midjd
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Post by midjd on Nov 14, 2014 14:04:19 GMT -5
We have builder's grade beige carpet in the living room... I hate it. Seriously hate it. My original intent was always to replace the carpet once DD got a little older (and presumably after she had totally ruined it). Might as well get our money's worth, right? Well I hate it too much to look at it for another year. So we are going to send DD to grandma's house in a few weeks and spend the weekend replacing it.
The question -- with what? I definitely don't want more carpet. I'm leaning toward bamboo (one of my friends did her floors last year and they look great) but I don't know much about it. Hardwood or laminate is also OK. I want something durable and easy to clean.
So tell me about your floors and help me decide what to get!
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swasat
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Post by swasat on Nov 14, 2014 14:10:30 GMT -5
Depends on your budget and how much area you want to cover We replaced our entire first floor with high quality laminate this summer. It was 1400 sqft of area. I originally wanted hardwood, but to cover that much area with hardwood was costing us $14K! No way, no how. So we bought Pergo and ended up spending about 8K for the whole thing. I have heard some maintenance issues with bamboo flooring. Its not very resilient for one thing. There were some othe issues that I came to know of as well, but I can't remember off the top of my head. Its been wonderful to have Pergo. Very easy to clean, very durable. Very happy with it.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Nov 14, 2014 14:10:43 GMT -5
what is the subfloor?
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Nov 14, 2014 14:11:49 GMT -5
We have hardwood floors everywhere except the bathrooms (yes, the kitchen has wood floors). I absolutely love them. They are very easy to keep clean (run a dust mop around every once in a while; clean up with vinegar and water when something spills). We have large area rugs under the living room, TV room and bedroom furniture. No kids, but 4 cats. The house was built in 1949 and the floors have been refinished once. I expect them to last another very long time.
But then again I like the look of wood floors. Laminate and other materials look and "sound" cheap. Plus I admit to a bias: I have MCS and therefore have a low tolerance for manufactured materials put together with chemicals, glues, formaldehyde, etc.
Wood is expensive but it is classic.
JMHO. Good luck whatever you decide.
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obelisk
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Post by obelisk on Nov 14, 2014 14:13:24 GMT -5
I just replaced the carpets with engineered hickory in natural 5" wide boards. Looks awesome. The sq. ft. price for wood only was $5.45.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Nov 14, 2014 14:17:23 GMT -5
Have you looked at Cork? I haven't looked at it personally, but I like what I have heard about it.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Nov 14, 2014 14:18:43 GMT -5
Square footage -- about 400 or so, maybe smaller (I think it's about 25'x16'). So hardwood runs ~$10/sf? Yikes. Not completely out of the question, but definitely a consideration. Did that include the cost of installation?
Subfloor -- I have no idea. Particle board? It's a modular Cape Cod so everything is pretty much straight from the factory.
Cork -- I thought about that, too... it is supposed to be sound-dampening and warmer than other hard floors, but they say it is also more prone to damage since it is kinda soft. I guess it depends on how easy the damage is to repair.
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Nov 14, 2014 14:27:55 GMT -5
Order hardwood flooring from Amazon. They'll probably send you four shipments but only charge for three.
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swasat
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Post by swasat on Nov 14, 2014 14:37:42 GMT -5
Square footage -- about 400 or so, maybe smaller (I think it's about 25'x16'). So hardwood runs ~$10/sf? Yikes. Not completely out of the question, but definitely a consideration. Did that include the cost of installation?
AFAIK, installation is extra. Sometimes places like HD and Lowes have promotions where the entire labor charges are $500, if you buy materials from them. And I completely disagree with kittensaver above. I'd rather have a high quality, thick laminate flooring than cheap 1/8" of hardwood flooring. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Nov 14, 2014 14:47:23 GMT -5
I got quoted around 5k for 2 smallish bedrooms for carpet removal, oak flooring, stain to match.
Hardwood is really expensive.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Nov 14, 2014 14:48:08 GMT -5
Do you have dogs?
Our house came with hardwood underneath the carpet. So we ripped up the carpet and had the living room restored to a dark finish. Cost us $630 to strip/stain the floors. It shows every freaking dog print. Then my stupid lab's nails have torn it up in some places, we'll need to get refinished one of these days.
We left the bedrooms alone for now with the original stain. We figure there is no point in restoring Gwen's room for the time being. We are debating doing ours. It doesn't bother us that the floors don't match. I don't regret getting rid of the carpet at all and in general love our floors, it's just a lot of work with dogs.
