Author Topic: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet  (Read 7877 times)

jamesbond007

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Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« on: September 12, 2017, 10:16:59 AM »
We are planning to replace our carpet which is OLD (at least 10 years) and is getting thin. We have been thinking about getting Hardwood flooring for longevity. But laminate is cheaper. Part of me is thinking to stick to carpet again to keep costs low. But I want hardwood for the look and feel. What do I do? I don't mind bearing the cost of hardwood. I want to know what makes financial sense over long term maintenance and costs of replacing/repairing. What's the mustachian perspective?

rubybeth

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2017, 10:34:07 AM »
As someone who is house hunting, hardwood is a definitely plus. It can be refinished many times and look good for a very long time. Carpet is okay, but one major stain can ruin the whole room. Laminate can be okay. Kind of depends on what you prefer and if you plan to stay in place a long time.

Laura33

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2017, 11:38:44 AM »
Well, my house is 130+-years old, and it still has the original oak floors.  Refinished multiple times (although the folks who did it right before we bought it just killed it, so the next time may be the last).

For laminate, do you mean engineered hardwood, or laminate that looks like hardwood, or vinyl-type floors?  I am assuming you mean the hardwood variety.  An engineered hardwood tends to be very durable, but many cannot be refinished, and even the really high-quality ones can be refinished maybe once or twice; it will look good and probably last 25+ years, but choose colors carefully.   Wood-look laminate is probably fine for 10-15 years, but it can't be refinished at all, so choose colors even more carefully.  If you plan to sell and move at some point, you are probably fine with engineered or laminate; if you plan to stay put and just want to get it done, go for the hardwood.

Carpet is cheapest, but also the least durable overall.  It usually does ok in low-traffic areas, but I will never again have carpet in a hall or family room where we eat and drink and play games. 

PoutineLover

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2017, 11:41:05 AM »
I hate carpets, and I think real hardwood looks better than laminate. I don't own yet, but if I had the money and I needed to renovate I'd go with hardwood. Lasts longer, looks and feels better, and can be maintained better than the other choices. My parents gradually replaced the carpets with hardwood (upstairs) and tile (downstairs) and it looks so much better.

jamesbond007

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2017, 02:58:13 PM »
Well, my house is 130+-years old, and it still has the original oak floors.  Refinished multiple times (although the folks who did it right before we bought it just killed it, so the next time may be the last).

For laminate, do you mean engineered hardwood, or laminate that looks like hardwood, or vinyl-type floors?  I am assuming you mean the hardwood variety.  An engineered hardwood tends to be very durable, but many cannot be refinished, and even the really high-quality ones can be refinished maybe once or twice; it will look good and probably last 25+ years, but choose colors carefully.   Wood-look laminate is probably fine for 10-15 years, but it can't be refinished at all, so choose colors even more carefully.  If you plan to sell and move at some point, you are probably fine with engineered or laminate; if you plan to stay put and just want to get it done, go for the hardwood.

Carpet is cheapest, but also the least durable overall.  It usually does ok in low-traffic areas, but I will never again have carpet in a hall or family room where we eat and drink and play games. 

Oh I didn't know there were two different kinds of hardwood. I always thought Hardwood and Laminate(That looks like hardwood but is not). I never heard about engineered hardwood.


Looks like there is a consensus on hardwood. I am planning to have hardwood flooring in the living room and hallways (most traffic) and carpet in the bedrooms. How about kitchen? Is hardwood OK? There is some water spills that happen every now and then in the kitchen.

tweezers

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2017, 03:04:43 PM »
We have laminate that looks like hardwood (laid down in planks) and it has not held up well because moisture can get through and cause it to bubble, and scratches cannot be repaired.  This stuff was actually more expensive than the hardwood we were going to get, but because of a too sloping floor and cement sub-floor in sections, the hardwood ended up not being an option.  A coworker is installing wood "tile", which is apparently super durable and looks really nice.  Not sure on the cost.

