yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Apr 1, 2014 8:48:15 GMT -5
I'd like some ideas on flooring for our office.
Currently we have two rooms downstairs that have builders grade carpet. We bought our house new almost 7 years ago but the inside was already complete. The kitchen and bathrooms are tile. Dining room, all hallways and stairs are hardwood. Bedrooms, family room and office are carpet. We don't mind the carpet in the bedrooms but once the kids are a little older (maybe 3-4 years) we'd like to replace the family room carpet with hardwood and the office carpet with something, not sure what. In the office we currently have an L-shaped desk with a rolling chair and one of those awful plastic things between the chair and the carpet so it can roll easily. The office has two entries, one from the hallway (hardwood) and one from the kitchen (tile). We thought about putting wood in but it may be hard to match it up to what is already there. Also, wouldn't rolling the chair just wear at the finish? Then I was thinking some sort of tile or slate but I'm not sure if that is weird. Anyone have ideas? I'm open to a chair that doesn't roll but my DH seems set on some sort of rolling chair. Cork was another idea but I'm not too familiar with it and wasn't sure if the chair would cause permanent dents.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Apr 1, 2014 9:13:32 GMT -5
Laminate? Or if you want more upscale, bamboo.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Apr 1, 2014 9:59:44 GMT -5
We just ripped out all the nasty carpet in the upper floor of our house with hardwood. I have a pad (looks like one of those playground puzzle pieced pads) that I put on the floor where I roll the chair in my office.
I'd stick with carpet, hardwood or tile so you don't have too many surfaces in the house and it looks chopped up.
I'm not sure what metro area you are in and whether tile in a bedroom area would be acceptable. In AZ, I would do it in a heartbeat but not here on the SF Peninsula.
Carpet would be the cheapest alternative. With kids I might go this route and just plan on replacing every 7-10 years.
I don't like carpet for myself because of my allergies but would certainly use it in a rental.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Apr 1, 2014 10:01:58 GMT -5
I'd stick with carpet, hardwood or tile so you don't have too many surfaces in the house and it looks chopped up.
Yes, that's what I'm trying to avoid. It looks like you can buy special casters for rolling chairs that are made for hardwood. Anyone have those or know if they are actually effective in not scratching up the floor?
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Apr 1, 2014 10:03:26 GMT -5
I'd stick with carpet, hardwood or tile so you don't have too many surfaces in the house and it looks chopped up.
Yes, that's what I'm trying to avoid. It looks like you can buy special casters for rolling chairs that are made for hardwood. Anyone have those or know if they are actually effective in not scratching up the floor? I'd love to try them. Do you have a link?
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Apr 1, 2014 10:13:59 GMT -5
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Sunnyday
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Flooring
Apr 1, 2014 11:15:01 GMT -5
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Post by Sunnyday on Apr 1, 2014 11:15:01 GMT -5
I have hardwood in my office, and I still use the plastic mat thing. If you didn't, it's like asking to ruin your flooring. Mine is transparent, so it doesn't look bad. that's of course my unprofessional opinion.
Go with whatever flows best with the rest of the house. I have seen too many houses on sale that obviously did renovations at different points, and all the flooring is different. It looks bad.
