[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by TednRobin

I like bedrooms and living areas in carpet, wet areas and entry, tiled. Carpet is more comfy under barefeet, and Merlin doesn't slide or click his toenails on the carpet.

I take it Merlin is not your hubby? Just a bit of levity.
Yes, carpeting is comfy and soft.......

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by cleanwater

We replaced carpeting with laminate and love it. Much cleaner and brighter. Wood or laminate reflects more sound and light. Our dark laminate is brighter than our white carpet.

We have tile in the kitchen and baths. Tile in the bath is great. Kitchen tile chips due to dropped knives etc. Eventually we need to get the old chipped kitchen tile replaced but tile removal is expensive and messy.

You can avoid tile grout color problems by sealing and most importantly cleaning with water only. Other cleaners leave a residue that darkens the grout.

We put tile in the lanai to avoid mold issues with wood or carpet and love the tile for this location. The carpeting was nicer on the feet in every location but the cleanliness, ease of cleaning, lack of mold and brightness out ways the foot feel.

Could be you are correct about only cleaning with water.
I had been using a Swiffer with their cleaning detergent bottles.
Since I've been using strictly tap water / steam......it's much cleaner.
Unfortunately, we never had the grout sealed. Our tile guy never even mentioned it.......whereas, in N.J. our cousins sealed all their grout.

The bathroom tile does not get as soiled, except for the shower stall.
We should never have tiled the shower.....but it was in vogue at the time, a few years back. Also should never have bought glass shower doors.
Does anyone know a quick cleaning trick for the glass doors? They are beautiful etched glass with roses and vines.......but we have HARD WATER up here in Vermont and no water softener......so soap scum doesn't take long to build up. THANKS................P.S. THE BEST SHOWER FLOOR WE'VE EVER SEEN WAS LAST SUMMER IN TABERNASH COLORADO AT THE DEVILS THUMB RESORT RANCH.......ALL THE SHOWER FLOORS HAD RIVER STONES........LIKE PEBBLES TO WALK ON.....BUT VERY NICE AND NON SLIPPERY....HUGE GLASS SHOWERS.........AND SOAKING TUBS IN ALL THE ROOMS. WE HAD NEVER SEEN RIVER STONES BEFORE.........they were various shades of grey.

[mulligan]

Those stone-look tiles can actually be bought in interlocking sheets at home depot. Also as far as the dirt/stain issue with tile, there is an epoxy grout available in most colors which is actually stain proof as opposed to stain resistant like most other products. It's more expensive to buy and install, but the results are worth it IMHO.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by mulligan

Those stone-look tiles can actually be bought in interlocking sheets at home depot. Also as far as the dirt/stain issue with tile, there is an epoxy grout available in most colors which is actually stain proof as opposed to stain resistant like most other products. It's more expensive to buy and install, but the results are worth it IMHO.

That's good to know. We do have a Home Depot that came into town a few years back, which is when we bought all the new tile. Everyone in town began remodeling when H.D. came to town. After awhile, everyone got tired walking the HUGE store to find things, that we all went back to our one and only hardware / lumber yard, which was much smaller and easier to navigate.

If it's the "bumpy" type river stones like in Colorado, I wonder if they would adhere to a fibreglass shower FLOOR???????? Do you think it could be installed by the average husband handyman type? Next time he's out there he said he will look at them. The ones we saw were all shades of grey, etc. and very bumpy. Our shower walls are tiled with large tiles but the floor is a fibreglass floor in white.........which is difficult to keep clean. Again, hard water. Thanks..........

[Uptown Girl]

We haven't been in TV long, so my experience is from prior homes I've lived in..
One product I have used is called Glass Wax (Glass and metal cleaner). Comes in a thin rectangular can and it is a semi-thin pink liquid with a strong chemical smell. You apply it with a damp sponge, let dry and then wipe off with a soft cloth.
I have used it on shower doors, glass and chrome. It seems to dissolve everything, leaves a nice shine and has a water-repellant property as well.

I can't say we get much soap scum, because we usually use liquid soap. Bar soap (except pure olive oil soap) was banned from the house as soon as our contractor told us it causes soap scum, due to the talc and other ingredients. So the Glass Wax, for us, helps to eliminate water deposits and makes the squeegee float over the glass nicely.

It should work well on soap scum unless it is really thick and old - and needs removal with a razor blade first.

I re-apply this product about 1-2 times per year. In-between that, I just use the squeegee and dry afterwards with a soft cloth, if I'm feeling persnickety.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by mulligan

Those stone-look tiles can actually be bought in interlocking sheets at home depot. Also as far as the dirt/stain issue with tile, there is an epoxy grout available in most colors which is actually stain proof as opposed to stain resistant like most other products. It's more expensive to buy and install, but the results are worth it IMHO.

We just found them at Home Depot and also on other sites that have a huge selection of colors.......in smaller 12 x 12 sections.....Home Depot had the longer lengths, but still doesn't seem that hard of a project.

Strata Stone had a huge selection of colors. They all ship to you, even H.D..

Thanks for the info.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by Uptown Girl

We haven't been in TV long, so my experience is from prior homes I've lived in..
One product I have used is called Glass Wax (Glass and metal cleaner). Comes in a thin rectangular can and it is a semi-thin pink liquid with a strong chemical smell. You apply it with a damp sponge, let dry and then wipe off with a soft cloth.
I have used it on shower doors, glass and chrome. It seems to dissolve everything, leaves a nice shine and has a water-repellant property as well.

