Adventures in flooring

My wife and I went shopping for a new kitchen floor tonight.

I think we may have found perfection.Everyone I’ve talked to who has linoleum floors loves them. They’re durable, water resistant, and easy to clean. I’ve read about linoleum floors in 100-year-old houses holding up just fine. I think 100 years sounds good to me–that’s more years than I have left. And it’s made from materials that grow in friendly countries, which is something we would do well to consider more often.

There’s even a company named Forbo making a product called Marmoleum Click, which is a linoleum floor that clicks together like laminate. So potentially I could rip out the old floor on a Saturday and spend Sunday afternoon and early evening putting down the new floor, and have it ready to go immediately. Or with some luck, I could finish the project in a day.

The problem is that Marmoleum (and linoleum in general) isn’t something you can run down to the local big-box store and buy. Forbo has exactly one dealer in St. Louis, but fortunately it’s a charming store not far from where my wife lived when we met. And supporting a small locally owned business appeals to me.

At $4.99 per square foot, the price is comparable to any other kind of floor worth having, if not lower. Plus I’ll save a bundle by being able to put it down myself, and it has a 25-year warranty, not to mention the track record of lasting 100 years or more. Stingy Scottish misers like me really like that aspect.

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