Engineered wood floor vs. refinishing hardwood

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

We have a beautiful hardwood oak floor, but it is honey oak color and very narrow. We are remodeling our house and debating whether we want to go with the wider plank engineered wood floors (DuChateau) or refinish our old floors which go throughout our kitchen, dining room, and hallways. Thoughts?

Featured Answer

PRO

RappArchitecture

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Agree with everyone about refinishing. Your builder is about as wrong as possible. It sounds like he just wants more profit. I would find a professional floor refinisher and ditch the builder.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

Kaylie
5 years ago
I would definitely refinish. It should be less expensive than installing the engineered floors and will likely hold up better over time. You can always stain them a shade you like better.
PRO
Home Reborn
5 years ago
As long as your original floors still have life in them (i.e., haven't been sanded to the point that the tongue and groove is exposed), I'd recommend refinishing. Cheaper, no demolition required, and you can stain them any colour you like. If it's an older house, I think the original narrow-plank flooring just looks "right."
Related Discussions
engineered wood vs hardwood
Q
Comments (4)
Emerald floors is a very well known spammer! Because of the concerns brought to your attention, a thinner gauge floor is going to be in your best interest. Retrofitting has its nightmares most of the time. Look at all the options and not just what Lowe's or Home Depot have to offer.
...See More
Engineered wood floor vs. hardwood
Q
Comments (4)
I am learning so much from reading the above entries. I am having some people come out in a couple of days to measure my living room in anticipation of laying solid hickory flooring by Allegheny Wood, which is FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council). The local flooring company that handles Allegheny only does on-site finishing and I have been reading that prefinished flooring has an aluminum oxide finish, which is more durable than on-site finishing, so I am concerned about that. I have not made a final decision on the floor, so I have some questions about whether to go ahead with this flooring. Has anyone had any experience with Allegheny, which is owned by the Hickman company in Pennsylvania. I talked to Dennis Hickman over the phone and he seemed very nice. I looked at the hickory flooring that was laid down in the flooring company that handles the wood, and I am wondering if the large variation in colors in the hickory flooring, (sapwood. vs. heartwood, I guess) that I saw would be appropriate in a living room vs. a family room, since it looks kind of rustic, I think. Maybe I can inquire about a stain that I like because I just think the natural finish looks too rustic for my living room. The flooring company also told me that maple does not do as well as hickory or oak in a dry climate like we have here (Denver), or I would have gone with maple. Any advice on these concerns would be much appreciated. Marlene
...See More
engineered hardwood floor over old hardwood floor
Q
Comments (14)
You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood.
...See More
Hardwood floor vs. engineered hardwood?
Q
Comments (27)
Choosing the right flooring type isn't enough for your living condition. You will have to consider the types of cut: flat sawn, rift and quarter sawn, quarter sawn or live sawn. Quarter sawn and rift & quarter sawn will be best choices, because expansion and contraction is along the thickness of the wood. You will need climate control all year round. 70 degrees at 40 % relative humidity is where you want to be throughout the year. The use of a humidifier/dehumidifier will be needed year round. Although, engineered flooring is more stable than solid. Using the wrong wood specie in your living condition can run the risk of de-laminating with engineered wood. If, the top veneer is more or less stable than it's core and backing. You will experience de-laminating in extreme humidity swings. Take in account of what the engineered flooring is constructed of: mdf or plywood. The width of the flooring will account for how much expansion and contracting also. 2 1/4" strips are the most stable. As you go wider, expect to see more wider seasonal gaps. Proper acclimating is critical, should be performed with a moisture meter. For 2 1/4" strip flooring , sub-floor and flooring moisture should be within 4%. For all other widths 2% moisture differentiation is allowed or should not be exceeded. Don't forget proper expansion gaps, which is the thickness of your flooring, example: 3/4" thick = 3/4" gap. Sub-floor type and condition will affect the performance of wood floors. All this needs to be considered for the proper and successful performance of your wood floors.
...See More
girl_wonder
5 years ago
Refinish. Your existing wood floors are classic and if well maintained, can last a long time. (they are also a better flooring material and would probably cost more to install new). Why go through the effort and expense to toss them in the landfill? Save your money for other parts of your project or for a vacation.
PRO
Oak & Broad
5 years ago
Refinish will give you the best ROI. Show your floor finish team the colors you like. They can probably get you really close!!!
SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
Let's do a cost analysis:

Cost of sanding/refinishing floors: $5/sf for NWFA Certified Sand/Refinisher (a little less for someone without all the letters after their name).

Total costs associated: $5/sf (includes stain samples and all chemicals required)

Cost of Installing Factory Finished Hardwood:

Cost of Removing Hardwood: $1-$2/sf (includes labour and disposal fees)

Cost of Preparing subfloor: $1-$3/sf (the $3/sf is unusual but not unheard of)

Cost of Materials: $7-$15/sf (depends on your choices...DuChateau isn't cheap)

Cost of Labour: $2-$4/sf depending on form of install

Total Cost Associated: $11 - $24/sf

It's your decision. It's your house. So long as your hardwoods have enough life to give, I would have a look at sanding/refinish. it is good for the environment.
andrearingler
5 years ago
Thank you all so much for your feedback. Our builder says no one is using hardwood floors now, and that he strongly recommends replacing with engineered. I tend to agree that our hardwood oak floor, which has only been refinished once and is in great shape, could be just as beautiful if it is refinished in a little darker stain.
Nancy R z5 Chicagoland
5 years ago
Your builder is ridiculous. There's nothing like original hardwood floors and around here they are a big selling point. It's very easy to change the color.
PRO
Oak & Broad
5 years ago
Sounds like refinishing it is then :-D

Engineered wood floor vs. refinishing hardwood

RappArchitecture

Comments (9)

Kaylie

Home Reborn

Related Discussions

girl_wonder

Oak & Broad

SJ McCarthy

andrearingler

Nancy R z5 Chicagoland

Oak & Broad

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US