sail_away

Flooring With Severe Allergies

sail_away
8 years ago

I would be interested in hearing what others consider to be viable options in a situation which demands hard floors, rather than carpeting, due to severe allergies/asthma. We currently have site-finished oak hardwood floors, which we love. However, we are downsizing in anticipation of future retirement from a 3000+ square foot home on three levels, and we're trying to watch our budget closely. We have decided on engineered wood flooring, as it will be more economical than solid hardwood that is finished on site.

I'm just wondering what others have done or would recommend? Traditionally, if one can't extend hardwood through the entire house, then carpet would be put in the secondary rooms. However, if the allergies are present, it might not be an option. I looked into luxury vinyl planks, but they are surprisingly expensive if you want a reasonable quality that will look good and hold up. Unless you put it through the whole house (again, would probably be equal to or more expensive than the engineered wood floors), you would have to choose something other than the wood look, as it would not look good up next to the wood flooring. Wood-look tile is attractive, but a very hard surface and very expensive.

We briefly considered wood-look laminate. I think it looks okay, but wouldn't want it in the wet areas of the home. Like marmoleum, but not for the entire house. Also, it is expensive and, if I understand correctly, must be installed by the marmoleum installers if you want any kind of warranty.

As I said, we have settled on engineered wood flooring, but I'm just wondering if we've missed any good alternatives and also wondering how others have addressed this dilemma.

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