<p>Sorry, I tried to do a “sketch” with words, but when I posted it reformatted poorly. </p>
<p>Basically I need some flooring that is NOT hardwood (dog) and NOT carpet, but suitable for foyer, dining room, master bedroom & master bath.</p>
<p>Appreciate any suggestions!</p>
<p>thanks!!!</p>
<p>I have been looking at the same thing. So far, I have liked the Mannington Adura luxury line. They are vinyl tiles that can look very close to wood or stone. They seem to be very scratch resistant. I am thinking of using them in my bathroom.</p>
<p>We have laminate in our entire house (except for bathrooms) and we have a dog. It looks so much better these days and I have never regretted it.</p>
<p>We have limestone with lots of area rugs. There are some beautiful porcelain tiles that replicate the look for a fraction of the cost.</p>
<p>[Floor</a> Tile - Arabesque Porcelain Floor Tile - Bathroom Tile - contemporary - floor tiles - san francisco - by Tileshop](<a href=“Floor Tile - Arabesque Porcelain Floor Tile - Bathroom Tile - Contemporary - Wall And Floor Tile - San Francisco - by Tileshop | Houzz”>Floor Tile - Arabesque Porcelain Floor Tile - Bathroom Tile - Contemporary - Wall And Floor Tile - San Francisco - by Tileshop | Houzz)</p>
<p>Polished concrete? My mom had a house in Santa Fe (actually two) and it is fabulous!!!</p>
<p>We had slate in our family room, kitchen, breakfast room, foyer and 1/2 bath and LOVE LOVE LOVE it…</p>
<p>If doing tile or natural stone surfaces consider doing radiant heating. I’ve walked on slate floors that were heated in the middle of winter and it was incredibly cozy.</p>
<p>We have travertine floors in our bathrooms, and they are stunning. Our entry is marble, and it has also held up well. (Just wish we had radiant heating…)</p>
<p>If you do slate flooring, make sure it’s slate from the US. I have honed slate counters in my kitchen and stone guys said American was much better quality. We got the slate we used from a quarry in NY–right near NY/VT border.</p>
<p>What style is your house? We have a century old home and we have marmoleum in the mudporch, kitchen and bathrooms.</p>
<p>I’ve seen some wood-look porcelain tile that’s very attractive. In general, porcelain is easier to care for than natural stone (which we currently have, along with hardwood.) Radiant heating is on our wishlist for our next home, too. A previous house had it in the master bathroom and that was a lovely luxury.</p>
<p>We rented a house in Palm Springs last week. It sold me on polished concrete with area rugs.</p>
<p>Silpat, I really liked the wood-look porcelain, but it seems wrong somehow to buy something that looks like something-else. It’s a traditional home with semi-contemporary furnishings.</p>
<p>How is the slate to walk on? I think concrete floors are a little TOO wild for me, but the slate or limestone might work. I’ve read that travertine should be avoided around water since it’s very porous. </p>
<p>I didn’t think this would be so hard, but I’ve gone out twice to look at options and gone home overwhelmed!!! I think I’ve given up on the hardwoods though, so that will make it simpler. I know laminate might be an answer, but I want something that will be good for resale and I don’t think laminate is a plus in that area.</p>
<p>ATINTM
I was out looking at stone today, so this is fresh in my mind!
We ripped out our Saturnia floors (same material as travertine but a different cut) because of how poorly it wore in the kitchen. In the living and dining room it still looked brand new after 14 years, but the kitchen looked horrid. For the first 10 years or so we had it sanded and resealed every two years but we could never get the kitchen to look as good as the rest of the house.
If resale is a consideration it would be interesting to know what newer homes in your market offer. Since our remodel is being done specifically for resale, I spent considerable time talking to flooring salesmen about what was selling for new construction in our pricepoint.</p>
<p>Besides the limestone, marble is very hot now in my market. I saw a stunning acid washed and brushed marfil today.</p>
<p>[Crema</a> Marfil Coto | Beige marble from Spain | Natural stones](<a href=“http://www.globalstoneportal.com/stone-catalogue/spain/marble/beige/crema-marfil-coto]Crema”>http://www.globalstoneportal.com/stone-catalogue/spain/marble/beige/crema-marfil-coto)</p>
<p>I ended up going with the limestone because it was available sooner and the decorator kept pulling me back to the nuetral coloring of the stone. I have slate in my summer home and I love it too, but it has much wider grout lines and a less uniform level, if that is something of concern.</p>
<p>Consider the need to seal natural stone and choose good ceramic or porcelain if that’s the look and coldness/hardness you want. If you go with tile of any kind make sure they use a sealant instead of water in the grout. Tile places know about this. Just redid Florida house with American Olean and another brand from a local tile store instead of Home Depot/Lowes available colors. Vinyl and laminate will be warmer and softer- but not the factor in Texas as it is in the north.</p>
<p>We’re redoing all the floors in the house, mostly carpet and hardwood refinishing in a couple of rooms, and selected Duraceramic, vinyl tile that’s very durable looks like stone but is much warmer to the touch, for the foyer and kitchen. Both Congoleum and Armstrong make versions of it. Just signed the contract a couple of days ago, so I can’t tell you how much I love it but I hope to soon!</p>
<p>Why does having a dog preclude wood floors? I’ve always had both.</p>
<p>I am puzzled too, but then I’ve never thought my floors had to look brand new - my house was built in 1923 and it looks it! Mind you we did refinish the floors when we moved in ten years ago, and at the least the dining room could use it again. Unless I lived in Florida, I would never have tile outside the bathrooms and kitchen, (and I hate it in my kitchen, but mostly because it’s an evil slippery tile,) it’s just too cold.</p>