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Yesterday I bought a case of this "vinyl wood" so I could lay out a few pieces (escape from the tyranny of small samples, lol). I had laid out a few pieces this afternoon but had been looking at it from inside the kitchen. Just went downstairs for a cup of coffee and as soon as I rounded the corner I had a clear view from the hardwood in the living room straight on to the pieces laying in the kitchen... ugh. Big huge fat YUCKO! It looks cheap and fake beside the 'liveliness' of the existing hardwood.

Nope, I think I'll go look for a better vinyl tile in a decent pattern OR possibly cork. I am not going to end up with a floor I hate.

ItsMargo wrote:Nope, I think I'll go look for a better vinyl tile in a decent pattern OR possibly cork. I am not going to end up with a floor I hate.

Have you considered ceramic (porcelain) tile?

Easy to lay. Easy to clean and maintain.... Nice neutral no-pattern shades that go with any colour scheme... ?

I have rental houses & they are always in need of repair, because of that I get whatever I can free. I have a friend that builds million/trillion dollar homes & he gives me left overs. Go for a drive where they are building homes, walk thru & check out what is thrown around the construction site. Ask the cleanest guy there, he's the super, if you can have the left over flooring. The guys would rather give the stuff to a real cute gurl than throw it away. Wood is very popular now, you'll get enough to do your floor, if not just take what you can & keep going back till you do. LOL, you can't even imagine the really expensive stuff they give me.

While you're at it ask for the left over glue, stain & sealer & grab some trim board too. Make sure you give him your tely number just in case. I recently got a stackable washer/dryer - freebie & brand new.

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Cork - if you have already considered it.

Warm underfoot. i've even dropped best glassware on a cork floor and it has bounced, not broken. Just make sure you seal it well and be prepared to do an annual sand down and reseal to keep it looking good.

Leaks? Just replace the damaged tile(s).

Best kitchen floor i have had.

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Now that's cool, the google ad is all about flooring.

Virtually all of my remodel work envolves the "wet areas" of a home: kitchen and bath.

I always recommend my clients stay away from wood/laminate flooring in these areas. Yes, it looks pretty, but typically by the time water damage is noticed it is far worst than it appears ($$$). It is extremely rare that a small area can be repaired/matched easily.

Tile is my preference and what I will install in my home. In addition, there is a wider gap in products/quality than most think: saltillo, stone, ceramic, porcelain, granite, etc... Of course, cost (material and labor) varies accordingly. If you go with this choice, put a good quality sealant on it afterwards. One can always use a pad/rug to insulate their tooties from the cold nature of the material (which I will do because I have cold feet).

Vinyl flooring is a comparitively inexpensive alternative, but, again, you get what you pay for. Look at the edge of the vinyl. The cheaper alternative has a very thin veneer and not recommended for high traffic areas. THe opposite is true for better (commercial) grade vinyl.

good luck!

Your sub floor is sound as so is the present Armstrong poroduct correct?
Might I make a suggestion thats not only inexpensive but also saves your present flooring being its a great product.
You can literally refinish the existing product. I've done my own floors many times after learning this handymans trick.
If you want to test this buy a piece of flooring and try it out first. You can primer seal your entire floor, pain it any color you want, add any stenciled pattern your heart desires, and polyureathane over it. It will take one coat of primer, one coat of color, and one coat of poly. Each layer has to dry for 8-12 hours depending on the humidity. Two coats of poly work better but most people dont want to stay out of their kitchen that long. This is an old way realtors used to "renew" old floors in rentals to make them look new again. It works well.

No offense xlr8, but I've seen painted floors & it does not look good, in fact it looks like you are too poor to buy new so you painted your floor. Not the look I want in my house. I don't like shabby sheik, but to each their own.

No offense taken but I've sold two houses with painted floors they thought were new.
Its all in how creative you can be. I was in advertising for years and I do have a degree
in design and have studied fine art. I've helped many friends do the same.

Just a caution against ceramic kitchen floors. If you cook a lot they're really hard are your legs. After cooking all day on tile I don't want to do anything else. I'd put down anything else in a kitchen.

I rejected cork for maintenance issues, wood for finish and slipperiness when wet (people stand in my kitchen with dripping bathing suits), good vinyl for the whole glue it down thing. I was told a good laminate could stand up to that degree of water and that has proved true. It has an odd slightly grippy feel underfoot that I like (walk on it barefoot and see if you like it), it cleans easily, is comfortable to cook on, looks brand new after about 4 yrs (I know that's not a long time but it's all I've got), and it's free floating so I hope won't be a major production if I decide to change it out. If your concern is grain, I know someone who put down a stone pattern laminate, less slippery than stone and looks great in her kitchen.

I know a lot of people are anti laminate, but it's worked well for me.