Can we talk flooring?

[SandraDumas]

We have a townhome with a great room. The living room, dining room, and front entryway are basically one big rectangular room about 250 sf. The front door opens up right into the room, with no alcove or hallway. The back door also opens up into this great room.

We are saving up for a car, and are thinking if we find a good deal on a car we can spend some extra money doing this 250 sf area. Right now it's all covered with carpet and it's really nasty.

The area by the front door has black rubber tracks from the door. The area under the table has myriads of spills from painting, and food, and anything else homeschoolers do at the table.

The back door has dirt tracks from coming in from the patio in back. The living area is pretty clean.

So...

My dh refuses to get Pergo. He HATES it. Million reasons, none of which I agree with.

He wants real wood. I want Pergo. I HATE real wood (WAY too hard to take care of isn't it??)

So the only idea we came up with is a high-traffic stainmaster carpet, basically it would almost be industrial grade carpet. Then we would get a half moon of tile by the front door and back doors. We know someone who can do this.

We already have very expensive high quality padding, and no pets.

Does this sound like a good idea? Or should I just keep the old funky carpet until we can afford wood and the kids are old enough to help be responsible with it?

My sister says wood is SO HARD to take care of...I just don't want to go there!

[Elisabeth in IL]

Why does your sister think that wood is SO HARD to take care of? We had old wood floors (60 years old) that we had refinished. I just washed them with Murphy Oil Soap once a week or so. You do need to dust them regularly if you have animals because the hair will just float around. I didn't think they were hard to take care of at all but this was also pre-children.

[Jami]

I hate all carpet. Even "industrial" stuff. I'm trapped in a rental with all carpet right now after living in two homes previously with all hardwoods (and vinyl in the kitchen and baths). Wood floors are a breeze to take care of. Sweep or mop to keep dust contained (and you can actually *see* that you get the dust unlike nasty carpet which hides it) and maybe an occasional damp mop with vinegar water. I'd do ceramic tile too if wood weren't a choice, but it's so much harder. And I really think Pergo screams fake, feels fake, looks fake, *sounds* fake...not a fan. ;) That said, I'd still choose a laminate over carpet if budget required. :)

Jami

[Heather in the Kootenays]

I think wood is the EASIEST type of floor to take care of.

[abbeyej]

Agreeing with everyone else -- wood is really easy to care for and definitely my favorite flooring choice. If you guys can make it fit in your budget, I don't think you'll be unhappy.

[Jennifer in MI]

IMHO Pergo is just as easy to care for as hard wood. We just moved and put in 800 sq ft of new wood flooring and had another 250 refinished. So, I LOVE hardwood and would encourage you to go that route. I simply vacuum the high traffic spots daily (or I have a child do it!). Then, once a week (sometimes more under that table and in the kitchen (but, again, I have a child do it!)), I mop it with vinegar and water. Very simple and easy.

Yes, I vacuum more than I would if I had carpet. But, when I think of all the dust and dirt that would be hidden in the carpet, I'm thankful for the hardwood!! It just feels so much cleaner.

Have fun with your decision!! I love stuff like this!

[DIY-DY]

We have a townhome with a great room. The living room, dining room, and front entryway are basically one big rectangular room about 250 sf. The front door opens up right into the room, with no alcove or hallway. The back door also opens up into this great room.

We are saving up for a car, and are thinking if we find a good deal on a car we can spend some extra money doing this 250 sf area. Right now it's all covered with carpet and it's really nasty.

The area by the front door has black rubber tracks from the door. The area under the table has myriads of spills from painting, and food, and anything else homeschoolers do at the table.

The back door has dirt tracks from coming in from the patio in back. The living area is pretty clean.

So...

My dh refuses to get Pergo. He HATES it. Million reasons, none of which I agree with.

He wants real wood. I want Pergo. I HATE real wood (WAY too hard to take care of isn't it??)

So the only idea we came up with is a high-traffic stainmaster carpet, basically it would almost be industrial grade carpet. Then we would get a half moon of tile by the front door and back doors. We know someone who can do this.

We already have very expensive high quality padding, and no pets.

Does this sound like a good idea? Or should I just keep the old funky carpet until we can afford wood and the kids are old enough to help be responsible with it?

My sister says wood is SO HARD to take care of...I just don't want to go there!

