What kind of flooring to use for upstairs bedrooms?

September 8, 2020 11:56 AM

I'm having a dormer put in and it's a good opportunity to put in floors upstairs. But I need to keep the budget reasonable. What's a good alternative to carpet that isn't going to kill my wallet?

Durability is my number one priority, followed by attractiveness. We can't do carpet because my wife hates it and cleaning it aggravates my allergies. I have two cats and two kids, but no dogs. I live in Maine, so it gets very cold in the winter, and somewhat hot occasionally in summer.

As an added note, my upstairs floor is a bit uneven in places. It's a mixture of old beat-up hardwood and subfloor, so I can't just polish up the hardwood. I'm already putting vinyl into the bathroom up there. My contractor had originally put in carpet in his (very) detailed estimate, but he's willing to work with us and has been pretty creative and flexible so far.

This is being put in by professionals so it doesn't necessarily need to be super easy to install.

posted by selfnoise to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

Shot in the dark: I've been looking for an excuse to put down a floor made out of highly-finished exterior-rated plywood. Pick nice sheets from a plywood specialist company (not HD or Lowes), and it could look really nice.
posted by aramaic at 12:05 PM on September 8, 2020

We used vinyl flooring that looks like wood and I'm really happy with it! Because of the cold winters you could also consider adding underfloor heating if it's in the budget - depending on the area, it's really not too expensive, especially if you use a standard-sized instead of custom mat.
posted by beyond_pink at 12:11 PM on September 8, 2020

Vinyl plank flooring will deal with some unevenness and is attractive, durable, relatively inexpensive, and waterproof. We got it for our whole house because dogs. You can get it with some texture to it (not just a printed woodgrain but actual molded simulated woodgrain) which will give dogs a little extra grip.
posted by kindall at 12:11 PM on September 8, 2020 [2 favorites]

I've seen plenty of nice plywood floors, and even some chipboard floors. Some of them were put in with the expectation that they'd eventually be the subflooring, and some not.
posted by clew at 12:13 PM on September 8, 2020

n-thing the current generation of vinyl planks. We built an office last year and the vinyl plank (similar in shape as "hardwood" "laminate" strips) looks good enough that I'd floor my own (residential) place with it.

It fit the budget, looks good, durable so far, and yes - it's waterproof. Not unpleasant to stand/ walk on as it has a tiny bit of give. Not too clacky with heels, either.
posted by porpoise at 12:29 PM on September 8, 2020

Another vote for some wood-looking vinyl (or similar) product. They've come a long way in the past 10 years or so. I used to think all vinyl flooring looked terrible and now, yeah, I'd consider it if I were adding some new space. Your contractor should also know about various floor-leveling products to set down as a base - ask about that if it's not in your detailed quote.

Just as a data point, I think the plywood approach would look... not great. (And yes I'm familiar with premium-grade plywood). Not that I'm right and aramaic is wrong, just saying that this look could yield strong opinions, perhaps negative ones, in case you are thinking about resale value.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 12:43 PM on September 8, 2020

Agree with the vinyl planks. It's life cycle is probably slightly longer than carpet, is comparatively affordable and installation is easy.


You may also consider actual hardwood, assuming your contractor can level the floors. Check places like Lumber Liquidators or Floor and Decor if there is a sale on the sq footage you need.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:46 PM on September 8, 2020

probably vinyl like everyone else said but for a natural option, look at bamboo. it's tough as nails and much less expensive than other hardwoods. it may look odd with the other wood in the house if the other stuff is something like oak; it looks best in a more contemporary interior imo and I probably wouldn't put it in a pre-war house.
posted by slow graffiti at 12:59 PM on September 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

It's all the rage to call what everyone's talking about here "Luxury Vinyl Plank." We used this exact product for a basement floor, and were very happy with it. Obviously they have other colors, etc.

We installed it in a basement (on cement foundation), and were very happy with how it dealt with some slight unevenness. The Home Depot installer (never again) tried to sell us a giant load of floor leveling, we said no, and it was fine for a couple of years after. (We moved, so I haven't seen it lately, but I'm sure it's great.)
posted by nosila at 2:09 PM on September 8, 2020

I like my wood-look vinyl plank. It's bouncy and easy on the feet (not hard and cold like tile) and very durable. I wanted to not worry about scratches, so the finish I got is kind of weathered looking, and while it's not my dream floor from a looks perspective, it's super practical and I never have to yell at my kids about scratching or spilling.

As a bonus, the "wood" texture is somewhat slip-resistant and the whole thing is SUPER forgiving if you drop anything. Plates, if dropped on this stuff, just bounce. (The previous stone floor would explode them into shards of glass confetti.)

That said, my subfloor is old and uneven, and there is one little spot where the planking feels a bit uneven as a result. But less so, as the years have gone on.

The brand I used is Core-tec.
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:11 PM on September 8, 2020

Vinyl is cold and is toxic to manufacture, not re-cycleable. If you're okay with the several inches of height you'd lose, there's cork planks. Or peel & stick cork squares. Cork is color-limited.

Real linoleum is sustainable, great color selections, not cheap.

A friend used finish plywood, cut into 2' squares, laid so the grain alternated, poly-ed. It looked great, easy care.
posted by theora55 at 6:03 AM on September 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. Our contractor agreed that vinyl plank was probably the best solution so we are going to go with that and I'll update this if I remember after it's in.
posted by selfnoise at 11:14 AM on September 10, 2020