Replacing Hardwood Floor?

[liquid1010]

I'm hoping to get some feedback on just how difficult it is to install laminate hardwood flooring? My home is 10 years old, and the existing maple hardwood is beginning to show some age.

I'm decently handy (can build a basic deck), but have never been a great handyman. Is it possible for me to replace this myself? It would consist of a hallway and a kitchen (about 800 sq/ft). I would need to border against some carpet as well as cabinets and an island in the kitchen.

[JustinMCS]

have you considered getting your existing floor refinished? I know laminate has come a long way, but real hardwood vs laminate to me is a no brainer!

[roopi]

I agree with JustineMCS you are better off paying to have real hardwood refinished. It has more value in resale over laminate.

[7thgenvic]

Get engineered floors. You won't have the contraction expansion issues that real hardwoods have.

[you&me]

Originally posted by JustinMCS
have you considered getting your existing floor refinished? I know laminate has come a long way, but real hardwood vs laminate to me is a no brainer!

I'm in a similar boat... We're considering moving, but our dog has beaten the shit out of our current hardwood... Any idea on refinishing costs?

[benyl]

Originally posted by 7thgenvic
Get engineered floors. You won't have the contraction expansion issues that real hardwoods have.

I call BS. They sell you that line, but the truth is, in Calgary, even Engineered floors have gaps.

I see them come and go on my floors all the time.

[roopi]

Originally posted by 7thgenvic
Get engineered floors. You won't have the contraction expansion issues that real hardwoods have.

Not true. Engineered floors have the same issue.



Originally posted by benyl


I call BS. They sell you that line, but the truth is, in Calgary, even Engineered floors have gaps.

I see them come and go on my floors all the time.


:werd:

[CapnCrunch]

I also vote for refinishing the old hardwood. Real hardwood is much nicer than laminate. It will probably cost less than replacing it.

[liquid1010]

Sorry - I may have misspoken. The existing floor is currently laminate hardwood (I believe Maple), I just want to replace it with new laminate hardwood.

[blitz]

There's really no such thing as laminate hardwood. "Maple" laminate is just a picture of maple grain onto of a fibreboard product, that's why there's some confusion.

It's relatively easy to put down, the only skill required is cutting the edges where it meets the wall. If you can build a deck, you can do this.

[CRXguy]

Originally posted by you&me


I'm in a similar boat... We're considering moving, but our dog has beaten the shit out of our current hardwood... Any idea on refinishing costs?

Site finished hardwood? Stained or natural?

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by liquid1010
Sorry - I may have misspoken. The existing floor is currently laminate hardwood (I believe Maple), I just want to replace it with new laminate hardwood.

Just make sure it's laminate and not engineered hardwood.

Ripping out old laminate and installing new laminate is a pretty simple task.

[speedog]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
Just make sure it's laminate and not engineered hardwood.

Ripping out old laminate and installing new laminate is a pretty simple task.
So now someone has to explain the difference between actual hardwood versus engineered hardwood versus laminate because some people in here maybe don't know what terminology goes with what product.

As best as I can tell hardwood is the real deal, solid wood through and through, while engineered hardwood has a thin layer of actual wood product glued to a cheaper middle wood composite section with a bottom backer material and at the bottom end, there's laminate which is basically a plastic product that looks like wood on top of a cheaper middle wood composite section with a bottom backer material.

Personally, we've only got actual hardwood in our 1955 bungalow and I've got no actual real experience with the other two products - maybe someone in the know could chime in with some details so as to help those in this thread that maybe aren't exactly sure about what they've got in their homes.

[blitz]

Engineered hardwood is more like a decent thickness of real wood on top, with a "engineered wood" base. The idea is it can be sanded down and refinished just like solid hardwood, but it's supposed to be more dimensionally stable than solid wood since the engineered part doesn't expand or contract as much. It's installed the same way as real hardwood and is generally the same price or more expensive (at least last time I checked).

Laminate is basically compressed sawdust with a picture of wood grain on it, and then a plastic seal on top. It swells like a motherfucker when it gets wet, but has no temperature fluctuations and if it's a good quality the boards seal together and resist top moisture pretty well and is very simple to clean. It's a floating floor that just sits ontop of the subfloor, no glue or nails.

