New kitchen flooring - what to put down?


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Old 09-26-06, 09:18 AM
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New kitchen flooring - what to put down?

I'm going to remove the current tile floor in our kitchen. I believe the prep for it was not done correctly (bought the house that way, didn't do it), as we've got tiles popping and cracking, grout coming out, generally it now looks like crap.

I'm not convinced on going with ceramic tile again, it seems like the kids like to have the dropsies when it comes to handling glasses, which like to shatter very nicely, or soup cans, which like to chip/crack the tiles. The wife doesn't want just sheet vinyl flooring.

What can you all recommend to put down? I'm thinking it will be some type of hardwood or laminate, but can these take the kitchen abuse, especially spills? I've seen some laminate flooring jobs after 3-5 years, that don't really look too good, but I don't know if it's due to possibly an inferior product, or just the general wear. Any ideas on a certain product? This installation is above an unheated crawl space, if that matters. The construction is just the underlayment on top of the floor joists.


Thanks for the help.
 
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Old 09-26-06, 01:17 PM
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no floor is perfect or best for everyone, nothing lasts forever & they can all be damaged, just by different things. all of which will be made worse by lack of adequate prep work, improper installation & cheap/low quality materials.

kitchens tend to be wet areas (splashes from doing dishes, spills, etc) and laminate & wood don't like water. if spills aren't wiped up immediately, laminate will DE-laminate & bubble or worse, swell & buckle. the finish on real hardwood will actually stand up better & has the potential to be refinished when needed, but it too will swell & buckle from a big spill.

however, there are some solid vinyl laminates made for wet areas, such as iCore and Amtico and they supposedly look like real wood. more expensive than regular laminate though.

tile or sheet vinyl/linoleum are better as far as water goes. but of course, tiles can crack & vinyl can be gouged or torn or discolored.

you just need to weigh the pro's and con's that are applicable to your family members, pets, your specific style of living, the decor you want & possible mass appeal for resale.
 
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Old 11-15-06, 05:42 AM
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Installing

I am already well into an overhaul of my kitchen. The old kitchen looked like crap and we gutted down to the brick. We have since re-hung new drywall and should finish up our final coat(s) in the next day or so, and have the walls primed and ready to go.

Since this is my first time taking part in this extensive of a project, as well as my first time hanging kitchen cabinets, I am preparing for the worst. I have tried to prepare all that I can, reading forums and books, but some of the simplest questions that I have I cannot seem to find.

First, I think I already know the answer to this, but is it perfectly ok to paint after the cabinets are hung? They is a small piece of the wall right below the ceiling that is 2” that will probably need to be painted beforehand, although when we put up the molding around the top of the cabinets, it will likely cover that. It just seems to make more sense to paint after because of the chance that we will bang into the walls and possibly scrape the paint.

Second, we were told by the associate at Lowes that we can put the cabinets in first and then lay the floor, since we are probably going with a laminate flooring surface. Does this make sense? If so, should we lay the floor where appliances are going, such as the dishwasher and range? It seems to make more sense since if we ever have to pull a dishwasher out, it would be easier if the floor under it is level with the floor in front of it.

As I stated, right now we have the walls up and most of the spackling done. We are going to be sanding tonight tomorrow, and hopefully priming then, too. My plan is to start these things this weekend, as Lowes is coming out to measure the counter-top on December 5.

Any suggestions you have that could reduce the amount of stress in the project are greatly appreciated. I am not real worried about hanging the cabinets, just sounds very tedious.
 
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Old 11-15-06, 06:32 AM
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There is a vinyl plank made by Earthwerks, (correct spelling), called Wood Classic Plank that, when down, is difficult to tell from real wood. The surface has a wood grain texture to the feel, it has a very realistic sheen, and is very kitchen friendly. It's a bit more expensive by the foot than laminates and most vinyls, but if you're after a wood look, this is the closest I've personally seen to the real thing without the wet area issues. I discovered it when visiting friends who had just put it in their front entry and kitchen. When I commented on the nice wood floor, I got a big surprise. I'm in the floor trade and it fooled me. It's now been in their house about four years and looks as good as the day they put it in. If you decide to go with it though, don't follow the directions to the letter. I sold some to some folks who did, I didn't think to warn them, and none of us were pleased. The directions as far as pattern are concerned, leave a very distinct and regularly repeated and even pattern causing it to be much more obvious the floor is not actually wood. Make the pattern more random and it will be a more pleasing appearance. My friend's wife loves the stuff due to the ease of maintenance.
Tone 0322 - I'm not a painter, but all of the new construction jobs I've been on have the walls painted before hanging the cabinets, but not where they go completely. Those areas will be painted enough that the cabinets will cover them nicely and that's it. I have painted around cabinets before and, as a non-pro, had lots of cleaning off the cabinets to do, even with masking them off. As for the floor, Put the floor in after the cabinets if you're going with a laminate. The stuff needs to be able to move and the cabinets may impede the process. There is also the replacing the floor factor. It's much easier to do if the cabinets are not on the laminate. Any appliances that will allow the floor to be somewhat visible, such as a 'fridge, should have the flooring under them. Things like dishwashers or compactors can have equal thickness plywood instead to shim the appliance up to the same level as the laminate. Run the flooring far enough under that the marriage line won't show and I normally just caulk the joint so nothing can get into it but there's no hump to try to get over when removing the appliance.
 
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Old 11-15-06, 08:38 AM
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Thanks for the advice.
 
 

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