Hardwood v Laminate flooring

[BabyMine]

I am putting together a list for updating our home in the next 5 years. I can't decide which is better. Currently we have 4 cats and a dog (german shepard). Is there any brand/type you recommend? I am looking for light color woods.

[sariana]

I would go with real hardwood. We had 3/4" oak floors in our last house, and they were wonderful. We have laminate now (it was already here when we bought the house), and I hate it. It is difficult to clean (and keep clean), and it just doesn't "feel" right to me.

Although we did not live in the house long enough to need to do this, we always liked knowing that the 3/4" oak could be sanded and refinished if necessary. You can't do that with laminate or with most pre-fab wood floors, even if it is real wood.

[bnme]

I would get hardwood if it was in my budget. I have some laminate (Pergo) and I actually like it but would've got wood if it were in my budget and my house wasn't on a slab. I think laminate is very easy to clean. But it is annoying with pets because they don't get ant traction on it and I think it is noisier (with their claws).

[c&j04]

Laminate is noisier and "colder" IMO. After I had wet feet and did massive wipeouts 2x, DH now knows that I will never let him put laminate in one of our houses without some persuasion :)

[BabyMine]

I would get hardwood if it was in my budget. I have some laminate (Pergo) and I actually like it but would've got wood if it were in my budget and my house wasn't on a slab. I think laminate is very easy to clean. But it is annoying with pets because they don't get ant traction on it and I think it is noisier (with their claws).

We would be putting it on slab.

[BillK]

I am putting together a list for updating our home in the next 5 years. I can't decide which is better. Currently we have 4 cats and a dog (german shepard). Is there any brand/type you recommend? I am looking for light color woods.

We got all of ours from Sheoga Flooring (http://www.sheogaflooring.com)

Character Grade Maple:

http://btz.smugmug.com/Other/Bens-Room/DSC7385/238438595_j9hDk-M.jpg

Character Grade Hickory (my favorite):

http://btz.smugmug.com/Other/Remodeling-Project-July-2007/200707310127/179165091_cuki6-M.jpg

[JTsMom]

We did our own laminate. We decided to go that way for a few reasons. First, we were putting it on a slab, and we figured there was no way we could handle putting our own hardwood down on that. Second, I was very worried about scratches. We tend to be really hard on things, and I knew it would be seriously scratched inside of a year. Third, we got an amazing deal on some really nice Mohawk laminate. It definitely makes a difference what type you buy. We were renting before we moved here, and the laminate in the house was really bottom of the line stuff. It looked cheap and junky, and you could see from a mile away that it was laminate. You could even see where the dividing lines were, and that they had 3 "pieces" on a plank.

The stuff we bought is 1 piece per plank. The pieces are more randomized as far as color and pattern as well.

I posted pics of our kitchen in this thread:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=350379&highlight=backsplash

and you can see some of the flooring there. We did our entire first floor.

[BabyMine]

Bill, that is gorgeous. I love the hickory. Did you install it yourself?

[BabyMine]

We did our own laminate. We decided to go that way for a few reasons. First, we were putting it on a slab, and we figured there was no way we could handle putting our own hardwood down on that. Second, I was very worried about scratches. We tend to be really hard on things, and I knew it would be seriously scratched inside of a year. Third, we got an amazing deal on some really nice Mohawk laminate. It definitely makes a difference what type you buy. We were renting before we moved here, and the laminate in the house was really bottom of the line stuff. It looked cheap and junky, and you could see from a mile away that it was laminate. You could even see where the dividing lines were, and that they had 3 "pieces" on a plank.

The stuff we bought is 1 piece per plank. The pieces are more randomized as far as color and pattern as well.

I posted pics of our kitchen in this thread:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=350379&highlight=backsplash

and you can see some of the flooring there. We did our entire first floor.

Wow! I love your kitchen. How does your laminate deal with scratches? Do you like having it in your kitchen? We were thinking of either wood or slate/ceramic in the kitchen.

[boolady]

We did our own laminate. We decided to go that way for a few reasons. First, we were putting it on a slab, and we figured there was no way we could handle putting our own hardwood down on that. Second, I was very worried about scratches. We tend to be really hard on things, and I knew it would be seriously scratched inside of a year. Third, we got an amazing deal on some really nice Mohawk laminate. It definitely makes a difference what type you buy. We were renting before we moved here, and the laminate in the house was really bottom of the line stuff. It looked cheap and junky, and you could see from a mile away that it was laminate. You could even see where the dividing lines were, and that they had 3 "pieces" on a plank.

