Replies

1. 
   Piffin | Mar 06, 2004 05:23am | #1

   "I'll start with one "

   With all the implied questions in this topic or subject matter, you are slightly over one, but that's OK. Could be a good thread.

   I'm bumping it up the list for all the friday nite regulars to see, but in the meantime, you might try using the advanced search button to your left on screen to look up terms like f;looring, wood floors, and engineered wood flooring. "Bamboo" might net you some threads to follow too.

   and i am off to bed

    

    

   Welcome to the
   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   WayneL5 | Mar 06, 2004 07:02am | #2

   The prefinished products would wear better than any finish you can apply in the field.  But, most have little grooves between the boards.  They are advertised as a "feature" but to me they just trap dirt.

   Is the sand from the beach or just normal rural mud?

   How about ceramic tile in the entry ways.  Including the garage entrance, since most people use that more than the front entrance.

   Also, be aware how early in the design some decisions need to be made.  For flooring, for example, various floorings have different heights.  Your builder needs to know what you want fairly early (maybe not the color, but certainly the kind) because it affects how the subfloor is constructed, and affects the height of the bottom and top steps when the stairs are constructed.  There are strict code requirements about stair spacing and if you switch flooring heights after the stairs are roughed in, it means changes with cost money.

   (Another decision that comes unexpectedly early is the tub/shower.  Since they are large they have to be put in place before the walls go up, long before most people give any thought to the bath fixtures.)

   Good luck and have fun.  It will be much more stressful than you expect it to be, but worthwhile in the end.  Don't let it all get to you.

1. 
   FastEddie1 | Mar 06, 2004 08:13am | #3

   Good answers Wayne, but you should have told her the correct term for the little grooves...they are called bevel edges, and the reason for their existence (other than the "feature" feature, which is correct) is so that any slight misalignment of the boards during installation, or manufacturing, will not result in a sharp edge, like you sometimes find on tile floors.  In traditional flooring, the boards are sanded after installation, and thus any misalignment is sanded level.

   Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!"  Then get busy and find out how to do it.  T. Roosevelt

   The craftsman formerly known as elCid

1. 
   WayneL5 | Mar 06, 2004 08:02pm | #5

   You're right.  I didn't want to give a longer reply.  The chamfers are there to hide unevenness in heights when the boards are machined, and the marketing people had to find something about them to tout as a benefit rather than a liability.

   I don't think all prefinished wood floors have them, though, so the home owner can look for floors without the chamfers if it matters to them.

1. 
   FastEddie1 | Mar 08, 2004 05:15am | #9

   I have a friend who had pre-fin square edge wood installed in her living room.  There were several minor height variations, and after 6 months or so most of those have self-beveled (the edges broke off) leaving bright spots where the unfinished wood shows.  Looks very tacky.

   Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!"  Then get busy and find out how to do it.  T. Roosevelt

   The craftsman formerly known as elCid

2. 
   WorkshopJon | Mar 06, 2004 10:34pm | #7

   "The prefinished products would wear better than any finish you can apply in the field."

   Waynel,

   Absolutely correct as they typically feature a "two part" catalyzed finish, similar to the clear coat finishes on cars.  Very hazardous to apply, and but very durable.

   I installed "Bruce Natural Reflections" in my house ~ 5 years ago which is a prefinished product with no bevel.  They claim a 25 year warrantee on the finish.  Still looks almost like new.

   Edit: at $3.95 sq ft DIY, not too bad a deal.

   Jon

   Edited 3/6/2004 2:37 pm ET by WorkshopJon

1. 
   skids | Mar 07, 2004 04:46am | #8

   there are advantages and disadvantages to both, the factory applied finsh is great, but extra time and care should be taken with installation, as well as leaving the joint between unfinished/unsealed. in a damp environment it may be possible for moisture to migrate down between finish floor boards and get past building paper to subfloor thereby causing problems.

   unfinished is faster to install, and when finished provides a better gapless barrier to moisture migrating down. probably a little cheaper than prefinished as well. you can plan on refinishing every so often to maintain, which can be a pain, but at least in new england you should be able to find several good floor finishers.

3. 
   luvmuskoka | Mar 06, 2004 08:14am | #4

   Neither.

   Ditch

4. 
   cwolf | Mar 06, 2004 08:46pm | #6

   I had good results using Kahrs prefinished 15mm floating wood floor over Avantex osb subfloor on I joists. I had radiant heat throughout and after the first winter inside am very satisfied.

   I did install ceramic in the laundry/mudroom entrance from the garage and stone at the front entry.

   I live in southeastern Massachusetts and have a 600' (so far) unfinished driveway that tracked in a lot of sand, etc and I have no regrets.

   Check this out and good luck

5. 
   ed2 | Mar 08, 2004 05:50pm | #10

   Unfinished is your best bet.

   oak, red or white is traditional here in NE, white has earth tone color, harder than red, also takes stain better. red has slight pink tone, both look good. there are a lot of exotics like brazilian cherry, walnut, tigerwood etc which are gaining favor and are much harder wood.

   prefinished not sanded on-site to flush edges like unfinished wood, needs beveled edges to avoid foot catcher effect. make sure product also has bevels on the ends for same reason, cheaper products have square edges.

   problem i find with prefinish is that it is machined more tightly on tongue & groove joints to avoid lifted edges "foot catchers". doesn't seem like flooring is meant to be that tight, notice that a lot of these floors get cupped edges even if properly acclimated to house. expansion causes pushing together of boards and cupping upward along joints of boards. looks like little ocean waves in sunlight.

   re: finish, use Trek Plus waterborne poly by absolute coatings, new rochelle, ny

   is a commercial grade "aluminum oxide" coating, same as used on prefinished floors. most prefinish wood only comes in gloss coat, looks cheap. site finishing w trek plus allows you to choose gloss, semi or satin...satin shows damage the least. adds about $ .65 sf to chemical cost for floor, also requires labor cost of extra (fourth) coat. need coat of their xl sealer and three coats of poly, v.s. three coats when using oil base poly.....added perk is non-yellowing formula. many of the refinishes i do are because the poly has darkened w age.

   i'd stay away from engineered. a quality product will run more money than solid wood. have veneer of wood glued to plywood surface, run 1/32" to 1/8", don't know anyone who will refinish them. if you burn through the veneer, plywood will show. did a repair on a kahrs floor where finish failed in center of room after 7-8 years. floating floor, had to be demo'd from wall to just past damaged area, then new put in. trouble was kahrs had discontinuued line, but came up w enough to do this repair. w unfinished, can sand, or if board is damaged, pull and nail in replacement. can get stock of same type wood from lumberyard if flooring not avail.

   important to let wood sit in actual work areas of house about a week prior to install to acclimate moisture content of flooring to that of subfloor of house, avoids expansion / contraction problems. what area ne are you from?