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We are finishing our basement (this week!) and we went with a "pattern" carpet. It is a mixture of loop and strand. We got a stainmaster. We shopped around, and talked with people at Menards, Lowe's, and Home Depot. But we ended up going with a local flooring company. One thing I know for sure - you can go with a cheaper carpet - but always get the thickest pad, especially over concrete (which is what we are doing as well).
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MnMum married to DH 9 years
Mum to Girl 21, Girl 18, Boy 14.5, Boy 11 -
I was a flooring person before doing this
If I were doing mine I would do a vinyl plank tile. The are about $5 per sf but if you at all handy you can do it yourself, super durable, stain resistant, clean up is super easy. A few brands are Karndean, Armstrong, Mannington. It is called luxury vinyl tiles. For carpet I too would do a Smart Strand Sorona. Stain proof and super soft. A loop style (berber) would perform better but a cutpile will be less of an issue with pulls and running. If you do go with a loop style you can always cut a pulled loop close to the backing and dab with a little superglue to keep it from running and avoiding kids from grabbing. Good luck!
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We love our laminate! We have a really wavy floor (there is a crowning lump in the hall that is probably 2 inches high and a foot wide!). If you go that route go with something w/ a 25+ year warranty so it is more study and durable. We use a Eureka Steam mop to clean/sanitize it daily and it looks as good as it did 5 years ago when we got it put in.Comment
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We have some not so level spots too. Our laminate floats perfectly. And we didn't skimp on the barrier under it since we have a conventional foundation and 100% humidity here!! Love love our laminate!!
In the past I've had new carpet, vacuumed it twice a day, steam cleaned it etc. then a few years later we had a hurricane and had to pull up our carpet. In just a few years we had accumulated embarrassing amounts of gunk that LOOKED clean on the outside and was cleaned constantly. Bt under it was nasty. Getting rid of carpet completely was the best thing we ever did for our allergies!!Comment
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The house we bought for chid care had Berber, and it's holding up great. No snags what-so-ever. still looks good tooComment
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DH's allergies are why we got the laminate in the first place. It was before we started the daycare. We got the more expensive barrier too- it helps a lot with sound. It is really nice to be able to walk through and not wake up the littles when they are napping.
Lots of kids these days have allergies/asthma and many a parent has commented during the interview that they liked our low-fabric environment. We used foam puzzle mats (the thicker 3/4 inch kind) instead of throw rugs and don't have any fabric furniture in the dc area. It's really great when potty training too- no one likes cleaning up an accident but it is sure easier when all you have to do is wipe it up, spray with bleach sanitizer and wipe it up again. happyfaceComment
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I can't find where it specifies what sanitizer we have to use. Actually, I scanned the whole regulations document and bleach isn't mentioned at all. I do use a bleach solution, but if you're wanting to use something else, I'd ask licensing. My licensor never asked how I sanitize, just if/how often.Comment
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Yep, sorry to hijack! I was getting ready to order some Odoban and def don't want to if it's not allowed here
Ok I've found it.. wow that's crazy... that's not in my paper copy my licensor gave me!
What I found regarding bleach only pertained to sanitizing diaper changing pads, but I didn't see anything regarding sanitizing anything else. Maybe you could point me towards that reg?
Also, I ow remember that she did ask what I was going to use to sanitize the changing table and I told her Clorox wipes. She said that was fine :confused:
Hmm.. anyway, sorry to hijack!Comment
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I have been looking it up since I posted- I found an email from my licensor saying to go by this: http://cfoc.nrckids.org/WebFiles/App.../AppendixJ.pdf
It says that we can used any EPA approved cleaner as long as we follow the label to sanitize or disinfect. Good to know!
I also found out that Odoban is not food-surface safe!! You have to rinse with water after sanitizing a food surface. I did find info on one that is food surface safe, green, non irritating, and hospital grade- It's called Vital Oxide. Anyone used or heard of that??Comment
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I bought the mac daddy of carpet pads with a moisture barrier built in (literally the kids bounce if they fall down) and a CHEAPO residential carpet. It is neutral color. I have an area rug under the table where the kids eat and do crafts. It was $37 at Kohl's.
I did it that way becuase the padding is the most important part. I will replace the carpet itself every 3-5 years because of the wear & tear, germs, dirt, gunk, etc. but the padding has a 20 year warranty.
Also, I will say that my neighbor owns a carpet and fabric cleaning business, so we get it done fairly often. 5-6 times per year.Comment
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We inherited berber when we bought our house 14 years ago. I'm sure it was the cheapest available because they put it in when they wanted to sell - and we know people go cheap then.
In all those years I've only had 2 snags despite 6 kids, 4-6 cats, and daycare from day one. Both times I glued the snags down with hot melt glue and haven't had a problem with them since, even when I steam clean.
I have a full size steam cleaner and Little Green Machine, and use Shaklee Basic-G for my sanitizing and disinfecting, even on the carpet. (I assume it works...)Comment
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