I gave you sneak peaks at the basement progress last week, specifically the floors, but I didn’t provide much information on our selections. I received some questions about the materials, so I am going to share all the details about why we picked each finish.
Today I’m talking about our herringbone, faux wood floors.
Daren and I know very little about flooring, so we decided it was in our best interest to hire a professional. Our contractor, Carpenter Homes, directed us to Imperial Flooring for this project.
Before meeting with Aaron from Imperial Flooring, I had already completed the vision boards for the bar and the entertainment room, so we had a very specific idea of what we wanted. If you are a regular reader, you may recall I had been considering cork floors in a light color for the basement and I had already fallen in love with Cement Tile Shop’s products.
I’m not a huge fan of wall-to-wall carpet, but I loved the idea of having something soft and warm underfoot in the basement since it will be mainly used as a play zone. When planning the basement design I did what any reasonable person would do, I googled “soft flooring options that aren’t carpet.” After further Pinterest research I was convinced cork may be the way to go, but I was concerned it would scratch too easily. I was definitely not considering vinyl.
Aaron confirmed that cork, like wood, is susceptible to scratching. He also pointed out that while it is water-resistant, it is not waterproof. In our region, it seems most people experience their basement flooding at some point. I remember a few episodes growing up when we had to create a family assembly line to transfer water from the sump pump to the tub in our basement. Cork is already expensive, so I didn’t like the idea of having to replace it if our basement ever floods.
Instead of cork, Aaron suggested Luxury Vinyl Tile or LVT, which is completely waterproof and generally more affordable than cork. I’m not going to lie, previously to this meeting I had a negative opinion about anything vinyl. In my mind it looked fake and at best cheap. I’m a complicated individual. I want things to be cheap, but I don’t actually want them to look that way! When Daren would dare mention vinyl, I would actually grimace.
After seeing the LVT options in store, even I had to admit that today’s vinyl is not your grandmother’s flooring. Improved printing and embossing techniques produce a surface that looks and feels more authentic than ever. Aaron had some samples of Raskin Gorilla Floors in store, and we were impressed with the realism and color variation of their Seneca – Loft Plank. Its lack of a joint, meant we could have it installed in herringbone pattern with ease. Meaning install wouldn’t cost us an arm and a leg. If it had a joint we would have had to pay extra to have it removed. We were sold.
The LVT floors took about 2 days to install. It would have been even quicker, but the herringbone pattern slowed things down a bit, as did the adjacent work in the guest bathroom. I’d highly recommend Imperial Flooring, their hired installer did an amazing job and made sure the lines are perfectly straight.
How do I feel about it now that is installed? I love the appearance. It looks like real wood. Only the feeling of it under your feet really gives it way as faux. Each plank is unique in appearance and has variation in texture. However, I do wish it was a bit cushier and warmer. It is definitely not the soft play floor we had originally envisioned. The plank is thin and laid directly on the cement. Silver lining, Daren won’t be able to say no to putting rugs throughout the space. He doesn’t seem to love rugs as I do. Overall, I’m happy with the selection. It’s very rare you can get everything you want in one product, so compromises had to be made. I will rest easy knowing I will never need to remove all my floors due to flooding.
After we have settled into the space, I’ll write a new post on how I’m liking the floors.
Tell us in the comments: How do you feel about vinyl flooring? Yay or Nay?
