I need Flooring advice.

[BackTracker]

So here's my problem...

I'm moving into this brand spanking new prebuilt house in a new development. We opted to avoid the scam that is "upgrades" to the prebuilt at highly inflated prices. SO they put tile between the island and sink/fridge in the kitchen, and slapped down beige carpet everywhere else. My wife wants wood floors in the kitchen.. I want different tile throughout the kitchen.


so questions are as follows....


1.) wood in the kitchen? Won't this swell like crazy and be destroyed in no time?

2.) How hard is it to remove the tile and prep the floor for wood. I imagine the glue left behind will be a bear to remove.

3.) is there anyway to spare the tile. IE not destroy it upon removal?

4.) Is the carpet worth anything to craigslist and offset the cost of the wood?

 

[rlitman]

I wouldn't do wood in the kitchen, BUT I've had Pergo for many years. It's much easier to keep clean then tile (no grout lines), holds up better, and is easier on the feet.
There are plenty of laminate floors that look very good, and you can install them right over the tile (with a foam pad under the floating floor).

 

[Cabby89]

Wood will be fine in a kitchen.

I def. would not recommend Pergo or any of that laminate board stuff. Water will wreck that floor quickly and its not very durable. I put the stuff in a couple of my apartments and it does not take long to get beat up.

It wont be an easy task to remove the tile but it is def. do able. You will def. destroy the tile while trying to remove it.

 

[Cheap5.0]

My current house is 80% laminate wood flooring (tile in the bathroom + one bedroom has yet to be lam'd, but everything else in the house is lam'd floor)...even the kitchen.

Its been down for 11 years and we have not a single issue from water/kitchen chores. I would suggest that you go with a the best lam floor you can buy, as not only installing is easier but you do get what you pay for. I also have an aquarium on it in the living room. I have spilled a few gallons of water now and then working on it, even had a few gallons spill out while we were gone for a week....still no buckling or problems to speak of.

 

[aandpdan]

Properly applied tile is not going to come up easily. You'll likely have to chisel it out. You'll then have to remove the grout.

Pre-finished hardwood is very durable. The factory applied finish will last a long time and is ideal for a kitchen environment. I've had it in two house with no issues. Even after several spills.

Somebody may want the carpet. Craigslist may be an option but don't expect to get much for it. You may find it easier to donate to your local Habitat (Restore) facility.

 

[Baada]

Definitely consider donating anything you don't want and can remove without braking to Habitat for Humanity of the like. In many cases they will come get it for free and you get a good tax write-off.

Hardwoods in kitchen are great. It looks nice and it doesn't **** the heat out of your feet in the morning when you are barefoot. Our dog is constantly dripping water on the floor and we don't have any problems.

If you are going to get the tile off rent the walk behind machine that takes it all off quickly and much easier than by hand. It will break it though but you wouldn't be able to reuse in most cases anyway.

 

[Toymeister]

Removal of tile: Wear safety glasses and bust the first one with hammer and cold chisel. The follow on one may be savable if you pop them out with a mason brick chisel or something similar.

To install wood floor use a floor jack tool to get the wood tight. HF version is 25.00 http://www.harborfreight.com/flooring-jack-98787.html or here is an amazon one for just seven times more http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y4JSFA/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[CarollStone]

Wood as well as laminate flooring both are nice and can be a good option for your home.

 

[Seattle Surfaces]

For me, the issue really comes down to personal preference and maintenance. A wood floor in your kitchen isn't a bad option, but it most likely will require some sort of care to keep it looking nice long before tile will unless you are meticulous in your care of it.

Like many building material choices, how you care for it makes a huge difference. I live in Seattle. It rains a lot. I have seen cedar decks here that have been well cared for that have lasted 20+ years. I have also seen cedar rotting after 2 years.

You may have to refinish the floor due to wear in the high traffic areas, whereas tile may hold up better, but you're looking at years down the road if you only did bare minimum care. Water can be an issue with hardwood, but only if you let it sit on the floor. If you splash out of the sink and wipe it up right away, it isn't going to be a problem. If you regularly use a floor polish to keep a protective layer on the surface, you can greatly increase the life of the floor.

The prefinished materials nowdays are great and have a really durable surface.

As was mentioned, pulling properly installed tile won't be easy. If it is, you'd be pulling it anyway sooner rather than later as it would most likely fail. It will make a mess and you'lll want to use something for dust control. In order to save the tiles, you will probably spend a lot more time removing them. You can use a wide shovel tip bit on a roto-hammer if you are careful to keep it out of the wood subfloor. The tiles that remain intact will have a bunch of thinset on the back and wouldn't be really good for re-setting although people seem to grab them up for free off Craigslist to use for art projects depending on the tile.

We chose to inlay tile in the hardwood for the main wear areas.

Just my .02 worth.