Flooring Tile - Marble or Hardwood? Dilema!!!!
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Diplomat
08-12-04, 06:31 PM
OK so here is the deal, I have a small condo (400sqft), I have been told by a designer that I should go with one type of flooring for the whole place. so my question is should I put hardwood or marble? What are the pros and cons? Woudl it be weird if I did all marble and have the bathroom also the same marble?
Thank you for your input.
Thank you for your input.
adanac
08-12-04, 07:36 PM
How much work do you want to do maintaining whatever you put in? Marble is nice, but needs to be sealed...every year if you want to keep the shine. It also stains(wine) etches, Wine, Vinegar, anything acid. Scratchs easily(granite would be a better choice)..and needs a beefed up subfloor to support it.(unless of course you are on slab) but then that is something to think about too, since if it cracks so does your marble.
Hardwood I can't help you with. :rolleyes:
Hardwood I can't help you with. :rolleyes:
homebild
08-12-04, 09:39 PM
OK so here is the deal, I have a small condo (400sqft), I have been told by a designer that I should go with one type of flooring for the whole place. so my question is should I put hardwood or marble? What are the pros and cons? Woudl it be weird if I did all marble and have the bathroom also the same marble?
Thank you for your input.
Marble is a poor choice especially for bathroom.
Marble is nothing more than limestine that has be metamorphosed under time and pressure but the base ingredients remain the same: calcium.
Marble and calcium reacts badly to acids.
Vinegar, soda pop, lemons, limes, oranges, milk, acidic water, and piss.
Marble in a bathroom is an especially bad idea for floors particularly if men are present and cannot aim right.
Hardwoods for the rest of the house.
Ceramic or vinyl flooring for any bath.
Marble for areas where no water or acids can touch.
Thank you for your input.
Marble is a poor choice especially for bathroom.
Marble is nothing more than limestine that has be metamorphosed under time and pressure but the base ingredients remain the same: calcium.
Marble and calcium reacts badly to acids.
Vinegar, soda pop, lemons, limes, oranges, milk, acidic water, and piss.
Marble in a bathroom is an especially bad idea for floors particularly if men are present and cannot aim right.
Hardwoods for the rest of the house.
Ceramic or vinyl flooring for any bath.
Marble for areas where no water or acids can touch.
Diplomat
08-13-04, 10:35 AM
How much work do you want to do maintaining whatever you put in? Marble is nice, but needs to be sealed...every year if you want to keep the shine. It also stains(wine) etches, Wine, Vinegar, anything acid. Scratchs easily(granite would be a better choice)..and needs a beefed up subfloor to support it.(unless of course you are on slab) but then that is something to think about too, since if it cracks so does your marble.
Hardwood I can't help you with. :rolleyes:
Wow I did not know that granite could be placed on the floors, great idea. also I have 8 inches of concrete underneath so the subfloor should be sronmg enough. I do not want lots of maintenance so I will be looking at granite. thank you for your help
Hardwood I can't help you with. :rolleyes:
Wow I did not know that granite could be placed on the floors, great idea. also I have 8 inches of concrete underneath so the subfloor should be sronmg enough. I do not want lots of maintenance so I will be looking at granite. thank you for your help
razz
08-13-04, 03:13 PM
Stay away from travertine, too, which is another form of marble. I saw a remodeled home whose bathrooms were tiled completely (even the showers) in travertine. (It looks beautiful if you don't plan to use it.) The house took a year to sell even in our hot market.
There are tons of great-looking ceramics to choose from, including many that go well with hardwood floors. You'll have a hard time picking a favorite from the wide variety available (we did).
There are tons of great-looking ceramics to choose from, including many that go well with hardwood floors. You'll have a hard time picking a favorite from the wide variety available (we did).
TileguyTodd
08-14-04, 07:24 AM
If you are going to install any hard surface product like tile or granite on that Slab,I highly reccomend,no,i implore you to use an antifracture membrane underneath.
8" slab or not, there are 2 kinds of concrete.those that are cracked and those that are going to crack!!
Concrete takes aproximatly 100 years to completely cure and will shrink 1/2" for every 100 running feet of slab.This is why you see expansion/contraction joints in large slabs.You will also see saw cuts in slabs.these are not to control slab expansion and contraction.they are only a control cut to (believe it or not) Control where the slab cracks because it will crack!!!
I would not reccomend doing a granite installation yourself.If you go with granite, Hire a pro!!!
8" slab or not, there are 2 kinds of concrete.those that are cracked and those that are going to crack!!
Concrete takes aproximatly 100 years to completely cure and will shrink 1/2" for every 100 running feet of slab.This is why you see expansion/contraction joints in large slabs.You will also see saw cuts in slabs.these are not to control slab expansion and contraction.they are only a control cut to (believe it or not) Control where the slab cracks because it will crack!!!
I would not reccomend doing a granite installation yourself.If you go with granite, Hire a pro!!!
PenguinDave
08-16-04, 11:53 AM
Tile floor will be colder than hardwood, unless you heat the floor.
This being a condo do you have neighbors below you? If so I am sure that they would prefer you to install hardwood throughout the main space so that they don't hear every footstep as clearly as with tile.
If you decide hardwood and the designer tries to convince you to install it in the main bath for asthetics see if you can get them to sign an agreement to replace it every few years from swelling and water damage. Might be OK in a powder room, but I wouldn't use it in a main bath.
This being a condo do you have neighbors below you? If so I am sure that they would prefer you to install hardwood throughout the main space so that they don't hear every footstep as clearly as with tile.
If you decide hardwood and the designer tries to convince you to install it in the main bath for asthetics see if you can get them to sign an agreement to replace it every few years from swelling and water damage. Might be OK in a powder room, but I wouldn't use it in a main bath.