Q: Our contractor recommended we buy our flooring products from you.
We are adding a large family room onto the back of our house with a master bedroom above it. The existing house was built in 1957 with white and red oak (mixed together) wood floors on a raised foundation. The new family room will be on a raised floor at the end of an existing hallway that has the original wood floors.
We have two young children and a large dog, high humidity (about 70% inside), and a limited budget. Also, we cannot have carpet due to my daughter’s dust mite-related asthma.
Can you recommend a floor covering for the family room that is quiet (because new our bedroom is right above) and durable, withstands humidity, is reasonably priced, and would transition well with the existing wood floors? I saw that you recommended Congoleum to a customer, but saw other products such as Westhollow Silencer Antiquities and became confused by the vast selection/options.
As I read this, it sounds like I want the impossible. Also, thanks for the great online Flooring Expert section of your website.
A: Flooring choices like this can be very difficult. Resiliency is very important when considering younger children, but your concerns for moisture can make wood flooring very difficult. Wood flooring, including laminate, should be in an environment with relative humidity of 40-55% so your home is going to be a bit to moist for wood flooring to last through the years without risk.
Stone or tile flooring will be your best bet for resilient flooring and handling moisture, but the downside here is that stone/tile is quite loud and reducing the noise can be tough. Although its not likely for this noise to travel upstairs very well, it is still a concern.
Vinyl is going to be one of your better bets here. I would suggest looking into the Konecto lines of vinyl as they are durable and very easy to install. Vinyl should have no issue handling the moisture in your home as well as the amount of traffic and abuse you can expect from younger active children. Also, vinyl should be a bit quieter than stone, though there is a small risk of damage from gouging if heavier objects are dragged across the floor.