BAM

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #6 on: September 12, 2017, 03:08:46 PM »
Agree with tweezers: Laminate is horrible with moisture and with scratching. I will never again do laminate! We put it in the house we sold a few months ago and it was a battle to keep the scratches down so we could sell it. We actually ended up wrapping all our chair/table legs in rags so keep them from scratching up the floors. In a previous house, we had it warp when it got wet (leaking door). What a pain!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2017, 03:18:47 PM »
So we're having a similar debate. Info I have taken in so far:
-laminate off gassing concerns me
-carpet is a lot better for little kids and old pets, anyone who needs better traction
-hardwood can have sustainability concerns
-tile needs the most stable subflooring to prevent cracking
-hardwood in kitchens is a nightmare (I know this one first hand). Wood + "wet rooms" = hell.
-Pet urine can permanently discolor some hardwoods
-hard flooring is MUCH better for allergies and asthma, especially in bedrooms

Probably only a few of these factors matter to you, but figured I'd lay out a few thoughts I've run across.

brightblade81

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2017, 03:32:08 PM »
I JUST installed engineered flooring in 2 bedrooms and the dining room.  Although first note, unless your very very diligent at wiping up spills in the kitchen, I wouldn't recommend hardware / engineered flooring / laminate in the kitchen.  As others have mentioned, the liquid will ruin the floor.

My wife is the one who chose the engineered flooring even though I told her only to look at laminate or the luxury vinyl flooring.  My primary concern was we have 2 young boys(no pets) and some types of woods dent / scratch relatively easily.  The type of wood she chose was maple, the floor looks great, I've been making my wife put all our furniture on protective felt pads(got them at Home Depot) so the floor doesn't get scratched or dented by the furniture.  You need to pay attention how to clean the hardwood / engineered flooring, you can't use anything with lots of water (i.e. a wet mop) as you'll ruin the flooring.  Although I'm not sure how it will hold up over time and if in 1-2 years still look good.

I personally preferred the luxury vinyl flooring because I think it looks great and its water proof, I would think the care instructions would be a lot easier (i.e. want to use a mop?  Go for it)  I would also think if the floor is not entirely stable, it should be just fine.



Bracken_Joy

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2017, 03:36:40 PM »
Also a thought, if you do opt for hardwood, be mindful of your climate and when it is installed. And "cure" it ahead of time. Wood expands and contracts based on your humidity&temperature. If installed when everything is dry, it can damage the floor when it expands in the moist season. Good companies should know this, but just an FYI if you do it yourself.

https://www.impressionshardwoodcollection.com/2014/09/23/when-is-the-best-time-to-install-hardwood-floors/
https://www.wagnermeters.com/acclimation/

So that's a benefit to the other surfaces too.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2017, 03:48:12 PM »
I used to have UNSEALED hardwood floors in my kitchen. It was all one big space. It would not have been possible to have a different flooring surface in the kitchen than in the rest of the first floor.

They were beautiful old oak floors. My plan was to have them sealed with, I dunno, polyurethane? Whatever people put down to have that real hard water-resistant cover. But it would still be higher-maintenance than elsewhere. You would need to refinish more often and clean more carefully.

Since mine were not sealed, I used to keep a dish towel on the floor so that I could use my foot to wipe up any little water drips. To clean them, I used a mixture of oil and vinegar in a spray bottle. It smelled terrible, required a lot of elbow grease, and was slippery. I do not recommend having unsealed oak floors in one's kitchen.

My first choice for a kitchen would be ceramic tile and my second choice would be laminate. Maybe the other way around if you have kids, because the tile is very unforgiving.

lbmustache

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2017, 08:29:32 PM »
We have tile everywhere. It's definitely hard (duh?) and is not warm to walk on in the winter (doesn't matter to me) but it's indestructible. We had cement underneath our carpet so the flooring didn't need any prepwork. We have more of a spanish/beach look, but they do make faux-wood tile, which looks pretty good IMO. It's also pretty cheap.

