Any homeowners know anything about wood floors?

[dbax791]

I'm thinking of putting one in, or something besides carpet. I hated that carpet since I bought the house (its cheap and has stain spots), and when my dog was a puppy he chewed it up where it met the tile. So I'm looking for something low-maintenance.

Anyone put one in? Any advice? I hear stories of warping, etc...but I know nothing of the types of wood or what to look for in a company/installer.

Also, it would meet the tile, so I'm not so sure how a wood/tile combo would look.

http://members.cox.net/jw791/floor1.jpg

[TERRIBLETOM]

If you really like the wood look as I do, you should go to your local home Depot or Lows. They have wood floor kits to choose from, you may be able to buy a sample and put it next to your tiles and see how it looks. If you ever get water in your basement or it's really humid you may have a problem with wood flooring. I'm far from being a carpenter but every time I wanted to do something myself I would take one of those free courses that Home Depot offers and did the job myself, boy did I save a lot of money.
****With the right shade and texture i think it would look great...

[johnnymk]

There is a material which is sold at Home Depot and Lowes, which is not really wood, but resembles it. It is made of the same material as "Formica", a durable plastic laminate. It comes in long strips much like oak planking and it also interlocks into the adjacent strips. It 'floats',which means that it doesn't have to be glued down on the subsurface.
A friend of mine just did his entire downstairs with it and he loves it. Sometimes Lowes has it on sale for $1.99 per square foot.

[TERRIBLETOM]

Originally posted by johnnymk
There is a material which is sold at Home Depot and Lowes, which is not really wood, but resembles it. It is made of the same material as "Formica", a durable plastic laminate. It comes in long strips much like oak planking and it also interlocks into the adjacent strips. It 'floats',which means that it doesn't have to be glued down on the subsurface.
A friend of mine just did his entire downstairs with it and he loves it. Sometimes Lowes has it on sale for $1.99 per square foot. That sounds like a great product, and because it's a wood look alike you don't have to worry about it expanding as much as wood flooring does. It also sounds as if this product is great for easy clean ups of accidents...

[dbax791]

Thx guys...

I think the product you are referring to is called "Pergo". It looks nice and is easy to maintain, but this is my "main" room and I think I would prefer a quality real wood.

LOL TT, I live in AZ, I know nothing of this "basement" thing you speak of. And, no there is no high humidity here.

[oblongmelon]

see if you can find a reputable salvage dealer in your area--sometimes, they have ENTIRE floors of chestnut,maple,ash etc that have been pulled out of old homes..Personally I like chestnut-that's what we have..but pergo is great stuff too.

[Kim]

I'm loving my pergo! We just put it in our kitchen, and I don't regret it for a minute. We considered a real wood floor, but it seemed like it would be harder to maintain, with the sanding and resealing and all. Anyway, good luck whatever you decide!

[TERRIBLETOM]

Originally posted by Kim
I'm loving my pergo! We just put it in our kitchen, and I don't regret it for a minute. We considered a real wood floor, but it seemed like it would be harder to maintain, with the sanding and resealing and all. Anyway, good luck whatever you decide! I'd like to see a picture of it installed if you ever get around to it...

[dbax791]

Originally posted by Kim
I'm loving my pergo! We just put it in our kitchen, and I don't regret it for a minute. We considered a real wood floor, but it seemed like it would be harder to maintain, with the sanding and resealing and all. Anyway, good luck whatever you decide!

Thanks. Hmm, I'll have to go to their website and check it out a bit more. My main concern is the thickness. I'd like to have the floor like 1/4 to 1/2" higher then the tile, w/beveled edges where they meet.

[dbax791]

Originally posted by oblongmelon
see if you can find a reputable salvage dealer in your area--sometimes, they have ENTIRE floors of chestnut,maple,ash etc that have been pulled out of old homes..Personally I like chestnut-that's what we have..but pergo is great stuff too.

Obby, does your dog scratch up the chestnut floor? That's what I've been hearing as a downside to real wood. How often do you have to sand it?

[Hunny]

Originally posted by johnnymk
There is a material which is sold at Home Depot and Lowes, which is not really wood, but resembles it. It is made of the same material as "Formica", a durable plastic laminate. It comes in long strips much like oak planking and it also interlocks into the adjacent strips. It 'floats',which means that it doesn't have to be glued down on the subsurface.
A friend of mine just did his entire downstairs with it and he loves it. Sometimes Lowes has it on sale for $1.99 per square foot.


Could it be Pergo you're talking about? Its expensive , or seems it...but if you were to really take into consideration all there is to putting a real wood floor down..maybe it adds up to be the same...It looks really nice, there's no question...if your looking at long term upkeep on the floor, it seems it would be cheaper than a real wood floor...there would be no refinishing after years of heavy duty traffic...maintenance free other than washing it is all you need to do...
Home Depot has it...lots of colors and looks to choose from...
Do it yourself..

