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This is the second house we've had engineered hardwood installed in.
First time, total disaster from Lowe's - like you said, it's hard to find an honest, competent installer. After WEEKS of living with all our bedroom stuff piled into our living room, we called Lowe's and told them to come get their stuff out of our garage TODAY and give us a full refund, and even then we had issues and had to get all crunk with them (we did eventually get a full refund and they came and got the stuff).
So we went to a reputable local design center and were very pleased with the results - I don't know if the guy was on meth or what but OMG, he had it laid in one day.
Anyway, second house - different town. We went with the same engineered hardwood (sorry, can't recall the name now) because we were so pleased with the product in our former house. We went with a local design center again, and were very pleased once again. This time we did a much larger area - actually we replaced nearly every floor in our 2500 square foot home, with engineered hardwood in most of the downstairs, then carpet on stairway (very expensive, because it was a patterned special sort of flooring) and carpet in the two upstairs bedrooms (not cheap but not the most expensive). Total cost was $17,000 and there wasn't THAT much carpet involved - maybe 1/4 of the total space. So yeah. Expensive. But we love it. It's four years old now and we still love it. Absolutely zero issues.
Thanks.
I think I can deal with the 4K lowest cost, I just am having heartburn over the installation I guess. I AM getting a very nice patterned carpet on my stairs - so I know what you mean about that. I think I am looking forward to that more than anything. I ripped off the old carpet early last summer while finishing up painting, and I am over the bare wood stairs!
I was wondering how you folks got your own floors done (DIY, company, bought flooring yourself, etc...) and if the costs exceeded what you had initially planned to spend? How did you decided on a product (so few reviews on engineered flooring)?
Did you have any issues afterward?
DIY, but I am reasonably handy. There is a minor amount of tool aptitude required in dealing with corners and doorways. If you own things like a miter saw, you can easily do it. If you don’t know what a miter saw is, you probably want to hire somebody.
It is hard to say what a reasonable price is without knowing the cost of materials. I assume that the $4-$7k includes flooring, if it doesn’t that is a completely absurd price. Although I am not a contractor, so you shouldn’t take my estimates as particularly knowledgeable, I would think installation in the range of $750-$1000 would be fair. That assumes a fairly simple room layout and should include new base molding, with you doing the painting afterwards.
For the record, I agree with other posters. I hate engineered wood and would not install it in my home again. It is a disposable flooring product, and real hardwood floors are superior.
If the house is on a slab, you have to use engineered. The top layer is real wood.
To the OP - when looking at engineered woods, look at the thickness of the top layer. Some of the cheaper ones are so thin they can not be refinished if needed. The thicker ones can be refinished once or twice. That may be the cause of the cost difference you are seeing. Or the cost difference could be due to the type of wood.
And my engineered hardwood floors are ALL "real wood." The top layer is thick enough to be refinished at least once as well, not that I'll do that. They look and feel great four years after we installed them.
Honestly, I felt like this option was moderately priced. The travertine we put down in the kitchen and breakfast room was more expensive than the engineered hardwood. Per square foot, that dang carpet on the stairway was probably the most expensive floor covering in the entire house!
I am wondering if some people are confusing engineered hardwood (which is glued down) with laminate flooring. No comparison. I had laminate flooring (I didn't put it down) in a previous home and HATED it. Hated the way it felt, hated the way it looked, hated the way it sounded when I walked across it.
Engineered hardwoods can be beautiful and can hold up well. We have two big dogs and eight grandkids and ours look really good and all I do is sweep or vacuum and very occasionally go over them with a damp mop (not a wet mop).
It's like antique veneer furniture - some of it's crap and some of it's good quality. You just have to know what to look for. Ask to see a cut section of the engineered hardwood so you can see how thick the upper layer is. But I'm like you - I'm never refinishing these floors. I have had solid hardwood floors several times in my life and refinished one whole house of floors and after that one experience - NEVER AGAIN.
I think I can deal with the 4K lowest cost, I just am having heartburn over the installation I guess. I AM getting a very nice patterned carpet on my stairs - so I know what you mean about that. I think I am looking forward to that more than anything. I ripped off the old carpet early last summer while finishing up painting, and I am over the bare wood stairs!
Oh I hope you love yours as much as we love ours (stairs AND other floors, but I'm talking about the stairs). Since our stairs come down into our foyer, you see them front and center in the house, and I wanted to make a statement, so we sprung for it. Worth every penny.
Because my research has shown that engineered is a better value, and will hold up better too.
It will not hold up better. I don't know how you compute value, but real wood can be refinished more than once, if need be. There are original wood floors in many 50 year old homes now.
Engineered wood might last 20 years or perhaps a few more if you buy a quality product.
If the house is on a slab, you have to use engineered. The top layer is real wood.
No you don't. They use 3/4" tongue and groove plywood, laid over a vapor barrier, and attached to the slab with powder-actuated anchors, as the subfloor, then nail the tongue and groove flooring to that as per normal. Been there, done that. Best method.
It will not hold up better. I don't know how you compute value, but real wood can be refinished more than once, if need be. There are original wood floors in many 50 year old homes now.
Engineered wood might last 20 years or perhaps a few more if you buy a quality product.
And hope you don't have a water leak when the whole mess comes unlaminated.
And hope you don't have a water leak when the whole mess comes unlaminated.
That's what homeowner's insurance is for. If you have a water leak on a solid hardwood floor, it's likely to be damaged as well.
People go on and on about how many times a hardwood floor can be refinished but good gravy, what a hassle that is. I mean, life altering hassle. Realistically speaking, most people are not going to do that more than once to a floor at best.
Solid hardwood is nice, don't get me wrong, but many engineered hardwood floors are nice too, and a valid option for most people. This is the second house we've laid engineered hardwood down in, and I couldn't be happier with the durability! ALL wood floors of all types can be scratched, damaged, etc.
One thing I really like about engineered hardwood is that if a piece gets severely damaged, it's fairly easy to replace that one piece. I mean, I'd call a professional but still - no need to try to match up or blend finishes, widths, etc. I have an extra box in the attic if the need ever arises but so far so good.
People, engineered IS "real wood". Plywood is real wood last I checked and quality engineered has a veneer that can be refinished at least once.
The OP stated that cost was a factor (and there's nothing wrong with that), so why people would advise to spend more for solid wood is beyond me.
OP, you might want to look into the better quality laminates. the thick ones can withstand quite a bit and they do a great job of mimicking wood. I loved the laminate floors we owned at our previous house and with a dog, wood flooring SUCKS.
It will not hold up better. I don't know how you compute value, but real wood can be refinished more than once, if need be. There are original wood floors in many 50 year old homes now.
Engineered wood might last 20 years or perhaps a few more if you buy a quality product.
I will not ever refinish my wood floor; it’s not anything I would ever even consider. That said, most good engineered floors CAN be refinished, at least once, depending upon their top layer thickness.
We have terribly hot, humid summers here, and engineered wood is recommended by most of the flooring companies here. It is much more stable in our environment.
Last edited by ChessieMom; 02-07-2018 at 09:37 AM..
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