I am in the process of purchasing another house and moving. I have been
researching flooring. My plan is to rip every single bit of carpeting
out of the house, and re-do the floors, prior to moving in. I have found
a wonderful product and I think it's going to be perfect. It's called
Vinyl Composition Tile. The brand I am using is Armstrong. It is hard,
like ceramic tile, but is vinyl, and has limestone in it. It comes in
12" squares and is about 1/8" thick, needs no grouting, and the color
goes all the way through the tile. They are a little flexible and
rubbery feeling, not real hard like ceramic. And, the best part is the
price. It is easily about 1/3 the cost of buying and installing ceramic
tile or laminate.
This is a commercial product and is found in hospitals and department
stores, such as Wal-Mart and Kmart. There are tons of colors to choose
from, and like with ceramic tile, you can do all the designs you want.
It is glued to the floor, much like sheet vinyl. If one is broken, it
can be removed with heat, and replaced.
It started out that I was just going to do the 2 back bedrooms and hall,
the area where the ferrets will be allowed. The more I looked at it and
thought about it, I am now going to do the entire house with it. I will
use bright colored/washable throw rugs throughout.
The guy we're buying the house from just happens to be a salesperson for
Armstrong, though he is not getting one penny of commission from this
sale. I didn't discuss flooring with him prior to shopping. After I
found this product, I asked him his opinion. He said this is the perfect
flooring for pets. The tiles fit tightly together so there shouldn't be
a problem with urine getting under the tiles, though I guess that's
possible. It is easily cleaned with mopping, and should be "polished"
about once a year, very low maintenance.
I guess you can ask me in about 5 years whether I'm still so sold on this
product, but I think I will be.
Katharine
http://community.webshots.com/user/katharine524
[Posted in FML issue 4879]
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