WE have vinyl on one whole side of the house and carpet on the other whole side.

The kitchen ,laundry, guest bath studio and then master bath turned to all be on the same side of the house. So the same vinyl runs all the way through. In my studio room I do have a really old area run turned up side down, design shows through. I felt like I wanted the warmth of a little carpet but it is totally flat and if the glass bits do in bed in it

To be hi9nest I an not fond of the carpet. Hard to keep clean and the dogs nails are pulling it up in little fiber pieces. I have to vacuum almost every day and probably should do it twice a day. sigh.

If I had it to do over I would have put the vinyl through out the whole house and then used area rugs. Just get a good quality vinyl.

Having had vinyl and hard wood in a house through out it was colder and drafty and also constant clean up job. I would never be with out my fur babies but they are a chore.

Chris

I know you asked Shades specifically, but I will add something here.

We have original oak hardwood in most of the house. We put porcelain tile on the sun porch. On the back porch and in the existing kitchen, DH laid the sticky back vinyl squares. It is much softer and forgiving than the hard stuff. Since the old sheet vinyl was ugly but okay, he deglossed it so the new stuff would stick to it. We put down a 16x16 square which looks like mottled terra cotta ( I am a crazy freak over terra cotta look)and we really like it. So far the two doggies have not damaged it either.

I think you can get smaller squares of this tile also. We bought ours from Lowes. Not a hard surface to stand on, if you have back problems. Go buy a sample and stand on it a couple of days in front of your sink and see how it works.

thx... I think I'll put in vinyl, just not sure if tiles, planks or sheet vinyl. that alone is enough decision making to boggle my mind...lol! seeing them in real might help me decide tho. will try to do that next week. I only schedule 1 major thing a week - going to the floor store and walking around for an hour or so will be major for me.

I am thinking of vinyl in all the rooms then putting an area run in the LR, Bdrm etc.

i found some carpeting i'd like to have...if it weren't carpeting - lol! I love it but keep coming back to - it's carpet! the 2 I like are both very flat tho. more like indoor/outdoor carpet. or kitchen carpet from the 70's type flat carpet.

I don't have to worry much about the cold here in AZ (a few wks in the winter at night) - more heat here than cold.

I won't give up my furbabies either - much of my life is making things better for them! like flooring...and easier for me to clean. I keep thinking that sweeping up dog fur on vinyl will be lot easier than out of carpet. plus the desert dirt that flies in everywhere here.

Hi Steph, if you're happy with vinyl, I'd say go for it. I would have been really happy with it in our house, but DH really wanted wood. There are so many absolutely beautiful choices now. I can't remember the maker off the top of my head, sorry, but when we were looking awhile ago we found a new product that's a bit thicker thank normal, that is supposedly wonderful if you have back/leg issues. Also, look at cork when you're at the store. It can be very beautiful (much moreso in person than online) and is supposedly very nice to stand on and pretty durable.
~Missy

Those new vinyl squares are really nice. And a lot of people are also using the vinyl wood floor strips. They lay down the same.

I have wood throughout...yes it is a constant cleanup with hair that breezes into corners and under things. But as with others, wouldn't give up my little guys for anything.

I have hardwood floors in all rooms except bath (tile) and kitchen (vinyl). Even though I love wood floors, vinyl cannot be beat for ease of care. When I replace my kitchen vinyl, I plan to run it down the hallway over the hardwood.

"Go buy a sample and stand on it a couple of days in front of your sink and see how it works."

oh duh. I have a large vinyl tile (cryntel?) I bought to see how dirty it'd get here and how it'd clean up. but it's at my front door... moving it to in front of sink today!
you must have posted yesterday while i was typing cause I didn't see your post yesterday...

Missy - I've heard of vinyl that is thicker, softer etc now BUT I've also heard that it is damaged easier too. darn it... I will look at cork while at the store. i have a long list of brands, types to look at while there. will be taking my camera with me also!

vinyl doesn't bother me at all but the stink of the glue used putting down sheet vinyl does. anyone know if the glue smell is that bad on the sticky vinyl tiles? The smell of the chemicals can make me very sick.
I'd rather have vinyl w/an area rug in the bigger rooms. they're changeable every few yrs if necessary. They can also be rolled up to clean underneath them easy enough. wall to wall carpet can't be!

pesky(on some forum here) posted a pic of her kitchen with wood look vinyl that she says doesn't look fake. It doesn't in the pic either. I'll be looking for that at the store (tho I don't know what it is).

pesky's floor and furbaby!