OK, in the interest of full disclosure, I *loathe* carpet. LOATHE it. I also have no affiliation w/ this company, other than being a Very Happy Camper with the products and customer service. :)

That said, check out their "flooring education" section. Actually, take some time to browse the entire website. Scads of great information, easily written for the layman to understand. It covers everything - hardwoods, carpets, cork, tile, laminates. It'll help you both feel more comfortable w/ your decision, whichever way you go. Even if you don't buy from them (although if you do buy from them, I think you'd be pleased. They were SO helpful to us!)

There are laminate floors that don't look or feel as cheap as Pergo. The one we went with - Westhollow brand - is stunning. It also had the qualities we wanted most in a floor: reusable (so if we want to do something different, we can pull this up and reuse it, sell it, move it, whatever), highest abrasion rating (who knew they even tested this stuff?), highest core absorption rating (again - who knew?)

Two examples of the differences in laminate flooring:
Our neighbors bought the "high end" Armstrong laminate from HD or Lowe's or somewhere like that. Top of the line, supposedly. In less than two years, the edges of all the panels in their kitchen and hallway were curling and chipping. They had a water leak, caught in less than two hours, and the entire floor had to be replaced.

We bought the Westhollow. Paid less than they paid for their stuff. It's been in about two years, now. Not a hint of warping, chipping or curling. One of the doors to the outside was left w/o a threshold until just this past December. The rain pools *right there*, and we live in the wet, humid south. After nearly two years like that, the floor STILL had not swollen or warped. I couldn't believe it! (We won't go into how I felt about it taking that long to get a threshold put in... ;) LOL.)

We also had a HORRIBLE leak from our ice maker (the tube that feeds into the maker popped off - so every time it tried to make ice, it spewed water all behind the fridge!!) We didn't notice it until it leaked through to the basement. I was SO not looking forward to what we'd find when we pulled the fridge out - but what we found was that the floor was FINE. I could not believe it!

I'm not trying to convince you to go laminate flooring, but wanted to point out that there's more to the market than what you'll find at Lowe's, HD, or even the local flooring stores. It's a whole 'nuther world out there! WOW! The options are amazing. Check out ifloor.com, definitely. ;)

Hope this helps!
Dy

[MelissaM]

I think hardwood (real, I hate the look of laminate) is easier and cleaner than carpet. Vacuuming it twice a week and running a slightly damp mop over it once a week keeps hardwood looking good.

[Stirsmommy]

I love my hardwoods. We have a hundred year old home so I would say they have held up to a few kids in their time. They have been refinished. The living room had carpet in it when we moved in and I yanked it up immediately. It was the first time those hardwoods had been refinished and other than I wanted them to match the other rooms I wouldn't have done them. There was a spot where some one had spilt water on the carpet and never bothered to dry it up that is slightly dark than the rest but it isn't much. As for care, I sweep a lot but no more than if I vacuumed carpet. Also it is easy to clean up after spills. We have a dog and kids and they are holding up. Oh an dmy kids ride their razors in the house since we haven't seen the ground in MONTHS!

[Sharon in SC]

We chose wood for our whole house except the three bedrooms and room over the garage which got carpet and our kitchen/bfast/bathrooms which got tile because of its ease of care and cleanliness. I love knowing that when I vaccum the floor is CLEAN (versus carpet that harbours such crud no matter what you do). I have a swivel sweeper that I use daily to get up dog hair, I big vacuum once weekly (normally) and then damp mop (hot water/vinegar) about once a month. If I had it to do all over again, I'd do the same thing! I love my hardwoods.

Google Bellawood. We got our brazilian cherry hardwoods for a *fraction* of what local shop wanted to charge us and a *50* year warranty!

Here is a link to our floors: http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1548&categoryId=41&sectionId=1&subCategoryId=63

[Liz CA]

So...

My dh refuses to get Pergo. He HATES it. Million reasons, none of which I agree with.

He wants real wood. I want Pergo. I HATE real wood (WAY too hard to take care of isn't it??)

Does this sound like a good idea? Or should I just keep the old funky carpet until we can afford wood and the kids are old enough to help be responsible with it?

My sister says wood is SO HARD to take care of...I just don't want to go there!

you think it's hard to take care of or because you don't like the look?
If it's the first, reconsider and talk to people who have wood floors. I never have had a real wood floor but my friend does and she sweeps and mops it the same way I do with the Pergo. And yes...real wood looks like real wood which is probably one reason your dh likes real wood. The only drawback to real wood (other than the cost compared to carpet or Pergo) you can see scratches more easily but evidently that is being addressed as well in newer and more expensive types. It also adds value to your home! Sleep on it and reconsider...:D

[Ellie]

in California and here in Texas, and *love* it. Dustmop daily (if I'm in the mood), area rugs in some areas (which are so pretty), Don Aslett floormats on both sides of exterior doors, felt pads on the feet of all furniture, and Bona (http://www.bonakemi.com/products/specials/WM710013343.htm) for cleaning...easy-peasy. Most hardwood floors are finished with several coats of polyurethane, making the floors impervious to almost everything--just wipe up spills with paper towels.

