Talk to me about flooring options?

[Earthmummy07]

We used to have carpet in our playroom. It was a nightmare to keep clean.

Then we got vinyl lino type stuff (which yes I know is awful for offgassing, the environment etc) but it was the cheapest option, and has been much easier to keep clean as I can sweep easier than I can handle a vaccume cleaner. But it hasn't worn very well. BB + a hyper puppy have taken it's toll. It's only been down a year but it's full of dents and bits that have been pulled out and tears. The latest edition is a full set of the puppy's top teeth marks from when she was trying to catch shadows with her teeth :doh It looks awful :sigh We've talked about laying more lino, but really the dog will just ruin it again.

I'm contemplating just having it laminated. But we're having a baby this summer and I'm worried about them learning to crawl/walk on such a hard, slippy surface and banging their heads all the time. We hired a holiday home for 10days around the time BB was learning to walk. It had laminate floor and by the time we'd been there 3 days he was COVERED in bruises from falling down. And it's more expensive, and we don't have a lot of money. We could possibly leave the lino down until baby is walking and then change it, but I don't want to live with teethmarks in the floor of my living space until then, you know?

Going back to carpet is not an option. The puppy sheds like you would not believe. Everything we own is covered in dog hair :shiver

Suggestions, ideas, POV I might not have thought of? :help

[Aerynne]

Is it possible the linoleum you got is just a low-quality one? A higher quality one might wear better.

[Earthmummy07]

Possibly :think

It also might have something to do with not being able to afford underlay so it's laid straight onto the (slightly wonky) and uneven floorboards. Maybe we should look into better quality lino first :yes

[LoveIsGentle]

Hmm. I've had three of my kids learn to walk on wood laminate flooring, and falls, particularly ones that resulted in getting hurt were rare. Was he learning to walk in socks? My kiddos were generally barefoot or in skid-proof socks and it generally did the trick. How about laminate with rugs or those foam interlocking tiles for kids areas until you have a more confident walker?

[Katigre]

We have all wood floors in our home and our babies learned to crawl/walk on it just fine without bruises. There was plenty of falling down going on too! I'd go with laminate in your situation :yes.

[mamacat]

We have a low VOC in both bathrooms that is really wearing well and I love it.Would use area rugs only if n a bedroom.Am not happy with laminate we have in hall and big bedroom at all :no

[Little Forest]

Carpet does have such a better feel to it and the softness makes a big difference, but :shiver when you think of what it harbors.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Elyse221]

We put in laminate and I love it. It is the hand scraped kind so it has some texture and is not quite as slippery. I wouldn't go with the glossy "piano finish" type.

[Laurlor]

If I could redo my floors, I would do the tile planks that look like hardwood. We just went through a bunch of new home models and that seems to be the new trend. They look awesome and hold up so well! I've had two types on laminate (in our old house) and have hardwood in this house. There are pros and cons to everything, but I love the look of the tiles and they hold up better than wood or laminate. Here's some examples: http://www.daltile.com/inspiration-and-diy/wood-look-tile/wood-look-tile-flooring

[Hurdy]

We have the wood look tile and LOVE it!!!! It has a texture to it, so it's not slippery at all. So easy to clean, no worries about scratches or damage. We only have furry children at the moment, but there is not a mark on it. We are moving before our LO comes, but I was not too worried about the floors. An area rug and some of those squishy tiles to play on was the plan.