Desertsteph, I just asked my DH about the stickyback vinyl tiles he put down. He said:

No odor at all. The tiles stick very very well. BUT, you must put down a latex primer made especially for sticky back tiles, and he got it at Lowes, which is where I also bought the tiles. VERY nice design, a bit thicker than the old stuff, and a lot better than the sheet vinyl IMHO.

Anyway, the latex primer he used did not make much odor if any, because I did not even know he used it. Ha.

OH Hahah I just added this information on the cleaning floor thread. OOPS

Steph, they also make low odor floor adhesive. It's supposed to be more eco friendly. Also, have you thought about having the floors done long before you move in?

moccasinlanding -thx. I'd rather do tiles except I keep thinking a spilled dog water dish or something will seep down thru the cracks where they meet.

would the latex coating make it more water proof?

I keep mentally going back to the sheet vinyl as the best protection from water or a dog accident. don't have that problem now, but one is 14 so it might be in my future.

idie2 - I'll check that out if I go sheet vinyl. I'd have to have someone else do that. I've read it's hard to handle cause it's such a big piece. They're probably restricted on what to use to be covered under warranty. It's worth asking tho - I'm going to try to go to the flooring store next week and check out some options.

I could try to have it put in before I move in if possible. need to worry about the guys and other work being done there. they're sure to think they know better than I do and they don't need to cover it. If I can get any work needed done on that side of the place first, then maybe I can keep them off of the new floor. I think they'll be mostly 'free' workers so I'll have to be on their case constantly.

The last time one of them came out to do work for me he kept saying he understood, he knew what I wanted, blah, blah... after he left I found out so different! I was sick at the time and in bed. he was working outside...that'll never happen again.

maybe I'll have to tie the dogs close by to watch them... lol!

desertsteph, the tiles would be easier to replace if there was a damage situation requiring a replacement. Think about a tear in the sheet vinyl if you have to move the fridge out, or the range etc.

We did the vinyl tiles in the kitchen and back porch (for now anyway, but they look so good, heck it may stay as is).
We have two dogs, and my DH works in the garden in the rain so he comes dripping in the back door!.....sigh, he makes a bigger mess than the doggies. But when it is raining, our dachshund girl does NOT like to go outside, so we've had a few little puddles of hers on the back porch also. It does not appear to get down in the cracks, DH laid them super close together, and so far at least there does not seem to be an issue. I'm planning to leave those nice big tile squares (18x18) as long as they look good, or until we remodel the kitchen.

Regarding the smell of the adhesive: some of the vinyl being made is loose-lay - no adhesive at all. Also, some of it is the kind where you just glue around the edges, so that's less to smell. That kind has a specific name, but I can never remember what it is. :)

One thing to consider for the loose lay is the size of the area. Sicne it's not glued, I wouldn't want to use it in a room large enough where you'd have to do a seam. They may ahve a way to do that, but I personally wouldn't want to deal with that. I'm having enough problems w/ my glue down f*loor and seams that I got a ltille over a year ago.

moccasin - I've thought about tiles being easier to pull up and replace... I only need enough to go about 10 x 10 (not counting the area under stove, dw and fridge). it also back up to and is open to the back hall so i'd want to run it on back there (about 2 more ft or so and down the hallway).

the laundry connects to that hallway - would tiles be ok for there also?
there are 3 other rooms off of that hallway (plus the bathroom) one will be my work room, 1 the desk, bookcase etc room and the tv/computer room. i'd want a light floor in the work room (as in the kitchen) but the other 2 I might put wood vinyl planks - they'll each have an area rug covering the center/open area of the rooms anyway.

I'll have to find out what type of subfloor is needed for whatever is put down.

There's pretty good carpet in most of the rooms but i want to get it out of there even if vinyl goes down!

When I think about adding a subfloor I wonder about the threshhold heights when you reach a doorway. You add on the subfloor thickness, then you add on the tile or flooring material however thick that is, and what does that do to the door closing, the door latch, and the ease with which you can walk room to room, or drag a vacuum cleaner over the now uneven surface.

Our back porch was 4" lower than the kitchen anyway, so the 3/4" plywood subfloor DH put down was really helpful. The floor out there was a porch floor with 3" wide boards and some were beginning to rot like porches do which are exposed to the weather. So he replaced those boards, then put the 3/4" plywood over it. Then he nailed and screwed down the pieces of plywood VERY securely, then he sanded it to be level, and then he put down the recommended sealer to make the sticky back tiles adhere very securely. I think this sealer also tends to waterproof the subfloor where the tiles come together. He peeled off one half of the backing paper, tipped the tile into its proper spot exactly as he wanted it, and without applying pressure lowered it down. The other half of the backing was gently pulled off AFTER he saw the tile was indeed placed close and straight all around. The bigger the tile, the fewer seams you have to leak.

