1950's rancher. Sometime in its past, the carport was enclosed to create
a combination den and laundry area. The laundry area was separated by
two half walls with wooden spindles to the ceiling. (And the world's
semi-ugliest navy blue carpet - some of you may remember this is the
house with the rose colored carpet and the pinkish brown cement floor in
the "Florida room").

I'm in the process of having a laundry closet built - typical bi-fold
door affair, and the half walls removed. I have to replace the carpet
(hurray!) and am not sure what to use? I'd figured on that vinyl product
that looks like stone. Then at HD the other day, I saw some sort of
laminate pergo type stuff, with a notation that said it was good for use
in wet areas like the laundry. When I mentioned this to my contractor,
he said laminate doesn't do well when wet.

Any suggestions? There is a wooden layer under the carpet, and I assume
concrete from the carport under that. If this was strictly a laundry
room, I wouldn't care too much about appearance, but it will also be a
living area that happens to have a laundry closet in the far corner, and
I care because of resale. It's also the first area people see if they
come in through the driveway door. Additional info: two shedding dogs
and their crates will be in the area, so durability and ease of cleaning
is important.

Thanks!

On 12/13/2011 20:18, Lee B wrote:


Any suggestions? There is a wooden layer under the carpet, and I assume
concrete from the carport under that. If this was strictly a laundry
room, I wouldn't care too much about appearance, but it will also be a
living area that happens to have a laundry closet in the far corner, and
I care because of resale.

I would take the floor down to the concrete under the washer and put
some sort of dam along the edge to stop dripping water from seeping
under the finished floor. Alternatively put the washer in a catch basin.

On Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:18:04 -0500, Lee B
wrote:


1950's rancher. Sometime in its past, the carport was enclosed to create
a combination den and laundry area. The laundry area was separated by
two half walls with wooden spindles to the ceiling. (And the world's
semi-ugliest navy blue carpet - some of you may remember this is the
house with the rose colored carpet and the pinkish brown cement floor in
the "Florida room").

I'm in the process of having a laundry closet built - typical bi-fold
door affair, and the half walls removed. I have to replace the carpet
(hurray!) and am not sure what to use? I'd figured on that vinyl product
that looks like stone. Then at HD the other day, I saw some sort of
laminate pergo type stuff, with a notation that said it was good for use
in wet areas like the laundry. When I mentioned this to my contractor,
he said laminate doesn't do well when wet.

Any suggestions? There is a wooden layer under the carpet, and I assume
concrete from the carport under that. If this was strictly a laundry
room, I wouldn't care too much about appearance, but it will also be a
living area that happens to have a laundry closet in the far corner, and
I care because of resale. It's also the first area people see if they
come in through the driveway door. Additional info: two shedding dogs
and their crates will be in the area, so durability and ease of cleaning
is important.


I've put down sheet vinyl in a few rooms with excellent results.
Comes in many patterns/looks. Different quality grades.
I used mid-grade.
Never in a room with a dimension bigger than 12', so I never had to
join seams. But that shouldn't be a big deal.
If you're having it done, it's nothing for a pro.
Main thing is a flat floor.
I put hardboard sheeting on one floor first because the old tongue and
groove gaps might show through from the vinyl settling.
Didn't bother when putting over old and good linoleum.
Never used leveling compound.
Didn't use a drop of glue, didn't use a single nail.
It just laid flat.
The edges might peek up until you put the cove or quarter round in.
Didn't use a pattern.
Measured carefully, cut a bit oversize, then finished the edges with a
utility knife.
That's one option.

--Vic

On 12/13/2011 11:18 PM, Lee B wrote:

1950's rancher. Sometime in its past, the carport was enclosed to create
a combination den and laundry area. The laundry area was separated by
two half walls with wooden spindles to the ceiling. (And the world's
semi-ugliest navy blue carpet - some of you may remember this is the
house with the rose colored carpet and the pinkish brown cement floor in
the "Florida room").

I'm in the process of having a laundry closet built - typical bi-fold
door affair, and the half walls removed. I have to replace the carpet
(hurray!) and am not sure what to use? I'd figured on that vinyl product
that looks like stone. Then at HD the other day, I saw some sort of
laminate pergo type stuff, with a notation that said it was good for use
in wet areas like the laundry. When I mentioned this to my contractor,
he said laminate doesn't do well when wet.

Any suggestions? There is a wooden layer under the carpet, and I assume
concrete from the carport under that. If this was strictly a laundry
room, I wouldn't care too much about appearance, but it will also be a
living area that happens to have a laundry closet in the far corner, and
I care because of resale. It's also the first area people see if they
come in through the driveway door. Additional info: two shedding dogs
and their crates will be in the area, so durability and ease of cleaning
is important.

