[Boomer]

If we ever get around to buying something in TV, tile floors are something we would like. We know we would probably end up installing the tile ourselves.

I just now saw something on the Today Show about a new product that allows porcelain tiles to be installed as a floating floor as long as the floor beneath it is solid. These are real tiles. But there is no need for thinset. A flexible grout is used.

I am wondering if anyone in TOTV land has experience with this new flooring. If you go to todayshow.com, you can find the information in an article called "Glorious Floors" in the Home & Garden section of the site.

This sounds a little too good to be true. - the real tile without the huge deal that the installation can be. I wonder if this flooring eliminates the need for concrete board underneath.

So...this is how exciting my life, here iced in this morning, has become. I am all happy about the possibility of easily installed real tile floors.

I saw some very nice tile work while in TV. A tile job done right is a thing of beauty. A tile job gone awry is a disaster.

The Today Show site links to the product manufacturer, but I am interested in knowing if anyone has any other information.

[golfnut]

Boomer, I can't answer your question but do have one of my own and thought I'd ask since you seem to be very interested in tile. I have o lot of tile in my current house and would consider putting it in in TV but what I dislike most is cleaning the grout. Yes I sealed it when it was new but can't seem to keep it clean, it always looks off color (read dirty) in the traffic areas. Do you know of a good product to clean grout? Thanks, GN

[KathieI]

Golfnut, with three schnauzers in L.A., I have lots of tile throughout the house. Next time I do it, I'll try to make the grout lines a lot thinner between tiles to see if that works. But in the meantime, the best product I've used is Soft Scrub with Bleach and use a brush on a handle to clean the grout. It seems to work real well and doesn't cause the grout to break up, as it does with straight bleach.

Sounds a little like overkill, but the dogs are very dirty and I hate nothing more than dirty looking grout. There also is a product I've seen in designer mags that is a grout color changer thingy, so you can sort of dye it a darker color after its been laid down. I've never used it but always thought it was a good idea.

P.S. Loving your house. Thanks for renting to me.... Kath

[Boomer]

KathieI's answer sounds good to me. In fact, I am going to try it. Our tile floors in this house are just in the bathrooms and laundry room.

The rest is tongue and groove hardwood, installed by Mr. BB after he retired. Who knew???? (Of course, the installation involved the purchase of many expensive power tools, but that's OK. He did a great job.)

We would not be likely to do hardwood in TV. But I do so love tile, too.

I appreciate the advice on cleaning grout, and I really will take it. One of my houseplants decided to overflow after I watered it. It made a rusty looking spot on the grout. It is wretched weather here, and I am afraid I could descend into some kind of "Out, out, damned spot" madness if I am not careful.

When I chose the grout, I thought it might help to choose a somewhat "dirty" color to begin with. That does help some. The tile itself is in several muted shades of neutral. That also helps.

[golfnut]

Sounds like a good choice, thanks Kathie, glad you're enjoying the house....GN

[redwitch]

I had tile in my kitchen in California. Never again! Cleaning the grout wasn't that bad since it was a medium brown but I have a tendency to stand for hours in the kitchen when I'm into serious cooking. I'd barely be able to walk when I was done because of standing on that hard floor.

Some things I've found that work well on grout -- Oxyclean (is there anything that product won't clean?) and the white sponges like Mr. Clean's Erasers. I used to get a small bucket of Oxy (made it heavy on the Oxy), put it one with a scrub brush. Let it dry and then cut the white sponges into strips and use that for final cleaning. It worked wonders on the kitchen counters, especially if something like blood had leaked and I didn't notice it right away.

[another Linda]

Originally Posted by Boomer BeBack

We would not be likely to do hardwood in TV. But I do so love tile, too.

Boomer, I'm curious. Why would you not be likely to do hardwood in TV? I have pretty much decided against tile (talked out of it by my sister and daughter) because of the grout and hardness issues. I'm not real fond of laminate so was thinking about hardwood.