Except for the pattern differences, it is hard to see where the tiles come together. I must admit, he is a stickler for detail, and he did take a lot of care installing this tile. I told him it was not a permanent job, we'd remove it when we remodel the kitchen, but he knows only one way to do things, and that is with great attention to detail. We are quite different in many ways, and this illustrates one of them. I tend to OPTIMIZE, you know, and put out the greatest attention to the features that really REQUIRE that attention. I usually finish a lot quicker than he does. I also assume that nothing in life is perfect, and to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear is an impossible task. We also treasure the things we find which show signs of age, or show that human hands made it in varying levels of skill. I bet he'd refinish the patina and dings and nicks of a really fine old Hoosier cabinet, trying to make it "look like new" or "better than new." Moi, I would never do anything of the sort. I'd have chosen such a piece BECAUSE IT WAS WORN AND SHOWED THE EFFECTS OF LIFE AND HUMAN HANDS.

Desert, I think the sealer you put down on the subflooring helps to prevent penetration by liquids...such as spills or pet accidents. Don't know if something like cooking oil would leave a stain though. Maybe I should go read the label on the container, see what they claim.

"I think this sealer also tends to waterproof the subfloor where the tiles come together"

THAT would be a very good thing! I need your dh to come here and put down the floor ... I won't let him near any of my old stuff tho - lol!

I will have to check (and ask dbf) about the floors in that place. I think we need to be sure there aren't seams in it, right? they'd show thru I think.

I'm sure it'll work out. I know that back a bit in time (a month or so) I saw some 18 x 18 tiles (vinyl) I really liked. I'll have to see if I kept a pic of them or something... the cryntel tile I got at Lowe's is about 16 x 16 I think. I put it in front of my sink this past week and it's felt fine to stand on (it is on top of carpet tho). will check on cleaning it later to see if it shows much dirt and cleans up easily.

last week before I moved that tile to the sink area my old girl dog was sliding on it as she came inside and made an immediate right to race into the bedroom... her little back end slid right down on it.

Desertsteph, I want to add a photo for you to think about.

These tiles were the 16x16 stickyback in a sort of terra cotta color, quite similar to the porcelain tiles that we previously installed on the sun porch. Here these are used on our back porch which is now enclosed and weatherproof, but not YET part of the kitchen. We use it as part of the kitchen, and it is great. But the tiles are the thing.
Don't they look like they have a small margin of grout to them? The design is a little bolder than the porcelain tile, but not hard to live with. We put it out here and in the kitchen itself. Out here, it was over the 3/4" plywood and was sealed. In the kitchen, it was over the sheet vinyl and it was also sealed before laying it down. In both places, it is working very nicely.

We have two small dogs, an old maltese, and a young dachshund with very strong nails. Also a very untidy husband who always comes in the back door after working in the garden. This is also what folks up nawth call a MUDROOM, I suppose. :) So it takes a licking and just keeps on ticking.

My vote is for the vinyl tile. I usually do not care for vinyl flooring but floor tiles have come a long way! I just put them down in my mom's basement and they look fabulous, do not get the cold feeling real stone does, is completely easy to take care of, smell-free, wait free, easy to replace and so easy to install. Just remember to mix up your tiles so you don't end up with a recognizable pattern. The primer/sealer does work really well to completely seal off the floor underneath. If you have any gaps or weird areas that need to be filled, Lowes also had a super easy leveling compound that you just pour in and it levels itself (put in less rather than more, we had to grind down some of our edges where we put too much in.

Moccasin Landing, I LOVE how your floor looks! part of me wants to put vinyl tiles in my house now, I have to say I'm a fan! :)

thx for the pic moccasin! that helps! I do like that there looks like a bit of grout - w/o it really being grout! I don't want to deal with that stuff. does it have a bit of texture to it? it looks like it does. I've been a bit concerned about that in a tile. that cryntel tile I got has some texture to it... but after it being at my sink for about 4 or 5 days I cleaned it today and it didn't seem very dirty at all! I cleaned it with a microfiber rag. it had to be dirty in my place! me and the dog tracking in on it (tho I take my shoes off at the door). but i drop stuff on it, I know I do - that's right where I stand when I fix the dogs food! anyway, I was shocked at how undirty it was! i scrubbed at the indented type areas and nothing... that was a good sign! tomorrow I'll take a pic of it and post on it (just 1 tile!). I love the terra cotta color but it wouldn't go with the counter top I want to get (butterum). I decided to go light on the floor because I have heavy wood furniture and the kit cabs will be a medium wood tone...but I do love your 'tile'!