Thanks!


If the concrete base is solid I would remove the wood and go with
ceramic tile. Looks great, holds up in a possibly damp area and is a
plus at resale.

John

Lee B wrote:
1950's rancher. Sometime in its past, the carport was enclosed to
create a combination den and laundry area. The laundry area was
separated by two half walls with wooden spindles to the ceiling. (And
the world's semi-ugliest navy blue carpet - some of you may remember
this is the house with the rose colored carpet and the pinkish brown
cement floor in the "Florida room").

I'm in the process of having a laundry closet built - typical bi-fold
door affair, and the half walls removed. I have to replace the carpet
(hurray!) and am not sure what to use? I'd figured on that vinyl
product that looks like stone. Then at HD the other day, I saw some
sort of laminate pergo type stuff, with a notation that said it was
good for use in wet areas like the laundry. When I mentioned this to
my contractor, he said laminate doesn't do well when wet.

Any suggestions? There is a wooden layer under the carpet, and I
assume concrete from the carport under that. If this was strictly a
laundry room, I wouldn't care too much about appearance, but it will
also be a living area that happens to have a laundry closet in the
far corner, and I care because of resale. It's also the first area
people see if they come in through the driveway door. Additional
info: two shedding dogs and their crates will be in the area, so
durability and ease of cleaning is important.


After putting down laminate in a bedroom, I took a 1" wide bit of scrap and
measured its thickness with a micrometer. I then stuck it in a glass of
water. Replenishing the water periodically, I left the piece of laminate
soaking for a MONTH. Measuring it once again, it was still the same
thickness within the tolerance of my micrometer (0.002").

That said, you can get laminate flooring from Lumber Liquidators or Floor &
Decor Outlet at less than half the price you'd pay at the box store. The
laminate I used for two bedrooms cost $0.67/sq ft from LL. I did another
bedroom with even cheaper material at $0.47/sq ft. from F&DO.

Flooring with laminate is a straight-forward and rewarding project. Heck,
it's even fun. Some tools you may not have:
* A powered saw (table saw is best)
* A 2# rubber hammer
* A Z-shaped piece of metal to force-snap the pieces together long-ways.
Hook one end on the laminate plank and whack the other end with a hammer. A
big hammer. I can't stress how important this tool is in preventing gaps:
http://www.harborfreight.com/floor-i...kit-96447.html

Another hint:
* Remove the baseboards. Use this opportunity to take them outside, sand,
fill in the dings, and re-paint. Sub-hint: Do not pound the baseboard nails
out - pull them through the wood.

You can easily do a big room in a weekend.

Good luck.

On Dec 14, 6:26*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
Lee B wrote:
1950's rancher. Sometime in its past, the carport was enclosed to
create a combination den and laundry area. The laundry area was
separated by two half walls with wooden spindles to the ceiling. (And
the world's semi-ugliest navy blue carpet - some of you may remember
this is the house with the rose colored carpet and the pinkish brown
cement floor in the "Florida room").

I'm in the process of having a laundry closet built - typical bi-fold
door affair, and the half walls removed. I have to replace the carpet
(hurray!) and am not sure what to use? I'd figured on that vinyl
product that looks like stone. *Then at HD the other day, I saw some
sort of laminate pergo type stuff, with a notation that said it was
good for use in wet areas like the laundry. When I mentioned this to
my contractor, he said laminate doesn't do well when wet.

Any suggestions? There is a wooden layer under the carpet, and I
assume concrete from the carport under that. If this was strictly a
laundry room, I wouldn't care too much about appearance, but it will
also be a living area that happens to have a laundry closet in the
far corner, and I care because of resale. It's also the first area
people see if they come in through the driveway door. Additional
info: two shedding dogs and their crates will be in the area, so
durability and ease of cleaning is important.

After putting down laminate in a bedroom, I took a 1" wide bit of scrap and
measured its thickness with a micrometer. I then stuck it in a glass of
water. Replenishing the water periodically, I left the piece of laminate
soaking for a MONTH. Measuring it once again, it was still the same
thickness within the tolerance of my micrometer (0.002").

That said, you can get laminate flooring from Lumber Liquidators or Floor &
Decor Outlet at less than half the price you'd pay at the box store. The
laminate I used for two bedrooms cost $0.67/sq ft from LL. I did another
bedroom with even cheaper material at $0.47/sq ft. from F&DO.