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Flooring-Tile/Wood-Grain/N-5yc1vZar0yZ1z0wlem

Mgmny

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #12 on: September 13, 2017, 07:14:45 AM »
I'm going to disagree with everyone above. We put Pergo laminate in our kitchen and dining room, and have had it for (only) about 2 years so far. It has help up VERY well, and I only have noticed 1 scratch on the flooring so far (I dragged a full cooler across the floor, and there was probably a tiny rock/sand stuck to the bottom). I don't think anyone else has noticed this scratch (including my wife! shhhh don't tell her!), so it is small. I don't always wipe up water if it hits the floors (like after washing hands, and reaching for towel, some might hit the floor, etc), and i have no water spots or floor bubbling.

We installed Pergo Max Premier (Here is literally the flooring we used: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pergo-MAX-Premier-7-48-in-W-x-4-52-ft-L-Smoked-Chestnut-Embossed-Wood-Plank-Laminate-Flooring/1000094849) and only cost $2.50 a square foot, plus the underlayment (we used "Pergo Gold").

It looks super great, it has help up really well and doesn't cost even half of what wood costs. Somebody else said their wood has lasted 120 years. That's great, but i don't plan on living in my house for the next 120 years, do you? If ever/whenever i decide to redo my kitchen/dining room (probably won't), this flooring will be easy to replace.

I'm a huge proponent of Pergo laminate - especially their high end lines.

acroy

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #13 on: September 13, 2017, 07:46:12 AM »
to an extent, ya get what ya pay for

Laminate
'cheap' reputation but the good stuff is really nice
Good stuff is water resistant or water proof. Cheap stuff may not be
little or no maintenance
good stuff is insanely durable
good stuff is just fine in wet areas

Engineered hardwood
again, you get what you pay for
the good stuff is really nice
more dimensionally stable than true hardwood, no creaks
less durable than laminate, more durable than hardwood
can be refinished 1 or 2 times max
wet areas: caution! It'll handle some but not a lot of moisture

true hardwood
crazy expensive
can refinish multiple times
least dimensionally stable. will creak, expand, contract
wet areas: only for masochists. exposure to water will destroy it in a few hours
in a nutshell: it is fine furniture. That you walk on.

I like Bamboo
Good stuff is mid-price
little to no maintenance
crazy durable: 2-3x harder than hardwood
dimensionally stable
cannot be refinished
wet areas: better than engineered hardwood, but not impervious. Caution.

we have tile in wet areas, carpet in bedrooms, bamboo in the main living area

good luck!

meghan88

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #14 on: September 13, 2017, 08:21:26 AM »

I like Bamboo
Good stuff is mid-price
little to no maintenance
crazy durable: 2-3x harder than hardwood
dimensionally stable
cannot be refinished
wet areas: better than engineered hardwood, but not impervious. Caution.


We have carbonized bamboo in the condo and we would not recommend it.

- the outgassing was so bad during the first year that my joints were inflamed to the point that walking was painful (formaldehyde is used in a lot of bamboo flooring)
- it shrinks so much in the winter, despite running two humidifiers full-time, that we get a 3/4" gap between a line of floor boards in our kitchen
- water droplets will form a visible ring if not wiped up immediately
- as stated above, it can't be refinished, not even once
- not all varieties are as durable as they say they are
- it's not really all that "green", because forests in China are being decimated to make way for bamboo plantations

I'd wanted maple but we went with bamboo.  Bad choice ... for us, anyway.

Sibley

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #15 on: September 13, 2017, 09:11:21 AM »
My house is a mix of original 1919 hardwood with either carpet or Pergo on top of it.

Carpet was peed on by previous owner's dog, and I suspect my cat has contributed in response (territory marking). So it's coming out, because as soon as I close the windows it gets smelly. The one bedroom I've pulled up so far, the hardwood is in great shape, so I'm going to get an area rug (for warmth). Haven't done the living room yet, but I will most likely put new carpet in. Stairs - well, I hate carpet on the stairs, but my 18 year old cat I'm pretty sure needs carpet to manage them. Still debating.

The Pergo is taking a beating and holding up great, but I hate the look of it, and it's doing a weird buckling thing in the doorway between the dining room and kitchen. I suspect there's a height difference in the underlying floor that wasn't properly accounted for during installation, then it swelled up in the summer which made it worse. On the other hand, to replace it would involve redoing the kitchen, so it's staying for now.

