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In seeking additional estimates for my floor project, I now have had 2 flooring specialists talking me out of hardwood for the entire main level. This is due to where we live, my kids, and the high traffic area of my front door. This is not helping me make a decision on color of the floor & making me second guess. Very frustrating.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mmtsh,

PA dweller too.

We are lovers of hardwood flooring and opted for it in a previous house in DE when our DS was a baby both upstairs and down (he was also diagnosed w/ childhood asthma back then so hardwood was ideal). BTW, he didn't suffer from crawling on hardwood flooring.

In this PA home DH and I installed hardwood in the kitchen, hallway and fm. rm. but builder had already installed it in diningroom and lv. rm..
We bought our wood flooring from Lumber Liquidators at a great bargain btw. Check their locations at their web site.

I feel you can always add rugs/runners to cushion noise, for the comfort underfoot factor, for color/pattern/texture interest and to protect high traffic areas. In the kitchen, do add durable, protective coats of poly as you would also in high traffic areas. Opt for a light stain (or go natural) so scratches, dings and dust won't be readibly visible. Hardwood floors are easy to clean, rich/warm and refinishable. Use protective pads under moving furniture like kitchen/dining chairs too. If you install it in all your public spaces, your home will look less choppy. Do factor in cabinetry and furniture coloration so that the wood spieces and color will compliment everything.

Further protect your floors by controlling the amount of UV rays that can bleach it. The use of a good rug (watch the backing you select tho) at entryways can prolong the life of your floors finish too. Small pebbles brought in from outside can harm the finish. You might offer a place to stash shoes etc. upon entry and train the kids to take dirty shoes off at the door.

If you have vents in the floor, there are matching wood flush mount vents you can have installed.

For the stairs, you can opt to use carpeting or a rug runner (I prefer the last option in your case) to buffer sound from the little ones. The latter option will expose the wooden steps and marry carpeting upstairs w/ wood floors downstairs.

If chosen wisely, maintained well and installed properly, you'll benefit by going w/ hardwood flooring come resale.

We went to lumbar liquidators, but their pricing was the same as any other Flooring Specialty and Home Improvement stores. Tell me...is there a trick to Lumbar Liquidator deals? We need to cover 500 square feet.

I am overwhelmed with: wood hardness, color stained vs. natural finish, the type “finish" on it, can it be re-sanded or screened, hard woods chip easier, soft woods dent easier. It seems people, including LL, just want to sell you a bunch of hoopla. I don't want to buy junk, but I don't want to spend a fortune either.

My cousin has original pine floors in her colonial home in Philly, and they are gorgeous. My sisters have more traditional oak floors with little color variation. One complains about food/dirt getting stuck in between planks.

We have oak trim, doors, and oak cabinets in kitchen. Trim is more rustic than formal. My husband will not allow me to paint them out. I do love the rustic looking hand scraped floors, but I am not a fan of a wide variation of color. Our décor style is casual country.

I found a natural American cherry at Lumbar Liquidators/$5.50 sq ft. that complimented the lighter variation in my oak kitchen cabinet but now my contractor says it may not be available.

PS. My sister likes the idea of very dark wood but I am fearful of the a lot of dust/dirt showing. BTW...I am in NE PA.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mmtsh,

My brother also lives in a split level in PA so I can easily picture your downstairs level.
Being that your sons' friends will be traipsing through, and a baby will be crawling around on the floor, you don't really want carpeting. First, the boys will ruin it quickly by bringing in all kinds of stuff on their shoes, but more importantly, carpets carry a caustic chemical, so you don't want the baby coming in close contact with it.
Hardwood floors with the area rug in the living room is my choice hands down -- and it looks great too. I installed pale blond bamboo which is eco-friendly. However, my home is more contemporary modern and I prefer light to dark in flooring. So if you like dark, go for it. It's out there in Philly. Try National Flooring. They are very reputable and they will come right to you home gratis and bring all kinds of samples for you to choose from and give you an estimate. I've used them for both carpet and wood flooring.
Save your carpet maybe for your Master Bedroom.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arepo,

We've listed mostly in old houses which means that we've lived with hardwood floors. We had ONE home with carpet and when we moved here it was carpeted. We quickly remedied that!

You can wash hardwood. "Stuff" gets vacuumed or swept up -- in carpeting it goes UNDER the carpet and stays there.

We do have area rugs for some "warmth" in the winter.

I would NEVER have anything but a hard surface floor -- preferring wood, of course.

Martha

Lumber Liquidators has "close outs" or some such deals periodically. They're usually advertised specials. Our last flooring was 2 1/4" white oak planks (unfinished) for my DH thinks was $1.49 per sq. ft.. FYI, I am not fond of the narrower boards which obviously take longer to install tho the finished floor is very handsome. When in their store, ask if they have leftover deals to save further. We've used their flooring both finished and unfinished in a good part of our house.

I'm a hardwood floor person - LOVE them for their ease of care. I cannot visualize cherry floors w/ oak trim????? My preference would be to have the same trim and flooring - unless your trim is painted, then it really doesn't matter.

