Wood Floors

[love Lantana]

we are looking to install wood floors, and at this point don't really know anything, we have just begun investigating. I would be interested to hear what kind of wood floor you have, anyone, and draw backs and benefits of the wood type you chose and why you chose it. Thanks!

[reloclose]

best advice - use a professional
Granite and Tile Outlet
3180 FM 407 (next to McAlister's
Highland Village TX 75077
Ph: 972 317 5618
Fax: 972 317 5462
They have done three houses for me

[Common Sense Al]

We got laminate. It looks nice to me and it is very durable. I had real wood floors before and I worried about them being scratched up and damaged with water (and they did get damaged and scratched). Now I don't worry about that nearly as much. So if you want something low-maintenance and more durable then you might want to consider that.

[flowermound82]

Home and Lawn Transformers
972-824-4717
www.homeandlawntransformers.webs.com

[love Lantana]

huh? ah come on post your business where its suppose to go....

[matj6876]

huh? ah come on post your business where its suppose to go....

Not sure what you mean here? You asked for recommendations/advice for Wood floor and this is from the website linked:

Professional & Affordable Services offered:
Arbors, Pergolas, Patio Covers, Fences, Outdoor Kitchens, Flagstone Patios, Fireplaces, Firepits, Retaining Walls, Concrete Flatwork, Driveways, Custom Masonry (Interior/Exterior), Water Features, Wood Flooring, Landscape Installation, and Complete Patio Construction

You can't really ask for info/advice and complain when people link to sites that offer the service

[love Lantana]

huh? ah come on post your business where its suppose to go....

Not sure what you mean here? You asked for recommendations/advice for Wood floor and this is from the website linked:

Professional & Affordable Services offered:
Arbors, Pergolas, Patio Covers, Fences, Outdoor Kitchens, Flagstone Patios, Fireplaces, Firepits, Retaining Walls, Concrete Flatwork, Driveways, Custom Masonry (Interior/Exterior), Water Features, Wood Flooring, Landscape Installation, and Complete Patio Construction

You can't really ask for info/advice and complain when people link to sites that offer the service

I'm sorry I thought someone just posted a landscaping service..

[JKTex]

huh? ah come on post your business where its suppose to go....

I was on your side on that one. It doesn't address your question to people in regards to types of floors. Oh well.

We're about to have our house done and here's a few tid-bits we've learned. While I love real wood floors and most of our friends have them, as mentioned, they're more susceptible to water damage. And if you don't already have them, in many cases you may not be able to, or it will be even more expensive as the floor will be raised 1.5" to 2" from the foundation once the subfloor and the wood is installed.

The better alternative is engineered wood. It's wood, but it's constructed like ply wood and nearly water proof and on some cases more resilient. The thickness will determine how deep stressing can go but if you saw 3/8" engineered next to 1"+ real wood you can't tell the difference. It's warrantied for a long time and does not require a sub-floor so it's no thicker than carpet or tile, if that. Depending on the flooring, it's not that far off from the cost of wood but has a lot of benefits over wood. If I recall, in general the thinner vs thicker is about $3-$4 a foot difference but a lot of the 3/8" is heat barrier certified. And of course depending on what you're looking for, the thicker can be more distressed and look great.

Dela Floors carries some of the best engineered wood in the industry and has a couple different ones installed in the store. Of course they also have sample pieces to stomp on etc.

http://www.andersonfloors.com/flooring/brands.aspx to see some of the brands that Della carries. We're looking a an Anderson (1/4" and cheaper) and Virginia Vintage 3/8" but we have one that looks great in our house and they recently did nearly a whole house in Double Oak that in the exact one that we hope to go see.

We're ready to make a decision and get it done but I'm just having a hard time with the thought of writing the check!!!

[Bacchus2b]

We went with some nice upgraded hardwood floors four years ago ($$$$$), and now with two kids and two dogs I wished we had gone with Laminate. We keep the dog nails short but there has been significant wear in some areas that is not what I expected for the money we spent. Supposedly they are under wear warranty for 20 years from Bruce/Armstrong, but after dealing with the flooring comany that Highland Homes used in our first year, I doubt that warranty will be honored without a great deal of time, effort, and or litigation on my part.

Many of the laminates these days look a lot like real wood, have a pad for comfort, and wear forever. I even saw a faux hand-scraped laminate at Home Depot the other day.

[Common Sense Al]

Yes, to follow up David's post, with kids and pets, especially larger dogs with nails, consider laminate! I didn't exactly mention that in my original post about when I had real wood. We had a dog and the dog scratched the wood. We also had some water damage. I think it was because the cleaners we used used water to wipe the floor. Even though it was a little water, over time I think it damaged it (I think the cleaners should have known better). Also, I they say you are suppose to use a special hardwood fabric mop and the correct hardwood cleaning solution. Also, I think it's better to use a dry Swiffer and to avoid frequent use of liquid cleaners.

We still had the dog in the house for awhile after we got the laminate, and the laminate seemed impervious to the dog scratching it.

