Q. My husband and I are renovating our kitchen and I'm torn about what kind of flooring I want in this room. I love the look of hardwood floors but I've never had them in a house before, are they a good choice of flooring (hard to maintain)? Or what flooring do you have in your kitchen that you love? I'm so glad I asked this question! I hadn't thought about how easily wood floors could be damaged, and I really want something that will last, not something I need to replace in 5 years!

A. I wouldn't use wood in a kitchen, even though I love hardwood floors. There are too many ways to damage one-water leaks, dropping things, etc. I have ceramic tile in the kitchen/mudroom. With the variety of styles available, you should be able to find one you like easily. You can also get grout that matches or compliments the color of the tile. Hope this helps.

Q. I have an invalid living in my house. He sometimes cannot control his bowels and makes a mess in the floor. I currently have carpet over hardwood floor. I need the carpet to be taken out and want to find some sort of flooring that can be mopped with Clorox or Lysol in water to destroy odor. I would like to avoid any type of flooring that would have to be glued to the hardwood. It appears that all vinyl flooring has to glued down. Does anyone have any idea what I can put over the hardwood that will stand up to some serious cleaning?

A. Try laminate flooring, it is easy to install by locking the pieces together like a puzzle and it floats(needs no glue). It also cleans like a dream, we just got it and love it. You can get the kind that looks like wood or tile. We have the ceramic tile type and it really looks like tile. GL!

Q. I am about to have some vinyl flooring fitted in my kitchen and would grateful for any suggestions as to what I can use for cushioning and to try and keep the floor as warm as possible under foot. I have had vinyl flooring before and it is still hard and cold when standing on the flooring. I have even tried cork tiles and this did not seem to make a huge difference. Would a laminate and wood flooring underlay be suitable or would this be a waste of time? I should add that I am in the UK.

A. An idea, There is a product by DRIcore subfloor which is designed to be put over concrete floors in basements, playrooms etc, this may be something you would want to look into, it would serve all your needs. Lowes carries this by the way, here's a link to the DRIcore website http://www.dricore.com/en/eIndex.aspx

Q. The flooring is vinyl, will it also affect the other areas? It already showed discoloration. The condo was empty for 3 months and when we found out that it was flooded when we decided to do our cleaning. And was shocked to see a puddle! Later we learned the the pipe was busted 8 days ago! The admin of the condo will only pay for half of the floor area of 50sq meters. Should I agree to that or they should change all flooring?

A. It's all gonna come up sooner or later.

Q. Im remodeling my apartment and my roommate chose white to paint the walls in our entry way and living room? i get to choose the carpet or flooring (hardwood, etc) and color of the trim, does anyone know what color of trim, and what type of floor would go nicely with the white walls?

A. Lucky you! I'd rather be allowed to choose flooring and trim any day! That's a keeper whereas paint can be changed. As for what matched white walls, basically everything! White is not a color in decorating, but the absense of all color and that is why you can match it with anything. So, you can buy whatever pleases you! Do keep in mind that the lighter the floor color, the larger the room will appear and the darker the floor color, the smaller the room will appear. Also, lint, dust, etc., shows up more on dark floors. What you choose to use as material for the floor really depends on your budget. Hardwood floors are definitely the best for getting a return on your money. If you can't afford that, then consider these types of flooring: - laminate wood floor - vinyl soft floor covering - bamboo flooring (my favorite, by the way!) - ceramic tile (did you know that you can get ceramic tile that looks soooo much lilke wood, you have to touch it to know the difference? It's better than hardwood since it doesn't scratch and is very resistant!) Will you be painting the trim or using natural wood? If using natural wood, it is advisable to match the floor. Enjoy!

Q. I'm looking at putting laminate flooring in the kitchen but our steel door leading out to our garage can barely "clear" the current vinyl flooring when it opens, so I know it wouldn't be able to open with a taller laminate floor. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a new door or make any major renovations. Any suggestions?

A. Another option if you can't cut the door off is to put the laminate only up to the outside of the door reach and leave the vinyl as a circular entry type look. It's done with carpeting all the time by outside entry doors, usually so you can have a scatter rug on the vinyl. In your case, you don't have room for a scatter rug.

Q. We have vinyl flooring that is glued on the edges but not in the center. The excess material is causing the flooring to raise up in the middle of the floor. Do I use a heat gun and try to shrink it? I don't know. Any educated suggestions would be help-full.

A. If this is a perimeter bond material, and it didn t acclimate right and "shrink" to the floor then it is faulty material and must be reported to the place of purchase. If it is a full spread glue type , there is nothing you can do but replace it. The way to tell the difference, full spread flooring will have a felt type or paper backing. Perimeter bond is smooth. You ll have to find out what you have before anything can be attempted. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar. GL

Q. My father lives in a 1998 mobile home. His air conditioner drain pipe clogged up and water was leaking under the vinyl flooring for quite a while before I noticed the floor was swollen up. His unit has been replaced so there hopefully will be no more leaking water. Now that the particle board is swollen up, must it be replaced with new board or will it ever dry back out and go back down some? How big a deal is this going to be?

A. The flooring will not look the same nor will it ever be as strong. It will need to be replaced. Many contractors will splice the sub floor on a joist. this is a poor practice it is better to cut between the joists and glue and screw a 6" wide backer across the joint around the entire perimeter. The original sheets of particle board extend from side to side and are joined over the top of the floor joist with a 4" inch backer full glued and stapled many many times.