Hi we're thinking about putting cork floors in our kitchen. Any ideas?

Vinyl plank flooring is a fine looking floor. Is this a vacation home?

Deb, what kind of ideas are you looking for, installation, sourcing, pros/cons, aesthetics, etc?

@Peyton's flooring. Thank you for the info and professional insight. I live @60 miles north of SLC. My first choice is the Brazillian Walnut (Ipe), The local business I'm going through doesn't stock it so he's ordering it in. We were going to let it acclimate @ 3-4 weeks, could we lay it sooner?
I prefere the solid over the engineered. Engineered sounds different when you walk on it, also the added value of quality products such as hardwood. My analogy " You don't maintain or repair a Cadillac with Pinto parts".

@ 6 peyton's. Replacing the floor moulding. Pine or Poplar?

Hello All, we are building a new home and are researching flooring for the walk-out basement. My parents will be living there part-time and they would like a wood-floor look. Are there other choices in addition to laminate?

May, are you painting them? I like prefer poplar.

May, did you already purchase your material. If yes, what manufacturer? Also, are they recommending 3-4 weeks?

Mary, you should consider a porcelain like this? There are multiple colors to chose from. If you tell me the city you live in I can tell you if it is available in your market.

carolinagirl93 there are porcelain tiles now that look very similar to wood. There are of course pros and cons to either option.

I have found they are very expensive. Is cork a viable option?

Yes, for sure. Are you looking for something like this?

@Peyton's. No, I aven't purchased yet. I don't know who the manufacturer for the Brazillian Walnut is. The Bamboo is a stranded Bamboo from Teregren. Hoping to order first of next week.

We will be painting the floor moulding white to match the moulding around the doors. I live in Tremonton, Utah @ 60 miles north o SLC. How does the porcelian compare cost wise, is it significantly more than the poplar?

Looking at the vinyl plank flooring as I am looking for something inexpensive that will wear well with wet towels, sand, grand kids and dogs.

@peyton's. Yes...a dark finish. But, I don't want the expense of wood-look tile? What about cork flooring?

@May, poplar an midfield are the most popular paint grade moldings in Southern California. The little I've worked with pine I didn't care for it. If you are still considering Bamboo then there green is a fine choice. Do you need help sourcing it. I buy direct from a wholesale supplier only open to licensed contractors. They have a showroom in SLC. If I call ahead they will let you buy direct. Also, they are usually a great source of local license installers. I would ask for more than one installer reference to keep prices competitive. They are a huge supplier, I believe they have over 150 showrooms in US and carry all flooring types.

@Peytons...those samples must be cork...duh! Do you prefer laminate or cork?

Carolina, did you see the 3 samples I included above.

Carolina, stop typing while I'm typing . I can't keep up. :)

Depends, I like laminate for price, durability and the massive selection of styles but I like the uniqueness and ecological advantages of cork.

Mary, vinyl plank should hold up well.

chuckle, chuckle, I am following your conversation and you never said what the pictures were samples of, Laminate, bamboo or what?

Thanks so much!

Jjlsm, that's because I couldn't type and pull images any faster. FYI, the first 2 photos are porcelain and the next 3 are cork.

Carolina, did you need anything else?

No...I appreciate your help.

@ peytons flooring. Waiting on bid to decide between the Brazillian and the Bamboo. My first choice is the Brazillian Walnut, my only concern is the stability in our climate. I don't want to invest that amount of $$ and then have gaps or buckling. We are not locked in with any flooring retailer. I don't know who the manufacturer is of BW sample I received from them, the Bamboo is Teregren. I only know that the Brazillian Walnut isn't from "LL" the large nationl flooring "liquidator.

Been out of the Houzz "loop" for a few days, but just happened upon your conversation.
Just thought I'd toss in a comment or two, if that's okay.

re: oil/wax type natural finishes such as Rubio... great approach if easy touch-ups and periodic maintenance are considerations. However, it was suggested that starting out with "natural" then going dark later was possible.
Having used the product line in our manufacturing process on occasion, I'll mention that the "sealing" qualities of that approach may make it difficult to "darken" the floor to any great degree at a later date.
The product actually penetrates & seals the wood so well, it makes bumping the color difficult simply because it's doing it's job so well...

re: changing materials from area to area... we often recommend keeping a "common denominator" by using the same specie and basic color throughout the project... but I like to suggest direction changes at a logical junction between rooms & areas... or going a step further... consider a nice PARQUET pattern for that special room or area such as Foyers, Library/Office, Formal Dining, etc.
This basically gives the area a unique "identity" while keeping a common bond by using the same material/ color scheme.

re: vinyl or porcelains... I'll confess to being a hardwood floor "purist" for obvious reasons... that's what I've been doing for a long time.
But keep in mind that you're dealing with a "picture" of real wood on plastic or porcelain... and it may look good in photos or in a showroom, but putting a sample next to the real deal will speak volumes.
As I've mentioned before... they say that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"... so those of us in wood flooring should feel "flattered" I guess.

In closing, as I also mention frequently... which ever direction one takes, if LOW PRICE is the primary driver for the decision, one is setting themselves up for disappointment.

