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Hardwood Flooring (Options and Advice)

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BigWoof31

BigWoof31

"Barkin' up the wrong tree"
My better half and I are looking at replacing our current carpeting with hardwood flooring. Neither of us has ever done this before and we're just beginning the general pricing/shopping stage of the purchase.

Currently we live in a townhome and we're looking to replace about 600 sq ft of carpet in addition to about 18 steps (currently carpeted).

Does anyone have an suggestions on where to shop and what they would recommend? The three factors we need to keep in mind are:

1. We're probably going to try and sell the place in 2014 (or at least rent).
2. Ideally, we'd like to keep the cost/square foot below $3.50
3. We have no idea of the difference between Solid Hardwood, Pre-Engineered Hardwood and Laminate. We do understand that the thicker you go, the more expensive.
4. This is not a "do it yourself" project, we'd be getting a contractor to help.
 
Given that you are not emotionally invested in hard wood and are looking at the flooring as more as an investment given that you are not going to be living there long term I would definitely go with laminate flooring.

It is much cheaper both in raw materials & in installation. Laminate is also less prone to wear/damage and easier with upkeep. Of course if damage does occur it's easier to repair real wood flooring than laminates but major damage is pretty rare in any case.

That being said your first stop should be to your local Lowe's/Home Depot/super flooring store so that you can get a first hand look at the options. You'll be able to see and handle samples of each to give you a better idea of exactly what the end product will look like.
 
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Agree with Muck on this. I have laid, and I am currently laying a laminate floor. I would go with a 10mm minimum on the laminate if you go that direction. Ensure that any loose or squeeky sub floor boards are nailed or screwed down. Use the higher end whisper walk in high traffic areas. To be honest it isn't that hard to do on your own.
 
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Some planning suggestions:

1. Reconsider doing the stairs. For that size job, you'll probably spend as much, or more, doing the stairs than the rest of the job will cost.

2. Review what you must go around, such as heating/cooling vents, doorways, etc. Fitting around existing items can be a lot of work/money.

3. Check clearance under doors (open and closed, your floor is probably not as level as you think it is) because cutting doors can get costly too.

4. Look at what kind of baseboard and other trim is in the area to be floored. Are you planning on removing it or trying to go up to/under it with the install?

5. Check the area(s) where you will transition to other types of flooring and try to determine whether the finish levels will match. Otherwise you might be building a tripping hazard.

6. Check what's underneath your current carpet. If it is unlevel, has gaps, etc. you might have to install a subfloor (usually 4x4 or 4x8 sheets of plywood or other subfloor material). Again, more cost and it could impact finish heights, etc.

GOOD LUCK!
 
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Muck;2191072; said:
Given that you are not emotionally invested in hard wood and are looking at the flooring as more as an investment given that you are not going to be living there long term I would definitely go with laminate flooring.

It is much cheaper both in raw materials & in installation. Laminate is also less prone to wear/damage and easier with upkeep. Of course if damage does occur it's easier to repair real wood flooring than laminates but major damage is pretty rare in any case.

That being said your first stop should be to your local Lowe's/Home Depot/super flooring store so that you can get a first hand look at the options. You'll be able to see and handle samples of each to give you a better idea of exactly what the end product will look like.
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Honest question - isn't resale value a consideration here? I would have expected true hardwoods to help a resale more than a laminate... but I'm sure I'm no expert.
 
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BusNative;2191093; said:
Honest question - isn't resale value a consideration here? I would have expected true hardwoods to help a resale more than a laminate... but I'm sure I'm no expert.
Click to expand...

That's the general rule but IM(limited)E it really depends on the neighborhood.

If your house in a neighborhood with lots of homes featuring hardwood floors then going with laminate will probably create a bigger difference but if the area is primarily newer homes/condos with carpeting it's not likely to matter as greatly. Most of the homes we flipped back in the late 90's were in areas with homes built in the 50's-70's so mostly single store ranch style...people went gaga over ones we put Pergo in. If we had been in an area with older homes that all had originally wood flooring the reaction might have been different.

To get more precise information you'd really need to talk to a local realtor.

Forgot to mention one big con for laminates...areas with lots of moisture. Engineered laminates don't like to stay wet. Surface spills are fine but long term dampness can cause it to swell and bubble.
 
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buckeyebri;2191106; said:
Muck, have you ever done the bamboo and if so, what has your experience been? I am considering trying it in my office.
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I don't have any experience with it at all...but it does look cool. :)

FWIW I was serious when I mentioned my experience as being limited above. For a few years we (myself, my father and a fried) bought houses, renovated them and them resold them on the side. I also had rental properties for a number of years.

I've never been a general contractor or worked directly in the industry. My experience is basically the same as any homeowner doing their own renovations, just with a couple of dozen houses instead of just one.
 
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I'd go with a pergo type flooring and if You have to then I would repace the steps(just the horizontal part). dont worry about what's down when you go to sell the house because the new owners will do what they want to with it and it doesn't affect the sales price that much, unless your talking houises in the 7 figure range.
We have had pergo in or kitchen and hall for four yrears now and she loves it becaise there is no maintenance on it and spills come right up.
 
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BigWoof31;2191014; said:
3. We have no idea of the difference between Solid Hardwood, Pre-Engineered Hardwood and Laminate. We do understand that the thicker you go, the more expensive.
Click to expand...

I've never installed flooring of any type, but I do work on coatings for Flooring (aside from the laminate). The following only pertains to wood flooring.

Unless your TH is in an upscale market, there is no need to consider solid hardwood (and even then... it's debatable). The wood flooring that you'll find at Lowe's/Home Depot is typically going to have between 7-9 coats for UV-cured coating on it. It's durable shit that is typically guaranteed to some degree. Understand that dragging a table leg across the floor will still dent the wood even if it doesn't crack/rip/scrape off the coating. The crap that people expect coatings to protect flooring from is just ridiculous.

I would not recommend that you buy unfinished flooring and then have coat it. Fair amount of labor, the odor will linger (which may or may not be your deal) and the coating quality will not beat the material applied OEM. Obviously, the above is moot if you want the wood stained a particular color.

If you decide to go the wood flooring route, then feel free to PM me with any questions/comments/concerns.
 
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I spent a lot of time last summer looking at different options and eventually went with solid hardwood. I bought it online from a place down in Georgia that I had read a lot of good things about - http://www.truehardwoods.com. The whole process was pretty painless. I signed up for Angie's List for a month and called up the 5 highest rated flooring installers for an estimate. Found a great installer for $2.00/sq foot. I ripped out the old carpet and laminate myself to save a little money. Wasn't difficult. You'll pay more for stairs.
 
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CleveBucks;2191215; said:
I spent a lot of time last summer looking at different options and eventually went with solid hardwood. I bought it online from a place down in Georgia that I had read a lot of good things about - http://www.truehardwoods.com. The whole process was pretty painless. I signed up for Angie's List for a month and called up the 5 highest rated flooring installers for an estimate. Found a great installer for $2.00/sq foot. I ripped out the old carpet and laminate myself to save a little money. Wasn't difficult. You'll pay more for stairs.
Click to expand...

So in Woof's neck of the woods and well within his price target.

Hmmm...
 
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