Flooring ideas?

[simpsongal]

A friend of mine wants to rip up the carpet in her family room and replace it w/something more durable.  I recommended a good local flooring store and she asked if I would tag along to look at options. 

It's a large family room (like 20 x 30?) that's a step down from the rest of the first floor (which has blonde HWs and tile).  There's sliding doors that lead to a pool (although folks tend to go through a different room for the pool), they have dogs and young kids and are looking for something more durable.  The room has a fireplace and a very large sectional - I suspect she'll put a giant area rug down on whatever she installs, but I'll ask.  It's a grand, expensive house w/~14 foot ceilings.  She was working w/a designer on some updates but I think they didn't really get along.  There's also a staircase off the room (there's another fancier staircase but I think they use this one more often) and I'm not sure if she'll planning to take the carpet up there too...probably?

Thoughts on what to install?  The flooring place suggested LVP, I thought engineered hardwood might hold up well, though she's nervous about having two different HW floors next to each other (fair concern).  She's also considering tile.  Though tile seems so hard for a family room (plus I bet it would require more prep to lay since it's going in a previously carpeted room).

[Susie]

Are matched HWs with area rug out of the running?

Both our last house and our current one have a family room that is a step down from the kitchen, and in both cases the kitchen was some form of tile or tile-look flooring.

In our last house we had wall to wall carpet in the family room. With this house we opted to do the same HWs that are in the rest of the house (other than the kitchen). It isn't continuous with the other HWs, but it's still nice to be in the kitchen and look at an angle and see the same thing through multiple doorways, into the family room, office, hall, and dining room.

[simpsongal]

Susie, I can ask though I think she's nervous about the durability of HWs longer term. Truth be told, I think she should consider refinishing her blonde hardwoods (they have a real 90s/early 2000s look), but I don't think she's ready to go that far w/changes yet (the 2 story curved stair case is also blonde HW, big job).

[penguingrrl]

I personally would avoid tile, but in general I find tile really super uncomfortable under the feet and IME it doesn’t hold up well (we had tile in one of our rental kitchens and pieces were constantly chipping and that led to several cracking). I was going to say LVP. We’re redoing our family room and that’s what we’ll be using at the recommendation of our contractor.

[dr.girlfriend]

Isn't there LVP that looks kinda like tile? Googling tells me maybe they call it LVT instead of LVP, but it exists, and sounds like the best of both worlds.

[orval]

Jul 5, 2022 16:56:01 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Isn't there LVP that looks kinda like tile? Googling tells me maybe they call it LVT instead of LVP, but it exists, and sounds like the best of both worlds.

This is what I was going to suggest too. There are a bunch of lvp that looks like tile.  I wouldn't do wood or tile.   I don't think engineered would hold up.

[winecat]

What about Marmoleum? It's got a lot of what she's looking for and it's more environmentally friendly. I can also be repaired/refinished if it gets damaged. It comes in lots of different colors and can be laid out in a decorative designs. www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Forbo-Marmoleum

[hbomdiggity]

Jul 5, 2022 14:53:51 GMT -5 Susie said:

Are matched HWs with area rug out of the running?

This is the only option IMO.

The right HW are durable. And they can be refinished.

While tile is commonplace in warmer climates (SoCal, FL, prob AZ) if that isn’t the location then avoid. Also, my mom has slate kitchen and it is really really hard to the point I started wearing shoes while visiting.

You said this was a really nice/grand house. Sorry, no LVP.

[Susie]

Jul 6, 2022 14:13:20 GMT -5 hbomdiggity said:

Jul 5, 2022 14:53:51 GMT -5 Susie said:

Are matched HWs with area rug out of the running?

This is the only option IMO.

The right HW are durable. And they can be refinished.

While tile is commonplace in warmer climates (SoCal, FL, prob AZ) if that isn’t the location then avoid. Also, my mom has slate kitchen and it is really really hard to the point I started wearing shoes while visiting.

You said this was a really nice/grand house. Sorry, no LVP.

Yeah, I'm here.  I just can't think of anything else that would be suitable.  600 sq. ft. is significant, we're not talking about a little powder room with a door that's often closed.  This is going to have a significant impact on the feel of the space.  

LVP is practical, but practical isn't the target when you have 14' ceilings and house described as "grand" or "expensive."

600 sq. ft. of tile is going to feel cold, harsh, unwelcoming, basically the opposite of what you want in a family room.  You guys are south of me, but not by enough!  Who wants to sit by a fire with tile underfoot?  Pass.  

Carpet doesn't appeal to me with an exterior doorway, even if it's infrequently used.  Our last house had that, and we just treated the door like a window and never opened it.  

I just can't think of anything besides HW with an area rug and a generously sized rug at the exterior door.  If she doesn't like her existing hardwoods, then go with what she likes for this room, and change the rest in time.

[bittybomb]

Jul 6, 2022 14:13:20 GMT -5 hbomdiggity said:

Jul 5, 2022 14:53:51 GMT -5 Susie said:

Are matched HWs with area rug out of the running?

This is the only option IMO.

The right HW are durable. And they can be refinished.

While tile is commonplace in warmer climates (SoCal, FL, prob AZ) if that isn’t the location then avoid. Also, my mom has slate kitchen and it is really really hard to the point I started wearing shoes while visiting.

You said this was a really nice/grand house. Sorry, no LVP.

100% agree.  

My mom had slate in her kitchen too, and on the rare occasion it got wet, it was slippery and dangerous as hell on top of being hard.

[simpsongal]

Y’all were on it - she’s going with hardwood to match. Ty!