Flooring decision - Laminate or Engineered Wood Floor?
John Maher
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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Engineered flooring help - must make a decision
Comments (0)Has anyone heard of a company or used an engineered wood product from Catalinahome.com. We have been searching for flooring and really wanted to use the Anderson Virgina Vintage Herritage. The color was a little too red and was having trouble finding another color in that line. We saw this Catalina flooring that has a french bleed (Charlston Collection). We love the color but I am concerned about the durability. Any help would be appreciated. We have a golden retriever and two kids I don't expect the wood to stay perfect, but still want to get the most durable product I can find....See MoreLaminate, Engineered, Vinyl or Real Wood Floors?
Comments (13)I add my vote to solid wood flooring. We installed 3 in x 3/4 inch planks ourselves and love everything about them. We did oak in the main living areas, and solid brazillian walnut in the kitchen. Two very different looks and different benefits but equally beautiful. Obviously, the oak hides dirt a little better. It's prefinished and is wearing beautifully. We take the necessary steps to protect it by removing our shoes at the door and using soft pads on the feet of our furniture. The Walnut is in the kitchen & dining area and is amazing. We get compliments on it all the time because it's different. It's not stained, that dark color is completely through the wood, so scratches don't show very easily and when we do have to refinish it, all we'll need to do is put some poly on it and it will look exactly the way that it does now. It's one of the hardest woods there and very durable. The reason we went with the solid flooring is because we felt it would be more durable, it will last a life time and it can be sanded several times. I have family members who have laminate, and with all do respect to those who have it, it looked fake to us, we could see the repeat of patterns and hated that fake sound when walking on it. Although many will disagree with me, engineered (which implies man made) wood seemed flimsy and fake as well. I know it has "wood" veneers but we didn't want to pay so much money for a thin piece of wood glued to a cheaper piece of wood. That just didn't make sense to us. Especially because of it's limited life span when compared to the solid wood....See Moreflooring 3 1/4 hard wood versus 6 inch engineered wood floor
Comments (5)When it comes to "trends" vs. "timelessness" you want to look at your personal timeline for selling. Are you planning to sell in the next 5-7 years? If so, go with the trend and ignore your own tastes. If you sell in a few years then you are not buying/constructing the home for yourself. You are creating it for the NEXT buyer. If you are in it for the long haul (7+ years) then you put in the floor that makes YOU happy and that makes YOU smile and that makes YOU feel better about your choices. If you want flooring that can be "extended" into other areas for a later remodel (like in 10 years time) then work with the 3" product. It will be around for a long, long, long time. Wide planks are trending HEAVILY right now. They come and go. And if you are in there for 10+ years, you will want to have the option of refinishing so that when it comes time to sell, you can update your floors for $5/sf instead of having to pay someone to rip out and replace the floors ($10+ per square foot for a job like that)....See MoreStruggling with Engineered Wood Floor Decision. Any help appreciated.
Comments (31)@Trish Walter Wow, they are gorgeous! I love the amount of character and color and the plank width. I ordered several samples of the Hurst Hardwoods Engineered French Oak, but the colors were way off from what was represented on the website pictures. I mean way off, like a completely different color...a grey rather than a brown. And what were supposed to be four very different colors all looked almost exactly the same. I didn't ask for Riverstone, but maybe I will talk with them about getting a few more samples and see if anything works. My husband is doing the install, too, to save money. I don't want to get the HH unfinished and have him also have to do the staining and finishing on top of installing. Thanks so much for sharing the info and the pictures. Enjoy your beautiful floors!...See MoreSJ McCarthy
6 years agoJohn Maher
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoKim Q
6 years agoSJ McCarthy
6 years agoJudyG Designs
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
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