LESLIE: Linda in Vermont has a question about resilient flooring for her home, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?
LINDA: Hey, I have a home with – it’s about three years old. And it was built on a cement slab, on a gravel base. A lot of bad weather up in Vermont. Right now, there’s 20 inches of snow. People walk in and out. They have gravel and snow and mud on the floors, so I have area rugs.
TOM: Right.
LINDA: I want to put a laminate flooring down but a lot of them scratch and wear out really fast. I was looking at a bamboo. I don’t know if that would be a good choice.
TOM: Well, you want a floor that’s durable. You want one that’s also waterproof or at least water-resistant. So I would look at products like the engineered vinyl-plank products, the EVP. Or if you want something really beautiful and incredibly durable, look at the wood-look porcelain tile. It’s a very durable product and it looks great. It looks just like hardwood but you just can’t kill that stuff. It’s so durable you can use it inside the house or outside the house. I don’t think laminate is probably the best choice given the scenario that you’ve just described.
What do you think, Leslie?
LESLIE: I think it’s an interesting choice but when it comes to flooring, you have to think about what’s durable and what’s correct for the situation and then think about the style. And that’ll help you pick.
LINDA: I’ve seen the laminate – the porcelain – in the different stores. I love it. But someone told me if you drop something, it’ll crack. Is that true?
TOM: No, it’s very, very dense stuff. Very dense. Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
LESLIE: Well, Tom, would it have cracked in previous installations if the subfloor was not correct? Is that something or is it truly due to the thickness of the tile?
TOM: Yeah, if that’s true – no, that is true. If the subfloor wasn’t right, it could crack. But as long as it’s properly installed – and in your case, you’re on a slab. So as long as the installation is done well, you don’t have to worry about cracking. It’s really tough stuff.
Take a look at the porcelain wood-look tile at LumberLiquidators.com. You’ll get a sense as to the wide variety of styles that are there. And that would be a good place for you to pick that up.
Alright? Good luck with that project, Linda, and thank you so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Just ahead, ladder falls send hundreds of people to the emergency room every single year. Before you step up for one of your spring projects, Tom Silva from This Old House is joining us with some simple safety tips to help keep you safe on ladders.
TOM: And today’s episode of This Old House on The Money Pit is presented by Lumber Liquidators. Lumber Liquidators, hardwood floors for less.
We’ll be back with that tip and more, after this.
Making good homes better, this is The Money Pit. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Pick up the phone, give us a call, right now, with your how-to question at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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