Flooring Question - Hardwoord, Bamboo, Laminate, Carpet???
 

OKay - so we finally signed our lives (and a lot of money away!!) on our new house.

The thing is the people there are HEAVY smokers, we knew this going into it and is why we got it for a reasonable price.

So - that said, we're doing some heavy painting and also redoing ALL the flooring. Unfortunately not all the flooring NEEDS to be done, but all the smoke in everything, anything soft is coming up and GOING.

I'm just wondering if anyone has sources/information/assistance for doing any of the above floors? We're thinking of turfing (hah) carpet completely and doing a type of wood.

We have cheap laminate in the place where we currently rent and it's a flippin' disaster. You BREATHE on it and it scrapes, scratches, etc. I don't want that in our new place, but I also don't want to have to muddle around with oiling this and that to keep things clean.

Can someone help me, please??? :(

Thanks!

laminate !
 

We had IKEa laminate in our old appertment (installed by myself).Once i was filling my topoff bucket in the morning, and forgot about it for about 9 minutes and endup with about 0.5" of water on the floor.
Only i know how much water i spilled on it ! And it is still fine!
Amazing.
Eazy way to figer out wich product will hold water and be resistent to scratches is to get as many samples as you can, mark'em so you remember the price and store. And soak the sumples in the bucket of salt water from your tank.
You will be amazed how different they are.
Please note I used glue when this laminate was installed originally "just in case". I am glad i did.

It all depends on how much money you want to spend I guess? We had the same kind os situation when we moved into this house last year. Lost of ethnic food smells in the carpet and stained ceilings and layers of grease on the cabinets in the kitchen. Man it was nasty to clean up!


Anyhow we repainted from top to bottom and had the ceilings sprayed. We went with a hardwood called tiger wood, we did the entire main floor and the stairs, we still have the carpet on the upper level but will change it out in the next year or two money allowing.

My suggestion would to go with hardwood, it will last a lifetime and will do nothing but increase the value of your home.

Thanks guys - this is what I was looking for. Hearing about the Ikea laminate and the dogs certainly gives that a thumbs up.

However we were looking at something that would really increase the value, and having been IN houses with hardwood, they really pop and I would in a second pay more.

Greg - with Hardwood, what sort of cost per sq foot did it run you? Did you install it yourself, or did you have it professional done?

I'd REALLY like to do hardwood, specifically the Gunstock Oak style:

http://www.kingoffloors.com/ca/Hardw...tock.php?p=182

But heavens it's PRICEY. We need to keep around 2 - 3/sq ft (we've got about 2400 sq ft to do) and we are probably going to do the ENTIRE house and just go from there.

I went with Mirage hardwood in my house - I did everwhere except the bathroom, kitchen and hallways - so I did the bedrooms and living room. I love it! I live in a log home so I decided to go with a lighter wood and went with the White Ash.
Here is a linkhttp://www.miragefloors.com/

ruth - how much did that end up costing you? Per sq foot, if you don't mind me asking of course!

Also - what sort of maintenance do you need to do on the wood?

It looks great, and I'm really excited about it now!!

I can't remember the exact cost per sq. ft. but I think it was somewhere around $9-$10 installed but that included everything from ripping out the carpet to putting down a sub floor and install. I also live out of town so had to pay travel time.
I am sure it would be cheaper down there with a lot more dealers and installers etc.
I don't do anything special. I just sweep and use a hardwood spray cleaner a couple of times a week.
I really like the Mirage line of flooring and I shopped around quite a bit before I decided. It was more $ but the quality was definately there.

Hey Nick, It may not be your bag but have you given any thought to tiling in the main traffic areas ? You could even do under floor heating.
It is not too difficult to lay tiles correctly and price per sq ft is very competitive. Completely resistant to scratches and water!!

Just a thought.......

.......................................Dave

That is what I did - hardwood in living room and bed rooms and tile everywhere else including hallways.

I'm thinking of tile in the entry way and bathrooms - do you think Tile would be appropriate for the hallways to the bedrooms then?

As for heating under, isn't that getting into a whole other ball of worms?

My oh my, oy!!

