TJay
Senior Member
We are building a house and my wife likes the engineered wood flooring. It does look good and comes with a 50 year warranty. I'm thinking I like a hardwood floor. Any of you all out there have experience in either or both?
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Hardwood floors or Engineered wood flooring?
- Thread starter TJay
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T-N-T
Senior Member
I don't believe the long warranty they give with engineered stuff. But most these days hold up really well.
Engineered seems cheaper and thus affords you the opportunity to just change it later for a whole new look.
Real wood can be sanded and refinished but it's costly up front and on the redo
My opinion, and that ain't much
Engineered seems cheaper and thus affords you the opportunity to just change it later for a whole new look.
Real wood can be sanded and refinished but it's costly up front and on the redo
My opinion, and that ain't much
I put laminate flooring in my house after our several dogs and cats ruined the carpet. I did the research and laminate seemed the way to go for us, as opposed to engineered or real hardwood.
We used Nucor from Floor & Decor, which has a lifetime warranty (if I recall) for residential use. It is completely waterproof with a cork backing. I am pleased with how it went on, and held up. Not saying it was an easy job, but if you do your research on the installation, plan and think ahead, and do the work carefully, it will turn out nice.
Now I am re-siding my entire house with Hardie Plank by myself and brush painting it as I go. Yeah - I'm a masochist.
We used Nucor from Floor & Decor, which has a lifetime warranty (if I recall) for residential use. It is completely waterproof with a cork backing. I am pleased with how it went on, and held up. Not saying it was an easy job, but if you do your research on the installation, plan and think ahead, and do the work carefully, it will turn out nice.
Now I am re-siding my entire house with Hardie Plank by myself and brush painting it as I go. Yeah - I'm a masochist.
Jeetdawg
Senior Member
I've had both and my Engineered flooring has held up better with my dog. With my hardwood floors, the installer put an extra thick layer of polyurethane on and the dog still ended up scratching it. I figured by the time I might want to refinish my engineered floors (mine are thick enough to do once), I'll just replace them with something new.
transfixer
Senior Member
I've got engineered flooring in the great room and office area in my house, it does hold up well, but it still can be damaged, although not nearly as easy as real hardwood, my house has a slab foundation, so it was much easier and cheaper to go the engineered route than real hardwood, I prefer the look and feel of real hardwood though. Depends on what you are after? Real Hardwood adds resale value, engineered doesn't. Engineered is cheaper, and better for high traffic areas, real hardwood feels better underfoot, and I think it looks better, more classy. Hardwood floors can always be refinished, replacing planks in an engineered floor can be difficult, unless it happens to be one of the edge planks.
jigman29
Senior Member
When I remodeled my doublewide I was trying to save all I could. I opted for the .99 per ft laminate to get me by a couple years. Im going on 11 years and it still looks new. It isn't as nice as the real hardwood but I also don't have the opening of the joints from the heat like real hardwood. A lot of the newer stuff looks really good. If you want to save money then go with it if moneys no object then go with hardwood.
doenightmare
Gone But Not Forgotten
Laminate is definitely the way to go in a kitchen or high traffic area. Just make sure to put down a good moisture/sound barrier underlay.
chobrown
Senior Member
We just finished our house a couple months ago and put the variable width (with the distressed look) engineered hardwood in the whole house, except for the bathrooms. We have a 3 and 2 year old that drive their play cars up and down the hallway religiously. So far no scratches and we have been very happy with it. Ours ended up costing $4 and something a Sq ft.
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GA native
Senior Member
I installed the laminated flooring in my last house. The wife and I hated it. It has a hollow sound to it when the old hound would walk across it. It looked cheap. It felt cheap. But hey, it is cheap. It is little more than cardboard with a picture of wood glued onto it. If moisture spills on it, you have to wipe it up immediately, because the picture of wood will start to separate from the cardboard. Laminate is comparable to carpet. They both look good for under ten years. It is easy to install and tear out.
The engineered flooring is even worse in my opinion. Because they glue it, and tattoo it to the subfloor. Engineered flooring is just plywood. Water damage, or any damage for that matter, can't be sanded out and refinished. And it is @#$% heck to pay when it comes time to replace the stuff. You tear up your subflooring in removing the engineered flooring.
This is your own custom house. Go with good floors. Hardwood. This engineered/laminated wood in a blender stuff just can't compare. People in this thread talking about the dog scratching hardwood up. All the dog did was scratch the finish. A can of paste wax and a floor buffer erases the scratches. Keeps it shiny and waterproof as well.
I have oak T&G on my first floor of my new house (kudos to Westcobbdawg). The Saturday after closing the loan, my Dad and I applied a can of Johnson's paste wax with a stand up buffer. Probably the first time this floor was waxed in 20 years. We had such a high shine on this floor that it was blinding. Oak T&G will last a lifetime or two. It is one of the few floors that will raise the value of your house.