The laminate in the kitchen is holding up much better. Still shows dog paw prints, but it's not being torn up as easily.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 14, 2014 14:52:17 GMT -5
We have hardwood in all areas of the first floor other than the hallway, utility room, kitchen and baths. Those areas are tiled. The downstairs (which contains another 3 bedrooms, bath and den) are all carpeted - but as the area does not get a lot of traffic and tends to be cooler, we'll likely keep it carpeted. Carpet is slated for replacement next year or so.
I want to say the hardwood that we had put in ran about $8000 for about 1000 sq ft but it was replaced in 2 parts. The LR, DR and master bedroom were done, and then we went back and put it in the family room a few years later. We had the same company do it and the floor is seamless between the family room and the dining room (where the old floor and new floor merged).
One thing to consider......when you order flooring from a local store, cost of installation is included. But if you try to order from Amazon - or someplace else - you have no recourse if there is a problem. The guy that did our tiling told us that many customers try to do this, to cut costs. When there are problems, this becomes a HUGE issue and they usually wind up paying more to fix the problem (like sending multiple lots so you get variations between boxes of flooring). I would imagine that the only way that this would work out in your favor is if you are planning on doing the installation yourself.
ETA: Unlike Drama, dog nails have not been a problem on our floors. It might be a difference in the woods used in the floor as some woods handle dog nails better than others
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Nov 14, 2014 14:55:19 GMT -5
The floor in the kitchen now is bamboo. I think its holding up well. I spilled half a gallon of bleach on it a year ago, no damage.
My aunt did most of her house in hardwood from Lumber Liquidators.
Carpet is bad for my allergies and asthma so I'm pro anything but carpet. I've seen engineered stuff for $2 sq foot.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Nov 14, 2014 15:01:28 GMT -5
I got quoted around 5k for 2 smallish bedrooms for carpet removal, oak flooring, stain to match. Hardwood is really expensive. Wow - when I had the kitchen hardwoods (white oak) put in - including the "cut ins" where the old wood met the new - the whole thing was $2,400 - - including sanding and staining wood to match the adjacent eating area.
And swasat is correct: beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. And to this beholder, manufactured floors are ugly and cheap. I very much dislike the way the pop and click under foot. Almost every house I've been in with manufactured floors have a cheap feel to them. And they are slick and slippery. And I can smell the offgassing chemicals. But CLEARLY, that's just me.
I'm not dissing anyone else's choices here, we all do what works for us, but if you can afford it, hardwood is the most classic. It is also the least toxic to live in day in and day out, if you finish it with Safecoat or another non-toxic finish.
I hope I'm being clear here about my biases, lol. Get the best you can afford. You're going to be living with it a very long time. Just sayin' . . .
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Nov 14, 2014 15:04:18 GMT -5
It might be a difference in the woods used in the floor as some woods handle dog nails better than others
Probably. I am not 100% sure what wood our floor is. The floor is original to the house so I didn't think to ask.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2014 15:08:18 GMT -5
I'm a fan of hardwood. I had Pergo in my townhouse (installed by me) and while I liked it, it wasn't hardwood. my current house has hardwood in the living room, dining room, family room and entryway. no problems from the dog or cat scratching it.
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan on Nov 14, 2014 15:09:29 GMT -5
We had carpet throughout most of the house before and I hated it...it got so dirty and we couldn't ever keep it looking clean. We planned to deal with it and replace it at some point, but then figured out there was hardwood underneath. To get that torn up, refinished, and stained it was 3k. I'll never have carpet in my house again though....upkeep is so much easier with hardwood so I would bite the bullet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2014 15:10:13 GMT -5
Drama - are you and DH paying for this or are your parents since they own the house?
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Nov 14, 2014 15:15:56 GMT -5
The previous owner had a small dog and I assume the dogs nails did quite a bit of damage to the wood floors or the previous owner 10 years prior had a bigger dog. Been in our place over 2 years and after getting the floors sanded, refinished and stained they've held up great. If we ever replaced the flooring or put new flooring in our next place I think bamboo would be my first choice.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Nov 14, 2014 15:18:32 GMT -5
Bamboo in two rooms now (dining room and kitchen) and planning to expand it to the living room. I'd like it in the bedroom too, but DH wants carpet there. I like the bamboo so far. It's the lighter shade, so it shows dirt a little more easily. Come to think of it, I am planning to clean it tonight.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Nov 14, 2014 15:19:43 GMT -5
We paid to do refinish the living room floor. DH and my dad did all the carpet removal/haul away. The hardwood is original to the house, we were surprised at how good a condition it was in. We could have left it alone but I wanted a new finish. I've approached my parents about buying the house from them and they're all for it.