An added benefit--as if there needs to be any, lol--is that when you clean a hardwood floor, it is CLEAN. I have three cats, and when cat-allergic friends come over, I clean the floors and my friends never have allergy problems.

I do have a cannister vacuum that I use periodically; it cleans even better than the dustmop, and I can get cobwebs and whatnot with the attachments.

Love my hardwood. I will *always* have hardwood :-)

[Diana in OR]

Our living room is a big rectangle that has no designated entry, the front door just opens right up to it. You didn't mention anything about an entry space. I gathered from your post that the carpet goes right up to the door. We have carpet, however at the entry is a 4'X4' section of ceramic tile. For us, it's enough space to remove shoes. I have shoe basket right by the door (although I don't expect guests to remove their shoes). The rest of the carpet has stayed relatively clean.

[rockermom]

We have hardwood and it's my number 1 choice but I would definitely have laminate flooring before carpeting. I know what my baby is crawling on and I know how clean it is. I hate carpeting and would NEVER go back to it.

If it's a budget concern, there are engineered hardwood flooring products you could look into.

[LisaK in VA]

The finishes on a pre-finished hardwood product are pretty excellent (we're going with Bella hardwood), and stand up to a lot more scratching than standard finishes... I think Bella has a 40 or 50 year warrantee!

Plus -- if something does go horribly wrong, they can be refinished.

Engineered hardwood is also an option (less expensive than hardwood), and some brands CAN be refinished once or twice (but not more).

Easy Peasy to keep up. I'm buying my kids mop slippers (dry mops you wear on your feet) so they can dust mop and slide around the room -- and looking forward to not having to worry about pet hair pile-ups, allergens and things getting embedded in the carpet.

Hardwood is pretty durable -- but a bad water leak is going to hurt almost ANY flooring. If water gets under ceramic tile you have buckling, cracking, etc. too.

Only places NOT getting hardwood are main bathrooms, kitchen, dinette and laundry room (lots of water there). Those rooms will be getting tile.

[ChocolatePrincess]

My first experience with hardwood was when we moved into the house we currently live in. It has been 2 years and yes we have some small scratches but I love my hardwood. I just wish it were everywhere and not just in the kitchen/dining/hallways/entry areas. It is easy to clean....the kids can do it. And when it is clean, it is clean!!!!:)

[nancypants]

I would do real wood. I wouldn't think of getting Pergo. But I definitely wouldn't replace it with more carpet!

[SandraDumas]

Thanks! This is all great info. I've decided to hold out for wood or high end pergo, and not settle for high traffic carpet. Maybe my dh will consider the other pergo stuff on ifloor, and we can compromise. Or maybe I can do a little more research. It sounds like maybe the wood floors are easier than I thought. And it's not a huge space, so it's really not that much money. The installation is always so expensive but I think we may be able to get a deal with some handymen we know.

:o)

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Engineered hardwood comes prefinished with a super durable finish that cleans beautifully with just water. It is real wood, so it's beautiful. It "floats" (meaning it's not attached to the sub-flooring) so it doesn't get gaps between the boards like regular hardwood. It snaps together like Pergo-type laminate, so it installs easily.

I love my Kahrs floor. I had polyurethane floors before, and I loved them, too. They did get gaps between the boards, though, when the weather was dry. And, they buckled when we had water come in the door in a storm. In the end, the easy installation of the prefinished flooring sold me. We would have had to wait an week for regular, old-fashioned flooring to be sanded, stained, and coated (several times) with polyurethane.

[Sunny]

Anything is better than carpet. You just can't get carpet clean.
We have hardwood and it is the first time I've ever had them, and I LOVE the wood floors. We have kids, pets, dirty yard.... and it cleans so nicely. Yes, we get dings, but it just adds character (I tell myself that's ok). And, once it gets really bad, we can always refinish it.

We had tile floor in an area you describe in our last home, but it covered 850sf. It was awesome to take care of, but very hard on the feet. Would that be a consideration?

Even if you decide not to get real hardwood floors, it is such a small area, that a nice higher quality laminate would be easy maintanence. It is realatively inexpensive, and when you can afford real wood, simply redo the small area. I would highly recommend getting rid of the carpet though.