[KathieI]

Me too, Linder. I'm going to do some tile but mostly hardwood floors in TV. Can't have carpeting with my allergies and dogs, and I have all hardwood floors now in Los Angeles, which are not that hard to keep clean and shiny, but in kitchen and baths it will be tile with minimal grout showing. One thing I'll never do again, is slate floors. They are impossible to clean and talk about dirty, hard to clean grout, ugh!!

Boomer, can I hire Mr. Boomer to do tongue and groove wood floors for me in TV. Gosh, I love that kind of wood flooring.

Kathie

[TVFBauthor]

Hardwoods look great, I just had to have them in my new home. Went with pretty good quality (Bruce Hardwood).

There are times though I really wish I had gone with ceramic tile now though. Upkeep is tough w/ pets and kid toys etc.

Also not sure if its humidity here in FL or a bad install but in a couple spots you can tell the adhesive is not working so well. You can hear it (schlaaaak!) if you step in the wrong spot.

Food for thought. Good luck!

[Boomer]

(I am trying to insert quotes from this thread in order to respond to your questions, but I am having no luck - or patience. The preview keeps showing them in the same size print as the reply. --so I will just proceed with my dissertation on hardwood floors. :dontknow: )

Hardwood is my favorite flooring. In the house we downsized from, we had sanded and finished on-the-job floors in some of the rooms. That was several years ago and we hired it done. --that's another story, with several chapters.

This time, when Mr. BB did the install, we used the prefinished boards. It is not laminate. It is 3/4 inch, 5 inch wide boards. The finish that comes on the flooring now is pretty amazing. It should be around long after we are. We laugh sometimes about how somebody, someday, will buy this house and say, "Oh, how hideous." -and will cover the floor up with - oh - who knows? -orange shag or something.

This hardwood was not the kind that is glued. Mr. BB has something called a pneumatic nailer in his treasure trove of tools. And I remember it being all about the subfloor before he started the install.

Someone in this thread mentioned Florida humidity. I am not sure what that would mean either. I know with the floor we have, there is a purposeful gap between the floor and the wall. That gap is covered with the baseboard and the quarter-round - or whatever that little piece is called. Anyway, that's where the wood gets its expansion room. I realize that Florida homeowners are probably more aware than most of us of the need to control the humidity in their homes. But I bet it's not easy to do when you are not there all year round. At this time of year, we are adding humidity up here.

I remember when the flooring was delivered and stacked high in the dining room. The wood had to become acclimated to the house. Mr. BB was always poking representative boards with some kind of little pronged moisture meter.

When the first board went down, it involved some kind of laser thing. Can you imagine what a whole house of hardwood could look like if the first board was not absolutely perfect. I am certain that anybody who installs hardwood would never start with a board that was off. - but it is interesting to think about.

To answer the question about why no hardwood in TV: We are likely to buy a patio villa and use it as a second home for awhile. Hardwood is usually a bigger investment in a property and we want to keep second home costs down.

And re. the question about Mr. BB being for hire: He is not. We have laughed about that, too. This guy could probably be working all the time in TV. When he took off that tie that he never put back on, he had a great time with this stuff. Hey, you can see what you have accomplished at the end of a day. But there is nowhere to keep all those tools in a patio villa. I think that may be why we are keeping this house up north, too.

Well, if you have managed to read this far, you must be having as boring a day as I am. - or perhaps you have come to the conclusion that Mr. BB and I are, in fact, quite insane. (See why I had to publically wrestle my vinyl siding angst in that other thread long ago.)

[Mikitv]

Live in Northeast AR right now. We have tile, wood and limited carpeting. Tile grout is light color and after 6 1/2 years I have a few spots that require a little extra cleaning. Tried to keep grout lines as thin as possible. We do have hight temps and humidity here from about May through Sept and one problem with wood floor is lifting in one area. Floor was acclimated before laying down and overall few problems with the wood. Tile is easy to take care of, just use a swiffer pad to clean so no extra water gets into grout that can add to problems of it staining. We've built five house and 2 resales so we have mostly had tile and wood. Sure I will do same in TV.