Prefinished hardwood flooring

[khalloc]

We are thinking about having hardwoods installed on our 2nd floor. Right now its all carpeting upstairs in the bedrooms/hallway. Our 1st floor is all hardwoods. My neighbor works at a flooring company. So I have been chatting with him about costs. He recommends prefinished hardwood floors because its easier, and the cost ends up being cheaper than having to finish them on-site.

BUT I've had prefinished hardwood before, many years ago and I hated the grooves between the boards. I know prefinished wood has come a long way since 2002 and the grooves have gotten microscopic, but I dont want to regret my choice. We had our 1st floor refinished a few years ago and I loved it, but it has worn down in high traffic areas, like in front of the fridge. We have a labrador retriever so I know her nails can also do a bit of damage. Supposedly the prefinished wood finish is harder. We do have prefinished maple in our sunken living room and it has held up pretty well.

So are you happy with your prefinished? Or do you wish you had them finished on site? Obviously prefinished would be easier and we could walk on them right away.

[twowhat?]

IMO the only time you really should finish hardwood floors on site is if you are refinishing existing hardwood floors. If you're replacing flooring, totally go with prefinished. The factory finish is harder/more durable, you don't have to deal with dust, fumes, and chemicals, installation is fast. We had to replace our entire downstairs wood floors (we had a slab leak) and chose engineered hardwood (prefinished) and they installed all 1400 sq ft in 2 days - including demo of the existing floor! SO fast. And it looks amazing and we love it. We have a dog, not as big as a lab, but it's holding up great. Our installers said that if you want wood and pets, the best thing you can do is to pick an option with more texture/variation in the wood because that hides scratches. We chose a light almost driftwood-ish color that has tones of warm golden blondes and grays in a slightly rustic finish. It looks amazing in our modern styled home, and it hides EVERYTHING! Dust, dog hair, dirt... The grooves are very very tight. Our dog throws up on them, and I can wipe it up completely clean, even along the plank seams, the grooves are tight enough that stuff doesn't seep. Our kids like to sock-skate over the floors, which is a good demonstration of how smooth the surface is. People who walk into our house for the first time always comment on the floors. I love that it's bright and airy and not that traditional medium or darker wood.

eta: for an upstairs though, think about the extra sound wood will make...there's no way wood floors would work in our upstairs because you'd hear people walking up there (it's a loft-like area).

[123LuckyMom]

IMO the only time you really should finish hardwood floors on site is if you are refinishing existing hardwood floors. If you're replacing flooring, totally go with prefinished. The factory finish is harder/more durable, you don't have to deal with dust, fumes, and chemicals, installation is fast. We had to replace our entire downstairs wood floors (we had a slab leak) and chose engineered hardwood (prefinished) and they installed all 1400 sq ft in 2 days - including demo of the existing floor! SO fast. And it looks amazing and we love it. We have a dog, not as big as a lab, but it's holding up great. Our installers said that if you want wood and pets, the best thing you can do is to pick an option with more texture/variation in the wood because that hides scratches. We chose a light almost driftwood-ish color that has tones of warm golden blondes and grays in a slightly rustic finish. It looks amazing in our modern styled home, and it hides EVERYTHING! Dust, dog hair, dirt... The grooves are very very tight. Our dog throws up on them, and I can wipe it up completely clean, even along the plank seams, the grooves are tight enough that stuff doesn't seep. Our kids like to sock-skate over the floors, which is a good demonstration of how smooth the surface is. People who walk into our house for the first time always comment on the floors. I love that it's bright and airy and not that traditional medium or darker wood.

eta: for an upstairs though, think about the extra sound wood will make...there's no way wood floors would work in our upstairs because you'd hear people walking up there (it's a loft-like area).

I don’t mean to hijack, but would you consider sharing specifically what you used, maybe by PM? It sounds like exactly what we’re looking for, and I’d love to have a personal recommendation!


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[KrisM]

I don’t mean to hijack, but would you consider sharing specifically what you used, maybe by PM? It sounds like exactly what we’re looking for, and I’d love to have a personal recommendation!