Laura33

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #16 on: September 13, 2017, 09:36:22 AM »
Eh, I have hardwood in my kitchen, and I've honestly never had a problem with it.  It gets a little scratched over time from all the traffic (@11 yrs since reno, we never got around to putting the second coat of finish on), but we're going to refinish before we sell anyway.  The only time I've ever had an issue was when we had a leak under the sink when we were out of town on a long weekend, and the cabinet/floor buckled (prior house).  Even then, though, the floor went back to 95% of normal once it dried out.  In the current house, our stupid icemaker sometimes get a partial cube caught for a few minutes, until the cube melts enough to fall out and onto the floor after I have left the room.  I come back two hours later to a little puddle on the floor (grr) -- but I wipe it up, and there's no swelling, no staining, no problem.  The floor has also survived a couple of bouts of cat peeing inappropriately (again with no residual smell) and my little old lady cat who regurgitates half her food.

Tile is harder and more impervious, of course, but then you have to deal with grout.  And I hate standing on a tile floor all day.

YMMV.  I am not precious about having a perfect-looking floor.  But then again, I am also not very good at jumping on spills right away. 

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #17 on: September 13, 2017, 10:42:13 AM »
I just went through this and went in the middle. I purchase a floor that can be installed floating or nailed, different widths and aged,  but can be sanded 1 or 2 times.  Falls under the category of engineered hardwood floors vs the word laminate.  More people than not really get turned off by that and if you look around the better laminates compared to a good engineered hardwood floor are relatively the same price. I went to an actual floor distributor though after going around to all the box stores and got some education on the matter be it right or wrong......it was right for me.

jamesbond007

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #18 on: September 13, 2017, 10:45:31 AM »
So we're having a similar debate. Info I have taken in so far:
-laminate off gassing concerns me
-carpet is a lot better for little kids and old pets, anyone who needs better traction
-hardwood can have sustainability concerns
-tile needs the most stable subflooring to prevent cracking
-hardwood in kitchens is a nightmare (I know this one first hand). Wood + "wet rooms" = hell.
-Pet urine can permanently discolor some hardwoods
-hard flooring is MUCH better for allergies and asthma, especially in bedrooms

Probably only a few of these factors matter to you, but figured I'd lay out a few thoughts I've run across.

Very good points. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Jrr85

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #19 on: September 13, 2017, 11:12:06 AM »
Eh, I have hardwood in my kitchen, and I've honestly never had a problem with it. 

Same here.  We've only been in the house for about three years, but hardwood has been down about seven years.  We have had three years of toddlers, so plenty of spills, but no water/moisture related problems.  My parents have also had hardwoods in their kitchen without problems. 

I mean, yes, if there was a leak when we weren't there, it would buckle, but just day to day moisture doesn't seem to be a problem.  Maybe it's the type of wood (mine and parents are both oak)?  I even have friends with wood floors in tehir bathroom. 

Pigeon

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #20 on: September 14, 2017, 06:25:46 AM »
I think carpeting is disgusting, and am almost finished replacing it in my entire house.  I've got some laminate and some hardwood. I think it all boils down to the brand/type and the location.

I have been putting in relatively inexpensive pre-finished Bruce oak hardwood from Home Depot upstairs in the bedrooms.  I've had it in one daughter's room and the hall for about 8 years.  It looks great and is easy to care for, but it doesn't get much wear and tear in the bedrooms.  I still have our bedroom to go, and I can still buy the same stuff.

I have cherry that was milled by a local place in my living room and dining room.  I've had it for 17 years.  It's gorgeous, but it has some scratches.  It could be refinished no problem, but the scratches aren't terrible and we have dogs.  Dh loves wood and loves the look of it.  If it were just me, I would have gone for something harder. 

I've got laminate in the kitchen, hall  and family room.  In a perfect world, I'd have tile in the kitchen, but we didn't have much time to get the floor down and tile would have taken too long.  This laminate is amazing though.  It's been down for 9 years and it looks like the day we installed it.  It's a high traffic area.  It was more expensive than hardwood.

