Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
financially we are hoping to diy this project - we are removing carpet throughout the house - the sub-floor is particle board laid on top of plywood. We would most likely put in a floating floor as gluing and nailing may be more than we could do ourselves. I dont like the looks of vinyl or linoleum, tile seems to cold and i hate grout, some laminates are pretty thick these days but could never be refinished.... so we are thinking about the engineered hardwood floors from lowes.
PERGO MAX 5.36-IN W PREFINISHED OAK LOCKING HARDWOOD FLOORING
ACTUAL THICKNESS (INCHES) 0.375
JANKA HARDNESS RATING 1290 (RATING 3) $3.50 sq ft
CALI BAMBOO 4.05-IN W PREFINISHED BAMBOO HARDWOOD FLOORING (JAVA CLICK FOSSILIZED)
ACTUAL THICKNESS (INCHES) 0.39
JANKA HARDNESS RATING 4000
HARDNESS SCALE 5 $3.99 sq ft
We were leaning toward the bamboo but get conflicted information about if it should be installed in the kitchen and bathroom due to possible moisture concerns...i emailed cali bamboo company and they said it would be fine but I still wonder. Same goes for the Pergo Max though as I know moisture is not good for any wood or laminate flooring.
In addition to the moisture concern we have a relative who is in a motorized wheelchair so we need the flooring to be able to hold up to that when she visits.
We only want to do this project once so I would appreciate any and all advise you would share with us.
Thank you in advance.
The softer wood flooring will incur scratches/dents so much more easily, and depending on the lighting and color - may or may not make a visible difference. Our last floor had oak flooring, which was quite soft, I dropped a large screwdriver and it made a visible dent. Quite annoying. So imagine what a heavy, motorized scooter driving around with a rock/pebble stuck in the treads, could do to the floors.
Some folks like the wear and tear look on a floor, we didn't. Just something to consider.
I posted this in the big DIY regrets thread, but I'd never install laminate flooring again. The labor involved is substantially similar to real hardwood. You're still having to cut and fit everything together, the Only real difference (assuming pre-finished hardwood) is tapping on a hammer to secure the floor down. The finished floor though, WORLDS different. We even paid less per sq/ft for the hardwood I installed vs the laminate.
I have no personal experience with engineered wood, though I doubt I'd use it anywhere were I could put down a real wood product. All the cost and effort without the same benefits. Throw in a below grade basement though? Sure, I'd be happy to use an engineered wood in that case.
Given the wheelchair issue, you're never going to have pristine/perfect floors. What you need to consider is how Close to pristine you want them to look after a couple years of use. If very close to perfect, you'll probably want to choose one of the Extremely hard wood options such as Brazilian Walnut (pretty much the hardest wood out there ~ janka 3800 <- standardized test for durability), bamboo tends to test in the janka 1300 range which is similar to oak, ash and beech but CAN rate higher depending on how it's glued together. I'd be curious about the glue-up and water as-well as some glues are completely waterproof while others very much are not.
Or, go back to tile. Vinyl tile can look remarkably good, as in it's hard to tell from looking at it if the surface IS vinyl. All tile is vastly more durable, easier to clean, no worry in wet situations, etc... you don't have to have grout lines either.
I'd give laminate a consideration. I've installed this in some finished basement rooms and was pleased with the results. Trimming to fit wasn't really a huge deal and I was able ot get it laid down fairly quickly.
It's been several years and not a lot of wear really. I picked a few designed that hide scuffs and marks quite well. If at some point I want to change the look, I can just tear it all up.
I've installed both laminate and engineered hardwood floating floors. The laminate goes down faster (planks are bigger). I have two large dogs and they did not damage the laminate over the five years we lived in the house. I personally wouldn't put either laminate or hardwood in a kitchen or bathroom, as neither will stand up to water damage. A damaged laminate floor is almost impossible to repair invisibly; you have to rip the whole thing up and relay it. You can interlace hardwood to remove a damaged section but it is an expensive tedious process.
If I were in your situation, I'd put a high quality wood laminate in the living areas and ceramic or vinyl tile in the kitchen/bath areas. Quality really, really matters -- you might want to take a look at independent flooring retailers rather than relying on Lowes or HD.
Engineered wood flooring IS REAL WOOD. Why do people keep saying otherwise?? If it's not real, then what is it made out of? Engineered = [wood of your choice] veneer over several layers of plyWOOD. The correct term is "solid wood", which is solid throughout. The only perceptible benefit of solid is that because it is solid throughout, you can refinish it many times whereas with engineered, depending on the thickness of the veneer, you can only refinish it a handful of times. Engineered has been recommended for use in places where moisture can be an issue though it is best to wipe up spills with any floor other than tile and vinyl.
Good luck trying to find wood flooring that will not scratch or dent. It will. Take a picture of your newly installed floor because that's the most pristine version you're going to see. It all comes down to your tolerance level..I have floors that have a high Janka and while they may not dent as badly the finish still gets scratched.
My only hesitation with the bamboo is that is not really known to be hard, so I'm surprised that the Janka rating is 4000.
I've installed both laminate and engineered hardwood floating floors. The laminate goes down faster (planks are bigger). I have two large dogs and they did not damage the laminate over the five years we lived in the house. I personally wouldn't put either laminate or hardwood in a kitchen or bathroom, as neither will stand up to water damage. A damaged laminate floor is almost impossible to repair invisibly; you have to rip the whole thing up and relay it. You can interlace hardwood to remove a damaged section but it is an expensive tedious process.
If I were in your situation, I'd put a high quality wood laminate in the living areas and ceramic or vinyl tile in the kitchen/bath areas. Quality really, really matters -- you might want to take a look at independent flooring retailers rather than relying on Lowes or HD.
I had several quotes on an engineered wood floor and a local independent flooring store had the best prices. The big box stores really only want to sell product. They do not like being responsible for installation so they quite often throw "roadblocks" in the way like requiring all kinds or pre prep and additional stuff.
I also agree you should consider ceramic or vinyl in the "wet" areas (kitchen and baths).
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,934,552 times
Reputation: 9885
I have redone the flooring in my house. I love vinyl planks. I didn't want to, but for self-installation, they are so much easier than floating floors--at least for me. I've had them in my downstairs living space for over a year now and they are still beautiful and so easy to clean. I definitely suggest vinyl for the bathroom.
Do you happen to have slab foundation? If so, would painted concrete be an option? It's virtually indestructible. Stained concrete is beautiful, too; but might be too much to do on your own.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
