Should I Replace My Hardwood Floors In Kitchen (and adjacent foyer)?
lilacinjust
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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lilacinjust
7 years agoRelated Discussions
My dishwasher is warping my hardwood floor! Replacement needed.
Comments (12)I can't speak for Bosch because I don't have one but I would still investigate the Bosch especially since they have just released their new 2007 models. You will see them on their web site, but perhaps not in the store yet. I bet it can clean pans without you tilting them on any angle. I have a Miele without a food grinder and have had them going on 11 years without a grinder. This lack of grinder is not really a big deal unless you are going to use your dishwasher like a garbage disposer and even the models with a grinder tell you to scrape the dishes before putting them in the DW. Also I think there is an LG Model that has a soak feature which seems good for pans but I don't know the price range. Also appliance store people really don't know that much sometimes so it is best to do your own investigation...order some brochures from the makers. Another thing to do is go to the bosch and LG and any other makers web site and download the owners manual...you can get a lot of information about what you are going to run into by reading the owners manual before you purchase the product....See MoreLuxury vinyl planks in foyer adjacent to real hardwoods?
Comments (42)Hi. I did something like this in my house. I have a split level. I put Biscayne Oak from Coretec down next to oak stairs. The vinyl extends out down the hallway and into a bathroom and family room. This whole level of the house is the same. It looked the best color wise next to the oak stairs. I put the vinyl over where the tile is as there are 2 layers of tile and demo for that was costly. I am thinking to do the same floor in the upstairs hallway and kitchen, which again is all hardwood floors same color as the stairs. I am nervous to do this in the kitchen and upstairs hallway, but the bathrooms all have the coretech vinyl floor because again 2 layers of tile, and cost. I dont think it looks bad with what you want to do. I will say this, cleaning these coretec floors is heaven :) so easy...See More100+ year old hardwoods need replacing--engineered vs hardwood
Comments (4)Wood vs. Engineered Wood? No contest in this case. If the home was built in 1905, put real hardwood in. This preserves the integrity of the home's building materials. Plus, as you can see from the age of these floors, higher grades (i.e. thicker) hardwood can be sanded several times; you usually don't get even one chance to sand engineered wood. The hardwood layer at the top of this multilayered product is simply too thin. Level Floors and Subfloors There are ways to level a subfloor, ranging from replacing parts of the subfloor with thicker or thinner sheets of plywood (or planks, see below), to pour-on leveling compounds that harden to make the entire floor level. What you use to level uneven areas depends on what the subflooring is. If it is plywood or concrete, the compound works. But more likely with this home, on floors at or above grade, there will be wood planks laid at a diagonal across the floor joists. So in your home, the layers were probably joists first, then subfloor planks of wood, then hardwood with tongue & groove joints. You cannot effectively use a pour-on leveling compound on a plank subfloor, as there are cracks between the planks. However, you can lay a new hardwood floor directly on a wood plank subfloor as long as those planks are sound and relatively level. Replace individual planks that have been damaged by water or insects, are otherwise compromised, or even missing (it happens!), with either new planks of lumber, or with plywood of the same thickness as the planks. Any lumber you install, for either the subfloor or finished flooring, should be brought in to your home several days prior to installation, so the materials acclimatize to your typical interior temperature and humidity. Unlike for ceramic or porcelain tile, the subfloor does not have to be perfectly level. And unlike vinyl sheeting, planks or tiles, the hardwood won't "telegraph" minor differences in height, and minor surface irregularities, so the subfloor doesn't have to be absolutely perfect; it should be sound, strong, uniform and essentially level. Your flooring contractor can give you specifics on what upgrades your subfloor may need once the original hardwood is removed. Joists If the floor is significantly not level in parts, or if certain areas feel spongy when you walk on them, I recommend you have your flooring contractor, a home inspector, or structural engineer inspect the subflooring and especially the floor joists. You don't want to invest in a new floor, only to have it become damaged because some joists weren't attended to. Transitions Transitions (a.k.a. thresholds or molding) between existing rooms and the new floor ought to be made of the same wood and same finish (stain, polyurethane, etc.) as the new flooring you are putting down. As wood ages, the finish becomes darker, so trying to make the transitions match the finishes of existing floors is very difficult and not recommended (what will match those floors right now won't match later after your transitions age up a bit). Eventually, the transitions wouldn't match either the new or the old floors! Transitions come in four types: reducer (when the two floors being joined are of different heights), seam binder (when the floors are the same height, and the boards from each are very close to one another), T-mold (when the two floors are the same height, but there is a crack between the two rooms' flooring) and stair nose or stair edger (when the flooring needs to curve around the front of a stair's "tread"--the flat part of a stair upon which you tread!). The transitions for your particular project can be ordered when you order the hardwood, so make sure to include measurements for those doorways/entrances. The contractor can tell you if he/she anticipates there will be a height difference or gap between the floorings, which would require those particular transitions. Dry Air Concerns Consult a local lumber supplier or flooring contractor familiar with your local climate conditions to discuss finishes or other tips for keeping your wood floors healthy in the dry winters. Sounds wonderful! Have fun!...See MoreReplacing wood flooring. Should I choose laminate or hard wood?
Comments (21)If you want something that is waterproof, they do make AquaGuard or NuCore laminate flooring that is made with recycled rubber. You could also go with a wood look tile option. But you could never really go wrong with a hardwood floor to increase the value of your home. Just throwing a few options into the ring. Check out Floor & Decor if you're interested in a waterproof LAMINATE. - Woodruff Floors, LLC...See Morelilacinjust
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