The engineered flooring is even worse in my opinion. Because they glue it, and tattoo it to the subfloor. Engineered flooring is just plywood. Water damage, or any damage for that matter, can't be sanded out and refinished. And it is @#$% heck to pay when it comes time to replace the stuff. You tear up your subflooring in removing the engineered flooring.
This is your own custom house. Go with good floors. Hardwood. This engineered/laminated wood in a blender stuff just can't compare. People in this thread talking about the dog scratching hardwood up. All the dog did was scratch the finish. A can of paste wax and a floor buffer erases the scratches. Keeps it shiny and waterproof as well.
I have oak T&G on my first floor of my new house (kudos to Westcobbdawg). The Saturday after closing the loan, my Dad and I applied a can of Johnson's paste wax with a stand up buffer. Probably the first time this floor was waxed in 20 years. We had such a high shine on this floor that it was blinding. Oak T&G will last a lifetime or two. It is one of the few floors that will raise the value of your house.
chobrown
Senior Member
I do agree with you about not gluing anything to the subfloor. The manufacturer never mentioned that as being a method to putting ours down. He told us we could nail, staple, or float it. We nailed.
Hooty Hoot
Gone but not forgotten
The reason why site finished solid oak wood flooring is still used is it is still the best. Engineered wood floors are going to be a problem eventually. Depending on how particular you are, many are trouble from the get go.
rjcruiser
Senior Member
Are you on a slab or crawl space/sub-floor?
I second the glue down comment above. If you do glue down, don't ever expect to pull it up. Sell the house before you pull it up....it is a nightmare to try and pull up glued down laminate/wood flooring.
Don't think you can float a hardwood floor, it's either nail or glue. So, I'd go hardwood and nail if you're on a subfloor. If you're on a slab, I'd go laminate and float. Super easy to install. Make sure you get the laminate that has 3 or so different lengths in the box and has the pad already attached. Lay down a moisture barrier and then install. Super...super...super easy.
I second the glue down comment above. If you do glue down, don't ever expect to pull it up. Sell the house before you pull it up....it is a nightmare to try and pull up glued down laminate/wood flooring.
Don't think you can float a hardwood floor, it's either nail or glue. So, I'd go hardwood and nail if you're on a subfloor. If you're on a slab, I'd go laminate and float. Super easy to install. Make sure you get the laminate that has 3 or so different lengths in the box and has the pad already attached. Lay down a moisture barrier and then install. Super...super...super easy.
steeleagle
Banned
We went with wood-look porcelain tile: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Style-Sele...-in-x-48-in-Actual-7-72-in-x-47-4-in/50048235
My only complaint is that I didn't install drains in the floor, so I could just hose the living room out when needed.....Durable and beautiful
My only complaint is that I didn't install drains in the floor, so I could just hose the living room out when needed.....Durable and beautiful
snookdoctor
Senior Member
If you don't have inside dogs, or kids that like to ice skate in the house, get real wood.
DannyW
Senior Member
I too, am partial to real wood. The downstairs in our home has 3/4" T&G oak flooring. It was 11 years old when we moved in. The flooring did not look bad, just a little worn, but we decided to go ahead and have the floor sanded and refinished anyway...it would be our only opportunity to refinish it without having to deal with furniture and whatnot in the way.
It turned out great. And since it's 3/4" thick, we can do it again and again if we wish.
Like someone else said, there is a reason people still use real wood flooring. It has character, looks great, and can be refinished as needed.
Oh...by the way...we have two 50lb inside dogs. Yes, they sometimes scratch the floor surface but they never gouge it. We rub a little paste wax over the area and forget about it. At least for me, the concern of having inside dogs and a real wood floor is way over blown.
It turned out great. And since it's 3/4" thick, we can do it again and again if we wish.
Like someone else said, there is a reason people still use real wood flooring. It has character, looks great, and can be refinished as needed.
Oh...by the way...we have two 50lb inside dogs. Yes, they sometimes scratch the floor surface but they never gouge it. We rub a little paste wax over the area and forget about it. At least for me, the concern of having inside dogs and a real wood floor is way over blown.
swamp hunter
Senior Member
I'm with the Tile here. I deal with all kinds of repairs in High Dollar Houses every day.
You either get REAL Wood or figure on replacing cheap stuff every 5 years.
Had a guy install a new dishwasher in a Condo for me last month.
He set the old one in the crate the new one came in...in the living room.
We're getting ready to replace bout a 1/3 of the floor there now..
Tile is also a lot cooler on your feet if you live in a warm area. Summers feel real good on your feet.
Tiles now look like wood real nice and you can put your truck battery on it for a month...
snookdoctor
Senior Member
Dog nail damage doesn't look too bad until you are moving, and the rugs and furniture are removed. Then, it stands out pretty good.
PappyHoel
Senior Member
I have both and they both look good. Just don't get the engineered wet.
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grouper throat
Senior Member
I have wood in mine and it's nice but I too like the wood looking tile. A buddy of mine put it in his new house and it looks nice and seems much more durable (we have boys that will ruin flooring not dogs).
