Question: Hi Robert, I haven’t written in to you in several years, but here we are again at an impasse, my husband and me. You’ll once again be the tiebreaker; this one is about new flooring in our home.
We’ve done a ton of remodeling over the past few years, much of it ourselves, and the floors have sat in disrepair the entire time, waiting for us to get to this point. Along the way we’ve had discussions about the type of flooring we’d choose, always ending up on different pages for different and valid reasons.
I prefer large plank-type tile that looks like a wood floor. I like this because it’s durable, looks like wood, the one I like is textured so it is slip resistant and most importantly for me, it will be SILENT. We have dogs and if anything drives me crazy it’s the sound of the “tick tick” of their nails on flooring.
My husband, on the other hand, likes the wood look but is not wanting to go with the tile because of the additional cost and because the snap flooring, like Pergo, is faster and there are styles he prefers over the tile we’ve found. He likes that it is waterproof also, and not so heavy.
Here you go: Can you tell us what you think and why, please? (Pick me!) Thanks so much.
– Joan B.
Answer: Joan, you give me too much power here. I hope the “loser” can handle it! Looks like, and this is only my opinion, but Joan, you are the clear winner here.
Between the two, tile or Pergo, I am 100% tile all the way. The cost for install, and I know someone who just did this comparison not long ago, using the big-box store for install on the Pergo and then a licensed and insured quality tile contractor for the tile, was just about $2,000 more for the tile.
The tile was a high-quality plank tile like you’re describing, with texture, installed. Yes, you are looking at more money for the tile, but the likelihood of damage is far less with the tile vs. the snap flooring.
I’m also with you on the noise factor with the dogs and the snap flooring. There are products to use that they say silence the flooring and, while it does help, you still hear the dog’s nails. I’ve seen many old dogs struggle on the snap flooring also, with it being slick under their pads.
Another issue I have with the snap flooring is that even if you purchase the highest-quality “waterproof” option, here is what they do: They seal the edges, essentially making a swimming pool out of the flooring.
Example: Upstairs, complete install of “waterproof” flooring, small condo. Owner is gone for a couple of days, leak occurs. The only out the water had was under the front door. Aside from that, the floor was waterproofed, and it did a great job of holding the water! Unfortunately, what could escape through the front door was minimal and went unnoticed by neighbors until the water had filled the space enough and wicked into the drywall and it finally began manifesting down into the garage and eventually was noticed by neighbors.
Unfortunately, by this time, every square foot of this condo was affected, as well as the next-door neighbor’s (who was also gone!) unit. Now in this case, guess who is responsible for the entirety of the damages? Yes, the owner. Insurance helped but not with the entire cost. So, that alone makes me tap out of the snap flooring. I personally have a high-quality wood floor in my home, but if I were going to do new, not wood, I’d choose the wood-look tile, hands down. Good luck!
Robert Lamoureux has more than 40 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at [email protected].
