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I'm looking for the company that reinvented the linoleum flooring They had a name similar to Linoleum. It sheeting they make funky area rugs please send me the information sofamia55@yahoo.com thanks rb

I debated between Armstrong tiles and linoleum tiles and eventually went with the Marmoleum click together planks in "Bleecker Street" (they have click squares too). We have sheet Marmoleum in the bathroom and have always been happy with it.

Vinyl tiles do need cleaning/waxing or they start to look scruffy, so that was one strike against them. Another plus for Marmoleum was it was a floating floor with a cork backing that requires no adhesive or extensive floor leveling (unless it's really bad, I'm sure). The place we got it also lent us tools to do it, and the floor was laid out in less than 3 hours (9x11 space). Also, if you rent, it's not permanent. It's also easy on the back as it has about as much cushion as you could get with a floor.

Call me a reactionary suburbanite, but I still think nothing beats sheet vinyl (the stuff we grew up calling "linoleum" though it wasn't) for kitchens. It's unfussy, comfortable to stand on, and easy to keep clean. Tile floors are for bathrooms.

Sheet vinyl does come in funky patterns, though you'll have to page through many beiges to find them. Go to the Armstrong and Mannington websites and you'll find leather/leopard prints, marble with tiny stars, and other oddities. My mom's kitchen is done in a gorgeous Mannington (unfortunately discontinued) that looks like a Jackson Pollock painting.

That said, I'm contemplating a Mannington laminate for the kitchen floor in my new apartment. It's a rental, and I'm thinking about price: I'd rather lay my floor myself than pay an installer. I suppose it's possible to install sheet vinyl yourself, but the risk of cutting it wrong (and screwing up the whole piece, and having to buy it over again) discourages me. Laminate comes in planks that snap together. It's made for DIY installation, and if you cut a piece wrong where the room meets the door, you've only wasted one plank.

The design on laminate is actually a photographic reproduction of something in nature. Most of it looks like hardwood flooring, of one species or another; but you can also get laminate which looks like tile or slate -- which is funky in the sense of being surreal, rather like walking through a VR world where things don't feel the way they look. I think it would be even more fun if it looked like water or candy or fallen leaves, but tell that to Mannington.

I considered and rejected stick-on tiles. They look cheap, and the seams between them always get gunky. Also, laminate is a "float" floor -- it doesn't stick to the floor below it, and can easily be taken up again. Stick-ons would be a pain to take up when you were ready to upgrade to something nicer.

I think laminate is a bit pricier per square foot than some of the other options, but we're all talking about so few square feet that it hardly matters.

It does not get much funkier than vintage linoleum. check out: http://www.secondhandrose.com/linol/main.htm

Not an easy installation job, but do-able as diy: Armstrong commercial vinyl tile. It comes in fantastic colors - burnt orange, pale apple green, turquoise, and is very cheap. I'm looking at about $200 for tiles, adhesive, and equipment rental to do about 150 square feet in my apartment.

Blue, send pics to AT when you get your floor done!

P.S. How come the new, improved site doesn't remember my "personal info"?

Blue,

Are you talking about the 12"x12" tiles like those that are in schools and grocery stores?

My friend put those in his bathroom (black with gray flecks) and they look pretty good, except he never waxed them.

I'm considering them for my kitchen, but I'll have to convince my wife. She wants tile.

I just had Armstrong VCT installed in my kitchen and it's really, really awesome. It's black with white flecks and it hides EVERYthing, plus it makes my tiny kitchen look a bit bigger. I just slapped a few coats of polish on it after install, and it was good to go.

Yes, you see them in lots of public spaces - but usually the neutral colours.

They do need to be sealed.

I have to admit, I've got a prejudice against the large ceramic tile currently fashionable, unless you live in a hot climate. I don't like the way gunk collects in the grouting, and it's unforgiving of clumsy people in the kitchen.

The commerical vct does not have the natural appeal of a linoleum or marmoleum, but it's durable (if sealed properly), cheap, and comes in great colours. I've seen pictures of it done in stripes or with inset shapes like circles. Too advanced for me - I'm sticking to a diagonally-set checkerboard.

Perhaps I'll stop praising it now, and letcha all know how it turns out when I've actually installed the stuff. (October is going to be nesting month for me!)

How about covering the linoleum with... linoleum. This site has a cheesy interface, but the gallery shows some linoleum possibilities. http://www.inlayfloors.com/

Cork tiles are another cheap option.

VCT tiles are really easy to cut if you heat them with a hair dryer- I did a table top, inspired by my friend's kitchen floor, with small squares of brights (from free samples) randomly set at angles into a field of dark or light. Not that hard with a utility knife. Endless possibilities.

If you want funky and cheap I suggest making your own floor cloth. They hold up great against moisture and traffic, and they are pretty cheap to make (basically canvas and paint). Googling "floor cloth" should get you all the info you need to make your own.

Abigail, I actually did use Flor tiles on my kitchen recently. I picked the House Pet line, which is very scruffy and wiry underfoot and the one that Interface shows used in a kitchen in its catalog.

I used the tiles as sort of an area rug for the space between my stove and sink since the ceramic tile that was underfoot was very slippery and cracking in places and I didn't want to slice my foot open or break my bum while cooking. The total cost was under $150 and in the four months I've had the tiles they have worn well. You do need to vaccuum regularly. I haven't had much a problem with stains and I cook daily. I would suggest picking darker colors. I have had to spot clean a tile here and there.

That said, I chose Flor because I'm planning on remodeling my kitchen next spring and I didn't want to invest any money in something that would be thrown out in a year. So, I would say go for it as a stopgap but if you need something to last for several years, consider rugs, like the Bolon that was mentioned.

If you're interested in lineoleum, try Westling Design in LA. They make area rugs for your kitchen from lineoleum. They have standard designs and custom ones too. I first heard about them a few years ago when I saw a rug of theirs at Tabula Tua in Chicago. The rug was a custom design with a teacup and spoon. It was really cool. I'm not sure about the prices but check out this Web site for more info: http://www.iamteejay.com/westlingdesign/

I love those Armstrong tiles at HD. they have about 30 colors and I want to get green for my tiny galley kitchen. It reminds me of the
Multi-Purpose room at Lakeview Elementary

Im looking for a funky silvery glittery floor for my kitchen, but this seems practically impossible to find! Can anyone help!

Looking for funky flooring myself. I just saw an episode on HGTV where they were covering this wonderfuly bright orange lime green flooring. It had a great geometric design. Would love to find something similar to put in my kitchen. Any ideas? Know where I can find something similar. Thanks! Kristie :)

Kristie, if you are still looking for “funky flooring,” Armstrong has some pretty unique new tiles called MiYO. You can layout your own design by mixing and matching the tiles on the website. You’d definitely be able to create your own geometric design with bright colors to get that "funky floor" you're looking for. You can check it out at www.miyoflooring.com

Good luck!