Hi All,
What are your views on engineer floor boards and wood look alike tiles on ground floor encompassing hallway, living area and kitchen?
Am looking to build a new dwelling and it is intended for living in. While I am for wood look alike tiles, my other half favours engineer floor boards. Hardwood is likely out of our budget.
At some stage in life, the property will be put up for sale. Therefore would like to survey others on their view.
Floorboards made from engineers?
laminated floor tiles.
We went with tiles. Even though an immediate family member is a hardwood flooring installer, tiles were cheaper. They are strong, easy to clean, and will last. I'm not sure how strong engineered wood is, but it doesn't have the option to sand and resurface like hardwood. It seems like it might be the worst of both worlds.
Actually good engineered timber floorboards cab be sanded and resurfaced at least twice before they need to be replaced.
if you have kids, go for tiles.
Yup, 2 kids at this time.
Tiles. Laminated flooring is nicer to look at but they are also less durable and become scratched over time.
I spent roughly 6k on my previous home on laminated wood flooring but a year later some parts of it has already worn out. Tiles are much, much easier to deal with.
In this order: Solid overlay floorboards > Engineered floorboards > Tiles.
You can sand back Engineered floorboards with a 3-4mm hardwood layer at least 2-3 times. you should be able to sand back solid hardwood floorboards 4-5 times.
Tiles date, floorboards don't.
Floorboards can last over 100 years.
Whilst I acknowledge hardwood and or engineer floor boards can be sand back, re-polish and re-vanish. However, one can't simply treat a small area without doing the rest as it will be really obvious.
Lets say if one tile is broken, the tradie only need to attend to the broken tile without touching the rest. To me tile having tile is a great plus.
Porcelain and stone tile surfaces fade over time. Replacing one tile will upset the pattern.
Seems like you made up your mind and want others to confirm that Tiles are the right choice because you can't afford timber floorboards.
I don't really see the need to ask other's their views.
It's not like timber floors will easily get damaged from day to day use. Plus any scrathes etc just adds to the charm of floorboards.
I dislike tiles, in particular ceramic. What do I dislike more than tiles is grout- they crack, accumulate dirt, fall out etc.
Anyone that thinks laminated flooring can’t handle heavy duty traffic may want stop by one of the many international air around the world. Heathrow airport, one of the busiest in the world have installed sections of laminated flooring in high traffic areas.
Exactly. If you want high traffic, your options are basically carpet or vinyl.
You say that hardwood flooring is likely out of budget, but I'd at least check the pricing before you make a final decision. We found that (depending on the grade and type of hardwood), it was comparable or in some cases cheaper than other 'high end' floor coverings. For example, we were originally going to have the timber floors in a living room and carpet in bedrooms, but it was actually cheaper to just have the hardwood in every room.
Between the two choices you've listed…personally I wouldn't choose either. I'd likely go for a more standard-style tile that will be less likely to age. That is to say, some of the wood-alike tiles can look ok, but generally I think that materials that are made to look like something they are not tend to look dated much more quickly.
All the best with it.
Wood like tiles may have grooves which can make it difficult to clean.
Are you going to lay the floor yourself? Laminate floor is pretty easy to do, though i'd be more hesitant to do my own floor tiling
Timber laminate with the thin underlay that goes over your concrete slab is very water intolerant so I've been told.
This depends on the laminate. There are 100% waterproof laminates available, it's definitely not the cheapest option though.
Tiles can be very cold and hard. Timber can have a little give in it and is better for walking on in bare feet, but it does scratch.
I put a bamboo floating floor over tiles in our old house. Made it much more pleasant to walk on, especially in winter. Have tiles again now and after a day on my feet can Start looking for thongs or shoes on the tiles as it isn't comfortable for my feet. Winter is ok, as Ugg boots tend to stay on indoors.
Have you considered a timber look vinyl plank? Karndean have some that are practically indistinguishable from real timber, but easier to care for and not at hard and cold to walk on as tiles.
tiles make it feel cheap and like a hotel.
Floor boards more like a “home”
Work as an Architect. Have seen a lot of things come and go with dem dere suppliers.
Preference is for the actual timber floorboards if you can put up with the maintenance. We have the hardest timbers in the world, so something like Jarra will outlast you.
Timber is actually a sustainable and real material with properties that allow it to age. A lot of forestries that are local get this tick.
Next best thing, engineered timbers where the top 3-4 mm are timber, with some kind of core. These provide a lot of versatility and control over the look of your interior and can also clip-lock into place like vinyl planks. IMO they are better than something like your Karndean, which I'd only recommend for heavy trafficked areas such as retail situations or something that requires cleaning e.g. for kids. Places where you have 0 maintenance desires.
I'd generally prefer a timber or engineered timber in residential applications with houses that have that Australian vernacular. Again, it's a natural material and so a timber is sensitive to this.
Your modern concrete slabs would be my pick for tile. For me, the choice is responsive to the character of the home and its construction but in any case, timber for me, does feel better.
I was thinking of putting in laminated flooring in my house, but ended up tiling the entire place. I don't regret it. Super easy to clean, no worries about spills, looks as good now as it did five years ago, and will probably still look great in decades time. I did manage to slightly chip one tile by dropping a heavy metal object on it, but replacing that tile wasn't too bad either.
At some stage your wood floor will gather enough scratches that a sanding and repainting will be required, probably in 10 years time or less.
The floors are cold in winter but that's what slippers are for.