***actually, I think our concern with tile was due to it being SO hard, and our poor lil girls being so clumsy. Having hardwood/laminate is bad enough, but tile just seems SO painful!

After my recent reno I discovered that you've got a lot of options now flooring-wise.

The cheapest would be the cheapo laminate that you can get a under a buck/sq. foot. There's actually some very good higher quality laminate that you can install yourself and can hardly tell the difference from real wood. Expect to pay $2-$4/sq. foot for this stuff.

Engineered hardwood is next up the chain of expense. This is nice since you can put it in places such as basements and kitchens where the solid wood flooring would warp.

Of course real hardwood is the most expensive. I'm not sure it's worth it except in your living room perhaps given how good laminate and engineered hardwood floors have become.

Tile is wonderful and will last forever. Even the cheapest ceramic tile will look great if carefully chosen and it's the best type of flooring for your reef tank.

Adding electric underfloor heating beneath laminate, engineered hardwood or tile is as simple as unrolling the heating mat and getting an electrician to hook it up. I added a Nuheat mat to the basement bathroom. This investment paid off the first time I stepped out of the shower and onto a warmth rather than ice-cold ceramic.

Hmm - This is interesting. where would you recommend going for tile in the Fraser Valley area? I'd REALLY like to look at the heated flooring, it would be so perfect in our new little bathroom - but I know for certain it won't go under the reef tank (which is going to be right in the entryway above the stairs).

So anyway - I think high quality (15mm+) laminate is the way we're going to go - and that's a benefit as it's easier than most things to install, and we could get it in fairly quickly. Again though, it's a matter of what to look for and sources. We're going to get some samples this weekend and we'll go from there - but if anyone has any specific suggestions on brands/etc - It would greatly be appreciated!!

flooring
 

I would HIGHLY advise against laminate. It is okay unless water seeps through the cracks and the backing for that stuff will instantly dissolve, warp, crack, or otherwise become ruined. You might want to check out a company on terminal that sells great prices stuff called end of the roll. There are a few places right beside it as well that offer very very competitive prices. I love bamboo and I think they have a pretty good price on that and it's a workhorse of flooring

Nick, We are going to take out the carpet and tile our hallway and corridor to bedrooms like Ruth .I love the tile look and there are so many colour choices .
Home Depot and Rona may be worth a look.

.......................Dave

I just looked at our pictures taken, and we've got tile throughout the hallway upstairs, so it looks like we'll just have to do the flooring in the 3 bedrooms, living room and main "entry" way

I'm concerned about the comment about Laminate, it's REALLY frustrating as I'm hearing that Laminate is sturdy even against water. Then it isn't. Then Hardwood will show the dings and marks from the toys and pets.

Who do I listen to?? :(

Justusfish - I've actually got a connection at End of the Roll in Surrey - hopefully they can point us in the right direction!!

The key with laminate is to make sure that it's Green in colour underneath the "wood" that's your clue that it's been treated to withstand water. If in doubt, grab a sample and leave it in a bucket for a day. When I redid our floors I put all my samples through torture tests as we have the fish, a dog, I'm clumsy and drop things all the time!! I dropped hammers and bricks on the stuff, left it in water, drove over it with the truck... Some of the high end stuff failed miserably, while some of the midrange stuff did just fine. Don't be afraid to destroy their samples!

Why in the world would u do that! :lol:

I used Mirage too and really like it. I installed it myself about 7 years ago, around $4 sq/ft at that time. To have it installed was easily double that. I had my 77g on it for 4 years with no damage to the floor with the inevitable small floods. Easy to care for, maybe I'm biased but I have yet to see any laminate that looks as good.

Torture tests for laminate is a great idea. I had a good quality laminate in my condo that I never had a problem with, however I have cheep laminate in my house and when the dishwasher leaked a bit the laminate warped. I plan on replacing with tile when I stop spending all my $$$ on SW stuff:lol: I do have tile in the front enterance and bathroom and I love it.

Okay, made a trip to home depot so I could check some samples out.

I came out of that store more confused and bafled than I was at the start.

I took a few samples and did some very basic scatch tests.

