New wood. Real wood. Finish on site with Rubio Monocoat now and in a few years when you can afford to add the bedrooms finally you will be able to match easier. You house will have much much better resale value in 10 years if you sell and even a higher keeping it value!

American white oak live sawn from saroyan lumber. Rubio fume and pure.

A pre finished hardwood, or engineered is worth considering..........I wouldn't carpet a second floor unless FORCED. Gets filthy, fast. This is because you spend your time in BARE feet up there. Bare feet are carpet killers, leaving oils behind, to collect dust, grime, to be ground in via limited traffic patterns. Believe it.

Depends on your budget and the value of your home and the surrounding homes in the area. If you have the budget and your home warrants it, then site-finished hardwood is the best choice. It will last forever, and you can get the exact color you want, and refinish it many times. If your home is not in a high-value area, and you don't really have the budget to replace the flooring in the entire home, then be consistent and use a more cost-effective product like engineered hardwood, laminate or vinyl.

Regardless of what we put down we will not get back in house value. I would say if we put 20 grand into it we may get 10 back. We have remodeled nearly every room in our 1987 house. I'm sure by the time we sell it we will need to do more to get it to sell. I have yet to be in a house that has luxery vinyl. I just wonder if it has the same effect as hard wood. (similar)That is one of my major concerns. I would save money but will I be happy.

It all depends on how your family "lives" in the house. I would not want anything but carpet in bedrooms for noise and EASE of cleaning! If you have hardwood or LVT, you will also need large area rugs for comfort and less noise. Nice rugs are expensive. Only you know if your carpet will get "filthy". Everyone has a different level and expectation for "clean".

And, if you're not familiar with Rubio, search Houzz for people who have had issues! The natural look is beautiful. The maintenance is a nightmare!

Depending on how long you are going to live there, will the hardwood need to be refinished by the time you sell?

IMO unless you are planning on doing all the floors in hardwood Is the laminate on the main floor going too? I have 3 huge dogs they would have destroyed harwood in a couple of years I have laminate that looks like slate all through my main floor and we have vinyl plank in our walk out basement they have both been down for 12+ yrs they still look like new no scratches on either one. The dogs have free run to a dog run through a doggie door all day in all kinds of weather , at the end of the day a quick swiffer and a damp mpo makes the VP look just like new. I think yu need to think about your life and IMO who cares what the next guy wants for floor it is your home now and I would do vinyl plank before carpet anyday.

I agree that in addition to budget and value is aesthetics and how you live in the home. Will vinyl look like hardwood? In a word, no. Anyone can tell it's not wood, so if you want it to look like real wood, you need to use real wood. But if you care more about ease of maintenance, or have large dogs like Patricia, then maybe vinyl is more practical for you.

And as far as "recouping your investment," your house is not an investment, it's a home for you to live in, so as long as you don't over-improve, don't worry about ROI.

Thank you all for your input. I am really struggling because I do love wood. I think it would be beautiful in my house. In my opinion there is nothing better. I find that I am a practice person. My house with 4 children and 2 dogs will look lived in. My dogs are good and my kids are teenagers.

Real. Wood. All the way.

Hbeing, do you consider engined wood, real wood? We are talking about 1500 square feet plus stairs. Anyone have a idea on what that would cost?

I don't know the cost but engineered wood is real hardwood. It's just not as thick and can not be refinished as many times as regular hardwood. It comes pre finished and may be more expensive than something that is site finished.

Just a comment about cost. In a second home I am putting in top-of-the-line LVP that is very realistic looking. I had qualms/second thoughts so went back to the shop (a true flooring store, not a big box store) to look at and price out engineered hardwood. Compared to LVP, price was at least double per square ft. for products that I didn't think were all that great looking and, in some instances didn't look as good at the LVP I am buying. True site-laid hardwood will be even more money. It all starts to add up, so think about that.

As I recall, the salesclerk told me that the cheaper engineered floors they carried would cost me at least $9 or $10 a sq. ft. (I think, so don't solely rely on me) without installation costs. Stairs can be very costly depending on how they are set up.