If we do then I plan on having the living room refinished and we'll probably have our bedroom done. If not a wood marker takes care of the worst offenses and it can be my parents' problem.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Nov 14, 2014 15:20:51 GMT -5
We will probably do the installation ourselves unless the price difference is negligible. DH has installed a few floors and I helped BIL and DBro do the laminate at my mom's house so I think we should be OK if we DIY. No dogs or plans to get one. We have a cat, but he's not too destructive. What thickness of hardwood is best? I don't want to cheap out, since I hope to never have to do this again. This is ideally what I'd like as far as color, etc., but it seems a little too cheap, price-wise: www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/c/Natural-Ash-BELLAWOOD-BWAS2NV/10034240
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2014 15:22:12 GMT -5
We will probably do the installation ourselves unless the price difference is negligible. DH has installed a few floors and I helped BIL and DBro do the laminate at my mom's house so I think we should be OK if we DIY. No dogs or plans to get one. We have a cat, but he's not too destructive. What thickness of hardwood is best? I don't want to cheap out, since I hope to never have to do this again. This is ideally what I'd like as far as color, etc.: www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/c/Natural-Ash-BELLAWOOD-BWAS2NV/10034240I'm also open to laminate -- although I'd still like something that looks like wood. hardwood installation is completely different from laminate installation.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Nov 14, 2014 15:25:31 GMT -5
We will probably do the installation ourselves unless the price difference is negligible. DH has installed a few floors and I helped BIL and DBro do the laminate at my mom's house so I think we should be OK if we DIY. No dogs or plans to get one. We have a cat, but he's not too destructive. What thickness of hardwood is best? I don't want to cheap out, since I hope to never have to do this again. This is ideally what I'd like as far as color, etc.: www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/c/Natural-Ash-BELLAWOOD-BWAS2NV/10034240I'm also open to laminate -- although I'd still like something that looks like wood. hardwood installation is completely different from laminate installation. Which is why I said "DH has installed a few floors." I guess I should have specified hardwood. At any rate, I have no qualms about his ability to put in a floor, but if Lowe's or LL or wherever will install it for $500 extra, I'd be all over that. I'm guessing they charge substantially more, in which case I'd rather just do it ourselves on our own schedule (since we're going to have to drain and move the fishtank, unbolt the bookcases from the walls, etc. anyway).
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Nov 14, 2014 15:30:28 GMT -5
We put the cheapest laminate that we could find in 2 of our bedrooms, but used a really good underlayment. (We were thinking at the time that the laminate may be temporary.) It has held up fantastically, and feels good walking on it due to the underpayment, but it does get really slippery.
I think engineered hardwood is a good option. I grew up with oak floors in my bedroom, and they always felt cold to me, so I am indifferent to them. Bamboo doesn't do it for me, and I've heard they can have issues. I'd like to try cork sometime, but DH hates the look. Maybe someday we'll try it in the basement. The biggest thing for me is the feel, as my feet tend to get really cold.
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Regis
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Post by Regis on Nov 14, 2014 15:32:51 GMT -5
Subfloor -- I have no idea. Particle board? It's a modular Cape Cod so everything is pretty much straight from the factory. I'd guess plywood. You should probably pull the carpet back from the tack strip in a corner somewhere just to be sure.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2014 15:36:13 GMT -5
This is what my upstairs floor looks like. It's laminate, handles the dogs nails just fine, cost me $2100 for 750 sq/ft and I love it. My bathroom is tile and my kitchen and entrance are vinyl. It works for me.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2014 15:38:54 GMT -5
We have hardwood. Original to the house but apparently a really good quality. Kind of hard to tell. There was carpet when we bought the place last year but I spent the first week before moving in ripping it up and throwing it out. 4 cats, one who barfs a lot, and DH uses a cane and will be in a wheelchair eventually so I dumped it all. Once the cats are all gone, we'll probably get the floors refinished, no point before then.
Kitchen has peel and stick tile crap which will go away eventually, along with the horrendous orange countertops and the fugly brick backsplash. I need to enter one of those HGTV contests and get my kitchen done. They would have a field day with the original 1950-60 decor. Ick.
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Bob Ross
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Post by Bob Ross on Nov 14, 2014 15:41:39 GMT -5
Screw getting new wood floors. Just strap a couple of planks to your feet so it feels like you're walking on wood floors. I win at YM.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Nov 14, 2014 15:43:41 GMT -5
OK, what I want to know now -- why would ANYONE put carpet over hardwood?!? Was hardwood out of style at some point or what? That's insanity.
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