Okay. I understand not wanting vinyl and vinyl plank isn't in your price range, anyway. But Coretec LVP has ZERO VOCs and is a green product. Just in case you didn't know.

REAL Linoleum is also a green product. Again, I doubt it's in your price range.

That leaves laminate, which you might be able to find in your price range. Probably not environmentally friendly. I've never had it bother me with off-gassing, though.

Is it a crawlspace foundation or is all of it slab?

Oh really?! And is it cheap? All slab, mostly new, except the one older section in the existing basement. Then 2nd floor with plywood subfloor in most of it, one section of old hardwood.

Well, you could get it down to around $3.49 sq. ft., maybe. Not in your price range.

Linoleum is made from linseed oil, I believe, but I think it's pricier.

Laminate? Very practical. MIGHT be able to find some in your price range. None of this includes install, though. Got your work clothes ready?

Coretec also already has the underlayment on it, attached. You'd have to lay a vapor barrier on the concrete part first, but that's it.

Thanks Kris. We've found a few options at Lumber Liquidators that are close to the price range, but we don't love them. Hoping for some outside the box ideas we haven't considered yet!

Well, I can give you outside the box ideas. But I don't know if they would pass code.

Tile will cost too much in labor. But you could certainly get material in your range.

Bring 'em on, can't hurt to ask!

Do you have ReStore in your area? You just might able to pick up flooring at this type of store that is in your budget. I have been truly surprised at the things they carry. A lot of overstock type items.

http://www.habitat.org/restores

You are asking for formaldehyde laden dreck shopping at LL. That will be worse than any vinyl thought about being. Tile might work, but only DIY, andyou'd still be outside the budget with materials only.

You just need to come to grips that your budget isn't remotely realistic for materials that aren't bottom of the barrel toxic. Much less materials and labor. You need to do some sweat equity here. Or live on a painted subfloor. If the bank will allow you to close the loan in that condition. If it got a COC, it might not appraise, and you'd need to bring money to the table.

Well, enamel painted plywood and painted concrete.

Then when you're ready for floors, you're ready for floors.

Agree about Lumber Liquidators. All that stuff is toxic and from China. You don't want it.

Know how to lay tile?

Be careful, google news for the company you mentioned--public knowledge.

I would look into cork flooring squares..very cool look,great on the feet and cheap. Starts at $1.80 sft....ifloor.com/cork

That's a great idea Home Interiors.

Thanks all. The only one I was really considering from LL is cork, and I want to say it passed Floor Score, but I need to double check. We looked at the cork samples at iFloor too and I liked them, but my sweetie wasn't too sure. Is iFloor any better than LL? The loan is already closed, it's an FHA reno refinance. Came with a contingency, which just got eaten up by a collapsing foundation section on the old house and additional requirements the city added after we had already closed. We're not opposed to sweat equity, but there are limitations on what we're allowed to do ourselves with this type of loan, so I need to talk to our HUD consultant. It looks like Flor sells random pattern carpet tiles for $1.00 each, which might not be too bad for the kid bedrooms. I'd be fine with painted floors, so I'll find out if that would pass. We do have a ReStore too.

Outside the box, cheap, eco-friendly? Well, how about...brown paper??

Yep, it is a thing... !

http://lovelycraftyhome.com/2011/11/09/the-ultimate-brown-paper-flooring-guide/#pagedown

Jen, I found that last night too and I'm definitely intrigued! Will look into it more...

Better check out cork's installation requirements. A FLAT subfloor is an understatement. It will telegraph as much humpty bumpty as a thin vinyl. Plus, the required glue, and the topcoat, will take it well above budget. And that is with DIY labor. I don't personally care for how badly cork fades, but it is comfortable underfoot.

Any "crafty" type floor, including just painting it, impedes the installation of a future floor. Plus, no Pro is gonna do that. That's DIY all the way. It has to be removed first before you put down whatever you decide to do later. Which ends up costing more. In the future. It pushes the budget problem out a couple of years. Maybe that helps the current situation. Maybe it just makes the future harder and more expensive to deal with.

I know you stated no vinyl....however these are actually peel and stick tiles we laid diagonally that have beveled edges that let you grout. Seriously not one person to date has commented that they are vinyl. Could NOT beat the pricing either.

Reinventing the house · More Info

Updating the main floor....LR and DR. · More Info

Updating the main floor....LR and DR. · More Info

Denise...wonderful tip! Looks nice:)

Sorry I disappeared for a bit there. @wanjess - we would be doing floating click cork flooring if we went that route. I'm worried a little about durability with kids though. Then I was thinking of engineered bamboo, but just read a bunch of stuff about issues with humidity causing big gaps down the road. I'm the PNW, so though not humid and hot like some areas, it's definitely a damp climate. @Denise - I wouldn't mind doing something like that in a kitchen, but it just feels too "cold" to me for bedrooms. And my issue with vinyl is the off-gassing.

