Flooring question w/ PIPs

[Susie]

We're planning to replace flooring in the family room imminently.  This is pretty much what the room looks like right now:

except Puppy D's crate is in here too now, where the beanbag is, and the beanbag kind of floats.





We don't know the age of the carpet -- probably not the 29 years old that the house is, but it wasn't new 6 years ago when we bought the house.  It's been looking worn, and Puppy D chewed it in a couple places last year.  Now that she's 18 mos. and has outgrown the chewing we're ready to replace.

The question is with what.  Let me preface this with the fact that I know that hardwood is the GBCN standard, and W2W carpet is GBCN-gross.  Advice on that basis alone isn't helpful since we are not anti-carpet, and have chosen to put it in other rooms.

Possibly relevant facts:
- This is the only room in the house (except for the 1/2 bath) that doesn't have a basement under it.  It's on a slab.
- It's really cold here in the winter, so warmth is important.
- We regularly light the fire (wood-burning) in the winter and hang out here.
- We sit on the floor in the beanbag with the dogs a lot.  (They have beanbag privileges but not furniture.)
- Aside from bedroom and kitchen, we spend more time here than anywhere else.  So do the dogs.
- As a result, we've also cleaned up more dog/puppy accidents in here than most other rooms.
- We occasionally eat in here.
- No allergies in the family.
- Long term, we plan to replace the glass exterior door w/ a slider, and store firewood outside that door.  (Right now it's on the front porch.) 

So, the options for flooring we've considered all seem wrong for one reason or another:

Hardwood:  would probably be an over-improvement for our neighborhood.  (We put nice carpet in the living room because of that.)  Might be difficult to install on a slab.  Would probably be cold.  Would be relatively expensive, especially when combined with the cost of also buying a large area rug to mitigate the cold.  Could be damaged by fire sparks (like the current carpet has been).  However, it would be pretty and wipe-able.

Wood-look tile with radiant heat under it:  Same advantages as wood, but more durable (dog toenails), plus it would have the option of radiant heat to keep it warm.  We love the radiant heat in the half bath.  Would be able to withstand snow/water tracked in from exterior door.  Would probably also require an area rug.  Disadvantages: $$$$, especially if we add radiant heat.  Probably also an over-improvement.

Wall to wall carpet:  with the understanding that it would just have to get replaced with higher frequency than other areas of the house.  A lot less expensive, in line with the neighborhood, warm/soft.  But, harder to keep pristine - dog messes, occasional spilled food/drink (especially when we host parties), and traffic through the exterior door which is currently blocked by the sectional, but I aspire to a different furniture arrangement that opens it up.

I don't like laminate/vinyl options, so those aren't currently under consideration.  Our primary concern is our own preference/enjoyment, but we don't want to do anything that would be considered too bizarre if we ever sold.  Given our needs/preferences/uses, which do you think would be the best fit for us?  I'm getting frustrated at the money for flooring sitting in a savings account and being unable to make a decision.

[sa]

I don't hate wall to wall carpet, but I do prefer hardwood. Shouldn't a screen help prevent sparks from the fire getting onto the floor?

I would not get the wood-like tile. I know it's all the rage now, but I am just really not a fan of false surfaces (some other material made to look like wood). I think it's a trend and you'll grow tired of it quickly. I'm sure at one point, people thought my old laminate faux butcher block countertops were great too, but...........they weren't.

That being said, it sounds like you want carpet.

[Susie]

Apr 24, 2014 15:52:18 GMT -5 sa said:

I don't hate wall to wall carpet, but I do prefer hardwood. Shouldn't a screen help prevent sparks from the fire getting onto the floor?

I would not get the wood-like tile. I know it's all the rage now, but I am just really not a fan of false surfaces (some other material made to look like wood). I think it's a trend and you'll grow tired of it quickly. I'm sure at one point, people thought my old laminate faux butcher block countertops were great too, but...........they weren't.

That being said, it sounds like you want carpet.

The burns in the existing carpet happened through the screen.

Carpet was originally the plan, I'm just having a hard time pulling the trigger on it.  This morning I cleaned up another dog mess and I just thought... why are we thinking of doing carpet again?

[goaskalice]

I actually like carpet because we're a no shoe house and it's just more comfortable and warm in my opinion. In that room I'd stick with carpet as long as you're comfortable with it. Otherwise, our laminate has been really durable with pets, and a cozy rug can be nice too.

[glynn]

Would tile be a option? You would probably still need a rug but it should be cheaper than hardwood but durable. Carpet would be fine also IMO.

[lilac05]

I'd probably do carpet, too. Spend the extra money for the stain protector and a nice pad underneath.

How long are you planning to stay in the house? If you don't have plans to move, don't worry as much about over-improvement. It's not like you're talking about doing Italian marble of something super $$$$. The cost of wood can balance out over time. It may be twice as expensive now, but in 20 years, you will have replaced the carpet at least once, but the wood will still be there.

We just had a similar thing. We "over-improved" our basement bathroom by doing tile instead of vinyl. The basement just flooded. If we had done vinyl, it would have been ruined less than 2 years after installation. We just mopped up the tile & are now money ahead!

[Susie]

Regular old tile could be an option.  This bathroom is off the family room:

 
and that tile (13x13) is still available in both that size and in 20x20.  That could be an option.

Apr 24, 2014 16:08:54 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

How long are you planning to stay in the house?  

Indefinitely?  No plans to move.

[lilac05]

I think tile depends on your area. Friends in TX had tile in their living room & it looked nice. Their carpet just covered their seating area, and didn't leave any room for sitting on the floor, though. I don't mind sitting on wood, but sitting on tile was really uncomfortable. When we moved to the Midwest, we saw a house with a tile living room & it looked very out of place. The realtor said it had been on the market forever, and most people hated the tile.

