The wife and I have decided on either solid or engineered wood (not laminate) flooring for a high traffic area, the entryway and kitchen.

My questions are, how do I know a higher quality product from a lower quality one? Is the Janka (hardness) Rating a good guide?

What about thickness? I see from 5/16" to 3/4". Is thicker better?

Will a recognized name (such as Bellawood) guarantee a higher quality product?

Home Depot has some brands I've never heard of. However one of them (Millstead) states that they've been in business for 110 years and their product is made in the USA (Tennessee).

If it makes any difference, the project will be for a 2nd floor condo, tile will be removed exposing a concrete floor, regulations require a silencing material (cork I think?), area is about 200 sq.ft., and no, we won't be doing it our self

Thank you,

John Gross

Real hardwood will be a thick install replacing tile. Will there be transition problems due to the installed thickness?

I went with laminate planks (really can't tell it from hardwood, it is individual boards like hardwood). My install is over concrete as per manufacturer's install procedure. Transition height to adjoining tile is not an issue.

Plus, the high traffic area can have this type flooring changed out in just a few hours. Has a 20 year wear guarantee, and has held up great.

The 3/4 in real wood flooring is the traditional material. And it has enough material for several re-sands and re-finish cycles. The thinner stuff can't stand as many refinishes.

In a low traffic area, covered with some Orientals, nothing beats a real hardwood floor. In my install, "high traffic" doesn't begin to describe the punishment my floor can and does take.

As to which hardwood flooring is better? The words "inexpensive" and "quality" are never used to describe the same wood flooring material, as far as my research uncovered.

I have had great luck with the Oak Flooring Mfg Assn. There is one for maple also. The t&g flooring is not cheap should last a life time and the trade organizations work hard to protect it's reputation. Google either. We installed 2500 sf of red and white oak #1 select and better, 35 years ago and it is still in that house. Used an epoxy finish in high traffic areas not the water based. Used seven coats of gym floor seal lightly sanded between coats on other areas. Sub floor was two layers of t&g voidless plywood. After 20 years still couldn't stick a razor blade between boards. Check flooring specialty stores as there are some great new sound deadners which the box stores may not have. The Swedish product Kahrs wears like iron also. Sorry to run on but I love wood floors. Those mfg assns can point you in the right direction.

I 've been building and remodeling for 40 years and I would take solid every time.

Bamboo-----

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KMAG YOYO

Just remember to have walk off mats at the entrance. The dirt and debris on your shoes can and will act like sandpaper on wooden floors.

Just a tip. About two years ago we had the house floor redone with some wood looking linoleum. Nothing like your doing, BUT the first guy that gave a estimate I knew was waaay over estimateing my sq footage. I had already roughly measured it and told him to go measure it again. At first he was a little huffy. Then he got down and remeasured and kept blowing smoke and his next measurement was about 45 % less! I didnt give him the job either! Know your measurements! I realise they have to add on for waste and cutting etc, but not 45%, maybe 15 % tops?

If you have pets, here's something to think about. Take a car key to the sample and see what happens.

The house we bought new 12 years ago had an Oak ply (oak veneer over plywood). The dog's nails shredded it in no time.

Luscious and I are quite ambitious and tackled the job of removing all of it (450 sq.ft.) and put down marble. Got real good with a wet saw!

Keep in mind that a lot of the pre-finished lumber have a chamfer on the edges to help hide the seams. That means you have to vacuum to clean anything up (a broom will leave stuff in the groove created by the adjacent chamfers). But more important is the fact that 15 years down the road when it is time to re-finish the flooring they will have to sand all the way down to the point that there is no chamfer left. The seams they were trying to hide will be visible and somewhere between 1/8" to 3/16" of wood will have to be sacrificed. You are better served with the ones with no chamfer.

I like the bamboo flooring. It is as hard as hard maple, and they "cook" the flooring to get the color. So the color goes all the way through the lumber. When it comes time to re-finish all you have to do is sand and seal; no staining to match.

It is also sustainable and dimensionally very stable. (Most wood will expand and contract depending upon the moisture in the room--bamboo does this much less than most other materials).

The other option is to buy the wood and have it finished in place. This makes a nice installation as the finish seals all the seams. Oil based finish is still superior to water-based and if you have an option always insist on the oil based finish. The finishers don't like it because it takes a long time to dry between coats. You want somewhere between 2 and 4 coats on the floor for maximum durability.

There is a wood floor manufacturers association and they have a webside that has a lot of information.

Also consider end-grain flooring for areas that are subject to severe impacts, and cork flooring that is resiliant under foot.

I did the whole house except the kitchen and baths in flooring from the Depot. Was not a bad job. Looked great. The wife left and I'm stuck with swiffering a couple times a week.I can send you pictures to an e-mail address if your interested.

4011

I just floored the loft of my barn with white oak flooring from Lumber Liquidators. I wanted unfinished flooring, and would finish it myself. You will seldom get all the flooring from the same mill, and there is always some splits/damage/etc. LL told me Bellawood would need refinishing in ten years, in spite of the warranty. As far as the transition, you would take out the upper layer of subflooring. Then the 3/4 flooring would replace it, staying the same height. Plan on spending as much finishing an unfinished floor as the floor replacement costs. I had planned to sand it myself but paid. Some prefinished flooring can not be refinished. Hand hewn, and chamfered joints may not sand evenly if your subfloor is not flat because the drum sander will remove the high spots to some extent. Hard to beat porcelin tile with tight grout lines for high traffic. But you may need to cementboard the floor. They have fairly inexpensive electric heat grids for underneath.

Are you concerned with the durability of the wood or the finish? Just about any wood'll do and will last quite a while if the finish is a good one. I'd look for a finish that is epoxy based. If ya don't wear out the finish the wood will never get damaged in normal use. Also, in general terms the glossier the finish the harder it is.

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