If you are planning to buy a rental home, or you're thinking about what to do with one you have just acquired, this is the place for any questions about starting out in the rentals business.
Annew wrote:We have ceramic tiles throughout the ground floor of one of our cottages (Brimbles, if you want to have a look at the Photos) and quarry tiles throughout the kitchen, bathroom and ground floor bedroom at our second cottage (Granary)
Nemo has stayed at both - she might have an opinion.
Both lovely and it didn't occur to me to check whether the temperature of the floor suited. It was all just fine and definitely not a cold floor. As you say, the ambient temperature in a well insulated house stops them being icy cold.
The HL has the original Victorian quarry tiles downstairs so no heating. I've added thick rugs so they are comfortable but I wouldn't want tiles in the bedroom even with rugs.
I had Karndean flooring fitted in my home about 15 years ago in an area that gets very heavy wear. I went for a slate finish and it honestly still looks like new. I wouldn't hesitate to have it again.
Thank for all the further responses. Very helpful to see the pictures on your website Annew.
We will be installing new central heating etc. so will make sure that it is a 'warm' house. Therefore, I think we may pursue the idea of tiles with no U/f in the main living areas that dogs will certainly have access too, and perhaps think about electric U/F for the bathrooms. May consider carpet (although I'm generally anti carpets!) in the master bed, and the smallest bedroom which is most likely to have children sleeping in it...don't like the thought of little ones falling out of bed onto a tiled floor!
We've got tiles with UF heating in the kitchen and inherited carpet through the rest of the house. Vinyl in bathrooms and laminate in hallway. Will be looking to replace with Karndean or Amtico with UF at some point over the next year or two.
Off Topic but stayed in a hotel in South Africa last night that had UF under carpet. I thought the carpet had just heated up in the sun during the day but it was in fact heated we realised when it was still warm under foot at 2300 at night!?
Another option would be wood floors.....laid over whatever you have... These could be either solid or engineered wood. A bit more expensive than tiling perhaps but reduces that cold feeling under foot. Even regular pine floorboards covered with a hard wearing two pack varnish looks good. Shopping around the internet you can find some pretty good bargains. I remember paying just over £20/sq.m for soild oak flooring 18mm thick a few years ago for our last home.
It was all just fine and definitely not a cold floor. As you say, the ambient temperature in a well insulated house stops them being icy cold.
