Unlike wooden floors laminate is less likely to expand or contract which makes it a popular choice for an unheated space.
Laminate floor in unheated space.
However it fades in bright consistent sunlight and so you should buy linoleum that is uv protected.
Laminate floors can be installed above crawl spaces but as with wood floors the crawl space must be covered with an appropriate vapor barrier and have proper ventilation.
The whole floor will expand and contract as one single piece moving very little and only at the edges.
They will all be adversely affected by extreme conditions.
Hi any thoughts and idea for flooring on cement in an unheated sunroom off the unheated garage.
When properly installed in an unheated cottage where temperatures drop to 40c a good quality vinyl floor should give years of beauty and enjoyment.
Laminate is also more stable than natural wood when it comes to changes in humidity.
Here in georgia the uv rays from the sun can be pretty.
The whole geographic area will shrink in the winter cold and then expand back to origanal size in the spring.
Spending the weekend pulling up smelly glued down berber carpeting.
The vinyl will shrink in the cold but so will the cottage foundation and all.
I think i can expand on bretts post.
A uv protected laminate will help to protect from this.
The laws of physics come into play here.
Like laminate linoleum is easy to install.
And exterior grade sheathing can be an off gassing nightmare.
Poor quality vinyl improperly installed is like poor quality wood and poor quality ceramic poorly installed.
Laminate isn t fastened to the subfloor so it can float on top.
The exterior grade stuff usually contains chemicals preservatives that are considered illegal when used indoors.
Plus a laminate floor expands and contracts as a whole so unlike hardwood it doesn t leave gaps between planks or around nails.
If these conditions aren t met laminate floors can cup from excessive moisture.
The tongue and groove pieces glue together and float over the main floor which means that it is unaffected by humidity and temperature changes.
Tile flooring can be a great option in unheated sunrooms.
I dont think it expands or contracts much its very dense in fact when cutting it it looked like plastic not very porous.
However if your porch tends to be a moist damp area you should consider a different type of flooring because moisture can cause damage to laminate.
I have a problem with vinyl planks in an unheated space.
Therefore you can pick a high quality laminate floor and still get you a long lasting investment for years to come.
It s also a cost effective solution easy to clean and durable.