I have a house that has real hardwood floors and don't consider engineered to be true wood floors. You also need to look at the quality of the engineered floors; they vary greatly, and so do their prices.

FWIW, Design Girl, in many different threads has stated that she hates LVP and would only ever consider wood. We all have our own biases, and some people can ignore their own biases and offer balanced advice to people who are in different situations than their own.

It sounds like you have a busy house but not a 'destructive' house (ie. 4 toddlers and multiple pets). I believe your house/family can 'handle' hardwood. You've lived with laminate before, so LVP isn't much different. It looks very good (as good as a good laminate).

LVP rarely is allowed 'underpad' so the NOISE aspect is going to increase. Here is where LVP and laminate differ. A laminate can have a great underpad to help reduce noise transfer. LVP CANNOT! Oooops. There goes the bedroom concept.

Hardwood (I prefer solid with site finishing) can have underpad like 6mm cork to reduce noise transfer. That means hardwood and laminate have MORE in common than laminate does with LVP. Even though laminate and LVP have the same GRAPHICS they are two VERY DIFFERENT products.

If I had to keep budget in mind, I would purchase HIGH END laminate (like Patricia has = out of Germany) and use a HIGH END underpad. I would then use the laminate upstairs and down...and leave a carpet (or a runner) on the stairs.

Remember: resurfacing the stairs to bring them to code will be the SINGLE MOST EXPENSIVE part of your renovation. The stairs can eat $10K all by themselves! Nope. I am NOT kidding.

And remember: a narrow strip hardwood (2.75" - 3.5" wide) in red oak in character grade can be as little as $5/sf. Installation + finishing will add another $5/sf. The EXPENSIVE part of solid hardwood is when you try to get 'trendy' with them. Wide planks = very expensive. Special stains = super expensive. Etc.

You can have a solid hardwood floor for roughly $10/sf. The stairs would be extra.

Julieste is correct. I do not like LVP. As a realtor and a designer it adds no value to a home. Can you tell that it's not real wood, yes you can. If you are going to be in the home for at least 10 years I would get what you really want.

Sj thank you for the great explanation. You ALL have helped tremendously. I am going to start getting estimates very soon!

Before you commit to wood (which we love) please think hard if you have any water source near where the floor will be installed.... like us with a 1/2 bath..We had a major flood last weekend. All the fans are now out and we are still not sure if our HW floor can be salvaged...may pieces are cupped. It will take a lot of convincing for my wife go with wood again in the F/R that is on a slab. The one thing I am now looking into (shoulda wooda coulda) are water alarms that send notifications to the phones... The pics are what the floor looks like now and a few extra boards we still have in storage.

Wayne, I am so sorry. We have def had our share of water damage. I know
How this feels. I have decided that we will not put wood in our bathrooms and laundry room. I will just have to take the chance in our kitchen. I appreciate you messsage.

Thank you C . If I find a water alarm solution that makes sense and can notify quickly or prevent this from happening again I will post. I have a few questions out to several manufacturers at this time of 'smart home gear'

I was very interested to read SJMcCArthy's comment about the cost of re-doing a stairway with hardwood since I am making a similar decision as to try to retrofit to hardwood or just re-carpet.

I thought I would, however, contradict a piece of advice s/he gave you. There are LVPs that do have acoustic qualities. In our upstairs bedrooms of our second home, we're planning to install this product that does have acoustic qualities.

"The premium, pre-attached acoustic foam backing reduces noise transfer to rooms below, making it perfect for upstairs bedrooms, playrooms or attic/loft conversions."

https://www.karndean.com/en/floors/easy-fit-ranges/benefits-of-rigid-core

Our primary home has the 100 year old original hardwood floors everywhere (including the kitchen) except the bathrooms.

Once again, what makes sense for one person in one dwelling doesn't necessarily make sense for others in other situations. Just continue to do your homework to figure out what is best for you in your situation. Good luck!