I have hardwoods in my dining room and have a problem with sticky floors. I'm assuming it's grease as my range is close to the door leading to the dining room. I have a Floormate that clean my hardwoods with and it doesn't matter how long I scrub the area the stickiness doesn't go away. Does anyone have any recommendations that will not stripe the finish on the floor? The floors don't look bad I just can't stand the stickiness.

@May, if you want you can either call or email me the products/prices and I can tell you if you are getting a competitive price.

peytons flooring, this is our main residence, the reason for cork, is that they'reare wood floors in the rest of the house, & it will be impossible to match them( they were here when we moved in) Also, the kitchen goes into the laundry/ mud room Wondering how durible and hoe hard it is to install

Good use to light with the flooring giving a re lavishing beauty :)

Deb Matay, when you ask if its hard to I install does that mean you want to install it yourself. It's not particularly difficult if you but it can be messed up pretty easily if you don't have the right tools and knowledge. As far as durability, it's pretty good but it can be sensitive to water so I don't know if I would want to put it in my laundry, kitchen and mushroom. If I were to pair any product with your existing wood it would be either stone or tile. They are great in wet areas, are durable and compliment wood really well.

Thanks so much! You saved us alot of time & money, We'll probably replace the poorely installed tile with another tile closer to the color of our wood floors

I'm happy to help. I'm sure you will be happy in the end. Let me know if you need help sourcing products. I have partnerships with over 200 contractor only wholesale design centers across North America. Cheers

I am renovating a property in France and there are beautiful old tiles in the lounge, but they need cleaning and possibly re grouting. Could you recommend a cleaning method as I do not want to remove these tiles and replace with new ones. I am trying to keep the character of the property

@ sblack 92 - Be very careful with cleaning your old tiles...try using some non-sudsing ammonia diluted in warm water. It may take some elbow-work, but that should clean off most of what is on the tile. Not knowing what kind of finish is on the tile makes me want to tell you to start in a corner and test clean a spot. You don't want to damage a hand painted tile. I wouldn't get aggressive with a scrub brush or anything until you can determine the condition of the glaze or finish.

@rbrad, I don't know what kind of finish is on your floor, but the stickiness is probably related to maintenance. You should NOT use things like Swiffer or anything that may leave a residue. Same with stuff like Murphy's Oil Soap. They can leave a stick film, which sounds like what you have. Get some BONA Hardwood Floor Cleaner, which comes in a spray bottle. Do NOT use a mop and bucket, but rather, spray the BONA and wipe it with a terry cloth or microfiber mop, or for best results, get down on the floor and wipe with terry cloth rags. BONA is available at most grocery stores, hardware stores, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and of course, most flooring stores.

@maryblacquiere, Vinyl Plank is a very durable choice, but not the least expensive. Some vinyl plank can be just as expensive as real wood. However, you won't have to worry about dents, moisture, etc. Other inexpensive, durable choices would be sheet vinyl or laminate.

@debmatay, yes, go for cork in your kitchen! We had it in our last home, and absolutely loved it! Ours was from Torlys, but there are also good choices from Wicanders, US Floors, Ipocork & more. Be sure that the cork you get has a factory finish, as that will be more durable in the long run. Most cork floors now are "floating" floors and install without glue, just like a laminate. They are quiet, comfortable, and easy to care for. Cork will fade over time, but that should not be a problem---just be aware that it does do that. I dropped the lid from my LeCruesset Dutch Oven (by accident) on our cork, and it just bounced off...no harm to the floor!!

Thanks for all your comments much appreciated.

A6) I was told not to use a Swiffer on my oak flooring as the sheets can be harmful to the surface. I use a regular indoor broom or almost dry mop on both hardwood and tile. Got rid of my Swiffer.

Yes, do not use Swiffer. Bona is safe for your floors and will not leave a residue. Use a microfiber or terry cloth mop or rag. (But be sure to vacuum up the dirt/dust first, with a hard floor attachment, not a beater bar). And NO steam cleaners!!

But gee whiz Old Town... the TV commercials say STEAM is good for your wood flooring!

I CRINGE every time those ads air... that is the sort of bad information that detracts from the hardwood floor industry as a whole.
God only knows there's enough JUNK on the market to accomplish that without having poor maintenance info disseminated to close the deal.

The 2 cardinal rules to having a successful relationship with hardwood flooring are:
1} DON'T buy the cheapest stuff you can find...
2} Deal with a bona fide EXPERT in making your purchase and obtaining maintenance info!
Consider those 2 concepts... and it should be easy sailing from there.

Select Hardwood Floor Co. I have Anderson, (Urban Pioneer), Engineered Hickory, 5" microbevel floors, subtly scraped, in my foyer, living room, and dining room. It has a Satin finish on it. Anderson recommends their floor product but I purchased Bona's cleaner. It seems to work fine but wondering if I should use Anderson's product?

@vjs12, Bona is fine for your Anderson floor. The product in their bottles is essentially the same as Bona.

Our sister company JMX Bamboo offers a wide variety of hardwood bamboo mouldings and floor trim. You can check them out here: http://www.jmxbamboo.com/Bamboo-Mouldings-Millwork/cat/177

Please give me input on best cork flooring companies with best quality and durability. Anyone living with it in AZ?

Look for Cancork , they are a Houzz member and frequent contributor. Here are some of our new Oiled finishes over White Oak and Black Walnut :-)

thank you