Steph it looks so good. We wish we had had the manufactured home place put vinyl through our whole house. Oh well live and learn. That is great you found Jed to help you.

It does look good. Isn't it amazing how adding something like floor or a counter really changes the whole look. And a floor makes it all so much easier to keep clean. I still haven't pulled the trigger on a floor color yet and the grit is driving me nuts.

Looks good. You will be able to sweep up fur balls very easily !:) I have (porcelain) tile in the kitchen and really like how easy it is to clean.
If you carry it throughout the DR/LR & bedroom why not pick a fun color for those rooms ? There are so many vinyl tile choices today.

thx!

shades - that you wish you had it all through says a lot... I probably should (and probably will) have him put it in those other rooms too. I keep thinking maybe I should have wood laminate in those. My furniture is big, heavy dark wood antiques and my mind thinks they'll look strange on it. I've only ever had them on carpet or hardwood. I do plan to have area rugs in most rooms and maybe those will make it work.

marti - what a difference! I walk in there and shake my head saying 'oh my, oh my'. And the cleaning part - ugh without it. And the splinters I've gotten in my feet - that's a literal pain!

For the past yr or so my sister has constantly been saying 'just go buy something, anything and get a floor down!' I knew I'd regret doing that - but boy was I sick of looking at flooring (in the stores and online). I was also sick of my sister saying that to me. I'm so glad that is over - and it's probably a good reason to just go with this everywhere. It'd also do away with the need for transition pieces in the doorways where it would change.

AND I need to remember THIS -

She ran, slid and skid over this flooring (36 sq ft of it) for weeks - with no damage to it. I doubt that'd be the result if it was laminate. Her nails are sharp. I have scabs and scars to support that!

AND it'd do away with this problem - the walls on the left and right where the hall flows into the LR don't line up and I have no idea how to deal with that if changing the flooring in the LR. Could just do an angle from one to the other but I really don't like that idea.

My youngest son is supposed to be coming out next week for 2 days. Hopefully he can help me decide on a few things. And he can do a lot of things! He already told me to have a list ready for him. I'm just hoping this stuff I hear on the news about American airlines doesn't create a problem for him - his flight back is on American.

It is looking great, Steph! I never planned to use the same linoleum that we used in the kitchen and family room in the foyer and the hallways too, but we did, and it looks seriously good. Cutting up the house with too many different flooring choices can be a bad thing. Our bedrooms are still carpet. In our room, it is stained and needs to go. In Dad's former room, now my exercise and craft room, we took out the carpet and have splinters and occasional staples. The third bedroom had the newest carpet, and that is now the sauna room. With a little sauna hut and a freezer and two cupboards sitting on it, that carpet is there to stay!

I would stay with your one color throughout. Get a big area rug for your bedroom. One that matches Miss Baby pretty well!

That looks really nice! Is it easy to put down?

"why not pick a fun color for those rooms"

yikes! It took me so long to pick this out - lol! Actually, I don't remember seeing it in other colors - but I wanted something beigey. Not too dark - shows dust and stuff more.

"One that matches Miss Baby pretty well!"

she's weird - her fur seems to float off as a white/cream color. I think I lucked in with this flooring! I don't think a reddish brown rug would go well with the purple/green bedroom I plan to have!

If I can still get more of the flooring at a good price I'm planning to go ahead and put it thru-out. It'll solve transition area problems and the merge into the LR (pic'd above).

deedles- it's a 3 tile plank that has a sticky edge on 1 side and 1 end. One of the reasons I did pick it was because I thought it'd be easier for me to put down. So far I've just let him do it. Looks like more work than I want to do anyway.

He worked on it 6 hrs today doing the trim areas around in the kitchen, the area for the fridge, the short hall past the pantry and the floor of the pantry. It was mostly cutting planks to fit the edges, around doorways etc. It doesn't take as much time doing a straight room. That 6 hrs includes the time I had him holding the new light fixture up to the ceiling in 3 areas to see how I liked it, checking the hall bathroom floor where I thought it might be leaking and then checking if he could put the screen on the patio door without his ladder (no).