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Me too, please! Especially the color. We have dark wood in our dining room and I hate it. It stays clean looking for about 12 seconds.

[twowhat?]

It's this floor, the color is "Aspen Hills" though I feel like in our house it looks lighter than in the stock photos on their website- definitely bring samples INTO your house and place it in different areas with different lighting. It makes a big difference, just like paint, and what looks good in a showroom with fluorescent lighting is going to look shockingly different once you bring it in the front door of your house.
https://www.naturallyagedflooring.co...on/aspen-hills

A local flooring company first showed us the sample (it was the LAST sample we saw, still boxed up in their back office, after trying probably 20 other samples) and our designer, when she first saw it, immediately said "that's the one." Our installers LOVED it and seemed to really enjoy installing it, saying it was easy to cut and lay. And also I think they were just happy to be installing a floor that wasn't like everyone else's

The dog has puked on it, and puke has sat for days until it was dry (because I didn't know). I had to let it soak in Nature's Miracle in order to soften it up and scrape it off and it cleaned up with NO STAIN. I was so happy, because you know how that yellow bile is...

And here it is in our house. In the first pic you see it in lots of natural north- and south- facing light. In the second pic, there's very little natural light.
Attachment 4764
Attachment 4765

[123LuckyMom]

It's this floor, the color is "Aspen Hills" though I feel like in our house it looks lighter than in the stock photos on their website- definitely bring samples INTO your house and place it in different areas with different lighting. It makes a big difference, just like paint, and what looks good in a showroom with fluorescent lighting is going to look shockingly different once you bring it in the front door of your house.
https://www.naturallyagedflooring.co...on/aspen-hills

A local flooring company first showed us the sample (it was the LAST sample we saw, still boxed up in their back office, after trying probably 20 other samples) and our designer, when she first saw it, immediately said "that's the one." Our installers LOVED it and seemed to really enjoy installing it, saying it was easy to cut and lay. And also I think they were just happy to be installing a floor that wasn't like everyone else's

The dog has puked on it, and puke has sat for days until it was dry (because I didn't know). I had to let it soak in Nature's Miracle in order to soften it up and scrape it off and it cleaned up with NO STAIN. I was so happy, because you know how that yellow bile is...

And here it is in our house. In the first pic you see it in lots of natural north- and south- facing light. In the second pic, there's very little natural light.
Attachment 4764
Attachment 4765

Thank you so much! I didn’t love it in their marketing pictures, but it is GORGEOUS in your home!!! Congratulations on a stunning choice!


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[khalloc]

that does look really nice in your house. What exactly is engineered hardwood flooring? I feel like I have read that it’s basically a thinner amount of wood on top and then engineered board underneath? Can you only refinish it once or something like that? What is the benefit of that over traditional 3/4” solid hardwood? Is it cheaper?

We already have solid hardwood in the entire downstairs so I had just assumed go with something similar, although maybe the prefinished route. Our downstairs floors are mostly red oak with a light golden brown stain, except our sunken living room is natural maple. I would like to go slightly darker upstairs, maybe more brown than golden, but I also don’t want to have A bunch of different flooring colors.

[twowhat?]

Thank you so much! I didn’t love it in their marketing pictures, but it is GORGEOUS in your home!!! Congratulations on a stunning choice!

Baby Bargains

Those stock photos are weirding me out because they look TERRIBLE!!! If you do a search on Facebook for "Naturally Aged Flooring Aspen Hills" you'll get lots of real pics from installers or individuals.

that does look really nice in your house. What exactly is engineered hardwood flooring? I feel like I have read that it’s basically a thinner amount of wood on top and then engineered board underneath? Can you only refinish it once or something like that? What is the benefit of that over traditional 3/4” solid hardwood? Is it cheaper?

We already have solid hardwood in the entire downstairs so I had just assumed go with something similar, although maybe the prefinished route. Our downstairs floors are mostly red oak with a light golden brown stain, except our sunken living room is natural maple. I would like to go slightly darker upstairs, maybe more brown than golden, but I also don’t want to have A bunch of different flooring colors.