The stuff we bought is 1 piece per plank. The pieces are more randomized as far as color and pattern as well.

I posted pics of our kitchen in this thread:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=350379&highlight=backsplash

and you can see some of the flooring there. We did our entire first floor.


We also have Mohawk laminate, on a slab, and are very happy with it. It might even be exactly what you have in the photo. It was at the higher end of the laminate price range, but seems to have been worth it. We also put in a higher grade underpad, which definitely makes the sound and feel a bit different than some that was in a house friends of ours owned-- it doesn't echo or sound hollow. I wash it with vinegar and water in a spray bottle, and rub with a clean cotton or microfiber cloth in the direction of the grain. It always looks great.

[BillK]

Bill, that is gorgeous. I love the hickory. Did you install it yourself?
Thank you - we're very happy with our hardwood.

No - we had a flooring contractor do the first floor - he charged $2/sq. ft. to install it.

He later came back and did Ben's room with that maple and I helped him for a discounted price.

[AnnieW625]

Our house is almost all hardwood floors (originals from when the house was built) with the exception of the kitchen/laundry area and our bathroom. Both DH and I love the look of hardwood. We have area rugs in our living area, hallway, and our bedrooms. Now if I wanted the look of wood in the kitchen I'd most likely do laminate. My grandma has had it in her kitchen for 15 yrs. and has been very happy. It connects to hardwood in the rest of the house and looks pretty seamless.

Now I will say as far as laminate goes if you go overboard it looks bad. My inlaws have done this twice, first with their old house and now with their new house. They put laminate in their entire house which is slab on grade and it just doesn't look right. It's cold, and for where they live (middle western Wyoming) you need to wear socks all of the time. I will say that for them it does make sense because it is dusty so for the living areas which are right off the porch it's okay, but for the rest of the house it just doesn't. If they had just left it in their kitchen and dining room and carpeted the home it would've looked better, but that's just my opinion. They used a darker laminate (this mahogony one I believe: http://www.pergo.com/en-gb/Consumer/Products/Laminate-floors/) than what JT's mom used in her kitchen so maybe it's just more obvious that it's not real wood. I would've never guessed that what JT'smom used was laminate, that's beautiful.

Also price out wood vs. laminate. Just by reading the ads the price of Pergo doesn't seem that much cheaper than wood, but of course that is with out installation and such.

[JTsMom]

Thanks guys- yeah, we're really happy with it so far. We've only lived here for about a month, but so far, we've had ZERO scratches, and we've even done things like drag furniture across it! It's extremely durable, and it has a texture to it, so I think if it did scratch, it would be pretty hidden anyway.

Even in person, people are complimenting us on our "hardwood", so I think it was the right choice for us. Even though I would've love some really gorgeous distressed hardwood, I know that practically, we're far better off with something that can withstand our abuse and still look good, than we would've been with something that would've looked good for a short time, and then show a ton of scratches.

No problems with it in the kitchen or 1/2 bathroom at all. I wouldn't put it in a full bath b/c I'd be afraid of water damage, but in the kitchen, it's been fine. I frequently spill liquid, and I just make sure to wipe it up promptly- no issues.

Like Jen, we went for the upgraded underlay, and it was very well worth the cost. We have zero floor noise. It's easy to clean- I usually use my Shark steam mop, and go in the direction of the planks. Vinegar works well on it as well. If I could, I'd rip out every square inch of carpet and put it in everywhere! I just love that we don't have to worry about dust and dirt being trapped, or staining.

It is cooler than carpet, but not super cold. We have tile in our master bath upstairs, and that is FREEZING cold, and it's not even on the slab. It's also less comfortable to stand on for long periods, ime. I think slate is really beautiful, but for the amount of time I spend in the kitchen, I'd be worried about the comfort factor. Of course, so much of that depends on the climate too.

[truly scrumptious]

We had a similar choice to make when we moved into our house and we decided to go with hardwood for a few reasons:
- Hardwood can be refinished (like a PP said) so after a few years of living in it, you can restore it. This is not an option with laminate - it needs to be replaced.
- We have some friends who have a dog, and we saw how much their floors got scratched up by her running around in the house.
- We are planning to possibly expand the house at some point, which would mean turning the main floor into a construction zone for a few months. We were told that hardwood could withstand abuse like that and be refinished so it would be one less thing to replace when we expand. Laminate would need to be replaced.
- Our RE agent told us that hardwood would increase the resale value of the house.