Some areas weren't very straight so that caused him some extra trimming. He's doing a very good job but he isn't a regular floor guy and is learning as he goes. He did say he thought it'd be easier/faster to do tiles that are all sticky on the back than to have to get them to line up on the sticky 'ledge' of another plank.

I'm glad everyone likes it! There are some areas in the pics that look like splotches of grey on it but it doesn't show like that when you are standing or walking on it. It must show up so much because of the camera angle.

It will look great in your purple and green ("The Loretta") and the neutral gray and white flooring will accept any matching area rug. Are you going to do silver accessories?

Baby seems to have a double coat. I have a golden dog who only sheds in whitish cream undercoat. It is soft and fluffy and goes right up your nose if you breathe with it nearby. The birds favor it in the spring for nest-lining. I have had two black dogs who shed gray undercoat fluff in the past, too. The bad thing about poor golden Toby is that he is shedding undercoat ALWAYS and that means that anything you are wearing when he sits on your lap is covered with his fuzz. I have a pinny-style apron for working in the kitchen after being around Toby. It covers the entire front and back and ties at the sides. You still have to roll up sleeves or use the pet-hair roller on them. Poor Toby gets shoo-ed away because I am in good clothes or hope to cook or eat later.

"your purple and green ("The Loretta")"
yep! I should remember to call it that too.

don't know that I'll specifically use silver accessories but the hardware type things in the bathroom will mostly be silverish (SS or nickel I think). I did find a lotion bottle that's cream with green and purple on it - and silver on the cap. I bought that right up when I saw it - about 2 yrs ago - lol!

"Baby seems to have a double coat."

that's what I thought when I started finding globs of the white/cream fur in here. She sheds a lot more than my girl did (or maybe it's 'cause I had carpet there and didn't notice it as much). Dog fur was what was mostly in my vacuum bags.

the birds - maybe that's why she doesn't like them! She barks at them (and paper) and tries to chase them. She will bark at one flying several acres away that I can barely see!

I will have to put her outside if I try to do any real cooking. I did that with my girl too.

"The Loretta" I miss postings from her.

We are going to town tomorrow and I plan on buying some tiles for samples for our floors. I am so sick of the carpets. Those small carpet rugs are perfect for us to use. And this will slow the dogs down some too. So much easier to clean the vinyl. I do like the idea of the peel and stick tiles. I know we can do those. I guess measuring right will be the hardest part of it to get enough of the same. I am okay with it not matching as long as it blends in.

I bet you are thrilled to be finally getting your floors. They look so good.

And our Tillie is black and sheds fine gray hair from her under coat. The skunk bath helped some of that hair turn loose. I also bought a new canister vacuum and it is fairly quiet considering. The dogs do not mind me using the vacuum on them once they learned it was not going to hurt them and cookies galore.

shades - I got mine at Lowe's. Here they don't normally have it in the store but it is online. I think someone ordered this online to be picked up at the store and then didn't want it. Any more I get I'm sure I'll have to preorder.

It comes in a box of 36 sq ft. They call it a 'tile' but it's 3 'tiles' in each plank. each plank is 12" x 36". If you look at the first pic you can see the edge along the left of the 'tiles' sticking out (on the lower left). That has a paper over the sticky tab along the side. You remove the paper and then line up the next 'tile' (plank) along that and then press down. It says to use a 100 lb roller on it but Jed thought his feet would work just as well. He has a lot more than 100 lbs above his feet - lol! (bless his heart) I think he's probably right on that and it'll be fine. There's no horrible glue smell with it to make me sick.

I think you'll be ok if you just get something that doesn't shout 'I'm different'.

I am really loving it. I think being able to run the dust mop thing over it and a damp mop will be wonderful!