[benyl]

Here's some photos of Engineer hardwood.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd364/bwinkelm/8FFB411B-ABBC-4BA7-A951-456A7197C34C-1142-0000008A18980426_zps75a75e35.jpg (http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/bwinkelm/media/8FFB411B-ABBC-4BA7-A951-456A7197C34C-1142-0000008A18980426_zps75a75e35.jpg.html)

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd364/bwinkelm/5BEFCE9D-EA9D-48F3-82E4-321309FBEF18-1142-0000008A12EEC0A5_zps3a71edf9.jpg (http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/bwinkelm/media/5BEFCE9D-EA9D-48F3-82E4-321309FBEF18-1142-0000008A12EEC0A5_zps3a71edf9.jpg.html)

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd364/bwinkelm/81010524-ACC0-4059-9BFB-8070F5E07799-1142-0000008A0BA293F9_zpsc574f0da.jpg (http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/bwinkelm/media/81010524-ACC0-4059-9BFB-8070F5E07799-1142-0000008A0BA293F9_zpsc574f0da.jpg.html)

[liquid1010]

So apparently I need to work on my terminology :dunno:

What I have is engineering hardwood (as per the picture below). Based on the feedback in this thread it sounds like it's a pretty doable project. Would I also need to replace the subfloor at the same time (considering the old engineered hardwood is nailed down)?

http://www.novausawood.com/images/products/brand/Samling/SamlingRedOakCU.jpg

[blitz]

If you have that stuff, then it should be able to be refinished, and that would be the smart thing to do. If you tear that up and replace it with laminate, you'll also have a fairly large height difference and all of your door jams and baseboards will be 1/2" too high (that stuff is probalby 3/4", laminate is typically 1/4" or so).

[liquid1010]

I actually want to replace it with a different engineered hardwood, something along the lines of below.

http://s7d4.scene7.com/is/image/LumberLiquidators/105x105/Flooring%20Deal%20Sale%20Mayflower%203/8%20x%205%20Riverton%20Birch%20Handscraped%20Engineered~10016014_sw.jpg

[benyl]

Originally posted by liquid1010
I actually want to replace it with a different engineered hardwood, something along the lines of below.

http://s7d4.scene7.com/is/image/LumberLiquidators/105x105/Flooring%20Deal%20Sale%20Mayflower%203/8%20x%205%20Riverton%20Birch%20Handscraped%20Engineered~10016014_sw.jpg

Hickory? That is what I have.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by blitz
If you have that stuff, then it should be able to be refinished, and that would be the smart thing to do. If you tear that up and replace it with laminate, you'll also have a fairly large height difference and all of your door jams and baseboards will be 1/2" too high (that stuff is probalby 3/4", laminate is typically 1/4" or so).
Engineered hardwood is only 3/8th's to 5/8th's thick. Laminate is 1/4 to 3/8 plus your foam, so it's pretty much the same height.

It's also pretty tough to properly RE-finish engineered hardwood. The joints aren't filled, as they're a pre-finished surface, and just butted together. The edges are "softened" (rounded) to accomodate variances in thicknesses.

Refinishing hardwood is typically done on "site-finished" solid hardwood, where everything is "filled, stained, and then finished". Refinishing hardwood will run you anywhere between $3-5/sq ft.


Originally posted by benyl


Hickory? That is what I have.

That's "handscraped" birch. A good engineered hardwood will run around the $7-9/sq ft range. Plus install.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by liquid1010
I actually want to replace it with a different engineered hardwood, something along the lines of below.

http://s7d4.scene7.com/is/image/LumberLiquidators/105x105/Flooring%20Deal%20Sale%20Mayflower%203/8%20x%205%20Riverton%20Birch%20Handscraped%20Engineered~10016014_sw.jpg

I'd think you could refinish your maple and do a dark stain on it instead. It's still better than laminate.

http://www.aaawholesalehardwood.com/vinylsamples/Maple_Dark_Mustang.jpg