Flooring with laminate is a straight-forward and rewarding project. Heck,
it's even fun. Some tools you may not have:
* A powered saw (table saw is best)
* A 2# rubber hammer
* A Z-shaped piece of metal to force-snap the pieces together long-ways.
Hook one end on the laminate plank and whack the other end with a hammer. A
big hammer. I can't stress how important this tool is in preventing gaps:http://www.harborfreight.com/floor-i...kit-96447.html

Another hint:
* Remove the baseboards. Use this opportunity to take them outside, sand,
fill in the dings, and re-paint. Sub-hint: Do not pound the baseboard nails
out - pull them through the wood.

You can easily do a big room in a weekend.

Good luck.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I would agree that laminate is a reasonable choice for the
application. It's water resistant enough that it's used in
laundry rooms, kitchens, basements, etc. And it's going
to look a lot better than vinyl.

On 12/13/2011 11:18 PM, Lee B wrote:

1950's rancher. Sometime in its past, the carport was enclosed to create
a combination den and laundry area. The laundry area was separated by
two half walls with wooden spindles to the ceiling. (And the world's
semi-ugliest navy blue carpet - some of you may remember this is the
house with the rose colored carpet and the pinkish brown cement floor in
the "Florida room").

I'm in the process of having a laundry closet built - typical bi-fold
door affair, and the half walls removed. I have to replace the carpet
(hurray!) and am not sure what to use? I'd figured on that vinyl product
that looks like stone. Then at HD the other day, I saw some sort of
laminate pergo type stuff, with a notation that said it was good for use
in wet areas like the laundry. When I mentioned this to my contractor,
he said laminate doesn't do well when wet.

Any suggestions? There is a wooden layer under the carpet, and I assume
concrete from the carport under that. If this was strictly a laundry
room, I wouldn't care too much about appearance, but it will also be a
living area that happens to have a laundry closet in the far corner, and
I care because of resale. It's also the first area people see if they
come in through the driveway door. Additional info: two shedding dogs
and their crates will be in the area, so durability and ease of cleaning
is important.

Thanks!

With laminate flooring and a lot of traffic, I think there would be a
lot of grit, sand and dog hair floating around (not to mention noise).
I would be inclined to use indoor/outdoor carpet with short loop pile
with waterproof membrane under the carpet...membrane to protect against
doggie accidents permeating subfloor. Cold or warm climate? Ceramic
tile, but same issues except not easily scratched by dogs.

Norminn wrote:

With laminate flooring and a lot of traffic, I think there would be a
lot of grit, sand and dog hair floating around (not to mention noise).
I would be inclined to use indoor/outdoor carpet with short loop pile
with waterproof membrane under the carpet...membrane to protect
against doggie accidents permeating subfloor. Cold or warm climate?
Ceramic tile, but same issues except not easily scratched by dogs.

You make an interesting point.

Most laminate, however, is coated with the same stuff from which they make
fighter jet windshields. As such, it is impervious to ground-in dirt, dog
claws, golf shoes, and being slammed with the pointy-ball thingy on the end
of a chain. I've tried scratching laminate with a nail and a wood rasp with
no detectable effect.

There MAY be a lot of dirt, dog hair, and the like deposited - depending on
the traffic, but whatever won't migrate to the nether regions as it would on
a carpet. Laminate is FAR easier to keep clean than a rug.

On 12/14/2011 6:11 PM, HeyBub wrote:
Norminn wrote:

With laminate flooring and a lot of traffic, I think there would be a
lot of grit, sand and dog hair floating around (not to mention noise).
I would be inclined to use indoor/outdoor carpet with short loop pile
with waterproof membrane under the carpet...membrane to protect
against doggie accidents permeating subfloor. Cold or warm climate?
Ceramic tile, but same issues except not easily scratched by dogs.

You make an interesting point.

Most laminate, however, is coated with the same stuff from which they make
fighter jet windshields. As such, it is impervious to ground-in dirt, dog
claws, golf shoes, and being slammed with the pointy-ball thingy on the end
of a chain. I've tried scratching laminate with a nail and a wood rasp with
no detectable effect.

There MAY be a lot of dirt, dog hair, and the like deposited - depending on
the traffic, but whatever won't migrate to the nether regions as it would on
a carpet. Laminate is FAR easier to keep clean than a rug.


Thanks, that is what I'm thinking. I have long haired dogs with an
undercoat that clings to everything when they shed, so I figure a
laminate or something else hard would be much simpler to mop than
carpet. Hmm, maybe a leaf blower! I'm not too concerned with noise and
traffic. And somehow the idea of tile just doesn't do anything for me. I
associate it with being cold and slippery, but then my only real
experience with tile is in bathrooms, LOL. BTW, mid-atlantic climate so
currently coldish.

I'm going to have to go find a Lumber Liquidators. You are making that
laminate sound appealing!