I would like to get feedback on the Supercore Basics line. I am looking at Solitude for around 1,000 sf. I have an old wood subfloor that I am going to need to do a lot of leveling on. Where do you draw the line for telling someone that a 4.5mm floor is not for them? I know I only get a 12mil wear layer, but the fact that it is still Aluminum Oxide and has a stone composite core makes me feel it will be ok. Is there any difference in the locking system? The lock does not seem as hefty on the samples for the basics line. I get concerned that with an old pier and beam supported floor that has settled, even if I level the floor, will the less hardy locking system fail if I get slight movement with any further settling?

I am interested in installing Raskin Ceramix in my kitchen, but am in the same boat... no reviews and hardly any information online. The Raskin Industry's own web site did not have a link for their Ceramix product line! I made a guess and used the Acrylx URL, replacing the "acrylx" with "ceramix" (which is how I got to the Ceramix section of the site). Does anyone have any information for us? Many thanks! Ceramix: https://www.ceramixusa.com/

The in-floor radiant heat is going to be the BIGGEST issue. I would look at a high-end laminate that is relatively thin (8mm or so). The thinner the material the BETTER the heat will move THROUGH the product and into the air. Carpet does well with in-floor radiant heat because it airy (lots of holes in the weave of the carpet to allow heat to pass through). Most vinyl products do NOT like radiant heat. Many engineered wood floors do not like radiant heat (it is a very 'dry' form of heat = very hard to keep wood moist and happy). A beautifully manufactured laminate will give you all the wear and tear necessary and will be LOW VOC (or no-voc if you work with Swiss manufacturing = www.lico.ch). I've seen the chemical report for Lico floors...it is MIND BLOWING how low the VOC content is. It is better than E0 (the highest known rating for flooring Europe has = 20 years ahead of CARB II). Anyway...your infloor radiant heat is a cursed blessing. The curse is your limitations for your flooring (carpet is awesome; laminate is fine; vinyl is super picky and engineered hardwood is sometimes allowed with plenty of caveats that are hard to maintain).

Three words: Preparation, Preparation, Preparation! Subfloor preparation is THE SINGLE most import thing you can PAY FOR. You need to pay $2-$4/sf for subfloor preparation (cost depends on the current flooring, the condition of the subfloor and the material of the subfloor). No I'm not kidding. The subfloor preparation SHOULD double the cost of the labour!! Once the subfloor has been prepared within an INCH of its life, you can start the installation process. As soon as you have a perfect (or near perfect...cause nothing is perfect in the building industry) base, your flooring product will then have a FANTASTIC chance of being/feeling/sounding great. Remember: footsteps START with the SURFACE the foot hits. That means CARPET is #1. Real cork is next at #2. A TRADITIONAL cork floating floor (not the 'water proof' cork you are thinking of - it has a layer of vinyl/PE on to of it) is the one with cork on the surface. Then at #3 you have Marmoleum....and then way down the list you have the vinyl products such as the WPC or the SPC. Why are those two so low on the list? Because they have a HARD surface. Hard = noisy. Imagine the noise of a stiletto hitting metal (very loud). Now imagine it hitting wood (noisy). Now laminate - still noisy. Now CARPET. Right. Not a sound. Hmmmmm. Soft SURFACE = low noise. So work from the SOFTEST surface up until you hit the target. Carpet is out (because you didn't list it). That means TRADITIONAL cork floating floor is the first choice. But the BIGGEST issue is going to be technical. The size of the room is TOO MUCH for all of the click floors (the WPC or SPC *might do it....but it is possible the size of the room is too big for a continuous install). Yah. The 50 foot run is TOO LONG for a click system. Sigh. That means you need an in-field expansion gap (that means in the middle of the floor. You have a continuous space that is 1200sf (or so). Only the MOST IMPRESSIVE and most EXPENSIVE SPC products can handle a size that big. They can be installed in a single piece up to 1500sf. So now the question becomes: do you INSIST on a single continuous floor? Then SPC is it. There is no other option. Done-like-dinner.