Hardwood Floors?

[cannon_fodder]

Every year we do something major-ish to our house.  Year 1 - Roof.  2 - paint. 3 - new fence and this is year 4.  It's a choice between new floors or siding.  We chose floors.

Our house currently has white carpet in the bedrooms, hallways, living room (in front of the fireplace) and in the dining room.  Looks great, but the previous owner must have not really lived in the house.  Red wine, foot traffic (even sans shoes as much as possible), child, and dogs DOOMED this carpet.  We tried for several years but have recently given up as more and more untreatable spots have emerged.

So we decided to get hardwood floors.  In fear of their wellbeing we actually ended up opting for laminate flooring.  Hearing the Pergo brand held up the best that's what we got (we went to the store to "look" at it yesterday and caught it on sale for 15% off and fell for it).

SO... before I install the new floor I wanted to give everyone a chance to scream NO!  I've heard nothing but good reviews so have confidence that this is the best we can do (other than tile or polished concrete) with 2 large dogs and an 8 year old.  Comments, cautions, or installation advice appreciated.

Sadly this means redoing the woodwork and painting the walls while we are at it.  Always something to do on a house...

[Townsend]

I think you'll be happy with your choice.  I was impressed with pergo.

Good luck.  I hope it works well for you.

[cyndezu]

Sounds good, way better than smelly, stained carpet.
Be warned this is where my well meaning DH gets in trouble when he does one thing,our old stuff don't look as good anymore..  new drapes and new furniture and a new flat screen yadda, yadda
enjoy![}:)]

[carltonplace]

It depends on your house. I installed Pergo type flooring in my 98 year old house (back in the annex) and I regret it. It just doesn't look right to me any more and it doesn't appear authentic next to the traditional hardwoods. I spent a lot of money too; after I bought it I found traditional tongue and groove oak stock for less than $2.40 psqf and I payed much more than that.  

Another thing I've discovered is in extremely high traffic areas laminate floors can begin to lose their "wood grain" and there is no recourse to repair it except to rip it up and replace. Traditional wood floors can be sanded, stained and sealed if they get too bad, or you can just remember to seal them on a regular maintenance schedule and keep them nice in perpetuity.

That said, I've seen many applications of laminate floors in newer homes that I really appreciated for their aesthetics. There seems to be a much wider variety of choices readily available and they are certainly easy to install (though not as easy as the package instructions lead you to believe). You can slide a chair across them and not really have to worry about abraising the finish.

Determination: Great in the right setting, just not in my old house.

[Conan71]

Interesting you mention it CF.  My mother just had white carpet taken up in her house and wood floors put in.  She went with some sort of tongue in groove hardwood.

I've had Pergo in another house, abused and loved it.  That's some tough stuff.

[Hometown]

I've heard it doesn't wear well.  Knew one guy that went overboard with it and put it in his bathrooms and kitchen where I heard it was coming up at the edges from moisture.

[lsimmons]

We've had them in our home for almost three years now. Only on the main floor. For the most part I love them. I have allergies and this has really helped compared to carpet. The biggest thing you should be vigilant with is cleaning. I have always spot cleaned and have never taken a dripping wet mop to them. I've used a "swiffer" type damp mop over the years and that has done the job quite well. Good luck.

[cannon_fodder]

Excellent to get a discussion going - I'm getting real mixed reviews online.  Some more on my scenario:

1) No Moisture.  We are debating doing the kitchen, but if we do we will seal the joints anyway.  Probably not... but most of it should be moisture clear.

2) Dogs.  50 lbs Australian Shepard & a 75lb lab/weimaraner mix.  Outside dogs that are only inside when we are.  Feet cleaned when they come in as needed.  Plan on trimming nails more often.

3) Shoes.  Generally a shoe free house.  Some exceptions apply (carrying in groceries etc.).

4) We have some large oriental rugs and will probably add more in key areas.  

5) The rest of the house will be carpet or tile, no real hardwoods.  In my experience, with nothing to compare them too they look very real.  Though, I understand they would look unrealistically real next to really real floors.
- - -

We decided against the hardwood because we have no substrate.  Adding a wood substrate would raise the floor to the point where we would have to change the door frames and other things.  "Engineered Hardwoods" were an option, but at that point laminate seems a better option.

Thanks for the info so far, keep the opinions coming!

[lsimmons]

One other thing, I did put felt pads on all our chairs, tables, TV stand, etc. Anything I thought might at some point cause a scuff. I don't know if it was really needed but it's a cheap form of insurance.

[Steve]

Just my opinions:

I live in a Tulsa subdivision built in the early 1950s with the then innovative concrete slab foundations, and most homes were built with 9" square natural oak wood block tile flooring, glued directly to the concrete slab.

I am one of the lucky ones; I still have most of my original 9" oak wood block floors and after 2 refinishes over the past 50 years, they still look fabulous.

I hate carpeting; I think it is just a dust and dirt magnet.  Hard surface flooring is much more durable and sanitary.  The few homes I have seen in my neighborhood that have resurfaced/stained concrete slab for the finished floor just look unfinished and unatractive to me.