I only wish it were easy to remove a damaged laminate board and replace it with a new one... then repairs would be cheap and easy. I have accidentally dropped heavy stuff on it and have damaged it. There are fillers you can use but it would be nice if it were possible to easily replace a board (I have extras in the garage)... but I guess there would be other issues with that (if boards are too easy to remove, then they might come loose when you don't want them too).

[love Lantana]

huh? ah come on post your business where its suppose to go....

I was on your side on that one. It doesn't address your question to people in regards to types of floors. Oh well.

We're about to have our house done and here's a few tid-bits we've learned. While I love real wood floors and most of our friends have them, as mentioned, they're more susceptible to water damage. And if you don't already have them, in many cases you may not be able to, or it will be even more expensive as the floor will be raised 1.5" to 2" from the foundation once the subfloor and the wood is installed.

The better alternative is engineered wood. It's wood, but it's constructed like ply wood and nearly water proof and on some cases more resilient. The thickness will determine how deep stressing can go but if you saw 3/8" engineered next to 1"+ real wood you can't tell the difference. It's warrantied for a long time and does not require a sub-floor so it's no thicker than carpet or tile, if that. Depending on the flooring, it's not that far off from the cost of wood but has a lot of benefits over wood. If I recall, in general the thinner vs thicker is about $3-$4 a foot difference but a lot of the 3/8" is heat barrier certified. And of course depending on what you're looking for, the thicker can be more distressed and look great.

Dela Floors carries some of the best engineered wood in the industry and has a couple different ones installed in the store. Of course they also have sample pieces to stomp on etc.

http://www.andersonfloors.com/flooring/brands.aspx to see some of the brands that Della carries. We're looking a an Anderson (1/4" and cheaper) and Virginia Vintage 3/8" but we have one that looks great in our house and they recently did nearly a whole house in Double Oak that in the exact one that we hope to go see.

We're ready to make a decision and get it done but I'm just having a hard time with the thought of writing the check!!!

Thank you that is more of what I was looking for, I know what you mean about writing the check, we knew it would be a lot but I did not just how much. We chose engineered hard wood, hand scraped. It is just beautiful, I wanted something that when its gets damaged I can touch it with a wood pen and it will look like the rest. This floor we chose is gorgeous! Also bought carpet from same place, picked a carpet I liked, they are binding it for us , we are going to put a few rugs in various places and I just wanted some nice carpet we do not care for the prints or oriental type rugs. We are having it installed over spring break.

[JKTex]

Thank you that is more of what I was looking for, I know what you mean about writing the check, we knew it would be a lot but I did not just how much. We chose engineered hard wood, hand scraped. It is just beautiful, I wanted something that when its gets damaged I can touch it with a wood pen and it will look like the rest. This floor we chose is gorgeous! Also bought carpet from same place, picked a carpet I liked, they are binding it for us , we are going to put a few rugs in various places and I just wanted some nice carpet we do not care for the prints or oriental type rugs. We are having it installed over spring break.

Wow, that was quick! We were hoping to do the same thing but we're also doing some other things and need to plan it all out. We may have to do it in pieces.

Who did you go with if you don't mind me asking?

I also like the idea of using carpet as rugs. Rugs are hard to match and find what you like. Besides, it's nice to be able to have it custom sized too.

[love Lantana]

Thank you that is more of what I was looking for, I know what you mean about writing the check, we knew it would be a lot but I did not just how much. We chose engineered hard wood, hand scraped. It is just beautiful, I wanted something that when its gets damaged I can touch it with a wood pen and it will look like the rest. This floor we chose is gorgeous! Also bought carpet from same place, picked a carpet I liked, they are binding it for us , we are going to put a few rugs in various places and I just wanted some nice carpet we do not care for the prints or oriental type rugs. We are having it installed over spring break.

Wow, that was quick! We were hoping to do the same thing but we're also doing some other things and need to plan it all out. We may have to do it in pieces.

Who did you go with if you don't mind me asking?
I also like the idea of using carpet as rugs. Rugs are hard to match and find what you like. Besides, it's nice to be able to have it custom sized too.

yea we have been planning it for a while saving the cash for it, we only just recently started looking at them after we had saved up. So when I saw a product I fell in love with that was it. I love the carpet too, just gorgeous, I laid a plank of the wood on the floor next to the carpet sample and wow, incredible. We ended up with Waynes Flooring, my neighbor's store, has been in business for something like 36 years. After its done I will try to post a picture. Did not choose him cause he is our neighbor, we chose him only after going to several places and liking him the best and his product is just incredible. Other wood samples I saw where just okay, when I saw his wood, I instantly knew that it. Dark, hand scraped, beautiful.

[love Lantana]

Do you that have wood floors and have carpets, have pads under them? Since we ordered regular carpet, bound. I am concerned about how rough the back is and if it will damage the floors. I have read on the interenet that you need these natural jute pads to go under them, as opposed to regular rug padding. But I am getting conflicting opinions. I was told by guy at Lowes you can't put regular carpet padding under them cause it will damage floor. Not sure.....would appreciate some insight

[slider701]

We used a brownish rubber non-skid pad they sell for throw rugs and area rugs under ours and they work fine. You can get them at Wal-Mart in pretty large sizes.