Hardwood flooring questions

**Russ** · 03-18-2010, 09:01 AM

I didn't want to hijack Pips thread (beautiful job btw Pip).

Do any of you have hardwood floors in your living room?

Do you like it?

pro and cons please.

How about pets? We have dogs and was wondering if the nails will destroy the floor?

thanks

**Josephhgoins** · 03-18-2010, 09:05 AM

I think you will have a bigger issue with dog pee than the nails.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 03-18-2010, 10:39 AM

I agree. The nails are pretty much nonshowing because when you install hardwood flooring, the only boards you have to facenail are the first row. After that, the flooring is nailed into the subfloor at an angle on the side of the plank.

Dog pee = bad for hardwood floors

If I was going to recommend a hardwood floor, I'd go with bamboo. It's eco-friendly, cost effective and looks great. It's also extremely durable and is cheaper than other hardwoods.

**Greebo** · 03-18-2010, 10:45 AM

Wrong nails. He means the dog's nails.

Keep the nails properly clipped or the dogs will have a very hard time walking on the floor.

Keep "Natures Miracle" on hand to pour onto areas where the dog pee lands.

We haven't got it in our living room but we have 3/4" Bosch tongue and groove in our front room - the dogs generally don't stay in there long.

**Brat** · 03-18-2010, 10:58 AM

I have hardwood in 3 rooms...Living room is the new stuff that was prefinished when we put it down...Have had it down for 6 years and it still looks like new. This is the highest traffice part of the house and I have a dog. It is a bit slick for him but his toe nails don't make any marks on it at all...On the other hand the other 2 rooms are the old porch flooring stained and varnished. They do have some nicks in them but not from the dog.

I do have to sweep it every day only because this is the traffice path to the whole house.

**akolb** · 03-18-2010, 11:00 AM

This is our family's business. I can tell you firsthand that dogs can most certainly ruin a hardwood floor if the wood is soft. So can dragging furniture across it, people wearing heels on it etc. For example, Heartwood Pine (or any pine) is very soft. My parents have it in their house and for our 1st Christmas party there, we had to ask guests to take their heels off!
We also have dogs, and because of budgetary reasons, we opted for laminate flooring. The biggest issue with laminate is the moisture factor: if a dog pees on the floor, and you don't notice, the laminate can warp and peel very badly.

Bottom line is I <3 hardwood floors. We WILL have them in our next house. But if you're concerned about durability, choose a hard wood (Brazillian Ipe is one of the hardest, just make sure whoever you buy it from uses sustainable resources to obtain their product!). If the person you are dealing with to sell/install your floors tells you something like "they're all Hard.", move on to the next guy!

Hope this helps!

**Russ** · 03-18-2010, 11:05 AM

We have Pergo in our office bedroom and we do not like it. It sounds "plastic" if that makes sense so laminate is out.

We want a hardwood, oak maybe, but I am concerned about the urine now. Not that it happens very often, but accidents can and will happen.

**stinkbug** · 03-18-2010, 11:10 AM

I'm probably in the minority, but I'm not that nuts about my hardwood floors. Mine are maple.....and I think they never look clean! Dog toenails have taken a toll (maple isn't that hard) and they show every speck of dirt!!! The only good thing I can say about them is, when the cat manages to puke on the wood, it's easier to clean up than on carpet!

**Russ** · 03-18-2010, 11:12 AM

Stinkbug, are your floors a light color? We want a darker color.

**stinkbug** · 03-18-2010, 12:39 PM

They are...kind of a honey color. I like the look, but not the upkeep.

**nuisance26** · 03-18-2010, 12:48 PM

~We have engineered hardwood in the living room. No pets. We put wool felt pads on the bottoms of all the furniture in the room which helps keep the scratching down. The kids scratch the floor quite a bit with their toys though. Ours is called "Gunstock" so it's medium reddish brown. It hides dirt well but not dust. I Swiffer every three days to keep it looking its' best. My biggest issue so far is how easily it seems to dent. I was so worried about scratches but it seems like any toy over 2 lbs dropped on the floor will put a dent in it. It's not really noticeable but it annoys me. The benefits of it over carpet are huge to me though. So much easier on the allergies and to keep clean!~

**NewLeaf** · 03-18-2010, 01:10 PM

Our house is old. We had the heartwood pine and they were sooo soft. They were in such bad shape that we couldn't even have them refinished.

We opted for Quickstep laminate flooring in Golden Oak. It is not really really light, but it is not dark like cherry. The grain pattern is heavy, meaning the wood pattern on the floor that looks like a woodgrain has alot of swirls and streaks etc. This helps hide dust and dirt really really well. Yet it is not dark enough to make the atmsophere feel heavy inside.

The flooring has been down for 4 1/2 yrs and we have yet to have a scratch or nick or even a peeling problem. Our dog has peed on it and I didn't find the puddle for 24 hrs (yikes!) and there was no discouloration or peeling.

My sons are rough on the floors, dropping things, sliding furniture, even once dropping a weight on it. No cracks, nicks or scratches.

Before I had it installed I got a sample piece and soaked it in water for 48 hrs to see how it held up. It was as good as new. I took a hammer and beat it and a nail and scratched it - no problems.This stuff is truly amazing.

I called the company and spoke to a rep about my concerns. I talked to people who had used this brand and I researched on the internet.

We had all of the floors in the entire house done except for the bathroom. We love it.

I wouldn't go too dark as every piece of lint and dust would show. Too light would show dirt. Opt for a medium w/ a good "grain".

Also, you can call the company or ask local dealers if they have any colors that are going out of stock that could be sold cheaper.

We have 4 extra boxes we kept for emergencies - you can easily take up the part of the flooring that got ruined and replace it w/new pieces. Their is a tool for this.

This flooring has cured my ds 7 yrs. allergies and eased mine greatly. It is easy to clean and if you can't get to your mopping in time the dirt really doesn't show.

Good luck. P.S. The dog's nails don't scratch the floor, but it makes it hard for him to get a "run and go".