Tile, Laminate?

[candycat]

We are thinking of redoing the first floor of our house. It's not huge but it is open space; layout is kitchen, dining room, and living room/foyer which is all really one space. We have a very limited budget, so hardwood is pretty much out. We have two toddlers (w/ maybe more kids in the future) and a big dog. We live in a climate that varies a LOT (very hot in the summer, very cold in the winter, so temps from like from 0-105 or so). I love the look of tile but worry that if the kids fall on it it might hurt them. And it might be really cold in the winter months, since we can't afford fancy floor-heating devices. I don't really like the look of laminate but we might go with a light wood-look, but I've heard they were really SOFT, so like everything dents it and it looks bad in a few years.

We don't have any hard intentions of selling in the near future but we might, depending on if the husband gets any job offers out of state - but resale value isn't really #1 for us right now.

Anyone love either one or would recommend one over the other?

[alegna]

The install cost of laminate is MUCH lower.

-Angela

[wendyland]

I don't like tile. It's so hard on the feet and falls and falling glasses. I don't have laminate. I did in my previous house and it held up pretty good. I don't remember any dents in it. But, it seemed like it never looked clean enough. It was light and showed every little speck of dirt and I found it hard to mop without it looking streaky. There are some linoleum tiles that look pretty good now. I really like cork, too.

[FloridaBorn]

I have Pergo "everyday" which is the cheaper version of Pergo. It's been here about 5 years now and I don't have any dents. The color is Red Oak. I use felt furniture pads under tables, chairs, etc. otherwise moving furniture over it will result in scratching.

To clean it I sweep and mop with a vinegar/water solution, swiffer (with a reusable microfiber or Libman cloth), or dry mop.

If your climate goes from very cold to very hot I would NOT recommend Cork. I'm in FL and was talked out of it by the contractor who did my home renovations five years ago. He said our humidity levels here just can't handle it and the cork ends up bowed and warped.

I also have a tiled room, but to be honest the Pergo "hides the dirt" better than the tile does!

[candycat]

Thanks for the replies!

It looks like we'll be getting laminate, although I'm not sure we have the funds for it this year after some medical bills. I'll keep trying, though...

I guess all types of flooring has its minuses. The carpet we have now is so dingy even with daily vacuuming and twice yearly cleaning. I think laminate will work.

[FloridaBorn]

I hear you! I'll never have carpet again... I have three washable rugs: one for the front door, one for the back door, and one in front of the shower!

[34me]

We bought our laminate after a fire three years ago and installed it ourselves - we saved A LOT of money that way. We did 2 bedrooms a hallway and livingroom for less than $2000. If you are doing it yourself I would get the kind with the underlayment attached. So much easier to install. I have 2 teenagers, 1 who insists on wearing his cleats in the house, a 85lb dog, a 45 lb dog, a tween and us. No dents or scratches yet either.