steve - I know one of the issues w/laminate is the noise issue, since it is a floating floor - Does the $1.60 include pricing for the underlayment? - The concrete slab will need to be leveled or you will have problems w/install and longevity of flooring To me the $3.50 for carpet installed sounds like a better deal - but that is me - I am a somewhat DIY - but I think by the time I got the proper tools and figured out how to do the floor it would be well over the $3.50 ft - Add to that the need for some type of area rug/s following installation - Tools/material/time/mistakes - per sq ft + $1.60 initial product - Even though the basement is "dry" - basements are more likely than any other room to have a moisture problem - I went w/carpet just tacked down so that if I do have any water problems its a relatively easy fix Good luck

I think there are a couple of things to consider. If the door is in the dining room, will you lose a part of a length of wall that would be the insightful place for a sideboard or other piece of furniture. If the door is in the living room, will you throw off the symmetry of the room (you could add a built in on the other side of the fireplace to correct this.) If the door is in the living room, you will have some degree of a sight line into the room to supervise when you are in the living room, and the kitchen, but not when in the dining room. As you probably spend more time in the kitchen proper and the living room, this may prove more useful. You already have a doorway to the porch in the dining room. Adding another in the DR may make the dining room feel like a passageway. Or one thought you could also could also consider would be doors in both DR and LR, thus allowing for perfect circulation on the floor. French doors would be nice for this, and that will also allow additional light into the new addition. I also might add that even though you have heard it many times, kids grow really fast. Size/scale the space for 4 adults, not 2 adults and 2 kids. By the time kids are in 4th grade, they physically take up as much "space" as an adult

First things first: cork is a rigid structure. it is still wood...it's just the softest hardwood in the world. It will not squish. It will not visibly compress when you step on it. What it will do is absorb the energy of a foot step. That means when the foot hits the cork, the leg's energy (all of your weight on the heal of your foot = ?150? lbs/square inch???) will be absorbed. The jolt of hitting the floor will be deadened. That means the jolt of the ground hitting the foot (remember: for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction15) 0lbs/sq. inch coming down onto the floor is going to be the same energy going UP the leg. That's the type of jolt that damages feet, ankles, knees, hips, lower back, mid-back, upper back, shoulders and neck. Every step you take on cork is going to be the same (on the body) as stepping on plush carpet. You won't 'sink' like you do over carpet but the cork will do the same thing. That's why people purchase cork. It is a solid surface (just like hardwood, laminate or vinyl) that treats your body like carpet does. Cork underlayment will add to this energy absorption. The more the merrier in my books. Generally I like to stick to 6mm cork underlayment with 1/2" cork floating floor (11mm or 12mm). That gives you 3/4" floor height which works nicely with doors and trim. It works nicely with stone/porcelain tiles in entranceways (they often sit 3/4" high). Adding a 'squishy' underlayment is going to do one thing: cause the floor to bounce and buck (most people hate this feeling...but if you like walking on a trampoline then perhaps it is what you are looking for). A squishy underlay (like foam = almost useless compared to cork) will also cause the click edge to fail much faster than if you had a solid underlay like 6mm cork. Colorado is a cold location. I would not hesitate to use the 6mm cork underlayment in your situation. Remember: cork is an insulator. Like your thermos, it keeps 'warm things warm' and 'cold things cold'. There is no difference between your thermos and a cork floor. Insulation is insulation. Warm air lingers LONGER in the winter heating season. And in the summer cooling season the cold air in the basement will REMAIN cold for much longer.

Hi everyone. I currently want to make a 17x18 room in our house a play room for our 2 boys. Currently it is tile and I'd like to cover it with foam padding/floor mat. But not the interlocking ones (because kids and crumbs lol). Maybe something antimicrobial if at all possible very easy to wipe up waterproof. I've gotten a few samples in the mail but they are very hard. My boys are under 3. I've looked at the home depot rolls of flooring but nothing too impressed they are for like home gyms. If anyone has done this and has any recommendations I'd appreciate it. Thank you!