If you're planning on being there indefinitely, do what you want & don't worry about over-improving.

[msmerymac]

Eh, my parents had tile in their family room and put wall-to-wall carpet over it because it was on a slab and it was cold. And hard (when my brother and I were smaller). But this was the late 80s/early 90s when carpet wasn't that big of a deal. Still, it seemed much cozier. They had a wood stove instead of an open fireplace, which seemed to keep the sparks in line, though. We had hardwood almost everywhere else in the house and I begged for carpet for my room, too, because it was cold.

I'd lean towards either a cheaper "wood" option like wood-look laminate (which wouldn't be as scratched by the dogs and easy to clean) or carpet. Maybe get a nicer carpet with a warranty that will last longer?


ETA: This was in upstate NY, so the saltillo tile family room also seemed out of place. 

[sjh722]

I like the idea of regular tile + radiant heat. Is that an option?

I'm not opposed to carpet, we have it in quite a bit of our house, but I think the radiant heat would really be nice on the slab. Carpet can still feel kind of hard and chilly (thinking of my finished basements).

[kaylie]

The only option I hate is tile. I would feel differently if you were in Florida or Texas, but I think it would be really out of place in a room like that.

I'm normally a big cheerleader for hardwood, but I think the dogs would be pretty rough on it. If it were my house I would probably go with a higher end laminate or carpet.

[Deleted]

I know how messy it is to carry in firewood, so I wouldn't want carpet for that reason. I can't tell from the pics, but would it be feasible to put tile in front of the fire place, maybe 3-4' deep and the rest be carpet?

[h]

I don't really like tile in living areas--too hard on feet and too cold. I would prefer hardwoods and think engineered wood would be fine (and maybe necessary since you're on slab). But if you want carpet, I don't think it's a bad choice.

[zarapipe]

I could not do carpet bc of the following reasons, dog accidents, coming inside and outside, especially with wood in the future and since you eat in there. Any hard flooring would be good imo. This is your forever home, right? If so forget about over improving, do what you really want on the floor.

BTW, love the sofa, where is it from?

[Susie]

Apr 24, 2014 16:31:02 GMT -5 zarapipe said:

BTW, love the sofa, where is it from?

Um, I don't know.  It was a hand me down from a friend who moved to a house that didn't have a room big enough for it

but thanks!

[Susie]

Apr 24, 2014 16:30:07 GMT -5 @ruralrabbit1 said:

I know how messy it is to carry in firewood, so I wouldn't want carpet for that reason. I can't tell from the pics, but would it be feasible to put tile in front of the fire place, maybe 3-4' deep and the rest be carpet?

My only hesitation with a solution like that is that we plan to replace the furniture (sectional and coffee table are both hand me downs) and I'm not sure it's a good idea to "draw a line" on the floor with flooring types when we're not sure about furniture arrangement/placement/size/shape.  Seems ripe for winding up with something that looks funny.

Apr 24, 2014 16:23:31 GMT -5 sjh722 said:

I like the idea of regular tile + radiant heat. Is that an option?

It is in theory.  I haven't priced it out for a room that size; it'd be expensive.  But possible.

[UnderProtest]

Given your situation, I would do carpet. I think tile is even colder and less homey than hardwood or laminate and it just doesn't make financial sense to do radiant heat and wood or wood laminate. But for funsies, what is the price difference between radiant heat with laminate vs. decent quality carpet?

[bunch]

I'd do tile. We did faux wood tile in front of our wood stove and we've said over and over what a nightmare it would have been to do anything but.

[hurricanedrunk]

Based on your options I would do carpet or a LVP in that area. With the coldness in mind I lean towards the carpet option. There are ton of subtle patterns and frise (thicker/ longer pile, kind of like a shag) so you don't have to do a basic plush (it kind of looks like you already have something with a pattern). I have dogs too so I understand wanting to go to a hard surface. LVP (luxury vinyl planks) have come a long way in visuals, a lot of it is hard to tell that it's fake wood. Plus it will be warmer underfoot, hold up better to your dogs and less expensive than the real stuff.

[hbomdiggity]

There is no way I would do tile in a living space in upstate NY. It would be cold, hard, and out if place in that region. And while I love wood look tile, I think its a pretty modern look and doesn't fit in your traditional home.

It sounds like carpet would be a pain, and I am also one of those carpet haters.

I would investigate engineered hardwood. Traditional hardwood is not really an option due to the slab and I hate laminate. I think this is something in between.

[karinothing]

I would not do tile, I just don't think it is comfortable for lounging around and I feel like that is what a living room is for. I also think that the wood look tile is very trendy and will be out of style before too long.

I would probably do hardwood or vinyl plank. Vinyl plank should hold up better to the dogs, but I think a really hard hardwood might not be that bad either. I would just get a big rug. If it is a slab you can always have them build a subfloor before installing hardwood.

[BeagleMama]

Apr 24, 2014 19:06:40 GMT -5 swizz said:

There ain't NO way I'd have carpet in a main living area with pets that even very occasionally have accidents in the house. It only takes ONE spot and then it's damn near impossible to get them to never do it again (though I think your dogs are better behaved than mine, lol).

I don't know how radiant heat works, but it sounds it's possible it could break and need fixing at some point? Also, drop a wine glass on tile and it WILL shatter and be a total PITA to clean up.

I'd go hardwood. We have laminate now (it's a rental) and it's VERY slippery for the dog. I've had to put down shelf liner for her mostly because of the injury, but I likely would have regardless just to prevent possible injury.

Completely agree.

We have pets and an entire house of hardwood. It is possibly the best.thing.ever. No worries about stains, dirt or clean up. Spray, wipe, done. Maybe a hardwood with a rustic look would welcome the inevitable scrapes and dents from dogs and use.