hardwood floors

hamzamama

Anyone put hardwood floors in their house?  I just want a ballpark figure.  Our house is 1500 sq ft. 

mlm1128

A lot of the cost depends on the kind of wood you choose. My brothers install and refinish wood floors so I can ask them if you know what type of wood you're looking for.

DevonPow

Whatever you do, do not get dark cherry floors. Repeat: DO NOT GET DARK CHERRY FLOORS. They look fabulous, until you realize they scratch at the drop of a hat. Dark cherry floors + toddler = refinishing.

hamzamama

I am not sure what kind I want, except I know I don't want dark cherry.  I guess that is good since they scratch!  I guess I need to research wood types more. 

firefightersgal

We have old oak floors in our house, and they still look pretty good.  They need to be refinished, but they survived 6 kids with the original owners (my great-grandparents) and who knows how many grandkids before we lived here.  So, I would recommend oak.

AnnapolisLari

Do not get the dark wood floors unless you want to be Swiffering every waking minute. And avoid hardwood in the kitchen if at all possible.

The floors here at my mom's are the bane of my existence. Dark + in the kitchen + 2 small kids = way too much cleaning.

mlm1128

We have Oak and I like them.  I am not a fan of dark wood floors anyway, but with my animal farm all I would do is vacuum.  Oak is sturdy. And anything but tile or linoleum in the kitchen is a PITA...Lari is so right.

hamzamama

Oak sounds good!  I think that is what my husband was interested in.  Now I just have to see how much that would cost and see if it is an option. 

DevonPow

Actually, we have hardwood over the whole house - including the kitchen, laundry room, and some of the bathrooms. Aside from the scratching issue (due mostly to DS pushing a million toys around), I find them to be very easy to take care of, even in the kitchen. I do vacuum every day, though.

gibs

mlm1128:

We have Oak and I like them.  I am not a fan of dark wood floors anyway, but with my animal farm all I would do is vacuum.  Oak is sturdy. And anything but tile or linoleum in the kitchen is a PITA...Lari is so right.

 

Linoleum is a little trailer, these days, isn't it? 

mlm1128

Yes Gibs it is...but there have to be options!  I tink its also very Brady Bunch-esque

070605

I had hickory and loved the shade and hide dirt well...

 

Well I am one who has the cherry floor, very pretty but a pain in the butt to clean....

bugmommy

Do you have any stairs?  That's were it gets really expensive.  I think it was like $35 a stair. Don't forget to factor in new shoe molding as well and make sure you specify if you want it stained or painted. 

Also go for an extra coat of poly on top.  Its usually super cheap and saves you in the long run.

I have them throughout all of my main areas (including the kitchen) and love them.  They are oak with a medium stain.  They don't show dirt at all.

AnnapolisLari

Actually, I think genuine linoleum (the kind made from linseed oil) has made a comeback, in much more modern/brighter colors. Vinyl flooring, not so much.

hopefulmom

We have medium oak (in the kitchen and 1/2 bath as well and no problems.  We used to have an industrial vinyl.  I didn't like vinyl at all.  Ugly.

I have seen bamboo and really really like that.  Not sure of the cost but it is "green" (can be harvested twice a year - whereas oak, etc. the trees have to have years to grow).  Another popular choice is cork.  My oldest DS wanted us to do stained concrete and even though I love the look we weren't able to because we have a basement and you need a lot of support because of the weight.  My DS does concrete work.  I am thinking about it for our countertops when we redo the kitchen.