling chair that was used daily - the wheels were a little rough on it, but it took a long time even for that to become an issue. As far as cleaning, yes the texture can be a challenge - but moreso, the finish on ours faded and yellowed a little over time and became dull. Maybe a different cleaning product would have prevented that.

The worst thing that happened to ours - and it happened RIGHT after installation - was that my husband was doing some plumbing under the sink and spilled a little can of some kind of chemical, which stained it pink. We had a pink blotch forever right in front of the sink, which of course a little rag rug covered nicely (LOL).

We just bought a new house and the contractor doing some repairs for us actually said that the newer peel-and-stick tiles are very good quality. He said he had just done his own kitchen using those. Again, I used them 15 years ago in an office room plus adjoining laundry room, and (again) a rolling chair used often was the only thing that damaged it. I would use it again with no qualms, and am seriously considering the peel-and-stick option mentioned above.

Janet

sheet vinyl seems like it would be the hardest one to move a fridge over. I picture it ripping. And yes, we would definitely have the sheet vinyl installed.

It happens. Our neighbors did this on their almost new kitchen floor when they moved the refrigerator. One way to avoid it would be to keep a piece of 1/8'' masonite or scraps of old wood paneling around to plop down in front of the frig and ease the refrigerator up on.

DH used to travel a lot with his job so I had to devise ways to do stuff by myself. A couple of tricks I've used:

I keep a couple of those 'flying carpet' snow sleds around for moving stuff. The sled is just a thin sheet of really tough plastic. Works good for moving heavy stuff across carpet. (Cardboard sheets & panelling also.)

Another handy trick is to use an old throw rug (pile side down) for scooting stuff around on hard surfaces.

Usually, some combination of the above has worked to either get stuff where I want it to go or get it maneuvered out so I can get an appliance hand truck under it.

I had high-end sheet vinyl put in 30 years ago (cost $2000 then--a fortune!), and replaced it with a wood floor 5 years ago only because I was tired of it. It still looked like the day I bought it. No kids, but a lab retriever & a few water overflows.

We replaced our kitchen floor w/ sheet vinyl last spring and love it! It looks like tile and cleans up really well. It doesn't show dirt at all so I have to remind myself to mop the floor. We are building a new house and I also wanted wood floors, but I am seriously considering using the same vinyl for the new kitchen and breakfast area. With 6 kids (I need to change my user name) it really makes more sense right now.

Congoleum Bravada pattern:LaStrada color: 90020 cream

On the Congoleum site you can do a mock up of your room and see what everything will look like. I haven't had a chance to try this, but it looks fun!

We put a 'best' Mannington vinyl in our bathrooms. People always think it's tile (even the appraiser), and have to go back for a 2nd look when I say it's vinyl.

We have Marmoleum in the kitchen.

Both are great...of course I can't actually tell you how they'll look in 10 years, but they seem durable and easy care at this point...and maybe you'd consider the 8 kids and 2 Labs a good test! ;-)

Rhome410,
could you post your kitchen floor picture? I have been going MAD trying to decide on flooring for our open kitchen, dinette, family room area. DH wants tile, but I do not like how it makes my legs ache(I know what people say... just know from previous exp, and I cannot use rugs due to dogs) we have a pool and wet dogs, so I thin vinyl would be best, but want something good-looking and easy to care for. Your floor sounds perfect. Laminate really isn't recommended for wet spaces and we have a pool just outside the kitchen and everyone comes through the kitchen to use the bathroom. thanks,
G

If you can find one you like, I'm (almost) convinced sheet vinyl is the best flooring. I don't like the look of what I have now but it sure is FUNCTIONAL...

Don't worry about the fridge--if you get it delivered, it'll be done by someone who knows how to put in a fridge without hurting a floor (it involves the vital skill of two burly guys and a good handcart). And while rolling MY fridge around to paint behind it on my 25 year old pink sparkle vinyl, the floor sprang back just fine. No tears or anything.

So I say go for it! If you have to replace it for resale some day, you won't be out a lot of money and you will have had some good hardwearing use out of it in the meanwhile. And there is nice stuff out there so you probably don't have to.

A word of caution though: do NOT get pink vinyl with sparkles.

Footballmom, you asked for kitchen floor photos (Marmoleum Click), but then I think you were talking about the tile-looking vinyl (which is in a couple of our bathrooms), so here are photos of both:

We recently chose congoleum for the kitchen and bath areas in our in-progress remodel of the guest house.

First, let me say that it's a HUGE improvement over the old brick-look vinyl that was there before and, second, it's a pretty sharp looking floor covering:

We put a high-end vinyl in our remodeled kitchen last year and love it. I'm partial to comfy vinyl over tile and hardwood. Everyone thinks it's real tile, and we get alot of compliments. It hides the dirt very well (this is both good and bad, if you know what I mean), and it's so easy to clean.

