ADVICE- Anyone redone their floors??

Does anyone know the best quality, least expensive choice for hardwood-type floors? Is it pergo? Bamboo? Cork? I have no idea where to start- but I am G-d willing putting new floors in my house. Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

My friend just redid her floors. She told me she was using vinyl, I thought it would be cheapy looking. I went to see it, it looks exactly like dark hardwood floors and even feel more durable than my pergo floors. They definitely hold up better too. I was surprised, I would definitely look into that. BTW my pergo has chipped and it has a hollow feel to it.

you can get beautiful vinyl now that looks just like wood or tiles but is very hard wearing. There are cheaper and more expensive versions of this.

We're working on room #2 for that now. (No more carpets!!) We put down laminate wood floor (the kind that clicks together). We are NOT handy, and it was pretty easy! We just had to buy a saw to cut the boards, and another saw that cuts the quarter-round at 45-degree angles. We can't believe how easy it was/is. One room down, #2 to is just getting started. We're saving $1,500 by doing it ourselves. YES! Smile

Also, do you have Lumber Liquidators where you live? We thought they were wonderful, full of helpful information, and much better than Home Depot for selection and advice.

Gold Member Joined: Jul 07 2008 Posts: 1506

we put down hardwood floors- they were varnished inthe factory- after five years they still look great !
here is alink to the type of floor we got:
http://www.bruce.com/resflram/na/bruce/en/us/hardwood.html

Platinum Member Joined: Mar 24 2008 Posts: 6528

I just put down hardwood in my second room. We chose unfinished real wood, I'm not sure if it was the best decision but here was my thought process:

Vinyl - it looks gorgeous, best quality is around the same price as wood. Even on the best the pattern repeats and I don't think it looks as warm. It is much harder to scratch. Brands like Amtico are used in the wedding halls here and really hold up great under lots of use. It is also easier to wash.

Pre-finished wood - faster and cleaner to put down. Cost more then unfinished wood (in my estimates). Has more layers of finish so it doesn't scratch as fast.

Both vinyl and pre-finished have tiny grooves between each piece of wood because they are not sanded together. Some people love the look and get it just for that. I didn't love the look, I was also scared of crumbs getting stuck in between, no one I spoke to complained about that.

Wood - Makes a huge mess and smells (if you live in the house its a pain) it scratches. I'd put in a darker wood if you plan on staining, it shows less scratches, but the darker woods are a bit more money.
I put down my wood floors in my living room in Novemeber, it already has scratches, Had I put down Vinyl it would not, but I still love the look of real sanded wood so I don't regret it.

to start ask around for who people recommend to do floors. Have them come down and discuss prices and material. He should have samples for you to look at. You can speak to more then one person and compare.