Original hardwood vs laminate? (plank, installed, cleaning, kitchen)

[Sgoldie]

Egads! I squirm anytime people paint over natural wood. Your floor can be refinished, new boards patched in if necessary, stained, and sealed. It's much more friendly on the feet and far more gorgeous than any other flooring.

My mother has that laminate fake wood in her kitchen too. It shows every single mop streak. It's awful.

[Shastagate]

The general consensus says stick with the real thing. I have to agree. Even with professional installation there seems to be a noise from the laminate floors. To me it's not a pleasant tone at all.

[webster]

Old floors from the 20's should be thick enough that they can take a good sanding to look good. Old boards can be obtained from stores which specialize in salvage from old homes. If you are restoring an older home, laminate and "engineered" wood stands out like a sore thumb. A properly done paint job on an old floor can be as expensive or even more expensive than refinishing. If you can't afford to get the floor you want, wait. It will be worth it in the long run. There is nothing like the patina of an old floor and reflection of light on it.

[sunrico90]

If you can afford real hardwood go for it, if not use laminate... easy one

[aween]

I had three dogs. Our last house had Pergo and the new house has real wood. My dogs have basically ruined the real wood floor. I always got so many compliments on the Pergo notty pine floor. I miss it so much. I would get Pergo again in an instant.
If I did'nt have animals, I would still get Pergo.

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by aween

I had three dogs. Our last house had Pergo and the new house has real wood. My dogs have basically ruined the real wood floor. I always got so many compliments on the Pergo notty pine floor. I miss it so much. I would get Pergo again in an instant.
If I did'nt have animals, I would still get Pergo.

I would say, having dogs, and kids go with a high quality laminate.

why, it will wear as a rug, etc., most people do not stay in homes long, home prices are down. I would go easy, and price. If you stay in the home, you always may upgrade at a later stage in life! Also the money you save you can invest. Like buying the honda, or going for the Lexus?

The market in homes is way down, so my thought go with laminate, even a rug will suit your needs. I would not do lots of tile, the grout is a pain.
Also to mop, yuck! And to take up tile, it is hard.

[NewHomeHappy]

Been there- done that. I have Pine to be exact Sugar Pine floors as told to me by the HWF expert. He came in and sanded and sanded and sanded w/ 16 grit paper. He said bc it's SUGAR PINE, the floors will keep the "imperfections" and "Character" and if we tried to stain it darker to cover the flaws, it would appear very blotchy due to the high sap content....Any thoughts on this? I went with it. Sanded & 2 coats of poly. Looks like a 60 year old Pine floor. Original.

I'm still wondering if he blew the proverbial smoke up my you-know-what.

[Cornerguy1]

There have been a lot of references to "hardwood" floors.

Pine is not a hardwood, nor is it a terribly hard wood, if you know what I mean.

Wood flooring made of maple, oak, etc will take a conssiderable pounding especially if it has a durable finish applied.

Pine, on the other hand, is a relatively soft wood that grooves easily and tends to show indentations from grit, high heels, repeated dog traffic, etc.

I'd opt for repairing and refinishing the existing floor, but take some pains to save it from further abuse if you want the results to last.

Area rugs can go a long way to saving high traffic zones while still maintaining the antique character of the room.

[domergurl]

My mom is a cabinet maker and pine is definitely questionable for a floor. You can, or I can, dig my fingernails into it and it's not finished properly, pine turns pink.

We have in between laminate and hardwood. We've had 2 Mannington engineered wood floors in our homes and just love them. Kids, pets and all.

[CarolDom]

On the subject of hardwood, I am ready to replace the 'linoleum' in my kitchen. My husband wants ceramic, but it is sooo hard on the legs. I would love to put a hardwood floor in. What do you think?