I can't say we get much soap scum, because we usually use liquid soap. Bar soap (except pure olive oil soap) was banned from the house as soon as our contractor told us it causes soap scum, due to the talc and other ingredients. So the Glass Wax, for us, helps to eliminate water deposits and makes the squeegee float over the glass nicely.

It should work well on soap scum unless it is really thick and old - and needs removal with a razor blade first.

I re-apply this product about 1-2 times per year. In-between that, I just use the squeegee and dry afterwards with a soft cloth, if I'm feeling persnickety.

Sounds great. Thanks....I just wrote it down for our next shopping trip.

[kofficer]

Our realtor when we first moved into our present house, with a nice big shower with glass doors, to get a window squeege and use it religiously every time your shower before leaving the shower. Our glass, is still like new looking after 8 years, and so simple, and I would not have thought of this.

Lee and Richard

[kofficer]

We have ceramic tile in our kitchen and engineered wood flooring most everywhere else, and the ceramic tile kills my back. The engineered wood flooring is much easier on your bones, than tile or real wood. We love ours, and plan to change to it in TV after we move in (they no longer offer the engineered (fake) wood flooring it as an option we have been told). Just a comment for those who may have back problems.

Lee and Richard

[EdV]

I’m a bit confused by all the posts here claiming the installation of real hardwood floors. My understanding is that real hardwood flooring is problematic for the average home in Florida.

First of all, hardwood flooring is normally designed to be nailed into the plywood sub-flooring that is the norm up north in homes with basements. So to overcome that, a typical Florida home with a slab foundation needs a ¾” plywood subfloor installed first. This introduces installation issues in an existing home in order to allow molding and doors to have sufficient clearance once the hardwood is added on top of the plywood base. That adds significantly to the cost of the installation.

Secondly, is the moisture issue in humid Florida. To overcome this, several layers of moisture barring products must be sandwiched between the cement slab, and the sub-floor adding additional cost.

Would any of you care to explain how your hardwood floors were installed here in TV?

[laryb]

[QUOTE=Uptown Girl;372362]We haven't been in TV long, so my experience is from prior homes I've lived in..
One product I have used is called Glass Wax (Glass and metal cleaner). Comes in a thin rectangular can and it is a semi-thin pink liquid with a strong chemical smell. You apply it with a damp sponge, let dry and then wipe off with a soft cloth.
I have used it on shower doors, glass and chrome. It seems to dissolve everything, leaves a nice shine and has a water-repellant property as well.


My mom used Glass Wax when I was a kid, and I haven't seen it in years. Remember stenciling the windows with it at Halloween. Googled it and could not find a place to buy it. If you don't mind, where did you find it?

[rubicon]

My preference is hardwood floors. We had maple hardwood floors that ran from our foyer through our kitchen and downstair bathroom up north. The only problem with hardwood in a kitchen are the nicks and dents caused by dropping canned goods. etc.

We have had a home with tile which also ran through our foyer kitchen and downstair bath that held up well.

we like carpet because of the warmth quiet but no matter the quality or color you eventual end up with with routine cleaning due to heavy graffic areas.

We have all tile in our home in TV except our bedrooms where we have carpet. We have considered tile/hardwood for the bedrooms . I want tile because I am not so sure how hardwood will hold up in Florida. My wife wants hardwood.

Echoing is a problem here with too many floors tiled but rugs do help.

As for cleaning...cleaning is cleaning

bottom line for villages living I prefer tile

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by rubicon

My preference is hardwood floors. We had maple hardwood floors that ran from our foyer through our kitchen and downstair bathroom up north. The only problem with hardwood in a kitchen are the nicks and dents caused by dropping canned goods. etc.

We have had a home with tile which also ran through our foyer kitchen and downstair bath that held up well.

we like carpet because of the warmth quiet but no matter the quality or color you eventual end up with with routine cleaning due to heavy graffic areas.

We have all tile in our home in TV except our bedrooms where we have carpet. We have considered tile/hardwood for the bedrooms . I want tile because I am not so sure how hardwood will hold up in Florida. My wife wants hardwood.

Echoing is a problem here with too many floors tiled but rugs do help.

As for cleaning...cleaning is cleaning

bottom line for villages living I prefer tile

Tile is exactly what my husband would like in entire house.
It's good to hear everyone's different viewpoint. Thanks....

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Tile is exactly what my husband would like in entire house.
It's good to hear everyone's different viewpoint. Thanks....

Your husband has good taste

[GeorgeT]

Originally Posted by EdVinMass

I’m a bit confused by all the posts here claiming the installation of real hardwood floors. My understanding is that real hardwood flooring is problematic for the average home in Florida.

First of all, hardwood flooring is normally designed to be nailed into the plywood sub-flooring that is the norm up north in homes with basements. So to overcome that, a typical Florida home with a slab foundation needs a ¾” plywood subfloor installed first. This introduces installation issues in an existing home in order to allow molding and doors to have sufficient clearance once the hardwood is added on top of the plywood base. That adds significantly to the cost of the installation.

Secondly, is the moisture issue in humid Florida. To overcome this, several layers of moisture barring products must be sandwiched between the cement slab, and the sub-floor adding additional cost.

Would any of you care to explain how your hardwood floors were installed here in TV?

I'd be interested in hearing that too. I wonder if some of the hardwood posters actually have laminate.