We have much cheaper wood looking laminate in the family room.  It's OK.  It's over a slab, so hardwood would have been complicated to install and I'm not a fan of engineered.  We sort of viewed it as an interim floor when we put it down 8 years ago.  It looks OK, hasn't scratched, but looks somewhat fake.  We are careful about water in this room and I doubt it would hold up to water sitting on it for any length of time.


acroy

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #21 on: September 14, 2017, 06:42:21 AM »
We have carbonized bamboo in the condo and we would not recommend it.

- the outgassing was so bad during the first year that my joints were inflamed to the point that walking was painful (formaldehyde is used in a lot of bamboo flooring)
- it shrinks so much in the winter, despite running two humidifiers full-time, that we get a 3/4" gap between a line of floor boards in our kitchen
- water droplets will form a visible ring if not wiped up immediately
- as stated above, it can't be refinished, not even once
- not all varieties are as durable as they say they are
- it's not really all that "green", because forests in China are being decimated to make way for bamboo plantations

I'd wanted maple but we went with bamboo.  Bad choice ... for us, anyway.
wow that's rough. 100% opposite experience for us.

Plugra

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #22 on: September 14, 2017, 08:30:11 AM »
We got engineered hardwood about 3 years ago.  I love it.  It feels very solid under barefeet and it has held up well.  The modern product is cooked under heat and pressure and sealed with a high tech finish. It's designed to take some abuse. 

Just make sure the installer equilibrates the material in your house for a couple of days.  Our friends got a new floor and the installer was a little hasty -- some of the boards shrank after installation, leaving ridiculous gaps in the living room floor. They look terrible.

Now for the kitchen we are going to get porcelain tile with a hardwood appearance.  That stuff is almost bulletproof.

jamesbond007

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #23 on: September 14, 2017, 08:38:13 AM »
Great. I am sold on hardwood. But how do I calculate the environmental impact? I mean how many trees would have to be cut down? Sorry if I am sounding like an idiot but I was just curious.

PoutineLover

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #24 on: September 14, 2017, 08:41:07 AM »
Great. I am sold on hardwood. But how do I calculate the environmental impact? I mean how many trees would have to be cut down? Sorry if I am sounding like an idiot but I was just curious.
Trees grow back. Maybe find a company that commits to replanting, if this is a concern? The use of non renewable resources to make all the other kinds of flooring is probably worse.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #25 on: September 14, 2017, 08:45:54 AM »
Great. I am sold on hardwood. But how do I calculate the environmental impact? I mean how many trees would have to be cut down? Sorry if I am sounding like an idiot but I was just curious.

Apparently, it depends on what wood and where it's from and how it's processed. Hard to find "good" sources about this, but here are some articles I ran across:
http://www.greenhomeguide.com/know-how/article/navigating-the-flooring-thicket-find-the-greenest-way-to-meet-your-needs#wood
https://www.remodelingcalculator.org/sustainable-hardwood-flooring-what-to-buy-and-avoid/

Seems like the FSC mark comes up on a lot of sites about hardwoods. Otherwise, lots of recommendations for reclaimed flooring.

Basically, any hard woods you would really want (vs pine that's pretty soft) is going to be very slow growing and therefore have a bigger environmental impact than if it's not virgin timber.

As for environmental impact via chemical processing, that depends on what sort of adhesive and finishes and sealants you use. That's going to have the biggest impact on your indoor air quality and the like.

Hope some of that helps. =) And looking forward to more relies, I like learning more about this!

JayKay

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #26 on: September 14, 2017, 08:50:20 AM »
A friend of mine recently installed vinyl plank flooring in a rental of hers.  The stuff seems really durable, water-resistant, and looks great.

I think it was a sherwin-williams product, surprisingly.  If I had to change flooring, I'd definitely use that even for my own residence.

Drifterrider

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #27 on: September 14, 2017, 09:00:42 AM »
Well, my house is 130+-years old, and it still has the original oak floors.  Refinished multiple times (although the folks who did it right before we bought it just killed it, so the next time may be the last).