"remember to mix up your tiles so you don't end up with a recognizable pattern"

that's one thing i'll have to work out. I've thought about that 'pattern' business... the guy who did my sister's tile did an awesome job of mixing it around - it looks beautiful. She said as he was placing them around he explained to her what he was doing and why (she had no clue). I told her she was very fortunate to have had a tile guy who paid attention and cared!

I do need easy to install, replace and smell free - lol! and big size so less is needed to cover the floor!

hopefully all I'll need is to put that leveling stuff down and not replace a subfloor.

I think most of these tiles come with about six different "looks" for that pattern of tile. Some of them will have really obvious markings (we did a marble look so we would have a large vein or something of the sort) and some will be a more generic, "nothing particular catches your eye". I would encourage to get most of the generic ones and just a few of the obvious ones. My mom's basement is really large and after a while you begin to put certain tiles together when you look at it because they share the same obvious marking. Also keep in mind that the same pattern will come in shiny and matte finish, and it won't say, just some boxes of it will happen to be shiny and some won't. I think this makes it look more like stone but if you choose something more terra-cotta I would make sure to only pick up matte ones. Even though they come in boxes Lowe's technically sells them per square so if you run into ones you're not pleased with you can return them individually and you don't have to worry about wasting a whole box or anything.

Joe and I went to visit our old house. Friend that bought it called to tell us she had had the bathroom remodeled. Turned out great.

the important thing is the flooring she put in herself. I had never heard of this flooring. It is a section of three by one foot and the pieces hook/stick together with tabs. Does not stick to the floor just to itself. She said it was easy no prep work and the seams were not all that visable. The flooring was really nice looking too. She bought it at home depot. Pretty good sized bath for about $250.00.

Hope this link works. Not trying to sell it to you. Just an option. She said there was very little smell. Most was just from the new bath itself.

If I needed new flooring I would jump on this in a heart beat. It really was pretty.

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Allure Laminate flooring

Hi, desertsteph, we have sheet vinyl in our kitchen. It has worn so well that I'm thinking of putting vinyl in the new dining/playroom, and replacing the kitchen flooring to match. I've been considering peel-and-stick squares, for a vintage checkerboard look. I've found them in the colors I want, shades of cream and light green, for less than $1.00/sq ft, but they are only 12x12.

This thread has so much useful info--has anyone used the Lowe's peel-and-stick tiles, or do you have a resource for tiles that are larger--either 16x16 or 18x18, and comparably priced? The sheet vinyl that I've looked at is around $1.30-1.50/sq ft., but my husband doesn't want to try DIY, so we'd have to pay for installation. I'd much rather use the tiles.

ML, I really like the look of your tiles--sounds as if they wear well, always a major plus.

And since I'm doing a mini-hijack, has anyone cut the peel-and-stick tiles to make custom patterns? Many thanks to everyone.

shades - I did check those out - I don't think they had anything light enough in color. they have threads on it on the floor forum so they must have gotten good reviews or i wouldn't have looked at them!

mama - I've heard DIY with sheet vinyl is not recommended. it's difficult! unless maybe you have a tiny bathroom and get a remnant to put in it.

here's a pic of the tile I got at lowe's - cryntel. it's cream and beigey. it might look a little blue because I put it on my front steps to take the pic. steps are bright blue (they're metal steps for commercial use. dbf brought them out for me because my wooden ones were falling apart. actually, he just used his hand to pull on the railing and they collapsed!)
if it's too far off looking i'll take another one out on the dirt or somewhere... it hurts my eyes to look at it!

i would have to get a box of these and lay out tho. it's got such a 'multi' look on 1 tile that it might be toooo much with many together. I don't want a busy floor.

{{!gwi}}

I took another pic on the dirt ...in sunlight... much better!

OH desertsteph that is really pretty. Love the soft look to it . Light but not too light. I am enjoying our flooring here. About the same color as your tile but does have a little more mottled look to it too. Hardly shows a thing. THAT is important in our house with all the critters and a sloppy cook. UUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM That would be me.