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bean29
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Post by bean29 on Apr 1, 2014 11:34:22 GMT -5
My office is below grade, with windows, so it would be a legal bedroom, if we had set it up that way. Just before we chose the flooring for the office, DH laid the tile on the landing which connects to the office and I really liked the tile. It was 2.17 / 14x14? tile. So I was going to carpet the room for resale but it was pricing out much more expensive - carpet was about the same price per sq foot but when I added pad and installation, carpet was way more expensive. DH can lay tile, he can not install carpet. When I told DH carpet was about $800= and Tile about $250 he said buy the tile - I will install it. I am very happy with the room, but sometimes when I file I like to throw a rug down in front of my file cabinet. My DH has done Laminate and it turned out well, and he did the hardwood in our dining room with the help of an experienced customer (he paid the guy). My carpet in my living room looks like Cr@p. It is about 10 years old. It was warranted, if I had realized it, and had it professionally cleaned every year - I could of had it replaced under warranty. If you do carpet, do the looped/tight weave stuff. I would probably do tile or hardwood - since it is your 1st floor - maybe the hardwood. For what it cost us to do tile - I could care less if I have to carpet over it to sell...but I really don't think it will be an issue. My whole basement it tiled, so it flows well. We did put carpet in the guest bedroom. I was able to get a carpet that was warranted that if your pet peed on it the odor would come out (Home Depot). My Dog does not have accidents, but I was planning for old age, and DH is hopeful that if it would not retain pet odors, it also would not hold a damp/mildew smell. I would consider the likelyhood of you selling before your chosen flooring wears out. PS one problem with hardwood is the echo. Laminate has the pad underneath to absorb the sound. Laminate is also somewhat slippery. I had laminate in my last house in my living center (We used it as Kitchen/Dining area degin was kitchen/living rm) and really liked it. I cleaned it with a swiffer. My neighbor in this house told me he had Hardwood in Kithcen/Living room and he found it a PIA to clean every time he had a showing when it was for sale.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2014 11:45:40 GMT -5
I would do hardwood, if I could afford to have them interweaved and matched perfectly with the old. My first floor has 3 different floorings and I really wish I could get it down to only 2. That would probably require ripping out the wood in 2 rooms and laying new hardwood. Not happening anytime soon. I don't like tile anywhere except the kitchen and bathrooms, but that is probably because that is the norm where I live.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Apr 1, 2014 11:56:37 GMT -5
I have hardwood in my office, and I still use the plastic mat thing. If you didn't, it's like asking to ruin your flooring. Mine is transparent, so it doesn't look bad. that's of course my unprofessional opinion. Go with whatever flows best with the rest of the house. I have seen too many houses on sale that obviously did renovations at different points, and all the flooring is different. It looks bad. Agreed. Go with what is best for the flow of the house. Changes in floor level not only look like shoddy workmanship, they can be a tripping hazard. Rooms can quickly be repurposed by simply switching out furniture, but floors and other "permanent" finishings are much more costly and time consuming to change. FWIW, My entire house except for the bathrooms (yes, even the kitchen) are hardwood (another w2w carpet hater here - they get filthy, mildewed when they get spilled on, they trap germs and allergens, last less than 10 years and are costly to replace). Real wood is expensive but you can expect it to last waaaaaay beyond 10 years. The floors in my house are 66 years old and still going strong - and have only been refinished twice in all those years. 2 of our 4 bedrooms serve as offices (his and hers), and the floors are covered with decorator area rugs so that the chair casters do not damage the floor. It is much cheaper and way less disruptive to roll up a rug and hang it outside for a good beating (getting a cardio workout at the same time! ) or sending it out for cleaning than it is to replace w2w carpet every 10 years. Take the long view. JMHO. Good luck whatever you decide.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Apr 1, 2014 13:14:04 GMT -5
A plus for carpet. It gives the dust bunnies some place to hide that is out of sight. With tile and wood, you're always corraling the dust bunnies. And they seem to escape at the most inopportune moments.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Apr 1, 2014 14:09:38 GMT -5
I have hardwood in my office, and I still use the plastic mat thing. If you didn't, it's like asking to ruin your flooring. Mine is transparent, so it doesn't look bad. that's of course my unprofessional opinion. Go with whatever flows best with the rest of the house. I have seen too many houses on sale that obviously did renovations at different points, and all the flooring is different. It looks bad. The plastic mat on hardwood may not be so bad. The ones that go on carpet have spikes, so you can't really move them because the carpet underneath is marked. Also we've been through a couple, they keep cracking after a few years, seems like that wouldn't really happen with hardwood underneath. We could probably match the hardwood up (color wise) to the rest of the downstairs fairly easily. Ok, I think I've been convinced. Now to wait until my DD stops drooling all over the floor.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Apr 1, 2014 14:19:07 GMT -5
I have hardwood in my office, and I still use the plastic mat thing. If you didn't, it's like asking to ruin your flooring. Mine is transparent, so it doesn't look bad. that's of course my unprofessional opinion. Go with whatever flows best with the rest of the house. I have seen too many houses on sale that obviously did renovations at different points, and all the flooring is different. It looks bad. The plastic mat on hardwood may not be so bad. The ones that go on carpet have spikes, so you can't really move them because the carpet underneath is marked. Also we've been through a couple, they keep cracking after a few years, seems like that wouldn't really happen with hardwood underneath. We could probably match the hardwood up (color wise) to the rest of the downstairs fairly easily. Ok, I think I've been convinced. Now to wait until my DD stops drooling all over the floor. Yes, it is actually pretty easy for a *quality* flooring company to do the match. A slightly more expensive but maybe ultimately more satisfying solution would be to have the entire downstairs floors refinished at the same time the new wood goes in. That will virtually guarantee a match. And even though it will cost, in the long run it will still be way less expensive (and way less hassle) than replacing w2w carpet every 10 years. So while DD learns how not to drool - you can be saving $$ toward this project. Win-win!
