Note: If you're going to go with the bamboo, do NOT invite any panda bears over for dinner...just sayin.

Personally, I'd get tile...tile is da bomb in a house...lasts forever, easy cleanup and your animals can piss and shit all over it and not tick you off. Good stuff.

Tile is too damn hard.
When I visit my parents house, even walking around in my socks, my feet start to hurt after a while.

wait... I thought Jesus was a carpenter... or was God one too... and he's a 2nd gen handy man? man I bet he was pissed when his dad invented the do it your self people :lol:


oh and fwiw... Bamboo FTW...

Mikey - If you're looking to put down wood/laminate in the house, I just wanted to bring up something for you to consider. Our whole first floor is wood, except for the carpet in the one bedroom and tile in the one bathroom. With the kitchen having a wood floor, it does look great, but it comes with the price of being higher maintenance.

If you spill any liquid on it, you need to clean it up and dry it well, right away....otherwise you risk warping of the boards. Doesn't matter how much poly may be on it. Also, it's good idea to keep small rugs in front of the areas that can easily get wet - in front of the sink, the dishwasher, the fridge, etc.

Personally, we think it looks great in the kitchen and we don't mind it - but I know some people do. Just something for you to think about. Whatever you go with, be sure to take pics for us.

Jesus helped me remodel my bathroom.

cool - this will only be in the main living / dining room area and a small hallway. total about 500+ sqft. the kitchen and fl. room are both two different types of tile. i like tile, but as mentioned it is hard, also, it would be a third type in the house, touching the other 2 types... wierd. i also like big ass 18"+ tiles, but they wont look right in a smaller area, so just another reason for the bamboo. now H wants wood or tile in the bedroom but i cant sign up for that one. i like carpet in the bedrooms.

Were kinda lucky in that the living room/dining room and hallway have wood floors already. In th eden/entertainment area were going to put new carpet down in the tv room and prolly the laminate in the bar/entertainment room. it looks like its just concrete under the carpeting so I will have ot get some plywood to lay down first.

Tom

On a concrete slab I would only put a floating laminate with the moisture barrier/foam pad under it. I finished my entire basement with laminate with the exception of the bathroom which I installed tile. Real wood only on OSB/plywood stapled directly to the floor with only a thin moisture barrier under it.

Why wouldnt you put plywood down first? I had heard from others that if its a concrete slab that you had to put plywood down first. The room I am puttin git in is not realy a basement but is on a slab at ground level if that matters.

Tom

Put some shoes on.

Hippy.


You can't really just "lay down some plywood" over concrete. There's no decent way to attach it. You have to lay down "sleepers" first (PT 2x4's layed flat, and Tapcon'd or nailed with concrete nails). The advantage to that, is that you can install rigid insulation between the 2x's (you could also install radiant heating) before you lay the plywood down. The disadvantage, is that the floor will be about 2.5 inches taller than the adjoining rooms, which makes for a funky transition. You're probably going to be better off laying down an "elastomeric polyurethane" coating, and installing the Lam over that.

Heathen.

JC