I've also always used the vacuum on my dogs. Puppy loves it too but she was a bit skittish at first. I think it must feel like a massage to them.

steph-not sure if you have one or not but I am really enjoying my steam mop. It's super easy and relatively quick and does a good job. The cord is pretty long also. The pad is re-usable. I've had the same one for almost 2 years now, just wash and re-attach (velcro). It's so easy that hubby will even do it and that is a bonus. Until we got that I always did the floors on my hands and knees, so glad I've moved on from that!

Loretta has popped in occasionally to say she is lurking, but not posting much. I miss her, too.

I sure wish I had taught Toby to tolerate the vacuum. I think he has become hairier and hairier as he has gotten older. When he was young, his hair was very short. Then he got a bit of curly cowlick between his shoulder blades. Then he started getting the undercoat and his outer hair got longer. Now he gets "tufts" of white fuzz all over for months in the spring and early summer. Luckily, he likes to be brushed, but you have to vacuum yourself or change clothes afterward!

Glad you are getting the rest of your flooring in, Chris. I know what it is like to hate your flooring. We hated the off-white carpet in our halls here for six years before we were able to get rid of it.

I will have to look into those steam cleaners for a Christmas gift for the house. Does it leave water on the floor at all, Autumn?

How is it coming, Steph?

Autumn do you use your steam mop on vinyl? I have been so tempted but then I read not to use it on vinyl. And then see them doing it on TV. I hand mop with vinegar water and the floors look great but the steam seems like it would be co much cleaner.

Hi shades - actually I use it on porecelain tile but I WISHED I had it when we had the vinyl. We put tile down last year as our vinyl was shot and since we diy it wasn't so pricey and we hope it will last longer. My mother in law used it on her vinyl though and that's where I first saw it. It does a great job even with the sticky mysterious drips that come from the boys pouring milk/gatorade and whatnot. What I like about the steam is that it dries so quickly so you can put furniture back almost immediately and I don't have to try to keep anyone off the floors while they dry. I should probably still do hands and knees monthly to get the high traffic grout areas better but it doesn't always happen that frequently.

Autumn - I actually do have one that my sister gave me. I hope I don't have to use it tho - lol! I don't know what it'd do the the sticky side tabs on it. I'm hoping that the sponge mop will do mostly. It's just me and my 'nameless' baby here.

I won't be on my hands and knees unless it's just a spot or 2 that are really bad. Not w/out an inhouse crane with a remote control - lol! I did get down on my knees last weekend tho w/tooth brush to clean around the cabinet base edge prior to the new floor going down in that area. Sure don't want that happening much ever again.

nancy - my youngest son is here for 2 days and he's doing up a bunch of things on my list. What he can do with just the tools I have here. He has 3 or 4 rentals and is redoing the cabin he now lives in so he knows how to do most everything. Wish he could stay longer - even to just visit but he's missing his boys - and they are missing him.

but I'm sure picking his brain on 'what to do' about a number of things around here that I haven't a clue on.

he pulled the phone wire into the tv room and connected it the phone box outside - plus dug a trench to bury it - after running it thru a piece of pvc pipe. fixed the weather stripping on my front door (that I left partially done 'cause I knew something was wrong with it) and fixed the deadbolt on it. Worked on the LR fan/light. He cleaned it good, pulled it out of the ceiling (told me how badly it was installed and how cheap the fan was - lol!), then he put electrical tape where needed (as he said a few choice words under his breath for the shoddy install), got it all done. It still wobbles 'cause a piece of something is broken but I told him not to waste his time on it because I planned to get a new one next spring. but it's clean now and the light on it works.

he put a chain guard on the front security door, moved the metal steps at the old place to the back door here (put these old wobbly steps to the back door at old place), clean up all around it (raking out tons of weeds), moved a bunch of cement slabs (skirting) - he just got it all nifty like I've never seen it! Then he spent some time picking up stuff on the land (blows over from other places and people toss out of their cars by the road). Filled a huge trash bin plus a pile stacked up next to it to put in the bin next wk. That was just today. Then he went out to meet some old friends from his HS days.
wow. I'm now exhausted from seeing him do all of that today.

last night he spent time working on my computer and added on a video prog needed to watch the videos he made of my gboys! He made me promise that the next time I needed a computer I'd let him buy it (me pay for it tho - lol!) but he knows 'em and does the buying of them for his work place. better prices.

