We’re Getting New Floors!

It sort of feels like a dream come true. I feel like I’ve been working towards this project for so long! Adding new flooring to our home has always been a top priority for me, but figuring out just how to do that hasn’t come without it’s challenges… that’s for sure! Here is everything you’ll want to know about our new floors!

What Product Are You Using?

I’m so excited to share this product with you! Believe me when I say I have researched just about every option out there, and this product is amazing! We are adding COREtec’s luxury vinyl tile in Calypso Oak throughout our entire home. It is a warm yet neutral luxury vinyl tile that provides a ‘wood-look’ we all love! Prior to finding COREtec, I ran into roadblocks every time I would try and install new flooring in our home. Specifically, the installation of new flooring in our home was proving to be too costly and uprooted my plans each time.

But that’s what’s so great about COREtec! Their product is easy to install without any gluing, underlayment, acclimation, and minimal prep work. It can easily be done as a DIY since their interlocking system is so easy to do! We are actually just going to lay it over the top of our brick and tile, which is providing a huge cost savings since we won’t have to pay for any demolition work! Here are a few more things I love about COREtec’s luxury vinyl tile:

Why New Floors… And What About the Brick?

Some of you may be wondering why we would need new flooring considering many people LOVE the brick in our home. While I do love the brick as well, there are a number of reasons why I would like to add new flooring throughout the entire home. Here are the reasons why:

1. There is a mix of brick, tile, carpet, and laminate throughout our home. This makes for a rather chopped up look and does not create a consistent flow throughout each room! We will be adding the COREtec Calypso Oak throughout the entire house!
2. While I do LOVE the brick in our living room, it was installed at a different time than the brick in the kitchen and dining room. This means the brick really take on two different looks and does not match all that great. Also, the brick in the kitchen appears very dark and is hard to keep clean with the all the foot traffic and cooking!
3. I’m looking forward to having a bit of a warmer, softer floor with our growing family and crawling babies in our near future!
4. The brick is very hard to clean and not very soft or comfy to sit on. I always wanted to put in new flooring before we had kiddos so I could easily wipe up spills, crumbs, dirt, etc. The COREtec product will be PERFECT for this!
5. The carpet in each of our bedrooms has seen better days. We had a flood in our office this past winter which warped and stained the carpet, which was preventing us from being able to complete our office makeover that we have planned soon!
6. We have very odd flooring transitions throughout our home, the main one being right between our main family room and dining space. This transition really makes the room appear smaller and does not give it a proper flow!

When Are You Installing And How Long Will It Take?

Installation was supposed to start this Monday, but it’s looking like we will start on April 23rd due to a shipping issue! Like I said earlier, this project can easily be done as a DIY installation, but since I’m pretty preggo and baby Staples is due soon we are hiring some help! Thankfully OC Hardwood and Laminate was able to give us a great price for installation and also scheduled us quickly since they know we are on a tight schedule. They also said the installation of the COREtec flooring will only take three days! Since there isn’t any demo involved and very little prep work, the process will go much faster. All we have to do is clear out any light furniture and decor, but the installers will take care of the heavy items as they work through the house. If you’re in the Orange County, CA area I highly recommend using OC Hardwood and Laminate for any of your installation needs!

The Challenges We’ve Faced And Why COREtec Is The Answer

I mentioned on my Instagram stories before that I’ve been dreaming and planning for this project for years. Every time I would get close to installing new floors, we would hit a road block that would essentially ruin the project all together and put us back at square one. I’m assuming many of you may have the same challenges, so I thought I’d share a little bit about them and why COREtec might be your answer too!

1. Uneven Floors: The flooring is not 100% level in our house. The bedrooms are carpeted, putting them lower than the tile and brick. Previously, whenever we went to install new flooring, it would’ve been required to remove the tile so that everything was level. With COREtec we can simply use their reducers to provide a little drop down into the bedroom.
2. Costly Demolition: I got a quote to demo our brick and tile and it was upwards of $10,000. NOT. HAPPENING. This really put me in a rough spot because I felt like I would never be able or willing to pay that much just to prep for new flooring. COREtec’s product allows you to lay over existing flooring due to the attached cork underlayment. We won’t have to do any prep work besides ripping up the carpet which is saving us quite a bit!
3. Costly Install: Installation costs can really get ya. It’s not just laying the floor, but also removing and adding baseboards. The cost of the baseboards would always push this project into an uncomfortable price range for me; however, COREtec has quarter rounds that match the flooring which means we won’t be removing or adding new base boards. You simply attach the quarter rounds to the baseboards to make it flush with the flooring.

If you have any other questions be sure to comment here or over on my Instagram and I will add them to the blog post! Can’t wait to bring you along on this process and show you the finished product. After we install I will be sure to give you a full review of our new COREtec floors!

Special thanks to COREtec for sponsoring this project. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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