Hardwood floor for dummy question.

[korjae]

Hi, I live in Canada and have done virtually no home renovation work in my life so far.

Our family house has carpet across both floors and unfininshed basement.

While trying to sell the store, I noticed lot of people prefer hardwood floor so I decided to look at option of hardwood flooring just 1st floor which consists of below. Living room : 4.60 m x 3.66 m Dining room : 3.68 m x 3.66 m Kitchen : 6.25 m x 4.88 m Family room : 6.70 m x 5.18 m Library : 3.96 m x 3.35 m

Kitchen and hallway is tile so we will exclude that from discussion.

Question1: Do you guys think it's worth hardwood flooring just 1st floor (since 2nd floors are mainly bedrooms) or should it be all Hardwood or nothing?

Rest of it converted to feet and then calculated for total Sq. footage is 855 Sq. feet.

Question2: Some friend told me I should approximate total amount of materia I buy should be 20% more than Sq. footage due to corners, partly used materials, etc. Is 20% accurate approximation?

Question3: Wood I am considering is Oak, Maple, or Malaysian Chery. Is any of those 3 good choice or is there different characteristics I should consider aside from how it looks?

Question4: For both experience and accomplishment satisfaction purpose, I wanted to try it out myself instead of hiring certain flooring company at roughly $2.5 per sq foot. What's my risk? Will I possibly screw up subflooring if I do bad? Or is it gonna be relatively low risk even if I screw up? I was thinking of hiring some flooring company ONCE I screw up not from the get-go.

Question5: If I decide to do it myself, what specific tools do I need to rent? What submaterial (ones that need to be placed below hardwood floor -> I have no knowledge on this one) do I need to buy on top of hardwood?

Question6: Can moldings be reused after hardwood or should it be replaced?

Thanks so much.

Jae

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Yes, many people prefer carpet in bedrooms as it feels warmer on the feet. OTOH, if you, or a family member, have allergies, go with the hardwood all the way. Easier to clean the dust.

Oak is the most popular, but I'd go with what looks good to me.

Not knowing your skills, it is hard to say. One of the most difficult parts of the te job is getting hte sanding right. Consider having that done by a pro. Do some research, watch a few "how to" videos, try a small room first.

You need a naler, saws, and some normal measure and marking tools. Consider buying a nailer nad selling it on ebay when done. It may work out cheaper than renting.

If you take them off with care they can be re-used. Take a good look at them and see if they will enhance or detract from the new floor and decide from there.

[buffalobill]

if you are selling your home: i would suggest floor materials and wall colors are more easily changed by the buyer. why not consider a cashback at closing deal for the buyer for this remodeling. you might pay for a flooring company variety of materials installed very descriptive estimate from a reputable local company who does this for a living. your energy and materials choices will be better spent at your new address. see:

[trader4]

Yes, many houses have hardwood in part of downstairs and carpet upstairs. It all depends on what appeals to you and how much you want to spend.

You can avoid the wholes sanding finishing part by using the engineered pre-finished products. That is what I would do if I were installing it. Without knowing your skills, I agree with Edwin, hard to say. I do lots of home projects, but if I were putting wood in the entire 1st floor, I'd hire a pro. If it were just doing one room that was less crtical, like maybe a bedroom you want to use as an office, then I'd say that's a better place to start a DIY project on something that costs a lot, and if it isn't done correctly, it isn't going to look good and you'll have problems.

Another indication of why it would be better to hire a pro.

[Phisherman]

Many folks prefer carpeting in the bedrooms.

Sounds a little high, but okay.

All about personal taste.

Most pre-finished hardwood flooring is easy to install, perhaps 10 hours per room (3 hours if experienced.)

Read the manufacturer's recommendations.

They can be reused, but they must be removed carefully. There is a special tool to help you do this.

It's a poor return on investment to install a new floor. You're much better off cleaning, painting walls white, decluttering, improving curb-appeal.

[Chris Lewis]

According to Phisherman :

Depends on the material quality and the irregularity of the floor. "Industry" suggestion is 10%. On a 405sqft floor, I got one extra box over "exact" (approx 20sf/box), and have most of the last box left over. There were _no_ rejects, just one board that I wrecked ;-). But rejects should be expected with most stuff.

It's personal taste (of how it looks) plus durability. Most hardwoods are at least as durable as oak or maple - so it really comes down to finish durability.

In the aforementioned 405sf, I did it myself. I'm not an amateur woodworker, but this is my first hardwood floor, and I had good tools to help. 4 solid 8 hour days. One very simple layout room. According to the dealer, his expert (and I can personally attest to how good they are on 4 previous jobs) two-man install crews would take 1 1/2 days, tho, under duress they could do it in slightly less than 1.

855 sqft is a _lot_ to do yourself. I won't do 400sqft by myself again.

[trader4]

I'd have to disagree that it's a poor return on investment to install hardwood floors. This depends on many things. For example, if it's a modest home in an area where similar homes don't have wood floors, it may not make sense. On the other hand, if it's a more expensive home in an area where most other homes of that type have hardwood floors, then it can have a positive return. And since the OP's house has a library, I'm guessing it's more likely a home that falls into the latter class.