New flooring advice/suggestions-beach area

New flooring advice/suggestions-beach area

I have a townhouse in Jersey a couple blocks from the beach. Currently I have mostly carpet (in the living areas and bedrooms) and tile flooring in the bathrooms/kitchen. 

 

Im torn with the carpet areas. I love the warmth and it’s comfotable. It’s been taking a beating as I’ve been having it cleaned quite often. The color isnt exactly ideal, just too light. 

 

It’s a newer building (2005) so I’m not neccesarily looking for something to absorb abuse from rentals. My goal is to upgrade the house little by little and make it nice to demand a higher amount. 

 

Shiuld I deal with the carpet for a couple years ? Replace the carpet with new carpet but something slightly darker? 

 

Tile, laminate, luxury vinyl? 

 

Anybody with feedback I’d appreciate it. 

27 Replies 27
Kimberly54
Level 10
San Diego, CA

@Carmen627, ANYTHING hard is a piece of cake to clean, compared to carpet.

 

Best,

 

Kim

Thanks Kim, 

I guess that’s a start. As I’m reading I have to agree.. since I’ve pulled up all the carpet in my main house and was shocked to find all the dirt and filth still inside and underneath the carpet. And those **bleep** tack boards and all the staples. 

 

Im drawn to the idea of concrete flooring..I love to try different things and NOBODY around me has that. I love both hardwood and tile too. Just trying to stay within a reasonable price. I have about 1000 sq feet of carpeted area right now. 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Carmen627   Tile or polished concrete will be a breeze to clean. Carpets are filthy things, as you found when you pulled it up. I don't care how often it gets vacuumed or shampooed, it's full of bacteria, allergens and dirt. 

I don't know if you can find them where you live, but there are these large colorful floor mats that can be used at the beach or in a house. You put the non-skid mats under them and they'll be easy to shake out, and they can also be hosed down.

@Sarah977

i totally hear ya. I priced the concrete (epoxy flooring I believe it was called at the time) not too long ago when I wanted to do something different in my family room. 

 

I think that is a good option depending on the price. Bamboo flooring and laminate keep coming up from some friends.

@Carmen627, polished concrete is Sooosooo cool, but it really has to be sealed.  Cool because you can make it look like anything in the world (this is crazy fun).  It can also be pricey, depending on what you want to do.

 

Carpet is just gross.  Throw-rugs can be okay, but know that you really have to bash/beat/vacuum the heck out of them to keep them presentable.

 

Let us know what you do!

 

Best,

 

Kim

@Kimberly54

 

i reached out to a few flooring companies in my area and it’s seems (per them) that luxury vinyl are being used..even on high end homes. As he put it..up to and including 7 figure new builds. 

 

Ive been researching like crazy and I’m seeing (like anything else) tons of different companies and good/better/best products. 

 

The stigma that follows vinyl is rough though. If I ever had to sell my house the flooring wouldn’t help me. Although compared to carpet it’s probably a wash. 

 

So im torn. I wanna have an open mind and for durability and the look of wood, these higher end vinyl planks seem to fit. 

 

Like you said, I think concrete is just out of my budget. I’d prob do hardwood before I did concrete. 

 

So right now im considering:

hardwood

laminate 

luxury vinyl 

@Carmen627, hardwood is so elegant.  I have red oak.  Yummy, and the 'connected to earth' factor is amazing.  If you can afford it, that would be my vote.

 

Mats (for brushing off shoes) outside AND inside.  The rest is a breeze.

 

Best,

 

 

Kim

@Kimberly54

i agree. I have red oak throughout. Took a couple of refinishing to get the red out. Just not a fan of red/orange undertones. But regardless, there’s just something about hardwood floors. Real hardwood👍🏻.

 

ill just dread those tiny scratches from guests. Prob take a few years off my life. Is that worth it? Haha

@Carmen627, as an artist of outdoor work, I refer to this as 'God's Patina.'

 

With age and wear, everything takes on a different look over time.  It's beautiful, actually, but certainly not fresh polished-out-of-the-foundry. 

 

*)

 

 

Kim

@Carmen627  I love hardwood as well. If you do go with that, just make sure to put on several coats of sealer, and put non-scratch pads on the bottom of all the furniture- I read reports here that some guests seem to like to rearrange the furniture.

I had industrial vinyl tiles (12x12") in my kitchens and bathrooms when I lived in Canada. Glued it down myself. I went with burnt orange and black checkerboard. It looked famtastic and held up to 20 years of an active family. 

The industrial vinyl flooring that is made now doesn't look anything like those old lino floors that were around back in the 40's. It can look quite elegant. 

@Sarah977

my recent guests who I’ve had a really bad experience did just that. Rearranged furniture. So I can see it now..long scratches in my hardwood floors from people dragging furniture around 

Kenneth-And-Lilia0
Level 10
Las Vegas, NV

High end vinyl, especially being near the beach.  Sand will destroy hardwood floors in no time.  You'll be refinishing so often because of scratches that you'll be replacing the floors in a couple years.  Vinyl or wood look tile is my call.

@Kenneth-And-Lilia0

thanks for the input. Where I’m torn is personally I love hardwood floors. For this situation I think vinyl is my safe play here. I won’t have to stress scratches or any type of water damage. And in 5-10 years when I really wanna update I don’t feel committed to vinyl because the cost wasn’t that much. (Compared to others if that makes sense). I used to be a fan of porcelain tile...too heavy, costly in labor, pain when removing. I have to believe that this won’t be my last floor in the place. I get that these floors last forever but style doesn’t. Hardwood is prob the only one that would win that argument. 

Lyn3
Level 10
Mapleton, Australia

Carmen I recently had vinyl planks installed in my guest bedroom on the advice of our local floorcovering store - they look great, feel pleasant underfoot, won't scratch and cope with a water leak if necessary.  I also like cork tiles which we had in a previous home, although they would be affected by a water leak.