Hardwood Floor Debate

[Rotation Slim]

I am putting hardwood floor in most of my main floor (Kitchen, Front room, Dining room & entrance)

My wife and I are struggling with Solid, Engineered, or Pergo type decision.

I have 7 kids, and I am pretty sure they could scratch/Chip/Destroy a CONCRETE floor, let alone wood. I am serious, skateboards, large wooden blocks thrown, dropped pots, etc.

SO what are your recomendations... It seems to me we would be better with solid, so no matter what they do, we could sand it down and fix it. Although my wife has been hearing good things about Pergo type floors. Any experience out there? If you are recomending solid, which stands up better, the pre-finished or sanded in place.

Very interested in any real world experience with Hardwood/Pergo, specifically how it has held up under HEAVY wear?

[Randd01]

Go with the solid flooring. You can refinish the Pergo type. And with kids you'll need it every few years. The only bad thing about the prefinished solid is that the edges of the board are slightly beveled not square and this seems to catch a lot of dust at the joints. Other then that the finished is the way to go.

[Tom J]

I would go with the best solid unfinished oak flooring you can afford, like #1 choice. Sand and finish in place with multiple coats of water borne polyurethane. The last time I did my floors, about 4 years ago, I put down the sealer and then 6 top coats. The good part about this finish is, you can screen sand and put down another coat ever hour to 1 1/2 hours, depending on humidity. I put all 7 coats down in 12 hours and then stayed off it for 24 more hours. With kids, I suggest you take a weeks vacation to let it fully cure. My floors still look like they have just been refinished.

Tom J

[MSH]

I think most manufacturers recommend against more than 2 coats in a day(at recommended flow rates). Even with 3 coats in a day, it gets messy. #1 in Oak is actually a lower grade. Industry standard is Select & Better, and above that is Clear which is pretty boring.

That said, if you want a material that will last the life of the house, go solid. It can be about the same price or even cheaper than the others, just takes more time. Gives you many more options for borders, colors and finish types. Solid prefinished can come with a far superior finish, but has those beveled edges.

M Hamlin

[Mike]

I have pergo in my kitchen and bath, and it still looks great after 6 years. It held up really well when I dropped a large (full) pot of water (not a scratch), and it is very resistant to water. When it was installed, it went in in less than a day. It also came with a 15 year wear guaranty.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

My preference it in the order you mentioned. Solid wood, IMO, is the best looking floors available if done right. Check with the local hardwood suppliers as there are far more choices than what Home Depot sells. Check out this place.

I have both a laminate, Wilson Art, and Mannington engineered wood. The Wilson Art is in the most heavily trafficked part of the house. It h as no signs of wear and not a scratch after six years. Looks as good as the day it was installed. It is good looking, but not as good as wood.

The Mannington has only been down for 5 weeks, so it will take a while to give a good recommendation. It can be sanded and refinished if needed, but it comes with a long warranty for wear. The appearance is better than the laminate since it is real wood, not a plastic replica. Ed [e-mail]