Our SS frig has wheels so it's easy to glide over the vinyl. I move every other month to clean under and behind.

{{gwi:1526288}}

We put in Armstrong Blackwell, looks like abbycat's but has light markings on both the black and the white that look sorta like stone. I love it. We replaced 19 year old Armstrong vinyl that was still in excellent shape but needed to come out to get to a leak destroyed subfloor. The ease of clean up convinced me; I'm a sloppy cook and there is always water on my floor from one thing or another. The comfort of vinyl was also a big factor for me.

We had sheet vinyl put in our kitchen & just love it! No problem with the refrig. moving over it (has been moved in/out several times). People seeing the new kitchen think it is tile, until we tell them differently! I've also seen great looking 'hardwood' vinyl, look at the various manufacturers for the most real looking. Good Luck!

You all are wonderful. Thanks for all of this wonderful input, and all the great pics!

We have someone coming to measure today. Out of all the name brands (ie, congoleum, armstong, etc) how do you know which one is the best? We have two local dealers recommending the Congoleum line, but I find very little info (as in, reviews from happy owners) about it.

Our Victorian has sheet vinyl with a wood pattern installed by the previous owners and people always comment on how much they love our hardwood floors. Even our Real Estate agent was fooled. Its so low maintenance, easy to clean and fantastic with kids. Have been very happy with it. It is probably about 5 yrs old and sorry I don't know the brand.

Here is a link that might be useful:

We have Armstrong in our laundry room and one bathroom. I think that as long as you are in the better lines with the longer wear guarantees (20 yr, etc.), you're probably OK with any of those brands. I looked in the upper lines of a few brands and just chose the appearance that worked best. Our friend who has been a flooring installer for many years told me to look for at least a 15-yr rating.

Rexem - I think you just sold me with that pic!

Rhome - thanks as usual! :)

We did sheet vinyl too and absolutely love it - easy to DIY install, easy to clean and if we get sick of it, easy to replace. We did the tape down method, so if we want to replace it, pull up the trim, lift it up, put new down, tape, and put new trim down. Simple.

Of the plank stuff Consumer Reports was quite taken with the Allure from HD. I saw Mike Holmes putting it in a reno on his show the other day. DIYing sheet vinyl scares the crap out of me, one wrong cut and your done but the planks seem very doable. With the Allure you can install it over almost anything - for sheet ot Fibre Floor leveling is recomended. I know the Allure is very reasonable but I thought the other vinyl plank product was pricier.

Rexem, Your son is adorable and I love your floors that look so real! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the photos, Rhome. All of the vinyls look great, folks. I think I will same myself a little monwy and leg pain and do the vinyl thing. G

I have seen Candice Olson use it a couple of times on her show. I just saw one where she used a sheet vinyl that looked like dark slate tiles in a bathroom. In another bathroom, she used one that had a floral pattern. I think her stuff is pretty awesome--so, yes, people are still using it!

I used Marmoleum in my kitchen and 2 bathrooms. The installer said he had never installed it in a residential home, only in schools. He said it lasts 30 years installed in schools ... wonder how long it will last in my home? :>)

Not exactly what you are looking for, but they have all kinds of colors and styles, see link below ...

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Marmoleum

kelleg: I saw this post last night and my first thought was of that great vinyl that Candice Olson used in "Barnaby's Bathroom." I have driven myself to the point of despair because I cannot find the product--have you tried to access her "where Candice shops" site lately, it's maddening.

I need to redo our mudroom floor which is now vinyl, previously linoleum. I thought I'd be going vinyl again and then I'd read about marmoleum here and was certain that would be it...then there was that floor.

If anyone knows the manufacturer of the floor kelleg and I saw, please please please tell me!

It's made by Tarkett.

Easy Living Fashion

Sku: 14233

Pattern / Style: Salina

Color: Winter Grey

Format: 12'

Finish: Urethane

Warranty: 15 year

Design Repeat: 36"X36" 1/4 Drop, Do not reverse

Here is a link that might be useful: Tarkett

Ok everyone -

Here is a quick shot of a sample we brought home today. It is called "bay brown" and it is Airstep by Congoleum.

What do you think? I am worried that it is not dark enough next to the maple cabs. I don't want it all to blend together too much.

{{!gwi}}

I'm almost certain that I'll be putting down vinyl sheets for our kitchen/DR/familyroom (open floor plan: 725 sf, 2 kids, and dog).

Not sure if this applies to anyone, but check your warranty.
My gf put in expensive (?$13 or $23/sf - can't remember the maker) vinyl tiles with 25-50yr warranty. Well, they tore or made a mark when moving the fridge. Of course, it's not covered by the warranty. hmmm....then what is?

good luck.
Amanda

I think it looks nice (just like ours) but if you think it is too similar, how about something dark like the one on the Tarkett link above. WE have dark brown (painted) floors on our upper floors and it seems to coordinate well with everything.

