picking flooring
We plan on replacing our flooring room-by-room, to phase the cost. We’ll be installing Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT) throughout. We already have some very beige VCT in our living area, as shown below, behind some new samples we picked out.
We rejected many more than these, and eventually settled on the center sample, Soft Warm Gray –it’s just the right shade to complement our color palette, and is also from the cheapest collection, Armstrong’s Standard Excelon Imperial Texture. Here’s a close-up…
It’s about as minimal as these tiles get, and looks a bit like concrete from a distance. Like I said, it’s cheap, at 79 cents per 12 x 12 inch tile. And it’s easy to install –which is great, as we’ll be doing it. I’ll let you know once we get started.
redneckmodern
good choice. the armstrong is also the most durable. i have seen other brands (mannington, etc) not hold up as well (or telescope defects more).
fogmodern
Good to know, thanks! I take it yours is Armstrong? We actually did our first room last week (master bedroom) and all seemed to go well.
Pingback: first floor « fogmodern
Karen
I’m getting closer and closer to wanting us to install new VCT when we renovate our kitchen (which currently has sad salmon-ish tile. How is the management (aka clean-up)? Easy? We have two active boys, so cleaning up spills and keeping up to wear and tear is important. It seems VCT is pretty hardy?
fogmodern
As long as it’s properly sealed, cleanup shouldn’t be an issue. And yes, it is pretty durable. Scratches and marks should only affect the waxed surface, and re-waxing every year or so will make it look like new. That said, the lighter shades (we already have a beige version in our living area) do show every speck of dirt, so you might want to go slightly darker, unless you want to be constantly cleaning.
Jim Palmer
Really love your blog!!! We are thinking about VCT tile for our Eichler too. The flooring salesman is trying to discourage us, saying the maintenance is a pain. We think his just trying to “up sell” us into something more pricey. Just wondering what kind of experience you are having with maintenance now that you’ve had your VCT floor for a while? How often do you have to polish, are you getting visible scuffs and scratches, etc. ?
PS – our Eichler in San Mateo is the same model as is on the cover of the brochure that you blogged about in another post.
fogmodern
Hi Jim, and thanks for stopping by. Glad you like the blog! Funny thing with our VCT, we still haven’t finished. We actually flip-flopped on pattern, and have settled on this: http://instagram.com/p/xsVQctC6me/ We will also be laying the entire floor over everything that’s currently down, thanks to some level changes in the all-purpose room and smaller bedrooms. It’s a long story, which I’ll be posting here at some point. Anyhow, our experience has been pretty good, for the floor we have installed, in the master and guest room. It does show specks of dirt and marks, but they are easily cleaned –we’ve invested in a steam mop, which we use once a week, after vacuuming. I think the key to hassle free maintenance is sealing well in the first place. We applied about five coats of wax after laying the flooring, and those areas come up much cleaner than the VCT we inherited (in the main living space) which wasn’t sealed well. VCT is also a great aesthetic choice for Eichlers. We know several people who have installed them, and they look so good. Also, if you need access or damage any tiles, they can be easily ripped up and re-installed. Hope that helps. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions. Love the look of your model, by the way! We must visit your neighborhood, at some point.
Jim Palmer
Thanks for the speedy reply! The info from your blog and the words of advice have been super helpful. Happy to report that VCT is ordered, and we just finished asbestos removal so our new floor will be installed in about 1-2 weeks. For maintenance, I found one of those commercial floor polisher machines on Amazon for $300, so we are going to give that a whirl. LOL. Super excited to get rid of the bad carpet and linoleum from the prior owners. Cheers!
fogmodern
No problem, Jim! Happy that our blog has helped you. Pleased that you opted for VCT. A commercial polisher should be great –would love to hear how that goes, and see the new floor once it’s done. And I know what you mean about waving goodbye to bad flooring –it’s a cleansing experience. Best of luck!
Lisa and Kyle
Loved that cork flooring too! This is a great pick though!
fogmodern
Thank you. VCT was a real adventure. With so much choice, and changes depending on light, it’s tricky. Much like picking paint. It’s so difficult to get a feel from looking at small samples. We nailed it eventually, but over a year after this!
Jim Palmer
It’s been a year since we put in our VCT floors and we still love them. One unanticipated benefit: the color and texture closely matches the concrete outside … so it looks like we have one surface indoor and out (especially at night.)
Here is a link to the photo I promised to share of the completed floors. Thanks again for your advice!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzdwB8Q_tCnYeUplWC1GcE51WlU/view?usp=sharing
fogmodern
Hey Jim, good to hear from you. Thanks so much for sharing the pic –your VCT looks awesome! So pleased it worked out for you. And I see what you mean about the inside-outside effect. What a great bonus!
I do recognize your model –we have a similar one here, though the fireplace joins the window, not the wall between kitchen/living. I prefer your model variation, as you have an uninterrupted glass wall.
Love the look of your outdoor space, by the way. Such clean lines. And the block wall is great. Also liking your Wegner Shell (one of our faves) and Lane coffee table. Very nice.
Steph
thanks for the great blog post. I’m considering VCT tile too.
Jim, what Armstrong color did you go with?
Andy
Hey Steph! Glad to hear you are considering VCT. As it happens, we’ve now been in Jim’s home, as it was featured on the recent San Mateo tour –though I have to confess to not knowing what VCT color he picked. Hopefully he’ll stop by to confirm. In any case, worth getting some samples from Armstrong, and seeing how they look in your space. Light plays a big factor. Good luck!
Steph
Thanks for the feedback. Super helpful to have such an interactive blog!
Jim Palmer
Hello! We chose Armstrong Standard Excelon Imperial Texture in Soft Warm Grey #51861. Looks nice with the mahogany walls. You can order mini samples for free from their website:
https://www.armstrongflooring.com/commercial/en-us/products/vinyl-composition-tile/std-excelon-imp-texture/item/51861.html#
Steph
Thanks, Jim. Your house is lovely and so well put together. I’m not surprised to hear it was featured on the tour. Have you had any issues with scuffing or staining of the VCT?
Jim Palmer
Hi Steph – The VCT requires a thick coat of floor polish to help protect it. You are supposed to reapply the coating every 6-12 months. So, in addition to regular cleaning, I have to apply the floor polish 1-2 times per year which takes me about an hour each time. I bought a floor polishing machine on Amazon (Oreck Commercial Orbiter Floor Machine) to help with that chore. Our dining room chairs tend to scrape the polish off so that is a problem area that always needs extra attention. Other than that, the VCT is pretty easy to maintain, looks really good and is completely stain-proof. I guess the only other complaint I have is if the floor is wet it can be pretty slippery… if you have a swimming pool that may be an issue.
Steph
Thanks for sharing your maintenance process. That doesn’t seem to be too much work, but if you have a lot of heavy furniture or shelving to move or work around, it seems polishing could be difficult – at least to get even?