What would the best flooring to put down? I have a back hallway/entryway that, at the moment, is a short...
I have a back hallway/entryway that, at the moment, is a short time ago poured cement. I would like to give it a more finished look by putting something down similar to tile. I do not like linoleum, at all, but I be wondering what other options there are contained by terms of durability and lack of expense.
Hardwood is a good option. It is trouble-free to clean and durable. It will last you copious, many years.
And you should be able to draw from it for a fairly decent price.
If you do dance with tile make sure not to use the dignified gloss finish ones, they can be very slick when drizzling and very dangerous for someone beside wet feet coming within from the outside.
A level cement floor makes a great foot for many flooring options.
The best choice would depend on how you use the space. Is it your biggest entry, than spending more to impress would help the furture sale of your home. First impresions are critical. Not only entry in home, than sometimes it is nice to own a surface that is easy to verbs and maintain from dirty feet. Tile would be great. Do you wander in this area normally in bare foot or socks than a carpet or wood floor might be better, concrete can get cold within the winter and will transfer the cold to tile.
Answers: The most durable surface will be tile. Figure the cost per square foot for the tile itself and give or take a few $4-$5 per square foot for quality installation.
The least expensive (besides rolled linoleum, which you already said you don't want) is laminate flooring. But, the cheap wood-grain stuff looks and feel exactly that: cheap. I've been looking around at foreclosure condos for sale and it's other obvious when someone put down a cheap laminate fake wood floor.
There are some interesting option for laminate, though. I had a kitchen done in a laminate by WilsonArt that be a 12-inch terra cotta tile looking surface. These were 12-inch interlocking pieces with the appearance of grout lines between them. The shading and shadowing on the edges of the "tiles" and within the grout lines was so realistic that a tiler friend of mine have to actually feel the floor beside his hand to believe that it wasn't real tile.
I have about 200 square feet put down and it come out to about $1200 installed (a friend of mine has a flooring company and give me a good deal). They also put down an underlayment of about 1/16th inch foam sheeting for pandemonium reduction and a moisture barrier. This next made the floor give slightly when I walked or stood on it, which reduced fatigue contained by my feet and legs. It was extremely graceful to clean and very durable.
You could protect the flooring for with Abzorb Mats (we use these in dog & other elevated traffic areas):
http://www.cleanupstuff.com/garage-floor...
Cheap and sturdy stuff!!
hardwoods Tile or hardwoods goes well next to entrys. (FOYERS)
I have laminate.
laminant are cheap per sq/ft. or you cant use this paint and stamp stuff at rona where you can leave the concrete but join a finish look to it. Berber.
Use a natural stone approaching travertine or marble. It sounds like a small area; so the materials shouldn't cost that much even if they are elevated end. Most of your cost will be the labor (unless you can do it yourself). Since you have a concrete subfloor, I would recommend rattan. It comes in a variety of colors and texture, is durable, and is cheaper than hardwood.
go for laminate...it'll look great