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Apr 1, 2014 14:26:31 GMT -5
It's kind of shocking but the rest of the wood actually doesn't look bad, it was new when we bought 7 years ago. We don't wear shoes in the house (I know that was a controversial thread at one point but hey it's been snowing here forever, I don't want that all over the house) and luckily the kids' toys tend to stay in the family room most of the time so the wood isn't getting much wear and tear. I think the main difference would be any fading from the sun in the past few years.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Apr 1, 2014 14:45:34 GMT -5
I use one of those clear 'mats' to go under my roller chair. I've got a 65 year old hardwood floor I'm protecting. It doesn't look all that bad - it's clear, smooth on both sides and doesn't slide around at all.
I 'stole' the mat from my employers trash bin... about 17 years ago when we were shuffling around offices/floors and people where tossing out 'used' office stuff right and left. The mat does have a couple of cracks in in and it's not as nice as the newer ones, but it IS smooth on both sides which is what I needed. Sometimes the chair mats for use on carpeting have a pebbled? side that helps it not slide around on a carpetted surface.
It still does the job.
I'd go with a chair mat - no matter what floor you go with - wood, tile, rug. Those chair wheels wreak havoc no matter what.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Apr 1, 2014 14:46:55 GMT -5
It's kind of shocking but the rest of the wood actually doesn't look bad, it was new when we bought 7 years ago. We don't wear shoes in the house (I know that was a controversial thread at one point but hey it's been snowing here forever, I don't want that all over the house) and luckily the kids' toys tend to stay in the family room most of the time so the wood isn't getting much wear and tear. I think the main difference would be any fading from the sun in the past few years. You may find that you're going to want to refinish the floor anyway.
12 years ago we added a 500 sq.ft. dining and breakfast room addition. About 2/3 was wood flooring. Surprisingly the floor looked pretty good after being tenant occupied for 9 years. The brand new berber carpet I had installed before the tenants moved in was completely trashed.
After the kitchen and bathroom remodels we replaced the carpet with hardwood. The old finish in the dining room addition was oil based varathene. In CA (and I'm guessing most states) are phasing out the oil based products for health and environmental reasons. Most installers have transitioned to water-based. My hardwood floor guy told me I wasn't going to be happy with how the two floors would look side by side and he was right. We wound up refinishing that floor in a third phase.
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ediva
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Post by ediva on Apr 2, 2014 23:23:43 GMT -5
I have hardwood in my office and I have a very low pile rug under my desk and chair. Chair rolls around just fine on it
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Apr 3, 2014 10:59:27 GMT -5
I got a Grandinroad catalogue in the mail earlier this week. They have some beautiful indoor/outdoor rugs. I think I would do hardwood floor and put one of those rugs under the desk and chair.
One issue that I can see happening with the casters is that if you have any dirt or grit in the area that the wheels could do a real number on your floors. My chair DOES have plastic casters but I don't trust them on the floor.
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