"Hardly shows a thing. THAT is important in our house with all the critters and a sloppy cook."

have i asked if we're twins? lol! I'm the same way. always dropping something, spilling something etc! and the dog...
I want a light floor and didn't really want any spots or splotches but then I realized it'd show every microscopic piece of dirt! it'd looked splotchy just from dirt!

i liked that cryntel tile the minute i saw it. I'm still going to the floor store to look at other options - maybe next week. didn't make it there this week.

oh dear. i deleted that other pic from my photobucket place ... forgot it'd take it from here also. dang. I've deleted other pics trying to 'clean it up'. that would remove pics from other threads i posted them on also. uh-oh. better not do that again!

You know we had a mostly white floor at the last house and it made me insane. This floor we have now is fairly light. I will see if I have a picture of it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Another arrangement the kitchen had for about a week. LOL

desertsteph what have you done?! I've gotten all excited and now am desperate to rip the carpet up in our basement and put down some of these beautiful specimens we're seeing! We're right in the middle of pulling another of our rooms out of the 70's so I have to excersize SOME self-restraint :)

enigmaquandry - lol! well then you'll have something to do after you get that room out of the 70's! don't want you getting bored...

shades - just what I was thinking - a totally cream color or light beige would drive me nuts! it's a good thing I have a long time to think things thru because I center on one thing, then a few months later slap myself in the head when I realize what a mistake i was going to make! like thinking I wanted a totally plain cream or beige floor. no pattern at all... only to realize a few months later what a pain that'd be for spots, dribbles, etc on it. this way I can claim any spot is part of the color/pattern of the floor! lol!

OH NO desertsteph you are doing it to me too. I am just hankering to use the left over piece of vinyl out in the garage in the living room.It is large enough to do it. Working on it with hubby. He is hard to convince. The only thing I really have going for me is it is IN THE WAY in HIS shop and he is not liking that at all. I will see what my next couple of pay checks bring and how much I can save back and offer to have it done and also buy an area rug to go on top. I agree we need something in here for a rug but I want it to be a rug that can go to the dump when it gets too animalized. I am fine with the carpet in the sewing room and our master bedroom.

Chris

"I want it to be a rug that can go to the dump when it gets too animalized."

yikes! that's what I plan to do. have I posted that or are you reading my mind? (if so, that oughta confuse the heck outa ya!)

I figure it'll be better for my breathing and for cleaning that way. and those flat area rugs don't have much to them for the animal hair to imbed into. and you can move them to clean under them - all the grit and yuck that seeps thru them.

glad I could help your dh clean out his workroom... and you get the vinyl put dowm - lol!

desertsteph, I like your tile--it looks like travertine.

shades, yours looks like stone, too. We have tile-look vinyl in our main bathroom. We laid that ourselves, but it's a small room.

We have WTW carpet in our bedroom, and in a short hallway leading to the bedroom and the main bathroom, so it gets a lot of traffic. I hate it, and I keep planning to rip the carpet out of the hallway. I'd rather have the OSB, until we can put down another piece of vinyl or peel-and-stick.

Oh yeah, due to a slight problem my hubby had with floor leveling compound in the bathroom, we also have to address that issue before we put down flooring in the hall. ;)

Steph, I had what looks to be the same tile (cryntel) in the kitchen, both baths and utility room at my last house. Bought the cryntel for utility room and one bath in this house but a darker shade. The travertine look of your tile, held up very well, to 3 dogs and 2 cats. It looked as good the day we moved out as when we put it down. I do have pictures, if you would like to see them, email me at bylander@copper.net.

cat ky - wonderful to hear! I'll email you!

shades - I went thru a huge envelope of samples I had and there was a sample of allure in it! So, I guess I did find one I liked. I still like it but I reread the old Allure threads on 'flooring' and it sounds like future trouble. I hope your friend doesn't have problems with it!

I also spilled the dog's water on that tile I posted above and soaked it up with a microfiber cloth. Then I figured since it hadn't been cleaned in a few days and was wet I'd clean it some. I scrubbed at it with a few paper towels and they came up clean. That is a MIRACLE tile I tell ya! Nothing is clean here after a few days, me and dog walking on it and desert dirt blowing in! so I took another paper towel and tried again - still no dirt on the paper towel. I'm amazed. I'd better use it - lol!

I'll still check out a few other things but that tile is looking real good at this point!

Desertsteph I hope she does not have trouble either. Glad to know this. Still working on hubby about putting down the vinyl in living room. Actually need to clean carpet in living room and it looks terrible but hoping it bugs him enough to put more consideration in the vinyl. LOL

Glad you have found the perfect tile. I think it really is pretty.