Can anyone give me their opinions on hardwood floors? We are getting ready to build and want to use hardwood floors. We want to know what types are the most durable and what can you do up front to ensure they are going to last and look pretty more than 6 months…thanks, Jenna.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Fine Homebuilding's editorial director has some fun news to share.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Check the forum at hardwoodinstaller.com
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
"Best" is relative to your budget.
I'm an old school hardwood guy and still believe that a solid 3/4" naildown is superior to any other floor. Solid naildowns will outlast the life of the house. 2 1/4" is the traditional width and will be the most stable.
Recently I was able to see a product manufactured by Armstrong. It's a 3 ply laminate with a 1/4" wear surface, the same thickness of wear surface as traditional solid strip or plank. This floor can be nailed/stapled or glued down. I think this type of floor is superior to solid in wide planks. The trend today is WIDE, but solid wide planks move considerably more than narrow strip flooring and have a tendancy to cup during the wet season....engineered floors....in wide widths won't move (shrink/grow) or cup nearly as much as a solid floor in these wide width applications.
Species is all over the map today with the introduction about a decade ago with imported exotic flooring. Exotic species tend to be very hard and dense, double or triple the density of domestic flooring species. Botanical names for these exotics are used less frequently than trade descriptions, ie; Brazillian Cherry, Brazillian Walnut and Brazillian Maple. They resemble their American cousins in color only and tend to be sawn in wide widths (3"-6").
I will volunteer my opinion on the "best" floor: 3/4"X3" solid, quarter and rift sawn white oak, finished with an oil modified sealer and 2 coats of Bona Kemi 'Traffic'.
Expect to pay a professional approx. $11.00 to $13.00 a sq. ft. for the above mentioned floor, material, installation and finish.
I agree 100% with what ditch said, but will also recommend looking into prefinished solid domestic hardwood from a name manufacturer (my experience is with Bruce prefinished maple). Although you will get a slight chamfer at the edge of each board, tipping off the knowledgable eye that this is pre-finished (which is objectionable to some), the upside is that most agree that the durability of the factory-applied finish is BETTER than you can normally get from site finished.
IMHO, as far as there is hardly any other thing you can do to your house that you will get more pleasure from than a well installed and finished hardwood floor.
Jenna,
Just some experience to share that I'd follow today after being in the floor covering business for 15 years. This is not an endorsement for a particular brand, as that is not important to me. My information is solely based on experiece that is a little out of date.
Hartco (now owned by Armstrong) has a product called Pattern Plus that is acrylic impreganated. They had a two-ply, and later brought out a 5 ply product which was used commercially, used in Outback Steakhouse, Bed Bath and Beyond, and I think the Gap. It offered many advantages. I am certain there are great new products since I've been in the business, about 3 years, so it is likely not the only option to meet your needs.
I know this product performed well and was ameniable to repair/conditioning and the 5-ply was more dimentionally stable in higher moisture conditions. It stood up well in the old office in main traffic areas, including the entrance where we had salt, etc., tracked in during the winter. The main maintenance was buffing, and I think using a product, to restore sheen a couple of times per year.
If you have large dogs, be mindful of what you are considering. An unadvanced (and I think there are advanced top-coat treatments now), will make a difference. Certain finishes, when really scratched up, will require a total refinish. Others can be more forgiving. I will also say that with a dog, I've enjoyed the laminate floor in the main area for the dog. The aluminum oxide coating really resists the dog traffic and mine is only 25 lbs, but has a toe-nail clipping issue, so they get long if the groomer won't deal with it. Even the vet has to muzzle and use a grinder...another issue.
I think they are starting to add that coating to regular hardwood as well. I can tell you that my sample of plank laminate lying atop the hardwood looked exactly the same. Plus, I find the maintenance more friendly. Many folks perfer hardwood and many dislike the laminate. I have all types and like the maintenance level of the laminate. I am not bothered by issues that bug other folks, personally. If you consider laminate, don't go with the low-end. Mine is Wilsonart, but I'm sure there are other good choices as well. Every manufacturer seems to have progressing levels of quality products.
You are doing your homework to make a good decision that meets your requirements. My tips are to select the right floor to meet you living conditions, and be absolutely certain the installer follow ALL manufacturer's installation recommendations to the "T". If they don't, and you have problems, the warranty is in question. It is imperative that the material (whatever it is) is acclimated, in the room, prior to installation,for the recommended period of time to expand/contract due to humitity. The problem I've seen is that some builders don't turn on air/heat, during construction, so it twarts a good installation.
If your choice hardwood, please let us know what you choose, and how it performs. There are so many options, and many introduced in the past few years. It will be interesting to see what you find. Just be mindful of the manufacturer's recommendations and stay on the builder to ensure the installer follows them. That said, hopefully any floor you choose should be covered by warranty and installed for success, and you will enjoy it for many years to come. Good luck to you, and enjoy your new home!
jenna,
White oak is among the hardest woods for flooring but it' is too boring for my taste.. hard maple is also tough but in the normal strip fllooring seems like a Gym floor to me.
Brazilian cherry and other exotic have their place. I made my flooring from black walnut because I wound up with 17cents a sq.ft. wide plank flooring.. A bit dark but fine for bedrooms and the billard room.. Black walnut isn't as hard as some of the other woods I've mentioned but should hold up longer than any carpet made..
Once you decide what wood to use it's important to decide how to finish the wood..
I went the other way.. Instead of a tough durable shine that will require sanding to renew I went with Shellac..
I have A 150 POUND NEW fUNDLAND DOG WHO HAS CLAWS.. They will scratch the floor so I used shellac..
When it gets scratched I will just wipe a rag soaked in alchohol on the floor and any scratches disappear..
Maybe once in every 5 years I'll wipe another layer of Shellac on.. it takes me minutes to do and dries inside of a half an hour..
IF you want cheap junk there are lots of easy to apply laminated woods out there. They are sorta one shot deals that won't need refinishing because they can't be refinished. (don't listern to the salemen)