LL and iFloor both carry Asian sourced products. And I've had to "source" product for iFloor before. Their sales people have ruined more cork floors just by answering questions. Really "not up" on the flooring industry. I've had to correct them SOOO many times. Do you know how many times I've had to answer the, "If that's true, why did iFloor tell me something else?"

And remember: cork glue down tiles = adhesive (adds $0.40/sf) and MUST be sealed ($0.50/sf total). That cheap $1.80/sf cork tile actually works out to be $2.70/sf and the INSTALLATION COSTS are around about the "porcelain tile labor costs".

Anything in your price range will have draw backs. I would find a name brand, low end laminate (7mm or 8mm laminate from Shaw or Armstrong) for $1.79/sf...and simply replace it in 5 years.

If you are serious about cork, check out iCork Floor LLC. They sell a 10mm or 11mm Cork floating floor for $1.99/sf with excellent VOC ratings. Install it (don't seal it) and then when you have a few more dollars in the bank you seal the flooring in a year or two. Tada...25 year family floor without VOC concerns.

LL and iFloor have some bad history with cork...and I've had help their clients correct them. I've had at least a dozen clients call me because they wanted to complain about the quality...only to find out that they had purchased iFloor cork and not ICORK Floor cork. That $0.40/sf savings they earned turned into a $5/sf redo because of the lack of quality.

LL and iFloor are about the same...and they often have the same source materials from the same factories.

Anyone have feedback on this option? I know It's not my dream green material, but budget is winning at this point. http://www.ifloor.com/bamboo/click-engineered-bamboo-with-hdf-core-vertical-carbonized-33438

Cheepchinesecrap. You didn't read about the lawsuits and Federal sanctions against LL? And do you seriously think others of the same cheepchinesecrap mold are any different?

We used a luxury vinyl similar to what was suggested above-- stick tile that can be grouted. I can't comment on the green side of it but it's durable and it wasn't too expensive... and is an easy DIY if the loan side permits it.

Thanks for the feedback folks. Unfortunately, we're in a really tight spot here. Our renovation is a HUD reno refi and our contingency got eaten up by some unexpected foundation issues. We can't DIY the floor either due to loan requirements. So, I'm going to end up with something that's not perfect, no matter what. We're doing about 1,000 square feet, so though not ideal, down the road we can replace it when we have more funds available. I go barefoot all the time and absolutely loath the feeling of vinyl and faux wood laminate on my feet, hence my leaning toward cork (now ruled out) and bamboo. Yes, there will be formaldehyde and that really sucks, and I don't see another way around it at this point. We do not have pets or wear shoes in the house, so though I'm sure we'll deal with scratching, it's not going to be the end of the world. This is what we can afford right now and seems to be the best of our less than ideal options.

I also just found this. Yes, they could still be lying, but I'd like to hope they're not. https://www.ifloor.com/formaldehyde-levels-in-flooring-test-results

Bamboo is DEATHLY tricky to live with. Engineered CLICK bamboo is REALLY hard to keep happy (harder than the solid stuff). If you are running out of money, I can guarantee that you CANNOT afford to have your low-end click bamboo FAIL in a year. And I am NOT kidding about that time frame.

Click-bamboo is often a THIN wear layer of bamboo GLUED DOWN over plywood (if you are LUCKY) or, for VERY low-end like iFloor and LL stuff, Fibre Board. The BAMBOO expands and contracts VERY differently from both plywood AND fibre board.

But it is WORSE with fibre board. The Bamboo is quite "rigid"...whereas fibre board REALLY likes to stretch it's legs...expand and contract as much as 1" in a single room. This is FAR TOO MUCH movement for bamboo. The result: cupping, bowing, splitting, cracking, pealing, checking = full replacement = no warranty when it is discovered your home does NOT have the "right" living conditions.

Please...go and purchase a "nice" mid-range laminate from a WELL KNOWN American company like Shaw or Armstrong. Their "numbers" are good (VOC content) and their manufacturing facilities are very good. Your chemical sensitivity will not be affected by a mid-range laminate at $2/sf. It will get you 7-10 years of life.

The stuff you are looking at, at the stores you are looking at = health concerns. Really not a good idea to shop "green" flooring in your price range. You are bound to be disappointed but worse yet it will probably make you ill.

Please look to a good name in laminate and buy a floor that is in your price range. And yes...LL just settled a $50Mill lawsuit because of the Formaldehyde issues. The other dozen or so class action lawsuits are going through the courts right now. iFloor is not much different. Just a different name on the door.