Re: OT changing floors

"Polly Esther" wrote .

Fortunately, I have nothing like selling looming over this adventure. No, I am just reclaiming the house after years of neglect, and making it the perfect place for me. (so, no neutral colour schemes or beige anything). Of course, the perfect place for me inevitably means it will have to accomodate a few cats and always a dog, generally on the large side. I am inclined towards something that looks like wood, if not actual wood, because I like the look, and will probably go for the same stuff throughout the main floor and upstairs, excepting only the kitchen and the bath. Had an interesting discussion with DS, who put new hardwood all through their townhouse, including the kitchen, last year, about the relative environmental impact of Canadian hardwood vs bamboo, since I want to be reasonably environmentally responsible.

Dawne

Doggie nails will not make the slightest mark on laminate, hands down it is impervious to hard wear. The only mark I made on it was quite early on I dropped a carving knife point down. It made a tiny chip in it. I thought it would work and get bigger, but it didn't in ten years, stayed exactly as it was the day it was done. I painted it in a bit to make it unnoticeable except to me.

Also, as I said, it is a floating floor and dead easy to install yourself.

Tile chips easily. I sometimes think you can drop a cracker and if it hits it right, it will chip the tile. It's a tweedy/beigy/white textured mix of color and I fill in the chips with white out. That isn't pure white and seems to look better then anything else I tried. I'm seriously thinking of putting a laminate right over it and one day I just might do that.

Lucille

You can do that as the tiles make an excellent base for it.

Ah, the doggie thing. The doggie nails here immediately began scratching up the hardwood. Granted, ours is a "cherry" stain - mid dark kind of color, not too red or too brown. But, within days you could see the doggie evidence, even with the multiple layers of acrylic coating on the top of the stain. Also, I've noticed that on some of the edges between boards - ours is a kissed style - rounded full butted joining, and wider boards than the standard (though not real wide) - there is some true scratching, seeing unstained wood. Never saw this with the pricey laminate in other house.

However, bamboo is really hard, and any scratches may only be on the acrylic top coat - which can get redone after some years. Just a thought.

I love the floors. But - in particular where the top of the stairs which has a wide landing strip meets the hardwood flooring at right angles - lots of scratching.

Ellice

I had wood floors in Brooklyn. The living room and dining area had room size rugs, but the long foyer to the bedrooms were uncovered. Between the dog that shed all over the place and the constant traffic in a small apartment, I finally decided to cover them with carpeting. It was much easier to go over the carpet with an electric broom a couple of times a day, then it was to sweep the hair and city dustballs.

I even went so far as to buy an electric floor polisher and use it every time I had the energy, but vowed never again.

It's laminate and swiffers for me from now on.

Lucille

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it or not, but cork flooring is becoming increasingly more popular and it's a renewable resource. No trees have to die in order to harvest it. Not to mention, easy on the joints and it comes in a huge assortment of colors. Laminates can be nice, but not if you cheap out. As a licensed Realtor, I think they can actually lower your property value if not done properly or with quality materials. The cheap ones only look nice when they are brand new, so if you want something that is going to last a long time, it's worth investing in better quality.

Jinx

Yes cork is very nice and you're quite right, only use the good laminate, cheap is horrible but fairly easy to spot in the store.