As an added note..if you ever went into a Saturn dealership..at least the ones in RI and CT have them....their showroom floor is Pergo.....

By the way, I think it would look great...Have an awesome day..and good luck !!!

[johnnymk]

Yes, it's Pergo. It definitely does not have the richness and texture of real wood, but it would probably satisfy most people.

[TERRIBLETOM]

Originally posted by dbax791


Thanks. Hmm, I'll have to go to their website and check it out a bit more. My main concern is the thickness. I'd like to have the floor like 1/4 to 1/2" higher then the tile, w/beveled edges where they meet. You can always install a sub floor depending on thinkness to get the hight you want.

[oblongmelon]

Originally posted by dbax791


Obby, does your dog scratch up the chestnut floor? That's what I've been hearing as a downside to real wood. How often do you have to sand it?

the dog doesn't scratch the floor because we get her nails clipped on a regular basis..as far as sanding-we've NEVER sanded the floor-it's original to the house and the floors were in prime condition when we moved in..for some reason, the varnishes they used back then (turn of the century) seem to hold up quite nicely...I just keep a nice coat of wax on it and go at it with the murphy's oil soap-and it holds up great-chestnut is a nice hardwood..it takes alot to scratch it,and it has a nice neutral color with good grain patterns..it was the choice for floors for years.

[sizemic1]

keep in mind that those laminate floors only have about 1/16 of an inch of coating over a standard piece of particle board. You can sand and refinish certain types, but there's only so much you can do before the floor would eventually have to be replaced again.

True hardwood floors are way more expensive, but if i had my way that's the route i'd go. The laminates will give you the wood "look" but they won't "sound" like hardwood floors.

Laminates "float" meaning they just lay over a foam rubber pad (similar to the no-slip shelving "paper") and are fairly easy to install yourself, literally snapping together. You would probably want a professional to install real hardwood floors since there's a lot of prep and finish work involved.

[caribiner23]

I've lived with Pergo, oak, and maple floors.

Pergo is by far the most durable. Oak is the nicest looking and feeling (I do a lot of barefootin' and sock-footin'). Maple was great in my kitchen.

I've done a lot of home remodeling and repair work myself, and wood flooring is something I definitely leave to the professionals.

If it were my home and checkbook, it would professionally-installed oak.

[whitak24]

pergo is ok (my gf's parents have it in their kitchen), but to me, nothing matches the beauty of real hardwood (pergo doesn't even serve as a close approximation).

for a kitchen, i think it's got a lot of advantages, but for a living room, i would definitely advise you to go with solid wood.

[dbax791]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I agree w/Whitak, I think I would go Pergo maybe for a kitchen, but I'm kinda liking the look of Maple.

Here is one sample:

http://www.andersonfloors.com/appalachian/images/gallery/maple_natural.jpg

And here is another one that looks exactly like the tile in my house. I like the look, but it looks like they used duct tape for the edging.

http://www.advancedhardwood.net/AHF%20MapleNat2.jpg

[Hunny]

Originally posted by dbax791
Thanks for the advice everyone. I agree w/Whitak, I think I would go Pergo maybe for a kitchen, but I'm kinda liking the look of Maple.

Here is one sample:

http://www.andersonfloors.com/appalachian/images/gallery/maple_natural.jpg

And here is another one that looks exactly like the tile in my house. I like the look, but it looks like they used duct tape for the edging.

http://www.advancedhardwood.net/AHF%20MapleNat2.jpg

You're right..it does look nice..but it looks like they sure did it with duct tape lol...1001 uses !!
They sell the "floor moldings" or whatever you call them for exactly that use..its very expensive...so maybe thats why they duct taped ..lol..dumb..but oh well...lets assume their floor wasn't finished...

[Nija]

My mother has hardwood floors from the 20's and in most places it looks pretty good. There are a few spots that are kind of torn up, from negligect and water damage while no one lived in the house, but after we got it, and moved in, and cleaned it up, it looks spiffy. it looks like your maple picture Dbax but older... and unpolished :D

I prefer carpet tho, cept in the kitchen and bathroom. :D

[caribiner23]

In the living room ("duct tape") photo, they used a high gloss finish, which makes the room look like a basketball court.

I prefer a satin finish, which looks a lot more elegant and natural.

The only place I would use a glossier finish would be the kitchen.

[dbax791]

Originally posted by caribiner23
In the living room ("duct tape") photo, they used a high gloss finish, which makes the room look like a basketball court.

I prefer a satin finish, which looks a lot more elegant and natural.

The only place I would use a glossier finish would be the kitchen.

Well, yeah, I was thinking of putting up a hoop in there and practicing my jumper anyway :P

Thanks for the tip on finish, I'll be sure to ask the contractor about that and look at different samples.

[TERRIBLETOM]

I think they both look nice, the lighting in the pictures and the finish used on the floors are very much different, I would like to see them both first hand...