Even the most expensive hardwood scraped like it was paper against some small edges of metal, even light dings left marks!

Looking at laminate, some just breathing on them scraped the crap out of them, others (the dupont and trafficmasters) wouldn't scrape if you tapdanced on them.

The trafficmaster, which promises water sealant protection, had no "green" colour, whereas some of the no-name brands *DID*

Either way, I'm now confused as even flooring people are saying to toss the idea of laminate, but what with the experience I just had at home depot, I'm about 20x more confused than I was walking into the store!!!!

Ugh.

Help? Again?

Don't listen to salesman or installer they are not thinking with your perspective of water protection. From their's point of view, few drops here and there not a big deal.
They don't have a fogiest idea how much water we spill on our floors and it has corrosive salt in it right?
At any rate hardwood will be damaged even if there is a hint of moisture.
It will warp just because of humidity forget the spills.. and you will spill for sure.
So get your scretching tool out and the bucket with water from your tank, soak the samples for 12 hrs. Dry it up and in 3 to 6 days you will have a clear picture right away wich product to go with.
3 years ago, IKEA laminate with glue in between the seams, worked for me and i use to spill a lot on it. It was very hard to scretch even with screwdriver. :)

I have real oak hardwood floors in my house and I love it. I have them in the Kitchen diningroom, and livingroom and hallways and the front entrance and back entrance I have Slate that i did I went with the saloon grade because it looks old. And if you go with a darker wood the scratches will show up faster then on a lighter piece of floor. i will take some pictures to show you.

here is my flooring that i put in along with slate tiles.. I went with the saloon grade i like it http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...c/DSC02332.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...c/DSC02333.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...c/DSC02330.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...c/DSC02331.jpg

My wife says you could have cleaned the shoes away its all about presentation... :redface:

ugh - see, this is what I'm talking about :P

andresont - I totally get what you're saying, and that's why I was going to grab some samples to really test them. I was seriously considering the glue, even with the snap lock pieces..

asmodeus - how much do you spill on the floors, and do you guys have kids? I'm really concerned about that side of things.

See - even without salesman, I'm getting 2 completely different sides to the story! :P

now i am confused...
 

I am confused, how is that you see a difference in our stories?

Is this because I am saying that hardwood will warp when moisture is present?
I remember two people who had to replace the hardwood for this reason. One was on top of Coral Ocean shop in Vancouver on Boundary and KingsWay, she replaced her floors twice in one year! Just call Colin at (604) 733-1888 ( 3622 Kingsway - Coral Ocean) and ask him. He will tell you that woman on top of his store did replace the floors twice. (I don’t think it was moisture from his store though, but this is a different subject)
The other one is on top of my old apartment on Patterson ave. when they had a supply line broken in the bathroom. In both cases hardwood warped.
That is why I am recommending to test samples by submerging in salt water for 12 hrs , regardless of what you choice is laminate or hardwood.
In any case, as people here are indicating that whatever case may be (laminate or hardwood) it is a matter of personal preference. The point is to test it that’s all there is to it.
You may want to test few assembled samples just to see that it will stay aligned, so perhaps a small vat/bath would be even better for this purpose

well yours vs asmodeus

The experience you've had with hardwood seems the exact opposite he's had! :(

He doesn't seem to have any warping, and others are always telling me "no, laminate will warp the second water looks at it!!"

That's the confusion/difference I speak of! :)

I would say go for hardwood. I have oak hardwood from the 50s, the small 1" slats through all of the first two floors of my house, and from what I've put it through it holds up really well.

They hold up quite well if you clean up a saltwater related spill immediately they do warp if the water isn't cleaned up/dried quickly. The warping I see is only the edges of the boards where the sealant has worn off. If you do go for hardwood invest in a fan you can direct at your floor in case of spills.

I have two dogs, and they haven't managed to damage our floor yet. I just make sure that their nails get cliped regularly and that I file them down a bit after to prevent sharp edges.

As for kids I can't comment, but I'm pretty rough with my floors; moving furniture around, dropping stuff, etc. If your worried about child-related damage consider putting down a nice rug with underlay in their primary play area to prevent damage/stains.

