Flooring (Howe: hardwood floors, mover, new house)

[txbreeze01]

We are set to close on our new house next week. We would like to have the floors done before we move in, but are still going back and forth on what we want. We would love wood floors. However, we have 2 young sons (ages 5 & 2) and a dog (boxer). I need floors that will stand up to these boys! My coffee table has been destroyed because of them driving their cars on it! Are there any wood, or wood looking, floors that someone can recommend? Should we just do carpet until these little monsters get older?

Thanks

[johnrex62]

LOL! I am not sure why you think any type of flooring aside from stained concrete will stand up to little boys with toy trucks, not to mention food and beverages, crayons, fingernail polish (and remover), food dye, etc, etc, etc. I haven't even started on the things they can drop, drag, throw or slide across any flooring surface.

Concrete and commercial grade tile are the only things I can think of that never wanted to be replaced during my kids (or my own) childhood.

Any wood flooring with a good sealant/protectant will hold up "well" to your kids, or at least are no more susceptable than other floor materials to their destructive nature.

Soft surfaces such as linoleum or carpet will suffer more actual damage and be harder to clean than the wood flooring would be.

[txbreeze01]

I can dream, can't I????

[jwb123]

What about pergo laminate - until they are older and you can put in the type of flooring you dream of?

They have very nice laminate out now - I saw some dark wood looking, with a texture, laminate at Home Depot last weekend for 1.29 a sq ft.

I would NOOOOT do carpet.... besides just being gross, carpet and kids & pets don't mix. Hardwood and dog nails are NOT friends either

Stained concrete would be great.

[llkltk]

I have a toddler. I put in hardwood floors and see no problem with it. They are distressed hardwoods which are better. I hate the tile, she's always falling on it. I would go ahead and do the hardwoods. Pergo does not fare well on resale. Neither does laminate.

[Falcorockme]

Why distressed? Can you point us to what you got online? Does it hide problems more or what? Just curious

[atlanta hope]

Stained concrete is what I'd prefer for my toddler and dog. We have hardwoods now and they have a lot of damage from the dog mostly.

[austifornian]

Your best bet is to go with solid hardwoods and not the engineered or prefinished hardwoods. I would stay away from laminates entirely. Unfinished will cost you a little bit more for installation over the prefinished but will hold up better under stress. Distressed is better since it will blend major scratches but the real advantage with the solid floors if they ever get real bad you can always sand and refinish them. I would also recommend doing tile or stone entryways. Tracking water is always an issue with kids in the house.

Check out lumber liquidators for a good selection and good prices on wood. They don't install but refer out installers and can give you the details on installation cost.

[AGA]

I think the resale issue is dependent on your house value in general. In some price ranges, laminate would not be acceptable but in others it is a plus!
We went to Image Tile and Carpet and looked through all the options in our price range...We ended up with a mid quality laminate (we too have a dog and 2 boys and needed to get rid of carpet). They gave us a price that included tear out, prep, installation, and furniture moving and tax, so we knew exactly what it would be(nothing hidden)and we found it to be VERY competitive! Have been extremely happy with it thus far.

[jwb123]

I have a toddler. I put in hardwood floors and see no problem with it. They are distressed hardwoods which are better. I hate the tile, she's always falling on it. I would go ahead and do the hardwoods. Pergo does not fare well on resale. Neither does laminate.

Pergo IS laminate. Pergo is just a brand name for laminate wood.... like when you ask for a kleenex, vs a tissue.

I think it would depend on when she's planning on reselling. Do you have a boxer? I have two. They are murder on hardwoods (any big dog, really). We installed hardwoods in Seattle, and they were marked up pretty badly by dog nails. If you aren't planning on reselling, and you want to get through a few years till kids and dogs are older... I see pergo laminate as a find idea. I mean choose where you want to spend your money - on refinishing the entire floor in a handful of years, or getting through a few years of high activity and it still looking good, and then installing something you really like .

- on the other hand, if you have a dog who is not overly active, and you get a swedish finish on your hardwood, then you might be ok.

I also agree with this...

I think the resale issue is dependent on your house value in general. In some price ranges, laminate would not be acceptable but in others it is a plus!

and the type of laminate, color, condition, etc.