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Flooring Remodel
I believe this is a 'General Discussion" question: I have a friend who is in the initial stages of a kitchen/laundry room remodel. The original floor is laminate style and the home is 20+ years old. The floor joists are 8 X's but most are hidden from a basement remodel several years ago. She is interested in ceramic large tile flooring. I am trying to talk her into another laminate instalation using the cermaic look-alike style. So, she has questions I cannot answer: 1. Can 8 x's 16in OC without further modification support a heavy cermaic floor. Her choice of tile is the larger 12 x 12 tiles. 2. I think the 'new' laminate floors with the simulated tile look are an excellent choice. Does anyone have experience with say an Armstrong or Manning(?) floor that has been used in such a large area. Does it hold up to wear and is it easy to install? Any advice or suggestions are welcome and if you know of other choices that are available PLEASE pass it along.
Thanks, Mike
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Mike (post #205833, reply #1 of 5)
I think you are referring to 2x8's ?
The span of any member is the killer or the decider on whether any ceramic tile, much less the larger format, are suitable.
Go to the JohnBridge forum and hunt around for the span calculator-you put in the numbers for the size of joist, the centers and the span, it will give you the opinion on if it's firm enough to hold tile-ceramic or stone.
Are new cabs going in? Is there enough room for the dishwasher once you make the floor the required thickness for tile? I'm sure you're removing the laminate that's there.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Calvin (post #205833, reply #2 of 5)
Calvin: Thanks for the quick response. I do mean 2 x 8's and they are on 16" centers. I have heard of the tile web site and will visit it soon. the kitchen will be gutted with all new appliances installed. When I looked at flooring I was amazed how 'real' the laminate flooring looked and how many different styles/colors were available. Tile is just so expensive and there is a budget involved. How difficult is it to take up the old flooring in order to lay new? Or, do you just leave it there and top off with a new sub-floor of plywood say 1/4 inch thick?
The old floor? (post #205833, reply #3 of 5)
Laminate? then it's floating and if put in 20 yrs ago, probably not a click loc.
If the kitchen is being gutted-cabs and "what else?". I'd take it up. Screw down the subfloor. You should have the answer to her question by then.
As far as the look alikes-I've seen glue down vinyl that looks pretty darn close-not to feel of course, but then again-not cold either to the bare feet in the winter.
Armstrong was one manufacturer-maybe Tarkett another.
Look for thicker wear layer-the key to all vinyls.
We put in a floater probably 15 yrs ago or so on a job-2x2 ft that looked like big tile-certainly not the feel as a floating floor is usually pretty hollow sounding.
Frig innerds broke-water dispenser- a few yrs later and it was a bit ch to do the repair-luckily most of it was done to the rear and had a wall it quit to that made it easier-in the middle of the floor is a real treat to replace-tho it can be done.
I cannot be much more help-have priced out some glue downs that looked like tile-but the customers have always gone the "real" way.
But, do not stretch the limits or requirements for tile. Do it right and you stand a chance of success.
Best of luck.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
The point that was being made (post #205833, reply #4 of 5)
The point that was being made is that you need to know how LONG the 2x8s are. The longer they are the more they will flex.
We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources of energy -- sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. --Thomas Edison
A good quality sheet vinyl (post #205833, reply #5 of 5)
A good quality sheet vinyl flooring (such as Armstrong's better quality stuff) (what used to be called "laminate" before the pretenders appeared) will hold up quite well. And it will be warmer to the feet, easier on the knees, etc. Plus, in a kitchen, it's much easier to keep clean.
We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources of energy -- sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. --Thomas Edison