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Hardwood floors in the bedrooms and kitchen? Any thoughts? (1 Viewer)

DaveF

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Originally Posted by Michael_K_Sr
Fragile?
I'm cheesed that I knocked a tape measure off the counter and it made a big gauge in the hardwood floor; took a quarter-sized chunk out, an eighth-inch deep. The builder also used, to my ignorant eye, a sloppy nailgun method that caused large nail holes filled in with wood marker. And all the little knicks and scratches along edges show up clearly. These were not issues with linoleum. And the wood needs some particular cleaner; regular stuff will harm it (we're told).
Granite isn't fragile. But it can't be cleaned with bog-standard ammonia-based kitchen cleaners. It needs some fancy specific cleaner. Also, it makers more of a clatter with dishes banging against it, compared to laminate.
The wood and granite is gorgeous. Laminate and vinyl don't look this good. But there's part of me that liked the simplicity in care of the synthetics.
 

DaveF

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Originally Posted by Jason Charlton
Probably the annual maintenance/sealing that is recommended for most granite countertops. Solid Surface material countertops (like Corian, Silestone, etc.) are much more "maintenance-free" than real granite.
When we actually get around to gutting our kitchen (my boys will be off to college in a scant 14 years...) my preference will be for a solid surface material rather than real granite.
It is the irony that all the great kitchen materials shouldn't actually be used in kitchens. They're not supposed to be exposed to water, oil, acids, or heat. And they're brittle, so can chip if heavy materials are dropped on them. Like a cast-iron skillet (that's my fear).
Fortunately, the sealing process is supposed to be very good. And darker granites particularly, are resistant to staining. So fingers-crossed these will hold up well.
 

Scott Merryfield

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DaveF said:
The wood and granite is gorgeous. Laminate and vinyl don't look this good. But there's part of me that liked the simplicity in care of the synthetics.
When we purchased our current home, the vinyl floor in the kitchen had a noticeable cut in it from what looked like a sharp object being dropped on it. We replaced it with ceramic tile. So, even vinyl is not indestructible. We installed granite counter tops in our kitchen and all three bathrooms, and they have been holding up well. My only issue is that I can be a klutz sometimes, and have broken a couple of drinking glasses on the counter top in the kitchen. But the previous laminate top was actually more difficult to keep clean.
 

Stan

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Scott Merryfield said:
But the previous laminate top was actually more difficult to keep clean.
I've got an older home with laminate counters, but a friend told me about "Soft-Scrub" years ago. I think my counters are from the early 80s, but Soft Scrub makes them look brand new. I've spilled coffee, cranberry juice, red wine, Nyquill and other things that caused stains I figured I'd never get out, yet they completely vanish. I'd much prefer a higher end countertop, but with the right materials you can clean just about anything.
 

Adam Gregorich

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We have wood in the bedroom. I like it. If you think its cold just put a small area rug on the side of the bed. Much better for allergens. How tough wood is depends on the wood. We have Tamarindo and it is pretty indestructible. A 80lb pit bill and a 60lb chow haven't left any claw marks on it and lots of stuff has been dropped on it. We have hardwood in the kitchen. Easy to clean. I wouldn't use in a bathroom due to water. Tile or vinyl only.
 

JonZ

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The only place left in our house with carpet is the 2 smaller bedrooms. Personally I cant stand carpet, but that probably because I installed the stuff for 6 years back in my youth. Everything went over to wood floors years ago including the kitchen. Havent had any problems with wood floors in the kitchen. We did all the wood floors ourselves....
 

Adam Gregorich

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Originally Posted by ChristopherG
Originally Posted by Adam Gregorich
We have wood in the bedroom. I like it.
I'm sorry Adam, but my juvenile sense of humor can't let this pass....
LOL I see how that can be taken multiple ways. I will not interfere with anyones imagination.....
 