If you opt for underfloor heating, you won't regret it. My parents have it in their bathroom, and its a nice refreshing change from cold hardwood in the winter. They went with the above mentioned heating mats under 1ftx1ft tiles. I haven't heard any complaints, and according to my mother it hasn't caused any damaged to their heating costs.

All asmodeus said was that he loves hardwood, and I do too. He never said anything about water on the floor did he?
All i am saing that you need to test thats all.

Ok here is my story . First off when you buy a house the is priced at $300,000 and they say top notch Laminate floors/:lol: Come on people If you are spending that much money you better be giving me Hardwood.

YES I HAVE Kids 10yrs old Girl and 6 yr old BOy that love to race car around and the floors do hold up and yes with kids lots of stuff gets spilled and i mean spilled. I have it in the kitchen and thurout the house. I love it wipe it up and your done. swifter, and wipe down...

Laminate is great for a fast fix, if you are selling a house and want that nice look great go for it. Laminate if you get a scratch you can't take it out its done.

They say that certain types of laminates are back with a 25-30 year guarantte. ya what is going to happen on yr 15 when that company is not there. and its does scratch and it does warp. and most of the time depending on your floors you will need a sub floor to make sure that the floors are even across. Lots of people are doing laminate and are putting in a sub floor reasons that house is older and the floors are uneven.

Now Hard wood there is lots to choose from. its natural, easy to clean, if you do get a scratch you can get it bluffed out or refinished , if you have a piece that is cracked , and yes if can happen I called the place that did it. They came over and cut if out and placed a new piece in there. you can't even notice it. and you can buy colors to match the floor to color in any light scatches. And with a older home you dont need a sub floor the hard wood acts as one. have done lots of hardwood floors. SO dont let them tell you that you need them.......

Price laminate is going from 1.00 -5.99 PER Sq ft. Hardwood can go from 3-22dollars per ft depending on that wood and color. with Hardwood you can sand that floor and refinish them 3 times and it takes a long time to wear out hardwood. Look at some of the older houses that have Natural wood in them and they are over 100 yrs old.

HTH

P.S if you do go with hard wood don't get a dark color it shows dirt, scratches alot easier.... We do have a dog and its really easy to clean up after him .......

how about giving a guy a chance to type out.

Any flooring except maybe tile that is submerged under water for 12 hours will more than likely need to be replaced. So I'm not sure what a 12 hr. water test will tell you. There are exceptions to everything but take a look at hardwood that has been in place for 10-15 years you'll see dings and scuffs but in comparison to carpet, tile and laminate it holds up very well. No doubt kids are tough on floors but at least with hw you can have it refinished when the kids are less destructive. I would go one way or the other, install very cheap laminate and replace when the kids are older. Or go hw and refinish "if" needed later. Maybe a combination of laminate in bedrooms and hw in living areas. As far as water damage to hw, I have had my share of floods, but I was always around to clean it up with no noticeable affects.

yea, i agree 12 hrs might be too much...
3hrs good enough.

so after a few weeks at it, I'm surprisingly enough in the same position I was when I started this thread I've checked out laminate, I've checked out hardwood and engineered hardwood.

I think the issue we're running into is our budget. We have to stay w/in 8000 for flooring upstairs and downstairs, we are only doing Hardwood or Laminate upstairs, downstairs will be carpet and tile/vinyl flooring.

our hesitation from doing Hardwood (real stuff) is due to the fact that it's going to increase our costs exponentially. Installation is at least 2.2/sqft on top of the cost of hardwood at 3 - 4 for the "medium" grade stuff.

i'm really not sur ewhere to go - do I look engineered or do I just say to hell with it and go laminate.

I do not, and won't, do glue-together - I've heard horror stories and with my lack of DIY skills, I'd be one of those.

Anyone else have any experiences they'd like to share?

Nick

I just a DIY installation of solid Oak. Wasnt hard to do, and I matches the stand of my 90 g really nice.

Is installing the hardwood yourself an option?. As was stated the pre-finished(Mirage) is not very difficult. When I did mine the place I bought the product also loaned out the nailer at no cost.