Does vinyl pick up dust bunnies as bad as wood does? I remember a thread not too long ago where people with dark wood floors were discussing the difficulties of keeping that dark wood looking nice.

So, maybe I should keep my medium colored vinyl, here?

rexem: I LOVE your floor. Are those in tiles or sheets?
Any more pictures? They look fantastic!
I want sheets because I really do not like (grout) lines or gaps to trap dirt/etc.

We just finished remodeling our kitchen and the product I liked best was a Mannington sheet vinyl. I am a Realtor and am in and out of a lot of homes, and have seen AMAZINGLY life-like vinyls. I decided I wanted vinyl as we have another home that has tile, and I wanted something warmer and softer in this house...but I wanted that look. The product that we used was called Mannington Sobella Supreme Guadalajara. (The samples on the web-site don't look a thing like them...see the real samples if you can.) When I had a guy out to give me an estimate on our tile backsplash he reached down and touched our floor and said "OH! This is vinyl! I thought it was tile..." And I told him I was so happy because he was a tile expert and he couldn't tell. The other night we had some neighbors over and the husband looked at our floor and he said "Your tile floor looks nice but do you find that it is really cold?" And I said "It's vinyl." At which point he also reached down to touch it. Anyway, to each his own, but they have come a VERY long way with vinyl sheet goods.

Good luck with whatever you choose,

Cathy

DIY is actually very easy - we are doing our basement now as I found rolls for $10 so until we refinish it, it's so much easier to clean than the concrete. :) For the kitchen we just made a template out of the large roofing/painting paper and cut the vinyl and it fit perfectly - since I used a cheap/off the shelf vinyl it ripped on me but it was 100% my fault for tugging at it and I fixed it with clear caulk (hey, it was what I had easily available after freaking out - their seam kits are hard to use as I tried under the fridge and never again) and you can't see it at all. I also do it the same way for our front porch with the outdoor/indoor carpet. Armstrong if you buy their kit/product has a refund/replacement thing - we were going to do that but our floor was about $50 and not Armstrong in the end... so if I ruined it, no biggie but I didn't and it fit great.

stephanielynn: Thank you, thank you; a thousand thank yous! Are you that familiar with flooring? the show? You've saved me so much time and frustration.

Sorriso. You're welcome. Not familiar with flooring, only watch the show once in a while. I'm just good at finding things on messy websites. First I had to find the show number, then go from there. Took about 15 minutes.

Huango - its sheets. No groutlines. And Gardenwebber - no dustbunnies - but then again, mine is not that dark. My sheet vinyl stays much cleaner than the vinyl tiles that I have in the kitchen.

I had looked at armstrong's cushion step in some of the wood patters and I really liked it, still might do it cause I love the look of wood or laminate,but not the pain and worry of messing it up... I'm sure in my home sooner rather than later LOL... but I'd love to find a "wood" sheet vinyl with just alittle more gloss finish to it or maybe satin finish. The one I liked alot was pretty matte which is good, but I want a hint of gloss myself....any suggestions???

I have a 30 year old congoleum floor that must be replaced and it is torn from moving the refrigerator and the washing machine (which we did very few times!)so I have the same concern. I just got a quote to put marmoleum in the kitchen, laundry, hall and, gorgeous as it is, the job would cost over $7000 including removal of old and prepping the floor! I too don't want texture where the mop water can gather and turn dark - been there. I have searched for the appliance track sliders another member mentioned but can't find those either. What to do, what to do.... What did you end up using?

Hi, this discussion is great. Love the pictures.

I am looking for a material to put on the treads of my stairs. But can't find a way to handle the nosing of the tread. I thot of painting the nosing the color of the vinyl core-any ideas for me on the stairs? We live near the beach and the sand is a constant on the floors so thot vinyl would be a great way to keep down the wear and tear.

Babs

I found an Armstrong sheet vinyl called Cushion Step. I really like the look but I'm concerned about tearing because it has that little cushion like feel underneath. Does anyone have any experience with this product? Deciding on a kitchen floor is driving me crazy!

I am about to put in new flooring which will replace Mannington gold sheet vinyl which held up well for over 30 years. I'm bucking the popular trend for stone tiles and staying with vinyl because vinyl is much easier to stand on and I spend a lot of time working in my kitchen. Dropping a pot on the floor won't damage the vinyl as it might ceramic tile. It will be warmer during the winter mornings. An added bonus is that it won't require the seven doors off the hall be cut to accommodate thicker stone tiles. Delivery men have commented that my flooring held up so much better than most sheet flooring when they were installing heavy kitchen appliances. Buying a good grade of flooring paid off. I hope that the quality is still there.