Hello Beautiful!

It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

HELP! Safe Flooring Options Needed

RCBAliveRCBAlive Raw Newbie

I need to replace my downstairs carpet (which is on a slab) due to a flood. It seems that there are major issues related to all options. 100% wool is unaffordable and affordable carpet and padding is typically toxic; the required adhesives used in engineered wood may be toxic and release formaldehyde which is often seen with urea-formaldehyde bonded products; solid wood must be installed on top of plywood, which is bonded under heat and pressure with strong adhesives, usually phenol formaldehyde resin. Plywood has been referred to as the original engineered wood. Even bamboo, which is frequently manufactured in China and treated with who knows what, must be installed on top of plywood and then cork.

I feel paralyzed and just can't seem to make a decision, which is causing friction on the home front. I want safety at an affordable price. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • rawcanadianrawcanadian Raw Newbie

    You could go ceramic tiles in the basement, they look good, last long, and can survive floods.

    Up here in Canada those tiles could get a little cold on the feet if they are located in a basement, but i guess that is what socks or slippers are for.

    A lot of people think ceramic tiles are expensive, but if you shop around you can get them for $1/ square foot. Not any more expensive then using those wood products. Also with ceramic the underlay would pretty much be locked in.

    Also , it is possible to lay ceramic directly on a concrete slab, but the slab has to be prepared first ( i think no paint on it).

    I would NOT go with carpet, the less carpet in your house the better. Those are dirt collectors and I don't care how much you vacuum , you can never get the dirt out.

    Good luck!!!

  • RCBAliveRCBAlive Raw Newbie

    Thanks RawCanadian. Unfortunately, the area is my living room, dining room, and family room that needs replacement. It is not a basement. I have thought about the ceramic, but don't think that it will really look good in the living space and am a little concerned about the adhesive that is used.

  • rawcanadianrawcanadian Raw Newbie

    If your afraid of adhesives then i guess you could go hardwood with nails which would be really expensive, or the ceramic tiles. I've got brown tiles in my kitchen/dining room that look woodish. I think you can get any style tile to make any type of decor.

    You could also try to find a safe adhesive, but I don't know if there is such a thing!?!?

    Good luck!!!

  • ambiguousambiguous Raw Newbie

    If you can afford it, Marmoleum is great. It's natural, non-toxic, and can be installed on top of concrete. I have red in my kitchen and it's great. Definitely warmer on the feet than ceramic, and less likely to break things that fall on top of it.

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    I applaud you for considering both a healthy and environmentally sound product.

    Have you considered cork? A friend just installed this in a playroom due to its antimicrobal qualities and the floor is wonderful. I am attaching a link for an article I found that explains why it is a good choice, although I am unsure how expensive it is. Truthfully, most sustainable and healthy products are more expensive because they are not done large scale and I think the market assumes if you understand how unsafe the other stuff is you will be willing to pay more for the healthy options. The article does make it clear you can find a water-based sealant.

    http://www.doityourself.com/stry/corkflooringinfo

  • Hi,

    Another option is to have the condrete slab its self simply polished and either acid washed for colour or stained with a dye and sealed. Then you could use smaller rugs as acents. I've seen this done with great success a number of times. Cork is nice but most comes on a backer board around here and it sounds like your trying to avoid that. I'm also a fan of Marmoleum a totaly cool product but again pricey.

    Betty

  • By the way there are water based adhesivs avalible that work like contact cement. In my expireance they take forever and are kind of a pain in the but to work with though. You might want to look at a glue down parkay style floor that would work on concrete.

    Betty

  • chriscarltonchriscarlton Raw Newbie

    How about reclaiming the wood from an old building or two in the area? you can lay it down however you want on top of what ever you want, I won't tell.

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    RCBAlive, I'll be facing some of these same questions in the near future, but hadn't thought of asking for suggestions and advice on this site. Go figure, huh? Your environmental concerns and mine are very similar. I, too, will be dealing with a concrete foundation . . . and asbestos tile original flooring (circa 1960) which is in a bit of disarray.

    There are some neat "out of the box" suggestions here. Wow! You all have definitely given me food for thought. Chris, being an avid recycler, I absolutely love the idea of reclaiming wood from an old building. I'm almost ashamed to say that idea had not even occurred to me. I had thought about removing the asbestos (properly, of course) and going back to the slab, and that's still a possibility. Has anyone else actually refinished a concrete foundation? Would you do it again?

    RCBAlive, do keep us posted on what you decide and how it works out.

Sign In or Register to comment.