Real wood will also raise the value of the house more than laminate (don't like laminate myself).

For the waisncot, get a 60 or 80 tooth blade...and cut the wainscot face down on the tablesaw...the little raised portions of the wainscot tends to splinter if you don't. What kind of cap will you be running at the top of it? I suggest pm-1 (top left on page or colonial cap top right on page (colonial base is one of the most common bases used)

Make sure you add a bottle of Motrin and knee pads to the order. I've only done one room that my wife uses as her studio. Bought the cheapest stuff I could find a Lowe's.

Make sure you give it room to expand. Just leave a 1/4 inch before the wall and use the baseboard to cover the crack. If you do a snug fit it will buckle in the summer. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

If I were doing a commercial floor, I'd use laminate, for the hardness and wear resistance.

For a home floor, I'd run from lam like from a werewolf. It's loud, can't be refinished, and looks cheap after a couple of months.

If you have the diff in $, go for hardwood (over a moisture barrier if on a slab on grade) and nail or glue as required (nail for "wood" subfloor, glue for concrete). You can refinish it. It feels and sounds natural. It adds more $ to resale. It's just as easy to install with the right tools.

I'm a barbarian, and like to finish my own, and I use matte polyurethane in two coats plus the stain. I thin the first coat 50% with mineral spirits to let it penetrate better, then put the finish coat on straight.

I've installed and lived with both. Lam sux.

Sounds like the votes are in. Eddy's right, but I'll add to it.

On grade shouldn't need a separate vapor barrier. Chemistry has done wonders for our lives and a good quality glue for wood floors acts as a barrier, among other things. The newest ones actually reduce sound even further. That being said, I'd do a moisture test in every direction about two feet apart with a moisture meter (rent).

Also, a factory pre-finished floor will get you more coats of aluminum oxide enhanced polyurethane, cured by UV light, which means a more durable finish than you could ever hope to achieve in-home. The drawback to factory-applied finishes is a floor with more seams, but you're going to get some anyway as the floor will expand and contract with changes in humidity.

An expansion space is required at all vertical obstructions (walls, posts, beams, etc.) for either wood or laminate. If you don't want to take off the baseboards and reset them on top of the new floor, add quarter round. Don't pin the floor in, as Les said, it will buckle.

Also, laminate floors require a transition molding at every doorway, whereas a wood floor does not.

More thoughts as they come. I can bore you to tears with Jenka ball hardness testing and tabor abraders...just get me started.

Don't use soft species of wood, like pine. Oak is the most common/least expensive, but many exotics are on the market these days. If considering one, ask to see some proof that it is being forested responsibly.

John B.

Oh, shoot, Rapha, I forgot you are right here in Phoenix. Don't use hickory/pecan in our market. It tends to end-check (little cracks in the ends of the boards) unless you are diligent about keeping humidity levels even at about 40% (good luck with that!).

Where are you shopping? I probably know them, as I used to be a wholesale rep in the state and had a customer list that sometimes was over 200 strong of retailers, trowel and bucket guys, etc. Also, if you want my suggestions on who to see, tell me what part of town you are in.

John B.

Reading more about the dogs...I would often get that reaction from people that they want laminate as it is more scratch resistant (it's not scratch-proof, however) with dogs, but I never had a customer come back to me and tell me a dog of any size had actually damaged a wood floor. Naturally, you will want to keep their nails trimmed and let them outside when they have to go, or either type of floor will be damaged horribly.

As to home value, laminate flooring adds nothing. Zip. Real hardwood adds what you spend on it. And surprisingly, it isn't as "hard" as you might think when it comes to standing on it, as compared to say, stone or tile.

Use walk-off mats and keep them clean. Use a recommended maintenance product (I like Bona-Kemi). Don't put either type of floor in a full bathroom or you are taking your chances. If there's a full bath involved, there are some beautiful ceramic/porcelain wood-looks available these days and they are unaffected by water.

John B.

When redoing the first floor in my house, we went with factory finished 3/4" maple flooring from lumber liquidators.
I bought 10% more material that I needed, just to make sure I didn't have any issues with too many short/long boards.
Borrowed a flooring nailer from a friend and went to town.
Installed very easily, and I have received many nice comments on the floor from anyone visiting.
I also installed slate around the front door to help reduce the amount of dirty foot traffic on the floors and sealed it with Future floor polish (lets the slate shine, and it keeps a wet-ish look).
Nice thing about real wood, if it does scratch/dent, you don't have the under laminate material showing through the wood surface.

Todd

We were advised to not got with a laminate in our kitchen, as it the main entrance/exit to our house. We were told the laminate wouldn't hold up to the moisture and traffic. Since we're cheap, we put vinyl in. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> We always get compliments on our wood floor...but I'm sure it will look like crap in another year or two. But it was so cheap, we could redo every few years, many times for what the wood would have cost.

If you can swing the expense, wood is surely the way to go. I want to refinish some of the 100 year old wood floors we have in our house...someday. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

Yup, we'll be doing vinyl in the kitchen as well, just because of the moisture thing.
My parents did hard wood in their kitchen, and around the sink there are larger gaps from water spillage, etc.
We've been here about 3 years now, and our floors still look like they were just put down. Of course, our only "pet" traffic is our two kids <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cyclops.gif" alt="" />

Todd

Only salesmen and bill collectors use the front door <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />