We have warmboard under oak flooring, not engineered wood. It is great - even heat. We did use quartersawn lumber rather than plain becauase it is much more resistant to expansion and contraction.

Hola, Sorry, forgot to post layout: And no, we're not thinking of using our huge fireplace as a heat source. My kids have asthma, so all the tiny particles from wood burning or pellet stoves are not good for the kids. And I don't think they're that environmentally friendly. If we have the money, we would do geothermal heating. Here's our house in about 20inches of snow last year (does this help your decision, since it's nice and warm today?): plllog: "You have young children. You have a budget...Then the children can spread out their painting projects on the floor, roller skate, or whatever. Real linoleum, such as Marmoleum, is an ecologically friendly choice...you can easily replace it when you decide you want hardwood. In fact, you can do the subfloor as if you're getting hardwood... Then it's easy to mop. And you can make the change when the kids are older and you feel like spending the money--or not." These are my thoughts exactly!!! roobear: "Hardwood is better for resale, it would add value to your home, it can be refinished etc. Plus, it would fit the period and style of the house better." EXACTLY! The flip-side of my thinking as well. If I'm going to do hardwoods later, why not do them now and enjoy the benefit of the flooring, rather than pay twice? I've also thought about the heated rugs; the Japanese use them all over their house. circuspeanut: "have cold feet 6 months out of the year" Argh: sometimes it feels longer. cleo: "using engineered hardwood floors" Great idea, but because we installed some in our previous house, I really did not like them. My main concern w/ them is wear and tear, especially in between the planks. What happens if water (or raw meat juice) gets in between and swells the ?particle boards, etc? lovilynne: "have you considered DIY wood" Oh, while my house is not historical, it seems like it with the uneven floor, no insulation in the walls, etc :) We are DIY the hardwood floors for the 2nd floor right now. The learning curve was HUGE for us. And I'm not sure about my skills w/ hardwood floor over radiant heat. "they make a special heater to go under the cabinet" Oh!!! Can you please tell me more? Do you have pictures to share? Hmmm...

We have 2800 square feet of LVT throughout the first floor of our ranch house, bathrooms and kitchen included, and it is gorgeous. They were professionally installed; the subfloor was leveled so that there are no door transitions or height differences throughout, and it is a stunning look. Downstairs basement is engineered hardwood. If we ever need to redo the floors in the basement, it will be LVT. There is no going back; it is just too lovely and practical. The cork backing of the LVT makes the floors very comfortable underfoot, and they are very quiet. I considered tile with radiant heat until I spent a week in a beach condo with tile floors; they felt too hard under my feet.

A 6x9 rug is pretty large and pretty heavy. There really is no need for a rug pad underneath (at least not from the perspective of 'holding it place'. One of my favourite places to shop reasonably priced rugs: Ikea. They have HUNDREDS and they will have the backing listed as well as the fibre content. If you have an Ikea near you, you are welcome to visit (assuming they are open...most are with mask requirements of course). You can look at the back of the rug to see what it is made of.