.::. Renovation Day 15 - 16 .::.

Day 15

Flooring started! K sent me a picture.

Day 16

Flooring for the living room is almost completed.

View from the entrance.

Close-up view.

They still need to mend the gaps/grouting.

From the other end of the living room.

Still very dirty.

View from the corridor.

Brick wall.

This is where they cut the tiles.

Home.  =)

Does it have a Scandinavian feel?

I think I like it, not 'WOAH' kind of impressed, but satisfied with how it had turned out.  Obviously it wouldn't be as pretty as using real wood, but it's pretty impressive for homogeneous tiles.  I'm alright with the color too.  The husband thinks the planks looked short, but I guess we've made the best choice as longer tiles have warping issues.

Choosing wood-like flooring for our home:

We wanted wooden flooring for the whole house, including kitchen - that one we were sure.  But what we weren't sure was what material to use.  We've looked around and shortlisted quite a few:

Laminates: Big no-no for me, because I dislike the way it feels when you step on it.  It feels 'fake' and hollow, and it's not known to be durable too.  Definitely not recommended for kitchen.  I suppose the only reasons people choose it is due to its affordability and patterns available.  Cost $2.50psf and up.

Parquet wood: Not recommended for kitchen due to dampness/leaks, although overseas use it for kitchen and it's the top 5 materials to be used. Gave it up since everyone advised against it and we were concerned about the maintenance.  Moreover, it's usually darker colored which would make our place look smaller. Cost $6psf and up.

Bamboo: Supposed to be more durable and more resilient to water, but was also advised against using it for kitchen as hot oil would change its color. Expensive to lay it for whole house.  Think it cost about $7psf and up.

Vinyl: Also known as waterproof resilient flooring.  It feels solid, looks like wood and is waterproof.  I was amazed and totally sold - till I went to research on it.  It's made of vinyl, basically plastic and installed using a 'floating' system as pieces are 'clicked' together.  Warranty on the material, but salesman warned that it does not cover mould if water manage to go UNDER it.  This is possible as the pieces are not sealed and if your mop is too wet/air con leak/forget to close windows, water can and will seep in between and potential cause mould or smell.  Moreover, some studies stated that vinyl is 'poisonous' and emits poisonous fumes which is especially bad for children.  Reviews overseas were pretty bad too. Smelly flooring doesn't sound appealing to me, so we gave it up. Cost $5.60psf and up.

Homogeneous tiles: We knew about wood-like homogeneous tiles but I was concerned about the grouting or whether it could have the feel that I like.  We went to quite a few places - White Horse, Hafary and Soon Bee Huat.  We eventually chose our tiles from Soon Bee Huat for $2.60psf excluding  laying.  Hafary had a few nice ones to but prices start from $3.20.  White horse had less options and generally didn't look as nice due to the grains.  Soon Bee Huat had a huge selection, and the showroom has big areas which were laid with such tiles for easy visualization too.  Really worth a visit for anyone choosing tiles!