Kitchen Floor Suggestions

Tom M

I went out on an estimate yesterday for a kitchen floor and counters. I am looking for a direction as to what is a durable and mid-range cost.

She has linoleum which has multiple stabs into it.(she catered out of her home and loves cooking) She doesnt want tile for sure. The house had 2 different additions to end up with this size kitchen. I could feel humps in the floor that dont look like it can come out so easy. I was thinking laminate may contour easier than pre-finished but I'm concerned about chipping and water swelling. In her words "this is not a look good kitchen its a used kitchen". What do you guys suggest?

The client also believes the built-in cabinets and 2 islands were installed over the first finished floor. It looks like about a 5/8 transition to the other rooms. How would you handle the sub floor? The kitchen is nearly 30 feet with 7 different counter areas. I would hate too have to pull all the base and island unit for the sake of doing a new subfloor. If I leave the bases its still alot of cutting.

Im going to a couple of vendors today to see what going on but wanted some of you advice first. Thanks

SLSTech

Sorry, I can't think of the brand name, but a commercial Vinyl / Linoleum product sounds like it would be best (Last time I installed it, it came in a 6' roll)

The sub floor / underlayment - you won't know till you tear into it - but probably after ripping out all the layers of previous flooring you may be able to go back over it with 3/4 T&G OSB or Plywood & have it come at the original height without all the transitions (humps)

I would also suggest (if at all possible) remove the islands & put the flooring under them

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rusty baker

Staying away from laminate is a good idea. Water will ruin laminate. Even something like those mops that spray the floor put too much water out for laminate.

Mike(VA)

Try a product called Dura-Ceramic, by Congoleum, I think. It is not ceramic. Goes on over 1/8" luan, use their adhesive. Bit pricey, but if I remember, tile, grout, and adhesive runs about 5-6 $ per tile. Tiles are thin and will adapt to slight changes in floor grades as long as the luan does the same.

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Tom M

Thanks so far..........I just spoke to a supplier or his wife at the desk....Not sure of her knowledge but she says VCT or once Again Konnecto. The vinyl composite tile seems like it satisfies much of the concerns but looks very industrial and the squares may become skewed as the floor goes off plane. As for the Konnecto Im not sure. How easy it would it be to repair if damaged?

I will look into the Congoleum Mike Thanks

As for the subfloor I believe I can do a simple lay over with a thin pliable material. If I go into a different product and thickness then I will have to put some kind of language into the proposal that covers new sub floor as we discover what necessary.

kevjob

look into Marmoleum we used it a kitchen we did. It can be seamed with color match filler and looks great and is very durable. www.forbo-industries.com

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Bud Cline

Around here it is more like 5-6 $ per square foot. (The tiles are 16" square.) Even more when you include the underlayment. Hell, inexpensive "real" ceramic tile with all its needs is cheaper and that includes the labor. All said and done about $8.50 a square foot. Do a search...there are a lot of problems associated with DuraCeramic being reported on Internet Forums.

Mike Costello

Marmoleum is a wood and linseed oil based product. Not good for wet areas at all.

Any kind of vinyl composition or Duraceramic would need to be sealed to keep moisture out of the cracks. I also would recommend staying with manufacturer specs and using no less than 1/4 inch underlayment and absolutely no luan.

Im thinking a ceramic or quarry tile is gonna be your best bet

PrecisionFloors

Did she say why? Sometimes clients have a preconceived distaste for a product based on misinformation or opinion based on a previous poorly designed or installed job. You have to find out the why so you can determine which direction to sell. Its easier to score when you are throwing your darts without a blindfold on.

If it is the "cold" nature of tile, up sell radiant heating. If it is grout staining, up sell epoxy grout. If it is.... see what I mean.

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WarnerConstInc.

Seems to me, thats what all kitchen floors used to be, I still see some alive and kickin'. I have seen new installed and it is crazy how they shrink up, and the smell good.

Home Work Pro

Konecto is 100% vinyl suitable for wet areas. $3.70 per sq. ft. and easy to install.

jcease10

I second that..check out Konecto

Tom M

The grout was a big issue, cold as well. The combined cost of new sub floor added money she'd rather spend on refacing or counter tops. Shes already dropping 7K on a new stove. Her desired total investment would be under 25K.
Again a local vendor jumped on the Konnecto bandwagon. It does fit alot of the needs.

zerotiger

Have you considered cork? It's come down in price over the years, easy to install and quite durable. It has a bit of give so it will reduce strains and foot fatigue.

covaltleveling

As far as sub floor preparation I would recommend a concrete floor leveling underlayment in order to provide a smooth flat surface.

When it comes to floor leveling in Southern California, we use a variety of material types, one being Mapei floor leveling compound which should be available in your area.

Good luck with the project!

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KG007

Addl I would strongly recommend avoiding all three of these products. Laminate and cork, which is made to install like lamiante, are extremely sensetive to a level floor. Laminate is likely to show water damage and a heavily used commercial kitchen needs mopped frequently.

Konnecto is a luxury vinyl plank product, which is the proper category for this job, IMO. But Konnecto has a history of failure with their fastening system.

LVP/LVT will also transmit any flaws in the subfloor, so rolls and waves are going to show if you don't level the subfloor. However, the utility of the product will not be reduced if you are willing to live with seeing a roll in the floor.

I recommend Karndean as a brand of LVP or LVT. Full spread pressure sensative glue, put down a layer of fiberock or multiply under it. The product itself for Karndean will retail from about $3.09/SF to $5.99/SF except for one line which will go into $7+, which you don't need and is the worst product in the line. There are other brands, and if cost is a huge issue a good supply house may have VCP (vinyl composite plank) which is cheaper and uses same glue as VCT. Not as attractive, maintenance is more, but initial cost is cheaper. For the price difference, I'd bite the bullet and do the Van Gogh line of Karndean, heavy duty commercial, retails around $4.25/SF. Good luck.

P.S. Would avoid DuraCeramic too. My recollection is hazy, but there have been some technical issues on it if I remember right. Think it was installation issues and probably due to less than perfect installation circumstances.

HS345

Bud, you can install ceramic for $8.50 a foot? Out the door?

Shirly you can't be serious.

Unless, when you say "cheaper", you mean the buck a foot stuff.

To the O.P., midrange, and durable in the same sentence? I dunno......

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covaltleveling

If you prep and prime the existing sub floor, you can have a self leveling underlayment installed directly over the top (with Cabinets in place) to flatten out the floor. At that point install a cheap but durable flooring on top of the cement based floor leveling product for her "working" Kitchen.

cost would be cheap and this a a quick and clean system in most situations.

Good luck.....

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