We looked at Floor & Decor on Bell. (our house will be in Surprise) Their pricing was really good and the cost difference between laminate and hardwood was negligible. If it's not that much harder to put in maybe we will go ahead with the hardwood. They have several different types that either slipped together (and glued maybe) and others that have to be assembled with clips. If it really doesn't scratch easily maybe we will go that route instead. What about "engineered" wood flooring. I hear it's like plywood in that it's pressed layers but can be refinished a couple times before it has to be replaced. Can we float a wood floor? Do the edges require glue? We've been doing nothing but appliance & flooring shopping for a couple weeks and I'm reaching informational overload. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Carlos <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

NOOOO, not there! Just kidding, but my Dad always said "If you buy [email]cr@p[/email], you get [email]cr@p."[/email] Please...nooooooooooo.

Engineered wood flooring is stronger than solid wood flooring, even though it is thinner and is built in plies. It is also the only real type of wood flooring that can be glued down, with a few exceptions that you don't need to consider.

Go see (even if you don't buy) the guys at Cornerstone Flooring, just west of 99th Ave. and Bell, on the north side of the street. There's a Starbucks on the edge of the plaza, so you know it's the right place. David is the owner and his guys Philip and Lyle know their stuff. Just tell them I said hello (John, the guy who likes to 4-wheel). The most laid-back, honest place in this valley. If I had kids, I know I could leave them there and they would be the better for it, that's how much I respect them. (Disclaimer: I don't want any of my other former accounts to read this...shhhh)

For the record, I used to call on Floor & Decor, too. In a public forum such as this, I can't identify myself any further, but the right people will know who I am. As if I'm somebody, anyway.

Good luck with the new house, and congratulations.

John B.

Yes, you can float some types of wood flooring, but typically, those styles don't look as natural because the flooring units are larger and you end up having several pieces of wood that make up one "unit." Where that unit ends, you'll have several boards that end at the same place, making it look kind of funny. You'd also get that "tapping" sound like a laminate floor.

Since you have a dog, consider that any floating floor will enable you to hear the dog from across the entire house when its nails click on the floor as it walks around. Doesn't matter how thick the floor is or what kind of underlayment pad you have. It just changes the tone of the sound.

John B.

So they carry inferior products? They had some really good looking hardwood flooring for cheap.



So engineered wood flooring is stronger? When we were looking at the hardwoods they just seemed so much more substantial we kinda worried about the quality of the engineered products? Do you feel that they will hold up over time? Not that this is going to be the last house we ever buy but we will need it to hold up to two active kids and several pets.



We went there today. Lyle showed us some products in our price range and they had some good looking stuff. I'm a real amateur at picking out flooring but the 3/8" engineered stuff we looked at just didn't seem as substantial as the hardwoods. They had some oak and other engineered products that looked really nice and the 3/8" stuff will match up, hopefully, with the tile we have downstairs we just worry about longevity. Thanks for all the advice.



Thanks <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Carlos

Keep in mind, you only walk on the top of the floor. The finish quality is what you are concerned with. 3/8" is plenty. I always had to emphasize to my salespeople not to really talk about refinishing wood floors, as it probably won't ever need to be done for as long as you own your home.

As an example, the owner of the flooring store you were in has hardwood throughout his home and has four kids. The only place in his house where the floor has a scratch is where he tried to move his couch by himself.

To another point, which do you think would be easier to break...a solid piece of oak 1/2" thick, or one that's the same thickness but made up of five plies of wood with the grains running in opposite directions that has been assembled under high pressure with glue holding all of them together? It's a perception that the solid piece of wood would be stronger, but it's not. The engineered wood will also be more dimensionally stable, meaning it's much less likely to warp or dent and handles changes in humidity far better.

Lyle is less than half my age, but he knows his stuff, doesn't he? Likes to four wheel, too. That store has to put up with the Sun City crowd, so they're really patient and low-key, too. They're good people, like I said.

And lastly, an independent store is likely to be selling things that they know from experience will be supported by the manufacturer in case something goes wrong, or else a product failure could spell big trouble for them financially. If a product they sell gives them trouble, it probably means it gave the homeowner trouble and the manufacturer was cutting corners and will make excuses to not cover their rear ends. A big-box store doesn't care, it's all about price.

From a point of a manufacturer's rep, I would go to bat for the little guy, too, as they are my customer and I value their business and want to keep them happy. The big box wants to save money, so they negotiate with my home office for the best price and tell them they don't need anybody to call on them, therefore they don't get any representation from me...they're my dead-last priority as they don't pay me a dime to do anything for them. The little guy earns my attention, too, as they do pay me, even though it might only be dimes. That's why they give reps so many accounts...more dimes. They might pay a slightly higher price, but just slightly, and they have access to everything we sell, not just the stuff they are buying trailer-loads full of and foisting onto the public. And since I'm on a roll here, who do you think we ship the best quality goods to? That's right, the ones they know are going to be able to have the most leverage with us, and that's not the one that pays the least amount...regardless of quantity. The rep (again) is going to go to bat and cause a stink for the ones he believes in.

Hope that made sense.

John B.

He definitely knows his stuff. That's where we will be buying our flooring once we get in and can verify what shade oak we need. It wasn't the 3/8" that concerned me it was the 1/16" hardwood covering the plywood that concerned me but I can't see us wearing through that with just family & pet traffic. I appreciate all your help and yes I will definitely invite you over for a beer to see how the place looks after we're done. (just keep in mind it will be the work of first time rookies <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />) We have a deadline of May since I will have family coming to visit that month. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drunk.gif" alt="" />

Carlos <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

You're getting it, Rapha. You don't even have to worry about that top 1/8". You don't even walk on that, rather, just the finish that's on top of it. I'm confident your project will turn out fine and you'll enhance your new home and make it a great place to live.

Congratulations.

John B.