Hi Dorothy, the rental market is quickly becoming more fastidious - they don't want to vacuum, and there are an ever growing number of people with allergies. then there's maintenance - i suggest you'll be replacing carpet every 3-5 years, so it's a false economy. cedar is making a come back - we have a lot of projects similiar to this and one option is it's 'too much wood' is to simply paint it. Cedar has plenty of wonderful properties, so even if you don't love it aesthetically, i'd keep it. but to balance out the colours and not feel like you're in a sauna, i'd brave it and select a timber with a completely different colour - don't match - instead, compliment the cedar with a contrast. perhaps a black timber floor, or, if you want to lighten u the space, a beached timber floor. if budget is a big constraint, then Vinyl is a good product, but for just a tad dearer, you can go for gold and get marmoleum. people often mistake vinyl and marmo for the same - they're completely different - marmo is an organic product, so will wear well, won't release loads of toxic VOC's into the air and doesn't harm the earth. good luck!

Hi Lorraine, sorry I missed your question. I only bought this house a few months back and the glue has deteriorated anyway so I used the steam mop to test it out before I get new flooring. Because many animals lived in this house I was hoping the steam would help kill germs. I've read so many opinions on the use of steam on both vinyl and laminate so I'm at a bit of a loss now. One of my joeys has laminate and has been using a steam mop on it for 12 years now with no ill effects at all, despite that supposedly being a big no-no, but she found it so quick and efficient when the kids were toddlers particularly and the floor needed doing almost daily. I just have to wonder these days how much manufacturers are protecting themselves and not giving consumers honest information. How often do you buy an item of cotton clothing and then find the label says "dry clean only". This does not mean the item can't be washed, it is to protect the manufacturer from someone doing something like washing in boiling water. We need more transparency in care instructions, only then can consumers make informed decisions on the right product for them. If steam is going to affect the glue, then it follows water will too so then it comes down to just how do you clean your floors. Manufacturers' special products that are always ridiculously expensive are not the answer and having access to these products is not always possible for country people either. I believe there are two types of vinyl planks too - one type are glued down, the others are a floating floor which would not require glue, but I was told in the event of damage, a glued plank is much easier to replace than one in a floating floor. There are so many glues on the market now too, there must be one that could be used to reglue a plank that has come adrift.

Nelson Interior Stylists - we have looked at the laminae but from the research i have done the new style of vinyl- particularly karndean gives such a wood look result, it has groves etc to make it look like real wood and the feel underneath is like real wood, its pretty sound proof too. Another plus for us is it is 100% waterproof so we dont have to be so careful with spilt water, cleaning etc. siriuskey and JE C thanks so much for your input, i am leaning towards vinyl i just dont want it to look like a cheap renovation. Many years ago in the UK lots of people used stick down vinyl in rental properties and it just made it look cheap however, as mentioned above the Karndean range and the like actually do look like real wood. Hmmm! Such a dilemma! We are doing the stairs this weekend so that will be a starting point. Another thing is hubby isn't keen on the dark wood look for floors but i love it! With clean white trims and walls i think it'll just look fabulous!

I’ve spent the better part of a decade scoffing at luxury vinyl planks. And I still think the name is a misnomer BUT I’ve been sold on the appearance and wearability of the current generation product. Have a look at Oak and Orange. On the web and Insta. They’ve used it in a range of family homes.