Adam Gregorich

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Originally Posted by JonZ
The only place left in our house with carpet is the 2 smaller bedrooms. Personally I cant stand carpet, but that probably because I installed the stuff for 6 years back in my youth.
Everything went over to wood floors years ago including the kitchen. Havent had any problems with wood floors in the kitchen.
We did all the wood floors ourselves....
Looks nice! We had a tri-level several years ago and I ripped out the carpet and installed pre-finished 3/4" maple. Was a bigger project than I thought. That weekend turned into two weeks (was working too), but it turned out great. Rent the pneumatic nailer!
 

andrew markworthy

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Anyone have any experience of bamboo flooring? We recently had my study re-floored (we have a parrot in there as well and the carpet couldn't take any more cleaning ...). We looked at bamboo but decided it looked no different from the cheap laminate put in when the house was built in the kitchen. Given its cost, we decided it just was not worth the money. However, I'd be interested to know if anyone has had a different experience. In the end we went for laminate. You *honestly* cannot tell it from real wood flooring (each plank looks different and is textured just like wood), and it is far easier maintenance than real wood.
 

Adam Gregorich

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In some instances laminate is actually more durable too. Last time I looked at bamboo it was cheaper but that was several years ago. I imagine it would do no better or worse than other laminate products, but I don't have any first hand experience with it.
 

Jason Charlton

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Originally Posted by andrew markworthy
Anyone have any experience of bamboo flooring? We recently had my study re-floored (we have a parrot in there as well and the carpet couldn't take any more cleaning ...). We looked at bamboo but decided it looked no different from the cheap laminate put in when the house was built in the kitchen. Given its cost, we decided it just was not worth the money. However, I'd be interested to know if anyone has had a different experience.
Several years ago, we had a large portion of our main floor redone with a form of bamboo flooring. We learned a lot during the "research" phase of our shopping. Not all bamboo is created equal. We disliked many of the bamboo floors that we saw at typical retailers (Lowes, HD, etc.). Despite the claims of them being one of the hardest floors out there, we could always see where people had "fingernailed" the samples and left marks that made us dubious of the claim.
Then we went to a higher-end custom floor place and learned a lot more about the varieties of bamboo.
Long story short, we wound up going with a strand-woven bamboo flooring made by Teragren. The strand-woven bamboo is extremely hard and durable. It came in a deep, dark color that we liked, and due to the manufacturing process, the deep color extends throughout the material (one concern of ours with darker floors was that any scratch that penetrated the top layers would reveal the lighter-colored substrate, thus making the scratch that much more noticeable).
Teragren is a very respected manufacturer and their products are a bit pricey (though it was NOT as much as we would have thought). Due to its extreme hardness, it is NOT a DIY install. In fact, the team that installed ours remarked that they had to set their nailers at a higher PSI than they had ever needed before.
In the several years we've had it, it's been incredibly durable. If the light hits the surface just right, you can see small scratches and marks in the surface, and in a spot or two, there are a couple of deeper scratches that are more noticeable.
I don't remember exactly what we paid, but we don't regret it one bit. It's in our dining room, living room, foyer, hallway, and powder room. Highly recommended.
 

andrew markworthy

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Then we went to a higher-end custom floor place and learned a lot more about the varieties of bamboo.
After I'd sent my last message I realised I'd forgotten part of the story. We looked at the cheap bamboo offerings and like you, Jason, we found them to be less than useless. All the store could offer us in the top grade bamboo was from one firm (the other the store used had just gone bankrupt!) and although the quality was good, the colour range was limited (3 colours, period) and to be frank, looked cheap, and no different from budget wood laminate. Probably with greater choice we might have gone for bamboo. But I have to say that the laminate we have is superb, and to be frank, cost more than some of the cheaper real wood floorings. It's also guaranteed for 20 years, which I think means it should last longer than we are likely to remain in this house!
 

Lars Larsen

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I've installed an ash wood floor in the bedroom and living room in our old house. In Scandinavia oiled wood floors are popular. They tend to feel much warmer than urethane treated floors and we fancy the natural look over the shiny floors. Also, if you put it on top of a concrete floor, the noise damping underlayer acts as an insulation, as well. Ash is harder than oak in our part of the world, and we haven't had any issues with our floor. We've spilled red wine, among other things, and there's not even the slightest hint of coloration.
6320889e_PICT3232.jpeg
 

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