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meg_wilson2

Confused about flooring.... (Super confused.)

Project Tackler
7 years ago

(cross-posted; other forum space had too much traffic and post kept getting lost in the shuffle.

:-)

We are needing to make a decision on wood flooring within the next couple of weeks so we can get it here in time to acclimate and install before cabinets go in. Replacing vinyl laminate and berber with wood flooring into an all-in-one kitchen/dining room/keeping room space, and down the hallway.

We moved into this house from a house that had engineered wood flooring (Shaw brand) in about 60% of the house. We replaced laminate flooring with this flooring after a water filtration device busted under the sink and flooded the main floor (it was split-level). Was told by numerous people that engineered hardwoods is what we needed for more durability, ability to hold up to drips and small spills, pets, and children. I was VASTLY disappointed.

Within a couple of weeks our floors had small white scratches on them, despite having pads under all chair and table legs. Even a bread crumb or grain of sand or dirt that was caught UNDER the chair pad caused a white scratch to appear with little effort). We wiped up drips and spills immediately, but occasionally our ice maker on the fridge door would send off tiny shards of tiny ice pieces when we filled our glass -- and those made the floor buckle. I mopped very seldomly and only did so with a hardly-wet microfiber mop with a spray bottle misting now and then -- but within a few months, the edges of the floor's planks were buckling, lifting, splintering. Walking on the floors with socks, the splintered edges would grab our socks and either tear a hole in a sock OR our sock would further rip off the top layer of finish in flakes. Lastly, it was a semi-gloss sheen and bare toe prints were everywhere, all the time.

I want something more rustic this time. Something that already looks 100 years old, more matte, with dings and dents and texture so that I won't freak out when I drop the inevitable knife or spoon while unloading the dishwasher, or walk across it once with high heels (despite having a 99% no-shoes-inside policy).

Reading reviews, it seems like the pro sites are 50/50 regarding engineered vs. pre-finished SOLID hardwood flooring for high-traffic areas. Those with harder woods than oak (like hickory, etc.) say that they scratch just as easily as other, softer woods. I can't find any solid pre-finished hardwoods in the dark, espresso color we're after cheaper than $10/sqft. (our renovation budget is $7 per square foot, and that includes installation by our contractor.)

And then there's bamboo. It's gorgeous! Comes in the colors and textures we have been searching for. The Cali brand's samples are dreamy. Imagine my deflated hopes when we returned home, samples in hand, only to read reviews and warnings about humidity, shrinking, warping, fading, inability of many to install b/c of hardness....

Is all engineered hardwood going to be like the stuff we had before, described above? Is solid, pre-finished hardwood worth the price? And worth sacrificing the finishes and grain we really like? Is bamboo a death sentence?

I am honestly at a loss as to what to do. There seems to be NO perfect option. (Even when I briefly considered tile, people warned me it's not good for people with back pain/getting older. So that's out. :-)

I just want to get flooring that will last at least 5-7 years that we will be happy with, that we won't feel like we have to tiptoe around (and that won't blow our budget).

Anyone able to help me with all of the conflicting info/opinions? Thanks in advance, everyone!

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