Tomorrow I'm going to have him clean the top shelves of my cabinets - my stubby arms can't reach far enough into them!

Wow, Steph, your son is a "safety first" kind of guy, making sure his mom is snug, but safe in her new digs. Good for him! With all the clean up and moving stuff around, you must feel like he is a godsend. I am glad he was able to do those things for you. So did you start watching the videos of your grandbabies, or do you have to wait for him to send them?

Thanks for the steam mop information Autumn. so far I am just hand mopping with vinegar water. The steam just seems like it would be so clean.

WOW Steph. I need a nap after reading all that has been going on at your place. sounds wonderful for you and huge progress. That is so nice of your Son to help you out.

We had a dog named Lady once, a white brown black and tan beagle. Mom had a braided oval rug in the same colors, white brown black and tan. Mom used to scold her"Now please shed in the right places,Lady."

"Wow, Steph, your son is a "safety first" kind of guy, making sure his mom is snug, but safe in her new digs."

and thank goodness for that! I know that for the past few yrs he's wished he could get out here and help me a bit. Between a new baby (now 3 yo), 3 houses to fix up to rent out (1 at least needed a new roof), the 'new' to him but very, very old cabin (that needed rewired asap), heating system changed (it heats by wood burning. the wood is free from the land around it (only fallen wood) but he still needs to cut, haul and stack it) plus his job so it's not worked out for him. I do wish he could have been here longer tho - just to sit and chat!
I did see the video of the gkids! He'd mailed it but my dvd player wasn't over here yet so I decided to wait til he got here. Then he said 'why didn't you view it on your computer?' duh. I totally forgot this computer will play dvds! It never crossed my mind. Tho, it wouldn't have worked and would have frustrated the heck outa me - cause it needed whatever that prog was that he downloaded to it. It took some figuring for him (and my system is slow - he says). Things like that drive me nutso. but he transferred them onto my computer so I can review them anytime now.

"WOW Steph. I need a nap after reading all that has been going on at your place"

shades - lol! that's why I posted above that I was exhausted just watching him and crossing things off the list. He'd sit down for a few minutes outside to chat/rest but then he'd be up and going again. He said he felt bad he didn't get more done - but I kept saying 'but you've done so much already!' The best thing he did tho was the boost to my heart - and my eyeballs!

I had listed about 18 or so things that he could do (with tools I had here) and things up high I couldn't reach and the stuff outside I'm not strong enough to do (a lot of arm use messes up my back also) and he got through at least 11 of them - plus a few things not on the list. And 'picking up stuff' outside on the list did NOT mean 2 huge trash bins full, plus a large box and a few piles next to the bins for future weeks to put in the bin. yikes - I had no idea that much was out there! guess spread over the acres it didn't seem like a lot. plus he picked up/put in bins stuff from the 'set up' work here that I'd have just left for the 'guys' to take when they come back (someday hopefully). At least for now. I just thought with all the stuff laying around my place it looked scary and unkept like so no one would want to bother it (break in). Shoot, it gets cleaned up too much and looks too good I could be a target. Someone might think I have something worth stealing. I never worried about that in the old trailer - lol!

oh, and a few things on the list were things I wanted to ask about just because I wanted his opinion on a few things. I thought it'd be good to get another idea/opinion on a few things in case my thinking was too stuck 'in the box'. With all the redoing he's done I thought he'd have a different view of some things.

