Hard Wood Floors (Houston, San Antonio, Howe: hardwood floors, home builder, new construction)

[Tigerbear]

We are relocating to San Antonio and are considering building a house by Highland Homes. We have been told that they do not offer real hardwood floors as an option, which surprises us since the house we are looking at is in the 400K. We were told that engineered hardwood works better with the soil in San Antonio.

Is this typical for the area? Or do other builders offer real hard woods? Have others heard that engineered hardwood is the better option for the area?

TIA

[Cookiemeister]

Originally Posted by Tigerbear

We are relocating to San Antonio and are considering building a house by Highland Homes. We have been told that they do not offer real hardwood floors as an option, which surprises us since the house we are looking at is in the 400K. We were told that engineered hardwood works better with the soil in San Antonio.

Is this typical for the area? Or do other builders offer real hard woods? Have others heard that engineered hardwood is the better option for the area?

TIA

I don't know what to tell you but it sounds like nonsense. I am sure that oak cost alot more than engineered (faux wood) cost. I would not put faux wood in a 400K home. Who is your builder? I would get another one.
Soil has nothing to do with hardwood floors. My house was built in 1930 and has the original hardwood floors in excellent condition. Shifting soil or soil with alot of clay can cause more shifting than areas that are more rock than soil which don't shift as much. Shifting may cause cracks if your walls but don't effect wood floors (at least none that I have ever seen and I have always had wood floors. I am not an expert but my experience with wood floors has been great in San Antonio. I am sure you can find a builder who offers real oak wood floors in SA.

[Chaka]

I think they're just trying to cheap out. Real hardwood is significantly more expensive, but if you're willing to pay for it, it's worth it, esp. in a higher end house.
The fake stuff is ok, but the real stuff really does stand out.

We have a c.1880s home which actually doesn't have 'hard' wood but rather long-lead pine, which is apparently a soft wood. After some refinishing (and removing the disgusting dog-urine infested carpet, then the 40s/50s era linoleum under that, and a ton of slave labor), they look wonderful!

[GoTexan]

Originally Posted by Tigerbear

We are relocating to San Antonio and are considering building a house by Highland Homes. We have been told that they do not offer real hardwood floors as an option, which surprises us since the house we are looking at is in the 400K. We were told that engineered hardwood works better with the soil in San Antonio.

Is this typical for the area? Or do other builders offer real hard woods? Have others heard that engineered hardwood is the better option for the area?

TIA

Most builders we have talked to offered the engineered technology and we were shopping around with both semi and custom hombuilders in the 350k-400k range.

In the end this is what I took away from hardwood floors:

The engineered wood is easier to install due to the tongue and groove technology. There are different application methods so you need to research that.

However the key to selecting the most appropriate engineered hardwood flooring is the thickness. You want at least 3/4 in thickness (I'm not referring to width) because this will allow you to resurface it in the future. If it is less, it's not as durable with regards to resurfacing and refinishing.

The only way I would ever opt to use real hardwood would be if I had a historical home and I wanted to preserve that aspect of the home. Otherwise, if it's a new construction, it make sense to use engineered because it's easy to install and looks and sounds like natural wood (and it is natural wood, just a different install method).

Caveat, stay away from laminates. They are the thinnest and not durable.

YOu are on the right track, just do some research and make your decision that you'd be happy with.

[wCat]

You're being really smart to question this one. I agree that Texas soil has absolutely NOTHING to do with hardwood flooring. If your builder is a tract builder and won't budge, then shop for another builder. I can't imagine one refusing to allow you to put in what you want. Yes....you might pay a bit more, but the real thing is worth it. Unless you really know what to look for in an "engineered" floor, be very cautious. Easy install and "looks" don't always mean a good product. Yes....there are good "fakes", but why? Laminates and other engineered floors cannot be refinished after the wear and tear they get over time. I just worked with a client that put in Cherry veneer laminate throughout her $450K home. It flooded though a ceiling leak and the water seeped in the crevices and warped the edges making them dark and stained in the grooves. Also....anything that scratches or is dropped on it creates damage that cannot be buffed out or repaired. My guess is she bought something cheap that looked good, or she had a snake oil salesman.

Lumber Liquidators is a good place to start for information and an education on good solid hardwood, and the pros and cons of veneers, laminates and composite hardwoods.

Good luck!

[GoTexan]

Originally Posted by wCat

Laminates and other engineered floors cannot be refinished after the wear and tear they get over time.

I was told you can sand and refinish real wood engineered flooring, as long as it s not a laminate, hence the importance to have at least 3/4 inch thick wood.

I agree lumber liquidators is a good source. We talked to them too. Nice people.

[SAFD_Wife]

My uncle is a custom home builder in Houston. He has the same mark-up regardless of which type of flooring people choose, so if they want real wood, he makes X %, and he makes the same percent on engineered flooring. Since real wood costs more, you would assume he would push people to choose the real wood so his percent would be higher. Actually, its the opposite. He discourages his clients from choosing real wood, as it is harder to upkeep, costs more, and is easier to damage. He encourages his clients to choose engineered wood floors (not laminate), because of the benefits of it being longer wearing, less expensive, not as easily scratched or damaged. He says that the engineered flooring is basically the real thing but made better. We are in the process of building a home, and I have actually heard the same thing from a couple of other builders.

[Primo]

Engineer Hard wood is real hard wood floor. It is not laminate or Pergo. Engineer Hard wood is very common in Texas and concrete foundations. It is typically constructed in 3 layers like plywood and is more durable. I think it sounds better when you walk on it,not as hollow sounding. It is better than 1 inch thick wood floors which you will have to put a plywood subfloor to install it right.

[hopkins11]

I have a 1 year old home in Ohio and looked at both real hardwood and engineered.
Decided on real hardwood (brazillian cherry with chestnut finish). Bad decision.
I should have gone with the engineered which looks great (in many new build homes)
and is much more durable than the real hardwood I choose. There is not much of a price difference here and most of the upper priced model homes (600,000 and up) are
putting in engineered floors.

[smitty12]

Originally Posted by wCat

You're being really smart to question this one. I agree that Texas soil has absolutely NOTHING to do with hardwood flooring.

Good luck!

Yea, it is not a soil problem... It is more appropriately a weather issue. The engineered flooring (not cheap laminates) is much more stable by not expanding, contracting, and warping as much as natural wood when exposed to different temperature and humidity extremes.

I have white oak natural hardwood, installed in the early 50s and if you pay close attention to it you will notice small gaps in between the planks that change in size depending on the weather.

The engineered, snap together, floating floors do not have this problem since typically there are no nails so the floor does what little expanding and contracting it needs to do as an entire unit, not individual planks.

I think it is a no brainier to select high quality, thick, refinishable engineered floors over natural hardwood floors. Just watch out for the low quality, cheap stuff....