For laminate, do you mean engineered hardwood, or laminate that looks like hardwood, or vinyl-type floors?  I am assuming you mean the hardwood variety.  An engineered hardwood tends to be very durable, but many cannot be refinished, and even the really high-quality ones can be refinished maybe once or twice; it will look good and probably last 25+ years, but choose colors carefully.   Wood-look laminate is probably fine for 10-15 years, but it can't be refinished at all, so choose colors even more carefully.  If you plan to sell and move at some point, you are probably fine with engineered or laminate; if you plan to stay put and just want to get it done, go for the hardwood.

Carpet is cheapest, but also the least durable overall.  It usually does ok in low-traffic areas, but I will never again have carpet in a hall or family room where we eat and drink and play games. 

Oh I didn't know there were two different kinds of hardwood. I always thought Hardwood and Laminate(That looks like hardwood but is not). I never heard about engineered hardwood.


Looks like there is a consensus on hardwood. I am planning to have hardwood flooring in the living room and hallways (most traffic) and carpet in the bedrooms. How about kitchen? Is hardwood OK? There is some water spills that happen every now and then in the kitchen.

I have 3/4 inch T&G in my kitchen and bathroom.  Wipe up spills.  Before the invention of carpet and linoleum (now mostly vinyl) most floors were wood.  Ships are built of wood.

Engineered is the most expensive.  It is wood glued to plywood.  It can be refinished once or twice depending on the thickness of the hardwood.  You can install it (glue or staple) or "float" it.  Read the manufactures instructions for your application.

T&G (Tongue and groove) is usually 5/8 or 3/4.  More work to install, can be refinished several times.

jamesbond007

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #28 on: September 14, 2017, 11:34:53 AM »
Great. I am sold on hardwood. But how do I calculate the environmental impact? I mean how many trees would have to be cut down? Sorry if I am sounding like an idiot but I was just curious.

Apparently, it depends on what wood and where it's from and how it's processed. Hard to find "good" sources about this, but here are some articles I ran across:
http://www.greenhomeguide.com/know-how/article/navigating-the-flooring-thicket-find-the-greenest-way-to-meet-your-needs#wood
https://www.remodelingcalculator.org/sustainable-hardwood-flooring-what-to-buy-and-avoid/

Seems like the FSC mark comes up on a lot of sites about hardwoods. Otherwise, lots of recommendations for reclaimed flooring.

Basically, any hard woods you would really want (vs pine that's pretty soft) is going to be very slow growing and therefore have a bigger environmental impact than if it's not virgin timber.

As for environmental impact via chemical processing, that depends on what sort of adhesive and finishes and sealants you use. That's going to have the biggest impact on your indoor air quality and the like.

Hope some of that helps. =) And looking forward to more relies, I like learning more about this!

Great resources. Thanks.

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #29 on: September 14, 2017, 12:00:12 PM »
I didn't read every single comment so I apologize if I'm beating a dead horse.

We installed Armstrong Laminate of high quality.  Looks like hand scraped wood floors.  No issues with water, more durable than wood, doesn't scratch or dent like wood.  We have a highly active dog with claws and there is ZERO damage or marks from her running and sliding around. 

To each their own but you can't just say "laminate is bad", "laminate is good", "wood is bad", "wood is good".  There are different types (hardness) of wood floors and different protecting finishes that will either give fantastic or horrible results.  The exact same can be said about laminate floors.  If you choose the wrong product you won't be happy and you can definitely get horrible results.

We went into an actual flooring company and talked with a representative (in my case also a friend) who gave us very good reviews and guidance about what would be best for our situation.  In my opinion if you go into a big box store to buy flooring and ask questions I think you will get more of a canned response from the employee like "this has a warranty for 10 years", etc.  Well, I can read the box so I know that but what does it mean?  Many can't give insightful information.

jamesbond007

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Re: Hardwood floor vs Laminate vs carpet
« Reply #30 on: September 14, 2017, 12:41:37 PM »
Any flooring companies you guys recommend in the SF Bay Area?

 

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