And he moved my 2nd dog house from the front of the old trailer back to the outside of pup's pen (she has one inside the pen). Now she has one outside too. That was a good idea so now if it rains while she's cabled out of the pen she can get into the house and stay dry. I won't have to run out in the rain to put her in the pen.

On Fri night we went down the road to my sister's house for dinner. He got to see her new house, land and view. He was very impressed with it! (it is beautiful) We had a great dinner (salad and veggie burgers) but I was getting sooooo tired I was having trouble walking.

jannie - that's smart thinking. the pup's 'shedding' does look a lot like my flooring. That's really important to think about when getting new flooring!

Steph, I love the new floor. It looks so 'high-end'! Your son did a great job.

thx idie! I really like it so far - love having flooring down. It sure took me long enough to figure out/find something that I liked, would work in here and I could afford.

glad to have ya posting here with us!

The floor looks great--I'm happy to see it coming together. I actually bought a box of the Allure wood-look planks to decide if I want to put them down in the playroom. Still can't make up my mind, LOL.

thx mamag. I'm happy about it also! Jed has most of the kitchen done, most of the hall and most of one of the back bdrms. A small part of the kitchen has to wait until a counter/bar is removed. He can't remove it til I take tons of stuff off of it. I gotta remember to do that. just don't know where I'll put stuff then... lol! at least til the floor is down and my table is brought over.
a few other places are mostly done up to the point they'll merge into another room.

Try putting down that box of allure unstuck together. I did that with these planks and put them right in the running / skidding path of the pup (who really isn't a pup anymore - she's probably pushing 2 now). I left them there for about 4-6 wks and pup did no damage to them. That clinched 'em for me. Try that - put them in an area that is walked on every day - by a dog too if you have one. If not - borrow one?

...by a dog too if you have one. If not - borrow one?

We have two, including a new one, 10wks old, who has spent the last couple of days digging up the flower bed outside the back door. He'd probably chew all the corners of the planks!

The Allure planks that I bought have an adhesive strip that attracts dust and dirt, which is very inconvenient for laying out a pattern ahead of time. There is a paper strip that separates each plank in the box, but it doesn't stick to the adhesive. I wanted the product that Lowe's used to sell, Surface Source, because the protective strip had to be peeled off the adhesive strip, but it's no longer available. It was less than half the price, too. :(

Lumber Liquidators sells a less expensive product that is peel and stick, but I like the idea of a floating floor--no damage will be done to the underlayment, and it will be easy to remove, if I ever want to change the flooring. (When I win the lottery, lol.) I wish they offered a checkerboard in the same style that you're using--I still want that for the kitchen. But, your floor looks so nice, I may reconsider.

well, at least you have a good supply of dog nails to test it out! i loved that the pup skid across it every day and many times a day and didn't damage it.

Mine does have paper strips over the adhesive tabs. I wouldn't like it either if it didn't! I also liked that it wouldn't be stuck to the underfloor and in case of a leak I could pull it up myself.

It's by Armstrong and at lowe's. It's listed under 'tiles' tho. I think I had to search for them under 'floating tiles' or 'Armstrong tiles' - even tho it is in planks. It's 3 tiles in 1 plank.

It was about 48.00 a bx at the time. A box = 36 sf.

Jed put down a 10 x 12 room in about 4 hrs. There's a ft to go around the doorway and floor register yet. I told him to leave it because his gma was in town and he was expected to be at his parents to see her. His BD is this wk and I guess that was gonna be their celebration. I didn't want him to be late for it. Being a gma myself - ya can't keep us waiting - lol! Work here can wait - it has for so long already. It isn't going away w/o him anyway.

The kitchen and hall took longer - but also has many, many things to cut around and it was his first time working with it.

You know we expect pictures once it's done!

you bet!

I've hit a major bump tho. I looked it up on Lowe's late last night. It isn't there anymore - yikes! They have 2 others - like a slate and something else. Both dark and busy to me.

oh boy, might have to figure out something else for the LR/DR and my bdrm - ugh!