My suggestion is to find the installer and see what they say. I would look for a flooring store vs the big box stores. They will have the most knowledge and experience and after care.

quote:

Originally posted by out on a limb:
I'm a hardwood floor person - LOVE them for their ease of care. I cannot visualize cherry floors w/ oak trim????? My preference would be to have the same trim and flooring - unless your trim is painted, then it really doesn't matter.

My suggestion is to find the installer and see what they say. I would look for a flooring store vs the big box stores. They will have the most knowledge and experience and after care.

I agree with you 100%. There are home owners who are handy enough to install wood floors and do a good job; however, in my experience they are few and far between, especially if you're talking about anything but a simple (and squared) room/space.
So - now you decide to have it installed. If you go to the Big Box stores you will most likely be handed a phone number of an installer. Who is going to guarantee they are around if there is a problem six months down the road? Also, these people are in your HOME - and many freelance installers will use day laborers. We had an instance here a few years ago where a guy hired for the day went back the next day to rob the homeowner, thinking the homeowner would be gone - unfortuantely she was at home and was murdered. A reputable flooring company will have their OWN installers who have worked for them for a number of years.
I'm incredibly picky about who works in my clients' homes and never, ever recommend dealing with free lance workers.

The mom & pop flooring places are really the best place to get a lot of this stuff - they're priced competitively and the customer service, hands down, is much better! We often forget about them and this is one time when they are probably the best resource.

As in most things home related, seeking referals from trusted neighbors, friends, coworkers and/or relatives is your best form of action when it comes to reliable recommendations for services. Some subscribe to Ann's Choice but I have not personally. Checking w/ the BBB is another wise step. As in most things home related, labor pricing can vary greatly and should never be the sole indicator of quality workmenship. Seeking three estimates, or more, is best. Be sure you stipulate everything in writing, check out their workmen's comp paperwork (we once spoke to a roofer who's document had expired and he seemed surprised!), and be sure they order 10% or more extra wood flooring to compensate for defective boards or incorrect cuts. Be sure too to acclimate the wood inside your home before instillation. If an installer doesn't point this out, don't hire them. Prep work, as in most things, is critical as well. The subfloor must be strongly in tact, void of squeaks and level. An underlying paper is applied if going over a subfloor that's over a basement. Similar steps are required if installed over a slab. Do your homework and educate yourself about the ins and outs of hardwood flooring.

If you're comfortable and able bodied to install it yourself, avail yourself of how-to workshops, videos and the Web for tips. The how-to workshops are often available via home centers or adult night courses. Equipment can be purchased or rented. Having an assistant is highly recommended for this labor intense job. Begin on a small room, as we did, to see if you can successfully accomplish this job and to give you more knowledge and confidence to proceed further. Do know that prefinished flooring is less forgiving than unfinished and costs a bit more. We only opted for that once in an upstairs bedroom as I didn't want the dust. We've also hired pros to tackle the sanding and sometimes finishing stages as we feared we might gouge the wood.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Froo Froo,

american cherry is 2nd going left to right. I have a darker maple that is not as warm of color I need to post a pic of yet.

We just moved into our new home 3 months ago and we have hardwood floor. I love it sooooo much more than carpeting which we had in the last house. It is so easy to care for. I never ever want carpeting again.

I agree with those that say check around with neighbors and friends for installers and info on hardwood flooring. We found a local man that mills hardwood flooring for sale and he was much cheaper than any traditional business. I am blessed to have a bil that can lay it and finishes it so I know there are people out there that can do it besides big business'.

I chose to go a little lighter shade on the flooring than the cabinets. I really like the look. We put down oak and the stain color is honey oak. We chose to put tile in the bathrooms and the laundry room.

If someday we can afford to put hardwood upstairs in the bedrooms, I found a ceramic tile that looks just like wood for the bathrooms.

quote:

We live in PA so we have our cold, messy winters

We live in Maine and I wouldn't give up my hardwood floors for anything! However there is insulation on the underside of the two front rooms (that is the ceiling of the basement is insulated)

My DD also learned to crawl on hardwood floors.

I have to admit though that I have a pre judice against carpeting. It makes me feel almost physically ill (I mean visually)
When I see a show on House hunters that has carpeting I always wonder why the prospective buyers don't turn around and walk right out!

I would never install carpet again either. Holds too many allergens.

I would go with a much lighter wood floor than your cabinets or a much darker wood.

ideas on how to break up Monotonous wood tones if my new hardwood floor color choice blends with cabinet

the floor color here doesn't contrast much with the cabinets. I think I am liking this better than very light or very dark to contrast my cabinets.

mmtsh...I like how you chose the much darker corner cabinet in contrast with the lighter ones, and the different counterops. That's what we are doing with our kitchen remodel. I want about 2 or 3 different counter surfaces.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: zone9alady,

Let me add...has anyone seen or used the ceramic tile that looks like wood? I absolutely love it. But, that makes for a cold floor surface in the living rm. though I do plan on using a large area rug in there.