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Sheet Flooring over a sunroom with concrete slab surface

5 years ago

I have just finished phase 1 of a total tear out and gutting of apprx 50 yr old kitchen. The kitchen had old type linoleum (?) sheet flooring. It was on top of particle board which I had removed. Replaced with prefinished hardwood flooring which I am happy with. Now to phase 2. I will extend the hardwood into my den area that has carpeting. Again the carpet apparently is on top of particle board as well and I will have it removed. Coming to the question. I have a small sunroom off the den that is on a concrete slab. May have been a screened porch before it was enclosed. Size of sunroom is approx 12' x 15'. I want to use a nice flooring material that will complement the hardwood in the den. Not carpet, not hardwood. What are recommended type sheet flooring to look at and does any prep work need to be performed on concrete floor?

thx for reading and and your advice....

Featured Answer

SJ McCarthy

5 years ago

Yep...porcelain tiles are less porous than ceramic tiles. You are welcome to bring in a concrete specialist who will seal up that slab in a couple of days (kinda like an epoxy finish). You are them welcome to have any floor you wish over top. The sealing will add about $5/sf onto the project cost. But it is well worth it if you are looking at new flooring.

Of course a floating floor (like vinyl or laminate planks) can use a vapour barrier ($0.10/sf) that will end all of your concerns.

Even porcelain tile will require some sort of prep to that concrete to ensure the moisture mitigation is dealt with.

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Comments (7)

thinkdesignlive
5 years ago
Is this space heated and cooled? Does it have window treatments? Sheet flooring of any kind usually does not do well in spaces that see temperature fluctuations or a high amount of direct sunlight (you are better off with porcelain tile or carpet). If the room is temperature controlled I’d suggest a rigid core vinyl plank product - but not in a wood look if it butts to real wood. They make some textures now that look like stone or concrete floors which will harmonize better near a real wood floor. A rigid core product also has a backing which helps a concrete subfloor space feel more comfortable underfoot.
thinkdesignlive
5 years ago
In terms of prep - sheet flooring requires a perfectly smooth, residue free concrete floor. Rigid core planks allow a small bit of flexibility in this department. A good local flooring store (not a big box) should have a knowledgeable sales person to guide you.
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The slope is fine and you want to maintain it. The "grooves" you describe that divide the floor into large squares are there to ensure that if/when there is cracking, it will occur in those locations. You have to honor those lines, meaning, when you lay your tile, those line should fall between tiles at grout lines. Those places would then not be filled with grout, but rather with a matching caulk to that as the concrete shifts and cracks at those lines, your tile will not be damaged. You will have to carefully plan your install to take this into account.
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Thanks , we considered that but had two concerns . First , given that it's a cottage , there will be times when the whole system , heat, water, etc will be shut down , mostly in the winter and we were afraid that the expansion and contraction associated with that could affect a glued down floor also , again because as a cottage , people will be in and out a lot , there could be a fair degree of wear that would mean re-finishing which , as I understand , is a problem with engineered flooring . I was hoping tha there was a new application process for hardwood that I didn't know about such as a sheet underlay with a plywood overlay or something like that . If not , we may have to consider tile throughout .
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Thank you for all of your comments. These wonderful ideas are giving me so much to think about. I would love to simply repair the door--I didn't even know that was possible. Who does that sort of thing? The floor in our sunroom is "Kentile" which is a hard, rubbery, impossible-to-clean fake tile. It needs to go as well. We have so many projects to do, all seem financially daunting, but we know that a non-functioning door is something that needs attention. We've lived with it for 17 years, it needs to be dealt with. The pictures of the pool tables reminded me that I have always wanted a game table/chairs set somewhere in the house. We play a lot of board games and sometimes you want to leave them up when a break is needed. This would be a wonderful addition to our house. Would love wicker too, and plants. Can you grow herbs indoors? I have a lot to think about. Thanks so much!
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tigerdunes
Original Author
5 years ago
The sunroom does have heating and cooling with wrap around quality insulated windows, 9 in fact. There is an old ext door to outside that will be updated and replaced. I was hoping to get some expert advice on any floor prep to concrete slab before visiting a retail shop. I did visit a shop yesterday on another matter and owner will contact Mannington technical about any concrete slab prep. I would expect concrete slab to be smooth and clean but really unknown without removal of carpet/pad.

thx
SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Sheet flooring in the sunroom could get tricky if the sun beats down on the floor causing excess heat ON the floor. That means sheet VINYL is out (it can curl, discolour, warp, blister, peel, etc when exposed to too much heat). And sheet linoleum (marmoleum is the brand name) is quite expensive and has a tendency to fade in heavy sunlight.

If you can measure the HOTTEST temperature on the current floor (you can set an exterior thermometer in a patch of sunlight on the floor) then you can get an idea of what is possible.

And just to help out a bit...all but a few interior flooring products REQUIRE temps (of the floor and the air) to remain BELOW 85 deg. F. If you check on the thermometer and find it is popping up around 100 F, then you know you cannot work with sheet vinyl. You may have to work with porcelain tile instead.

But before we go down that path, please find out the maximum temps the floor reaches in a patch of sunlight on that floor. That is the first step.
tigerdunes
Original Author
5 years ago
Because of blinds and quality windows with a sun type retardent window feature, i am less concerned about the issues you mentioned in post. However, I will follow up on these concerns before flooring material is selected. Right now, I am more concerned about moisture seeping through the concrete slab. I also will look at ceramic tile material which should easily satisfy any concern.

TD
thinkdesignlive
5 years ago
No ceramic tile which is very porous. Only rectified porcelain.

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