We went with hardwood, got a great deal. Four years later it still looks great, and it has survived all our adventures, including a kitchen remodel.
(BTW, we put ceramic tile in our kitchen, and we were concerned about it being cold because we have a slab too. We invested in this (http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-Under-Floor-Heating-Under-Floor-Warming/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh3Zb97j/R-100075544/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053) under-floor heating system and it has been the BEST investment of our lives. Nothing like standing on a warm kitchen floor...mmmmm.)

Good luck!

[BabyMine]

(BTW, we put ceramic tile in our kitchen, and we were concerned about it being cold because we have a slab too. We invested in this (http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-Under-Floor-Heating-Under-Floor-Warming/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh3Zb97j/R-100075544/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053) under-floor heating system and it has been the BEST investment of our lives. Nothing like standing on a warm kitchen floor...mmmmm.)

Good luck!

Would/can you put the heating system under hardwood? Has the heating system increased your electric bill? I have been eyeing a heating system but I didn't know about the increase, if any, with the electric bill.


******Another question for anyone. Would you do a room at a time or wait and do the whole house. I was thinking of starting in M's room becasue of his allergies/asthma but I was worried about matching the wood when we did another room.

[JTsMom]

I'd say it depends. I would be concerned about matching, especially if you pick something somewhat unique. Are you planning on DIY (it would save you about 1/2 the cost, but it's not super-easy)? If so, you have to really think about how long it's going to take. We did ours before we moved in, and we started with slab, so we didn't have to remove anything. We didn't have to move furniture, or worry about living in the midst of the chaos. Even so, it took a lot longer than we thought it would. On the other hand, at least it was done and over with. We have enough leftover stuff to do another room, but we still haven't "recovered" enough to tackle that! LOL

Depending on your budget, and how much room you have, you could always buy the materials and knock out a little at a time.

My nephew was having some serious issues with allergies, and my sister ripped out the carpet in his room, and the change was amazing. He started to get better almost instantaneously, so I can definitely see where you're coming from. That's one of the reasons I'm so anti-carpet now, in fact.

[infomama]

We have two dogs and two cats and Pergo throughout....love it. That being said a Df of mine has hickory hardwood throughout her home (same number of pets) and it is beautiful. Either way I don't think you can go wrong.

[truly scrumptious]

Would/can you put the heating system under hardwood? Has the heating system increased your electric bill? I have been eyeing a heating system but I didn't know about the increase, if any, with the electric bill.


******Another question for anyone. Would you do a room at a time or wait and do the whole house. I was thinking of starting in M's room becasue of his allergies/asthma but I was worried about matching the wood when we did another room.

I don't know if it is recommended under hardwood, but I wish I'd known about it when we did the floors originally. I'd check the recommendations of whatever brand you're looking at. Also, it isn't cheap - yes, the link I sent you was inexpensive, but with large sq footage it adds up. We spent about $1000 just for our 150 sq foot kitchen. So it might be better to use it in areas that need it most - bathrooms, kitchen, etc. and make do with area rugs elsewhere.

Regarding matching the wood, it depends on whether you're planning to stain it. If not, and you use a pretty widely available type of wood, I wouldn't worry too much.

ETA - forgot to answer your question about electricity. We haven't seen an appreciable increase in electricity (hard to tell because we've done a bunch of energy-saving stuff, which may have been partially offset by the floor warming system.) But the floor warming system has a thermostat that can automatically regulate the temperature, so it doesn't come on in the summer, etc.

[kransden]

Our house in St. Louis had hardwood. The original from 1923 downstairs and new upstairs we had installed. We never had a problem, just get a heavy duty coating on it. Here, because of the termite problem, I think we will rip out the carpeting and put in laminate. The climate isn't conducive to hardwood either, otherwise I would get it again in a heartbeat!

[Momit]

We had radiant (under the floor) heat in a previous house and LOVED it. It was there when we moved in so I'm not sure of the installation cost. It feels great on your feet and creates less dust than forced air heat.

We've had both hardwood and laminate floors as well. I don't love the laminate for our dog because she has a hard time getting traction and her nails go clickety-clack all the time. But she hasn't scratched it. We put in a hardwood floor in one room of our old house, and she scratched it pretty badly right in front of the window. We decided not to put it anywhere else in the house for that reason. I guess that's the advantage to doing one room at a time. If you realize it's not what you thought it would be, you aren't stuck with a whole house full of whatever flooring you choose.