*hardwood* | > > but | > > prefinished? I'm not sure that would be called
*laminate*? He's = not | here | > > right now for me to ask. The only reason I'm hesitating on the | unfinished | > > solid oak, is the amount of time it takes to install and poly it a | number | > > of | > > coats. That means we and the dogs will have to locate elsewhere = for | > > probably close to a week? | >
| >
| > There are at least four types of wood style flooring. | >
| > Unfinished hardwood, such as the oak you mention. (many other woods | > available too
formatting link
= ) | Real | > hardwood is my choice of best quality, 100+ year longevity. IMO, the | "BEST") | >
| > Pre finished hardwood. Similar to above, but with a factory finish. = (I | > don't know a lot about it in use) | >
| > Engineered hardwood. Like a plywood base with a nice finished wood = on | top. | > Very durable, easy to DIY install. See examples at =
formatting link
I | > put that in my family room and like it very much. It is over = concrete so | it | > is a good choice for that. | >
| > Laminate. This is a plastic material. Some look like plastic, = others | look | > close to real wood but some simulate marble or granite. Very = durable, | > cleanable.
formatting link
I have this on a stairway and foyer = and | has | > been for over 10 years. Still looks like new. I'd use the = engineered wood | > if I was doing it today. |=20 |=20 | Thanks for the links! At the rate we are plodding along in our | kitchen/dining room remodel, I have time to consider all the options, = as the | flooring will be our last step. I've consistently leaned towards = solid oak, | if only it didn't take so long to install and finish it. |=20 |=20 | td |=20 |=20 | >
| >
|=20 |=20
10 years ago I bought and had installed 3/4" T&G oak flooring (what you = call engineered). The pros were not very professional. They started in = the wrong place and did not fully set the boards. When they got to my = feature wall, an archway over a sunken livingroom they couldn't figure = out how to make the flooring meet the bullnose without leaving a gap. I = kicked them out and got the contractor to supply an expert to correct = their mistakes. I had 2 days of muttered oaths as he berated the clods = who were not up to the task. He did a marvelous job and only we two = know where the joint was finessed. =20
7 years ago I bought the tools and added another 2,000 feet of oak = flooring myself. At the time the people who made the original flooring = were no longer making specie so I had to find a shop that could = duplicate the original flooring. I was lucky to find a cabinet shop = that made its own doors, moldings, and such. They got plain boards, = turned them into T&G and prefinished them. Cannot tell where one left = off and the other started.
As DIY went, I was able to lay about 500 feet a day without busting a = gut.
If you are going to make it a DIY be sure to do the following:
- rent a pneumatic flooring nail gun and the compressor to go with it.
- get a piece of 2x2 hardwood to aid in setting the boards - relying = on the nailer to fully set the boards is not enough -=20
- remove , carefully, all the baseboards and doorway trim. A finish = that goes under the trim looks a lot better than that which just goes to = the trim.
- determine what wall or opening is to be the "feature". Start there = and finish at the opposite wall. This will produce a much tighter joint = where it is most likely to be noticed and the opposite end, which will = likely be a bit ragged, will be hidden by the trim.=20
- Use a finish nail gun instead of a hammer as this will result in a = more hidden nail which can be covered with putty of an appropriate = colour for a seamless finish.
- replace all the baseboards.
- cut the trim to allow for the added floor height and replace it.=20 =20
- Step back, have a coolade and compliment yourself on a job well = done.
--=20 PDQ