Yes, engineered wood has a veneer of real hardwood glued on top of engineered wood board. It's less prone to warping, and so it can be used in kitchens (we have it throughout our main areas downstairs, including the kitchen). The number of times you can refinish it depends on the thickness of the veneer. Yes, it's less expensive than hardwood and you can get it in wide plank sizes (and longer planks), which would be much more expensive with solid hardwood. It's more "green" since less real wood is used to manufacture it. The reason you can get wider planks is because the tree is basically spiral cut. If you want that real wood, engineered is probably the way to go because people don't buy a lot of solid hardwood these days - most wood flooring options are engineered.

I would think about your transition (the stairs) when you are trying to figure out what will look good. It also wouldn't be desirable to be able to see both your downstairs wood flooring and your upstairs wood flooring if they don't match, and it sounds like you already have 2 different wood tones downstairs. Also, if your upstairs is currently carpeted, chances are the subfloor isn't prepped for wood, which requires a smooth and level surface to glue down or float on. And definitely think of the noise aspect too. We just added a large office space upstairs and after months of listening to contractors walk around up there on bare subfloor, we went with carpet.

Luxury vinyl plank is another option, and I was impressed with the samples I saw - they truly look like real wood. They are even thinner and really do require a perfect subfloor, and would have the same noise issue as regular wood, but they can be cheaper and many of them are "waterproof" and lock so tightly together that you could spill and not worry about wiping up right away.

[magnoliaparadise]

Love how they look in your house!!

[123LuckyMom]

Those stock photos are weirding me out because they look TERRIBLE!!! If you do a search on Facebook for "Naturally Aged Flooring Aspen Hills" you'll get lots of real pics from installers or individuals.



Yes, engineered wood has a veneer of real hardwood glued on top of engineered wood board. It's less prone to warping, and so it can be used in kitchens (we have it throughout our main areas downstairs, including the kitchen). The number of times you can refinish it depends on the thickness of the veneer. Yes, it's less expensive than hardwood and you can get it in wide plank sizes (and longer planks), which would be much more expensive with solid hardwood. It's more "green" since less real wood is used to manufacture it. The reason you can get wider planks is because the tree is basically spiral cut. If you want that real wood, engineered is probably the way to go because people don't buy a lot of solid hardwood these days - most wood flooring options are engineered.

I would think about your transition (the stairs) when you are trying to figure out what will look good. It also wouldn't be desirable to be able to see both your downstairs wood flooring and your upstairs wood flooring if they don't match, and it sounds like you already have 2 different wood tones downstairs. Also, if your upstairs is currently carpeted, chances are the subfloor isn't prepped for wood, which requires a smooth and level surface to glue down or float on. And definitely think of the noise aspect too. We just added a large office space upstairs and after months of listening to contractors walk around up there on bare subfloor, we went with carpet.

Luxury vinyl plank is another option, and I was impressed with the samples I saw - they truly look like real wood. They are even thinner and really do require a perfect subfloor, and would have the same noise issue as regular wood, but they can be cheaper and many of them are "waterproof" and lock so tightly together that you could spill and not worry about wiping up right away.

Yes to the vinyl! My mother, a designer who’s been featured in architectural digest, is an art collector, and owns two very high end homes (so she’s DEFINITELY a high end kind of gal design-wise) just installed vinyl plank flooring in her new apartment after seeing it in my cousin’s home. Honestly, it’s great looking, and it doesn’t in any way even whisper “cheap” next to her expensive draperies and antiques. It just looks great. I’m seriously considering it for myself. I wish I weren’t as concerned as I am about resale value if we don’t go with a hardwood or bamboo. For our life, though, I’d love to have indestructible, waterproof floors that look great no matter what you throw at them. My kids currently roller blade and scooter around our open plan house with an offset stair. I don’t care because we’re going to replace these floors, but wouldn’t it be great if I didn’t have to care even afterwards!? I’ve gotta say, I’m sorely tempted! DH is not on board.


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