We are doing some remodeling and are planning to run 3/4″ oak hardwood through out our family room, kitchen, laundry room and a small bathroom. We like the look of one continuous flooring material. Have any of you run into problems with hardwood in kitchens, or areas that spills occur? I know ceramic tile would probably be more durable, but we don’t really want to break up our flooring into many different types. We like the look to hardwood and allergy benefits of hardwood.
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>> We like the ... allergy benefits of hardwood.
Compared to what, ceramic tile?
It says he was checked in on the 3rd.
Think it was a puter glitch?
I don't understand the question. Are you saying if he had logged in he would have answered it, therefore the record of him visiting on the 3rd is false? No, I think he just ignored my post. Or forgot to sign up for notification. Happens all the time. I don't get anywhere near a 100% response rate.
All he has to do is view the post while checked in and the unread tag will be removed,
so you would think if someone were to take the time to post a question that they would follow up looking for an answer once they check into the forum.
But let people be people I always say.
be people.Sphere, not greencu, invented the cyberwedgie."
Allergy and asthma newsletters report and recommend that smooth clean surfaces such as hardwood and tile do not harbour as many of the items that trigger attacks, such as pollen, dust mite droppings, etc as surfaces like carpet.I don't think that as a HO, he is thinking about the fact that oak dust itself can be an allergen for some of us if he is not planning to do the install and finish himself
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
works fine for us
need wear mats in front of refrig and sink and stove
Erich,
Hardwood is great in kitchens IMO, only thing is you need rugs strategically placed in areas, anywhere where spills or dirt are likely to fall and/or accumulate, AND the rugs need to be washable.
WSJ
Edited 1/8/2005 6:49 pm ET by WorkshopJon
Prefinished hardwood is absolutely no good in a kitchen. The "micro bevels" at the edges might as well be canyons as far as cleaning is concerned. Once a jar of relish fell out of the fridge and smashed- what an ungodly mess. Seeped right through the hardwood, right through the T&G board subfloor- fortunately the basement isn't finished...
Unfinished hardwood, sanded and finished in place, if professionally installed, is probably OK if you don't have kids. If you do, consider something more impermeable and more durable until they're a little older, or gone completely. And take note of the wear control measures the others metioned- they're very important if you want your floor to look nice for a long time. The finshes you can apply in place are far less wear resistant than the prefinished stuff.
We have site finished solid oak hardwood floors in several areas of our home including in the kitchen. After 5 years it is still in good shape, even with 2 good sized dogs who run around like maniacks. Only thing is that you have to keep an eye on the finish, and when it starst getting worn, have another coat applied. Otherwise, once the finish is completly worn through, and the wood starts getting worn, then you are talkin' a complete sand down and refinish. We are just about due for a recoat of clear. Our finish is clear poly (I think). I know it's an oil based product.
Put coasters under chairs, tables etc. a good vacuum sucks all the dirt up ( I installed 700 square feet of pre-finished in my kitchen/living room area) keep the mop just damp for wiping up, cats and dogs will scratch the finish if you let them, if you move your fridge out for cleaning run it on a piece of plywood.The Yukon is a semi-arid climate, very dry, the wood contracts at this time of year 1/32" gaps in places but in the more humid summer months it all goes back together again. Acclimatize the material before installing it I had the oak sitting in my living room for 3 months, I used the acclimatizing as an excuse until the DW caught on.The table had a piece of grit caught in its coaster, scratched the floor pretty good (clean the coasters once in a while) I sanded a little and matched the clear coat, looks good.
Dunno about you, but for me it would be far from acceptable to have to put another coat of finish on my kitchen floor every couple of years...Maybe if you don't live there, or don't cook when you do...
But site-finished is still far better than prefinished in a kitchen, that's for sure. Even with careful cleaning, the edges between boards in our current kitchen are black and look like sh*t. Fortunately it's only short term until we build our addition- but there sure as hell won't be hardwood in the new kitchen...
Are you saying you have prefinished hardwood in the kitchen? You are comparing apples to oranges - and I would not recommend prefinished in any area that is prone to spills. My experience is that the prefinished is not significantly more durable to scratches, etc either. The only reason for prefinished is the slight cost savings and the convenience to the installer and builder :-)
Re the site finished, quoting myself: "After 5 years it is still in good shape, even with 2 good sized dogs who run around like maniacs. .... We are just about due for a recoat of clear." I find that to be an acceptable maintenance duration. We could easily let it go another 5 yrs but then we would need a complete re-sand, etc.
So what's your solution: Something cold & hard or cheap vinyl? OK - you could have something warm & hard by throwing another grand at it... None of which is my choice.
Matt
Edited 1/9/2005 12:02 pm ET by DIRISHINME
Yes, we foolishly put prefinished hardwood in our kitchen. Thank god we're remodelling soon. My post does note that you can use finished-in-place hardwood without running into the problems with cleaning that we've had.
As to the durability of finishes, I disagree with you. The factory applied and baked finish is more durable than anything you might apply in place.
I misunderstood your post- my fault. Refinishing with just a screen and clear coat after five years is a perfectly fine maintenance frequency.
We're actually planning to go with warm and hard in our new kitche rather than cold and hard (i.e. radiant floor heating under ceramic tile), but I get your point.
considering the rooms you mentioned it would be wise to put down 1 or 2 more coats than you thought you would
if all make it a practice to take off your shoes they'll look like new ten+ yrs down the road
If the edges of your pre-finished hardwood flooring are "black" then I think you added to much water when the floor was mopped and what you are seeing is the discoloration of water on oak or what ever. I have had pre-finished in my kitchen for three years now, no problem. I did tell everyone that damp mopping only.
It's the combination of spills and damp mopping which did us in. We always used the approved products and a damp mop and were careful with how much water we slopped around, but crud in the grooves between boards accumulates and eventually goes black and looks like sh*t.
From our hard experience, anyone who installs prefinished hardwood in a kitchen is asking for trouble, unless the kitchen's just a showpiece and is virtually never used for actual cooking or eating...