carpet/floorcoverings

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carpet/floorcoverings

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Sandybeth

Joined: 28 Jul 2005
Posts: 21
Location: Kent

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 12:15 pm Post subject: carpet/floorcoverings

Hi all,
I am investigating the options for floor coverings in my 2 bedrooms. I am in a 20 year old house with chipboard floors. I have tacken up the old flee riden carpets that were down (from previous owners!) and am now left with chipboard floors. I would like something warm, enviromentally friendly with good sound insulation. I love the idea of using old floorboards but I don't know if this is possible in a modern house.
Any ideas?

I will tackle downstairs at a later date as it has a tiled floor on a concrete base.

Blue Peter

Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 12:55 pm Post subject:
Lino (proper linoleum) fits your criteria, I think, Peter.

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 12:56 pm Post subject:

Even modern houses have joists, so there shouldn't be anything stopping you using old floorboards if you wanted to.
But if you've already got T&G chipboard and it's sound, you might as well stick with it - it would be wasteful to take out the chipboard to put in boarding (which would have to be done carefully unless you don't mind a few draughts!).
Coir and seagrass matting is pretty eco-friendly - it's aby product of the coconut and palm industries. Trouble is, it's a bit rough on the knees and feet, so if you're the sort that goes around barefoot or who romps on the floor, some rugs to cover it might be needed.
Otherwise, you could sand, seal and paint the chipboard with an eco-paint (one with no volatile organics or alkyds) and then strew some rugs around.
I have to confess that I hate fitted carpets - they always seem so horribly suburban - but a good wool carpet would be helping support an industry taht needs help at the moment.
Both the matting and the carpet would give good sound insulation, but if noise from above and below is really a problem you should look to putting some insulation under the floor. There are various options here - ranging from the expensive (Thermafleece, made from sheep wool) to the reasonably cheap (Warmcell, made from old newspapers). Lifting tongue-and-groove chipboard without damaging the sheets is bloody hard, though, so good luck there!
And, if you're going to be lifting the floor anyway, then what you replace it with is up to you. So if you see some nice boards in a salvage yard, why not go for 'em.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 12:57 pm Post subject:

Blue Peter wrote:

Lino (proper linoleum) fits your criteria, I think,

Peter.

Marmoleum is what it's sold as, I like it a lot. A friend of mine has used cork tiles (sealed) and they look and feel good too.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:10 pm Post subject:
I have a Marmoleum floor in the kitchen and it's great. Not just boring colours, there's a wide range and you can have patterns too. It's hard wearing: ours is over concrete and has to cope with a Rayburn! www.forbo-flooring.co.uk is the site you want.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:13 pm Post subject:
I like marmoleum and we've got it on the floor in our bathroom, but it has the sound insulating qualities of a thing with no sound insulating qualities at all.

Sandybeth

Joined: 28 Jul 2005
Posts: 21
Location: Kent

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:23 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the replies so far. Sadly I can't lift the chipboard as it looks like it was put down in sheets and then the room divides put on top when the house was built. The whole house is very noisy as the stud partion walls are very cheaply done with extremely thin plasterboard. I was thinking of floorboards on top of the chipboard, much like you lay a laminate floor ?? I don't know if they would have to be glued or nailed or what,

Blue Peter

Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:29 pm Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

I have a Marmoleum floor in the kitchen and it's great. Not just boring colours, there's a wide range and you can have patterns too. It's hard wearing: ours is over concrete and has to cope with a Rayburn!

www.forbo-flooring.co.uk is the site you want.

I was trying to persuade the MiL to get some, but she said that it tears easily. I think that she was talking about pony and trap vinyl flooring commonly known as lino, not the real stuff. But I didn't know enough to say for sure. So, does your marmoleum tear easily?

Peter.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:30 pm Post subject:
We've used marmoleum extensively in our workplace (and branches) never seen a tear yet.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:32 pm Post subject:
No! it's a measure twice, cut once thing. I used a stanley knife. The backing is a really tough cloth. It was very easy to work with as long as you wipe off any surplus glue as soon as poss. before it sets. I still have some bits & peices in the shed if you'd like to see some, or forbo will send you samples if you ask. I remember lino too, this is much stronger than that.

Blue Peter

Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:32 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

We've used marmoleum extensively in our workplace (and branches) never seen a tear yet.

Cheers, thought so (not that anyone ever listens to me anyway

),

Peter.

Blue Peter

Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:35 pm Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

No! it's a measure twice, cut once thing. I used a stanley knife. The backing is a really tough cloth. It was very easy to work with as long as you wipe off any surplus glue as soon as poss. before it sets. I still have some bits & peices in the shed if you'd like to see some, or forbo will send you samples if you ask. I remember lino too, this is much stronger than that.

I very much doubt that I can change the MiL's mind, but thanks for the offer.

With our environmental hats on, I suppose that we ought to ask about the glue. Is it recycled yoghurt (or whatever the environmentally friendly stuff weould be)? or something a bit nastier?

Peter.

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:50 pm Post subject:
I think the glues have to be solvent free otherwise they'd 'melt' the linseed oil in the marmoleum - not sure of the details though.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 1:58 pm Post subject:
The glue certainly wasn't unpleasantly (chemically) smelly: I'm sure there's stuff on the forbo site about glues as well as the Marmoleum.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 05 8:33 pm Post subject:
2nd for cork - its really warm - not sure about sound, but guessing it should be goodish?

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