[RoseyT]

Trying to decide on a floor just might push me over the edge!

Here's a little background. We have approximately 600 square feet of stained concrete. We chose a dark color and although it looks good, maintainence is a nightmare and we've decided to cover it all.

But there are issues...if we decide to go with anything other than a floating floor, we're going to have to do some serious floor prep. We'll have to sand the concrete and it's going to be messy. On the other hand, that will be a one time thing and once it's done, it's done.

Sometimes I feel like we could handle a DIY the whole job, then I start doubting it.

But the sad part is that I simply cannot seem to make a decision about the flooring material itself! We have a small farm out in the country. We have dogs and cats and other critters. Dirt and mud get tracked into the house on a regular basis. Our fireplace isn't just for looks. It gets used a LOT.

I guess you could classify our lifestyle as "rustic." But our decorating style seems to lean toward a more contemporary look. We need flooring that's durable, but looks classy.Upkeep is also an issue because I have Fibromyalgia. Sweeping and mopping daily just aren't an option. I recently bought a canister vac and it seems to be easier on my arms/shoulders than sweeping and it does a better job. I was thinking that it would be great to have a floor that I could use a Hoover Floormate on, but I have never used one.

And then there's the budget.

If you've gotten this far, thanks for letting me vent. I'm open to suggestions, ideas, and comments as well! What IS the perfect floor covering for me??



Editing to add somemore specific info about our decor and layout. We'll be going with Adelor Nexus Birch cabs, medium to dark colored counters (likely laminate until we save upfor granite in a couple of years). Our home is a split-level. Entry, living room, dining room, and kitchen are all on the main level. The entry opens to the living room and kitchen.The stairs, also connected to the entry,are covered in neutral colored Berber carpet. Living roomconnects to dining room through a 7' arched opening, kitchen is open to dining room.Approximate measurements: Kitchen 10x 11, dining room 12x 11, entry 4 x 16, and living room 15 x 18

[DesignDiva]

Why would you have to sand the floor?

We have a concrete slab and have installed vinyl, laminate, tile and hardwood over it with no problems.

For your particular situation, I think I would recommend a tile, either ceramic or if you like the southwest vibe, a terracotta tile, with a darker grout. That's the easiest upkeep, easy to install over concrete, permanent and cheap.

[RoseyT]

The concrete was sealed and waxed. Neither thinset nor vinyl adhesive will be able to form a good bond on the surface so we'll have to roughen it up. It wouldn't be an issue for laminate or wood.

[DesignDiva]

Oh, I see...it's the wax that is causing the problem.

Is there a chemical stripper you could use rather than sand? Or could you lay a thinner layer of backerboard or plywood over it and secure it with concrete screws? Around here they use a nailgun called a Ramset for penetrating concrete. It actually uses 22 cal bullets! But it gets the nail through the concrete. Once you had the underlayment in place it would be a simple job for any sort of flooring you wanted.

[Cyndi_L]

Rosey,

After reading you post I would have suggested hearty tile myself so I'm in agreement with Eva.

Eva--You are just a wealth of information!! A Ramset nailgun?! I never even heard of it but it's an ingenius solution to the problem!

Cyndi

[DesignDiva]

I found out about it when we were building our church and I was designing the children's room. I wanted to use pipe to create a little puppet theatre, but needed it to be fastened to the floor with flanges. The contractor came in with his handy dandy nail gun and shot it off to secure them.

I was impressed

[RoseyT]

The suggestion to sand the sealed concrete came from the guys over at the John Bridge forum. My biggest concern isn't the actual sanding process. It's the dust and mess, but they also gave some suggestions on how to keep the dust down. Vinyl adhesive would probably hold after stripping only though.

We're definitely leaning toward tile. Considering the fact that we'd save around 2K if we did the job ourselves, I'm hoping we can muster the confidence and energy to handle it.

[DesignDiva]

Rosey, I have to make a confession here...I hate doing flooring! It wouldn't be so bad if it happened around waist-height, but the problem I have with flooring is that it's, well, most of it takes place on the FLOOR. And my knees and back hate that! If you suffer from fibro, it might be quite a challenge to DIY this project. I'd suggest that you handle the stuff like cutting and layout and let your DH do the up-and-down thing.

[GardenOfDarwin]

Rosey -- I'm going to make a crazy suggestion here. If I were you and I had fibro, even with the animals and the mud, I'd take a look at cork. It can be installed as a floating floor, and if you go with a commercial application, like Wicanders 2000, you'll get a strong, durbale finish that cleans up like a dream, is warm and soft underfoot and installation is a snap.

I'll see if I can dig up a link for you. Back in a bit!

Susan

[GardenOfDarwin]

Ok, it's Wicanders 1000, not 2000. Here's a link to just one of their offerings. You can get it in colors ranging from red/orange to blue or black. With all the browns, beiges and natural colors in between. Patterns range from marble type effects (my favorite, and what we have), planks, blocks and more. It's really remarkable stuff -- very versatile in the look it can pull off and absolutely wonderful underfoot. Give it a thought.

Susan