We had cork floors for 18 years in kitchen, dining room, entry way and bathroom (same material/color). I loved it and it wore well. It was light colored and almost impossible to see dirt/hair on (we have a shedding dog). After awhile there were very slight raised ridges between tiles that probably was due to washing and letting water soak in. These slight ridges were probably only noticeable to me. When we remodeled, we didn't get cork because we felt like we needed a change and we couldn't find the right color of cork for our new cabinets. I would definitely get cork floors again for the areas you are considering. My preference would be for the floating installation. If you or someone decides to remove the floor, this would definitely be easier to take out. I have a friend who just installed a high end glued down cork floor. Can't remember the reason, but she also would get a floating one next time.

Hi everybody! I have been waiting all summer for it to cool off. It seems that the heat makes my dizziness and nausea worse. I have lost about 15 lbs with being too sick to eat throughout the summer. I just this week got my helper here to help me clean the garage and then I moved the vanity out there and sanded it a bit in the easy places, and got it up on a table. I got the brass floor protectors pried off the bottom of the legs and was pleased to find no holes have been drilled in them. That means that I can drill holes for the feet I bought. I have adjustable feet that will give the vanity an extra 1/2" of height, and that can be screwed up to give another 1/2" if we want. That would make the legs appear to float way too high in the air, so I don't think it will work. the extra 1/2" will have to suffice, with the ability to make the vanity level so that the sink will drain properly. I have also decided that the bail-type handles that came with it are not going to work for us. I can't see us fumbling around trying to grab the bail that has recessed back into the grooves of the handle around it, standing there with water or soap in our eyes. A knob is much easier to use. I had Hubby try using the bail and he vetoed it on the first try and said, "replace 'em!" I am using these on doors of a set of shallow cupboards that will be recessed into the closet of the the neighboring bedroom. I figured they were a sure bet for the six drawers, too. I am not going to use the center drawer anymore, what with all the plumbing going on above it, so I will just fill in those holes. I need to cut away the bottom of the drawer space, then move the drawer support piece to the left or right. It is at dead center right now, and the sink's drain will need to go there. I just have to sand down the fluted areas of the vanity table, then it will be ready to be primed and painted. I am still leaning toward painting it the violet Peace and Happiness. I have purchased more components for the plumbing. I have all of the shower controls and the rain shower head and regular shower head. Still need to get the hand-held and some safety hand-hold bars for the shower area. I still have not finalized a wall tile (looking at fake Cararra tile for the room's walls) or floor tile or the surface for the top of the vanity. We HAVE concluded, though, that we cannot get this job done until Toby, our ever-more-confused beagle/golden retriever mix, dies. He will be 16 at the end of this month. He has spinal arthritis and began vomiting every time he was given his Tramadol or his glucosamine/chondroitin pills, then quit taking them. He had to go on prednisone to control the pain. He is peeing a lot in the house, always on a rug or quilted mattress pad put down for him. The bathroom is his main place to pee. I will not have my new floor grout saturated with dog pee. I don't think the poor guy would cope well with the construction, either. He is now blind in one eye and somewhat deaf. It would be too confusing for him to do all that construction. So even though I can't get Jim over here to do the work, if I could, I would not be able to do it until Toby passes on. So, instead, we are getting new gutters and trim, and getting our four remaining windows replaced. We did the other three windows when we remodeled the kitchen and made the living room into the library/music room. I am in the process of cleaning and decluttering so the window guys can get in to measure!

As a real estate appraiser I would advise to try to keep it. It will reduce the valuation by a few percent. If I were to appraise your home, I would now have to compare and adjust it from a 3 bathroom home to a 2.5. That's anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 adjustment downwards. Understand that I don't know where you live or your real estate market. Even though there is no bedroom on the floor, it's a very usable space. At the very least, I'd put in a shower. You just never know when someone will lose their mobility. It looks like an older home. If your laundry room is in the basement, you may want to reconfigure it to bring the laundry up to the main living area. That would be an improvement in utility and the only reason why I would consider eliminating it. Hard to see everything, but you could reconfigure the doorway/entry and take over that vestibule area.

Durock's website says to install on wood. But I found this info... Manufacturer Recommendations James Hardie Industries, makers of HardieBacker®, and USG, makers of Durock®, indicate that their respective cement backer boards should not be installed over concrete. James Hardie: HardieBacker specifications specifically exclude concrete as a base for installation. USG: Durock does not expressly exclude concrete, but the material is specified only for minimum 5/8-inch exterior-grade plywood or OSB. One source reports that USG will not officially validate the Durock-to-concrete attachment simply because they have not tested it. The lack of testing may be simply because so few customers express a need for applying Durock to concrete. There is no problem with the two materials being compatible. The issue, as Bud Cline of The Floor Pro says, is more about how to attach the cement board to the concrete. A powder-actuated nailer is out of the question since nail depth would be impossible to regulate. Concrete screws, Cline says, have heads that are too small to hold down the cement board. His recommendation: Work with the concrete surface so that it is strong enough and porous enough to accept tile mortar. Portland cement-based fillers can take care holes and cracks. Painted concrete can be sandblasted, sanded, or ground down to bring up a nice, porous surface. Most tile professionals, including John Bridge, concur: Attaching cement board to concrete is not an acceptable way to surface the concrete prior to tile installation. Thin-set alone will not help the cement board stick to the concrete slab. Screws are the only logical way to do this, but it would entail an extremely tedious and time-consuming process of drilling pilot holes before sinking the screws. Additionally, you would be fighting against the thin-set bed under the cement board when drilling the holes and driving the screws. The View of Tile Professionals But the manufacturer prohibitions or omissions are warranty issues. The questions remain: Can you effectively pair two cementitious products—cement board and a concrete slab? ************************************ I went to Wedi's website, and the foam panels CAN be used on concrete for floor tile. Installation over concrete subfloors Floor application for wedi Building Panel All wedi Building Panel sizes and thicknesses can be used as tile underlayments over concrete subfloors. Modified thinset mortar, combed through with a minimum 1/4” x 1/4” notch trowel, will then provide a ribbed bed into which the wedi Building Panels will be laid. All joints should be staggered so that no seam continues throughout the length of the floor. Apply weights (i.e. tile boxes) onto the surface and where transitions are located while the mortar is setting up. After the mortar has set, wedi alkali resistant fiberglass mesh tape, or wedi Sealing Tape or wedi Joint Sealant should be applied to all seams, then tiling can begin. So Wedi panels may be easier and faster for us to install after the marble tile is gone. I also found a new floating porcelain tile product that Dal Tile started selling. It is like installing laminate flooring or vinyl planks. Dal Tile Revo Tile - they said I could install it over the marble as long as I level the floor with self-leveling compound, including where the missing tile is. I still need to follow requirements per tile industry as to x " per 10 ft. I can't remember ... 3/16" or something like that. https://www.daltile.com/revotile $4.50 sf plus $25.00 for tools, $58.00 for 9 lbs of grout. Underlayment $54.00. Adhesive tape for seams. $542.00 and I can install it. I am calling We Ship Floors tomorrow to see if their floating Supercore Extreme Vinyl Tiles can be installed over my marble once the floor is leveled. And if I can install over Wedi panels. For someone who works with mud day in and day out, I am sure it is much cheaper, but I am afraid that I can't do it. Three more tile guys today told me wrong installation procedures for backerboard on the marble and for the tub surround, so I will not be calling them back. Just because they owned a trowel doesn't make them an expert on tiling,