I don't much care for laminates either.  If cost is your major consideration, then wood-look laminates may be your best choice, if you don't plan to live in the house for the long haul.  In my opinion, nothing can replace the beauty and long-term livability of true wood plank or wood tile floors.  I had my 9" oak wood tile flooring refinished when I bought my house in 1987, with 3 coats of satin urethane.  I have never had to do a thing to them but a weekly vacuum and occasional damp mop since then, and they still look as good as they did when I first moved in 20 years ago.  They have held up splendidly.

The natural oak wood block floors in my house are 53 years old, last refinished 20 years ago and still look brand new.  If durability is your goal, stick to the natural products.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

Just my opinions:

I live in a Tulsa subdivision built in the early 1950s with the then innovative concrete slab foundations, and most homes were built with 9" square natural oak wood block tile flooring, glued directly to the concrete slab.

I am one of the lucky ones; I still have most of my original 9" oak wood block floors and after 2 refinishes over the past 50 years, they still look fabulous.

I hate carpeting; I think it is just a dust and dirt magnet.  Hard surface flooring is much more durable and sanitary.  The few homes I have seen in my neighborhood that have resurfaced/stained concrete slab for the finished floor just look unfinished and unatractive to me.

I don't much care for laminates either.  If cost is your major consideration, then wood-look laminates may be your best choice, if you don't plan to live in the house for the long haul.  In my opinion, nothing can replace the beauty and long-term livability of true wood plank or wood tile floors.  I had my 9" oak wood tile flooring refinished when I bought my house in 1987, with 3 coats of satin urethane.  I have never had to do a thing to them but a weekly vacuum and occasional damp mop since then, and they still look as good as they did when I first moved in 20 years ago.  They have held up splendidly.

The natural oak wood block floors in my house are 53 years old, last refinished 20 years ago and still look brand new.  If durability is your goal, stick to the natural products.

nothing beats real wood floors....NOTHING.

[waterboy]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

quote:Originally posted by Steve

Just my opinions:

I live in a Tulsa subdivision built in the early 1950s with the then innovative concrete slab foundations, and most homes were built with 9" square natural oak wood block tile flooring, glued directly to the concrete slab.

I am one of the lucky ones; I still have most of my original 9" oak wood block floors and after 2 refinishes over the past 50 years, they still look fabulous.

I hate carpeting; I think it is just a dust and dirt magnet.  Hard surface flooring is much more durable and sanitary.  The few homes I have seen in my neighborhood that have resurfaced/stained concrete slab for the finished floor just look unfinished and unatractive to me.

I don't much care for laminates either.  If cost is your major consideration, then wood-look laminates may be your best choice, if you don't plan to live in the house for the long haul.  In my opinion, nothing can replace the beauty and long-term livability of true wood plank or wood tile floors.  I had my 9" oak wood tile flooring refinished when I bought my house in 1987, with 3 coats of satin urethane.  I have never had to do a thing to them but a weekly vacuum and occasional damp mop since then, and they still look as good as they did when I first moved in 20 years ago.  They have held up splendidly.

The natural oak wood block floors in my house are 53 years old, last refinished 20 years ago and still look brand new.  If durability is your goal, stick to the natural products.

nothing beats real wood floors....NOTHING.

Agreed. I love my wood floors. Some admonitions though. Your dogs will scratch both wood or pergo floors. Consider it character. People pay extra for it.

Beware of advice that wood floors must have a substrate of wood. Not true. Like Steve, I have seen them laid over concrete with a thin foam type pad in between. If you had carpet, the doors and mopboard trim are already set high.

Lastly, and maybe important for young kids as they are on the floor more. Check out the level of formaldehyde or other toxic chemicals used in the pergo that slowly release into the air. Many people are allergic and it is related to cancer.

Just my opinions...but also very true!

[cannon_fodder]

I looked into the "toxic" rumors on the Pergo, basically its an old rumor left over from the early days of linoleum that just resurfaces with any new floor product.   Pergo is far, far less toxic than the products used to finish real hardwoods.  

We are still undecided.  I setup a small portion of the stuff in the entry way and am actively trying to destroy it.  Throwing balls for the dogs and their untrimmed nails...  it doesnt really scratch it (you can't feel it) but it apparently scuffs the finish or something.  Only noticeable from certain angles.

I hate spending thousands of dollars for uncertain results.  I fear a wood floor would scratch MORE easily but could be refinished or buffed from time to time.  Also, without a wood substrate I've heard mixed reviews on real hardwoods - mostly that it should not be done.

Bah!  This sucks.  My wife wants to get it done before Oktoberfest when we are having company in town.

[chas22]

I know of 2 bad experiences with wood floors in kitchens.  One was from a water valve leaking behind a refrigerator.  The other was a water valve leaking on a dishwasher.  In both cases the leak went undetected for months until the damage was bad enough the floor had to be replaced.  This time tile was used.

[cannon_fodder]

Tile in kitchen, good deal.  We were debating that aspect with either hardwood or laminate, so I'll keep it tile.  Our dining room table blocks the view into our kitchen anyway.