What hardwood floor type is best for resale? (Austin, West: house, neighborhood)

[Raskolnikov]

We live in Southwest Austin, specifically in the New Villages of Western Oaks. Our house was built in 2001. I'm curious if any real-estate savvy folks on here (or people currently in the market and looking around) have an opinion on hardwood floors. What kind of hardwood floors seem to attract buyers? What kind are specifically good for resale? Or can you advise anything to stay away from?

We currently have tile floors. We plan to live here a few more years. But we do want to do any upgrades with resale value / future buyers in mind.

We personally hate the cheap fake hardwood floors that are thin veneers and click when dogs and cats walk across them. We'd prefer to invest in some really nice hardwood floors, but don't want to get something so expensive that it doesn't fit this neighborhood. On the other hand, we have no idea what we want... there are so many kinds of wood out there. I think I prefer lighter color woods, but my wife prefers darker colors. The whole process of selecting is daunting.

Does anyone know what kind of hardwood floors are popular right now? Anyone out there recently done hardwood floors and care to offer up what route they chose? Any advice on what to avoid?

Or.. are we making a mistake? We're sick of the tile, but also concerned about picking the wrong kind of wood.

Thanks in advance!

[10scoachrick]

Is the tile particularly unattractive? If not, I'd put a few well-placed area rugs for 'warmth' and color and live with that for a while. Personally, I can't imagine the mess involved with pulling up tile and prepping for hardwoods...but that's just me. My ASID certified DW has worked with traditional oak for clients in area homes, eschewing the trendy hand-scraped varieties that may not be so popular when you are ready to sell. I think you have to be very careful with 'architectural' planks...some real woods look like cheap laminates with all the nooks and crannies.

How big is the area? If it's wide open, a dark color may not be 'too' dark; but a lighter shade will always open up an area to the eye.

DW is meeting with a couple this week to 'bridge' an area that was carpet but is adjacent to tile. Can't perfectly match the tile, so a wood 'inlay' is likely the next step(couple wants a hard surface, not more carpet).

[centralaustinite]

Yes, the problem with tile (and the reason I avoid it like the plague) is that the cost of demo and removal of tile (and then preparing the subfloor for a new surface) is so very high!

I have friends who just bought a house in your area. They pulled up all the carpet and put down hardwoods (factory finished planks that can be re-sanded) but they left the tiled areas alone.

Oak and maple hardwoods are nice, bamboo is very popular too. Hand-scraped varieties can't be refinished. I'm getting ready to pull up the carpet in our master and put down cork.

[austin0]

my understanding is that if you have tiles, you can put laminate, carpet or click hardwood directly over it without removing it. you might need some more work on doors that got stuck but a floating floor on tile should be ok.. that is my understanding but i am not absolutely positive.

[Komeht]

Trends come and go so picking what's in today isn't a good hedge against what's out tomorrow. Veneer or engineered wood floors are fine if you go with a quality product -- you will not be able to tell whether it is engineered or hardwood once installed and in some applications it's not only a superior choice, it's really the only choice if you want wood floors.

Personally I hate hand scraped floors as they feel über trendy and gauche. But if you're the kind of person who likes two story foyers, double staircases and great rooms the size of a small state these may be for you (be sure to get them in the extra wide planks)

[Raskolnikov]

Thanks for the comments. No, I'm not the type who likes two story foyers, double staircases, or smug replies to earnest questions.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

Thanks for the comments. No, I'm not the type who likes two story foyers, double staircases, or smug replies to earnest questions.

Oh, I assure you, my reply was quite earnest.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

We live in Southwest Austin, specifically in the New Villages of Western Oaks. Our house was built in 2001. I'm curious if any real-estate savvy folks on here (or people currently in the market and looking around) have an opinion on hardwood floors. What kind of hardwood floors seem to attract buyers? What kind are specifically good for resale? Or can you advise anything to stay away from?

We currently have tile floors. We plan to live here a few more years. But we do want to do any upgrades with resale value / future buyers in mind.

We personally hate the cheap fake hardwood floors that are thin veneers and click when dogs and cats walk across them. We'd prefer to invest in some really nice hardwood floors, but don't want to get something so expensive that it doesn't fit this neighborhood. On the other hand, we have no idea what we want... there are so many kinds of wood out there. I think I prefer lighter color woods, but my wife prefers darker colors. The whole process of selecting is daunting.

Does anyone know what kind of hardwood floors are popular right now? Anyone out there recently done hardwood floors and care to offer up what route they chose? Any advice on what to avoid?

Or.. are we making a mistake? We're sick of the tile, but also concerned about picking the wrong kind of wood.

Thanks in advance!

I agree with komeht in that tastes change so it isnt really possible to pick something today that is guaranteed to be in style in even 10 years. One way is to stick with extremely classic materials that you could see if you went to say a 300 year old building - english/french cottage, tuscan villa etc. Those designs/materials are timeless.

We have tile in all the areas where there is a lot of foot traffic and wood in the rooms. I thought it would be weird, but we really like it because it is very practical.

I would also add that hardwood on slab is extremely challenging to install. Many installers will only install engineered which is still real wood (not plastic). The engineered has layers with cross grains so the wood is much more stable with moisture changes (from the slab). The higher quality engineered has thick layers of wood veneered that can be finished up to 4 or 5 times (good for maybe 100 years or so).

[owlman]

For your health and well-being, get the style your wife likes
If you want my non-professional opinion, for resale I would stick with reasonably timeless choices with broad appeal... natural red, honey or warm browns, no dark colors, no hand-scraped/"rustic" looks with nail marks etc, narrow or medium strip, no wide planks. I doubt you would make-up the full price difference between solid and engineered when you sell the house.

[yam]

I researched this same issue recently and came to the following conclusions. First, don't ever install solid hardwood on slab. There are plenty of beautiful engineered wood choices these days and they have advantages of a tough factory finish and better dimensional stability. Second, yes by all means avoid the millions of godawful handscraped products out there right now. There are a few good ones but the majority look really tacky and seem likely to be a liability in a few years when tastes change. Anderson brand seems to be the best of the bunch. Third, floor prep is absolutely key, moreso than the install itself. And finally, consider laminates (really). Their look has improved in the last few years, their durability is great, and the sound is also improved due to improved acoustic underlayments. I'm having a Quickstep laminate installed soon which (to me at least) looks more real than a hand-scraped engineered wood and is likely to be much more durable. Price wasn't the issue but it happens to also be cheaper which is nice.