Which type of flooring seemed like a money-saver but ended up costing you more in the long run?

WannabeExpert2025

veryone — I recently started working at a flooring company (on the admin/office side, not the technical side), and I’m trying to get a better understanding of the kinds of flooring choices people regret from a cost perspective.

Have you ever gone with a certain type of flooring because it seemed like a budget-friendly option, but it ended up being more expensive over time — maybe because of maintenance, damage, installation issues, or needing to replace it sooner than expected?

Would love to hear your stories or lessons learned — I’m trying to wrap my head around what “cheap” really costs in this world!

Chickereeeee

Not me but the previous owner of the house we bought had laid solid flooring tiles throughout the hall, kitchen and downstairs 'cloaks'. A substantial area (kitchen alone was 5 x 5m). The tiles had the appearance of marble, and were very solid, but I don’t know the exact construction. The tiles were laid over  a layer of plywood, followed by screed, total depth about 30mm.  I imagine the owner thought they would last a LONG time.

We moved in a about 5 years later (they got divorced) and the tiles were already cracking at thresholds, and where the floor transitioned from suspended wood to solid. This got worse over the next few years, tlles cracking in other places, grouting discoloured and dropping through, leaving gaps.

We had to rip it out and start again after maybe 10 years from installation.

DullGreyGuy

WannabeExpert2025 said:

veryone — I recently started working at a flooring company (on the admin/office side, not the technical side), and I’m trying to get a better understanding of the kinds of flooring choices people regret from a cost perspective.

Have you ever gone with a certain type of flooring because it seemed like a budget-friendly option, but it ended up being more expensive over time — maybe because of maintenance, damage, installation issues, or needing to replace it sooner than expected?

Would love to hear your stories or lessons learned — I’m trying to wrap my head around what “cheap” really costs in this world!

The problem with asking customers is they have very limited experience and you potentially need to differentiate between a problem with the product and how the product has been put down. 

For example, had to go with vinyl in the kitchen of my parents home because of an overspend on the rest of the kitchen. A goodwhile later my mother dropped the iron and burnt a hole in the flooring which reopened her complaints about the flooring and how it wouldnt have been burnt had it been the tiles she wanted. What we can't say however is if the cans of beans, pans etc that she had dropped beforehand would have cracked tiles or dented wood whereas the vinyl took no material damage