Tiled floors

[GoAnna!]

From: GoAnna !


I am considering tiling the floor of the lounge / kitchen / bathroom as part of a total refurbishment to an inner Melbourne apartment. I have never lived with tiled floors. Are they easy to keep clean? hard on the feet? Cold?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

GoAnna !
(aka Anna before she got real)

 

[Jude H]

Reply: 1
From: Jude H


All of the above!

 

[WebBoard]

Reply: 1.1
From: Gee Cee Cee


Hi Ya
From my experience they look great. Feel icy on your feet in colder mths. (Supply fleecy slippers)

They can crack if the tiles are very large and laid on a flooring that expands & shrinks. IE timber.

As well they can look dated quite quickly as fashion trends move forward. Then they are a lot more hassle to rip up than most other flooring.

Gee Cee

(The old conservative Fashion Guru!!)


Just my opinion: If you are going to sell it within 1-3 yrs, go for it . If you are holding longer your tiles may look YUK to anyone purchasing beyond that time line.

 

[WebBoard]

Reply: 1.1.1
From: Delia L


hi,

I had tiled floor in my Darwin IP as well as the unit I rented few years ago.

They are great for hot weather (perfect for Darwin)but a pain to clean. Tiling in Melbourne? I guess it might be a bit cold on the feet. Also, once one tile is cracked,it's ugly and expensive to fix.

Delia

 

[GoAnna!]

Reply: 1.1.1.1
From: GoAnna !


Thanks Jude, Gee Cee and Delia,

Your thoughts and experiences have clarified things for me.

First I need to decide if I am selling or holding. (was hoping that I could decide that later)

If I am holding then I need to decide - carpet or floorboards. (Would be installed on concrete slab). I am not a fan of floating floors as i think they look cheap however I am concerned that like tiles a timber floor would be hard on the feet.

Anyone had experience in installing or living with timber floors installed on a concrete base?

Thanks again.

GoAnna !
(aka Anna before she got real)

 

[Peter Noake]

Reply: 2
From: Pierre .


Tiles are easy to clean - just as aeasy as timber floors. Sweep and mop.

I don't think they arwe any harder on the feet than timber (I have both in my house).

As for cold - yep, a bit, but again, same as timber. Nice and cool in the summer 'though. 40 degree summer days in Melbourne - lying on nice cool tiles under a fan.

Gee Cee mentioned tiles dating. You could go for something timeless and classic that is more likely to appeal for longer. Now I'm sure everyone thought burnt orange, mission brown and dark slate tiles were going to be all the rage for years to come, but we know better now. Go for something like terra cotta tiles that have been around since Jesus was a lad. Again - same as timer. Nice and clean, stylish, and last the test of fashion time.

 

[Sim]

Reply: 2.1
From: Sim' Hampel


On 4/14/01 8:57:00 AM, Pierre . wrote:
>Tiles are easy to clean - just
>as aeasy as timber floors.
>Sweep and mop.

I agree with you there, having lived with both tiles and floorboards !

>I don't think they arwe any
>harder on the feet than timber
>(I have both in my house).

Timber can be a pain (literally) if it was laid a long time ago (like in our 1926 bungalow) and the boards have separated to leave 5mm gaps or so... hurts my feet to walk on a bit. That being said, they do look fantastic !

>As for cold - yep, a bit, but
>again, same as timber. Nice
>and cool in the summer
>'though. 40 degree summer days
>in Melbourne - lying on nice
>cool tiles under a fan.

Yes, I remember that 40 degree day you had in Melbourne once upon a time
Certainly works well for ALL of those 40 degree days (and weeks) in Adelaide ;-)

>Gee Cee mentioned tiles
>dating. You could go for
>something timeless and classic
>that is more likely to appeal
>for longer. Now I'm sure
>everyone thought burnt orange,
>mission brown and dark slate
>tiles were going to be all the
>rage for years to come, but we
>know better now.

Hey, where can you get them ? They would go well with our burnt orange and mission brown lounge suite !! (no I'm not kidding !)

>Go for
>something like terra cotta
>tiles that have been around
>since Jesus was a lad. Again -
>same as timer. Nice and clean,
>stylish, and last the test of
>fashion time.

I'm with you again on this one Pierre !

 

[WebBoard]

Reply: 2.1.1
From: Rasputin .


Just throw a large rug over tiled floors if it gets too cold, we do that in our games and family rooms which ar efully tiled but centre area has large rug ..

 

[Owen]

Reply: 1.1.1.1.1
From: Owen .


I installed a timber floor over concrete in my own house. A plastic sheet was laid first then 19mm battens masonry nailed to the floor. Then 150mm wide 19mm thick floor boards (Aussie Beech in my case) nailed to them. They were then sanded and tung oiled and waxed afterwards. This of course meant the floor level was raised nearly 40mm so the bottom of the doors were cut and new skirting boards fitted. It looks fantastic and really nice and warm in winter.

Because "real" floorboards were used they can be re-sanded as many times as needed and will be there long after I'm dead. The floating floors just don't cut it for quality. I have this in 1 IP and it's looking tatty after 4 years.

I used Sydney Flooring Company for my place. Recommended.