# New Guy to Hardwood Floors



## Station (Sep 27, 2005)

I want to pull up the linolum in my kitchen and put hardwood floors in. Only option I have in town is Lowe's.

I know nothing about hardwood floors. Can I do the install myself? What type/brand should I go with?


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## Bill (Oct 10, 2005)

There are many types of hardwood floors.  Some are DYI and some are difficult.  A trip to a good supply store and a couple hours of picking their brains is a first step.


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## FirTrader (Oct 10, 2005)

I would not call genuine hardwood a real great choice for most kitchens.  Anything dropped will mar it, you'll have to refinish it every couple of years for the wear, god help you if you manage to spill wine in a crack....  Tile, laminate, or lino are far more popular in kitchens for a reason.

Pre-finished hardwood you can never get clean between the boards, and site-finished is difficult to do unless you are really expert, even if you rent the right tools.


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## floorman (Oct 16, 2005)

I work in the new construction market and am seeing hardwood going in kitchens more and more.For whatever reason it is becoming more and more popular.
Now back to the talk,for all reasons of practicality wood does not belong in an area where it can get wet.Wood and water do not mix,but people are willing to take that chance i guess.
The finishes on the wood now are quite strong and will withstand alot of abuse without having to refinish every other year,so maybe that is why people are putting it  in more.
If you want a job finish floor then do what was reccommended earlir in this thread and hire someone to do it.
You should get alot of enjoyment out of it for along time providing you have no acts of god to flood you out or something of that sort.
Just remember that you rolling the dice and may end up eating that in the future.
Tile IMO is still the best route to go in an area where the possiblity exists that it may get wet


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## FirTrader (Oct 16, 2005)

Especially with the underlays available, tile is a better and better option.  It's not hard for the DIY crowd to do a creditable job, and it is more easily repairable than hardwood.  Combined with in floor heat, it's a great choice for a lot of hard-use spaces.


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## nealtw (Jan 14, 2016)

cherryrosh said:


> Bill is right.
> You should visit a good local store as a customer and get best advice for your kitchen.
> Hope it will give you best idea.



Keep an eye on the date of the posts this one is 11 years old.


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## slownsteady (Jan 14, 2016)

By now, he's changed the floor twice....


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## CallMeVilla (Jan 16, 2016)

We do flood repair and restoration.  Kitchens are subject to water spills and leakage which is NOT wood friendly.  The most recent job involved a ice maker supply line which leaked unknown over a weekend onto an old engineered oak parquet floor.  The damage involved buckled flooring in the kitchen and dining rooms.  However, the entry, hallway and laundry had the same product.

The engineered 12"x12" parquets are no longer available and it turned out to be cost effective to remove ALL the old flooring and replace with engineered red oak tongue and groove planks.  I detest click down laminate for the look and feel.  I could not convince the owner to go with tile even though the bathrooms were tiled as part of the restoration as an additional task.  Odd, right?  Tile in the wet areas of the bathroom but no tile in the wet areas of the kitchen ...

The new flooring will require careful fitting around a large cabinet and the turns into the hallway and laundry area.  Not a "first timer" project.  I suggest you find the nearest Lumber Liquidators shop because they have tools for rent and can advise you.  If you want them to broker the installation, the price vary upward from $7.00 a foot (depending on location).


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## SimonOstrovsky (Feb 3, 2016)

nealtw said:


> Keep an eye on the date of the posts this one is 11 years old.


:agree::agree:
 digging an old post from the grave isn't a good idea( sorry for this post -_-


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## elbo (Feb 8, 2016)

yeah, the post is old but for anyone who is interested, you can now get vinyl flooring that simulates any species of wood and is good for use in wet areas


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## nealtw (Feb 8, 2016)

elbo said:


> yeah, the post is old but for anyone who is interested, you can now get vinyl flooring that simulates any species of wood and is good for use in wet areas



My post was more about the spamming than digging up old posts. Some of that was removed.


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## rokosz (Sep 16, 2016)

Yes Elbo, i concur. the title stuff is  reasonable ( read that as very cost effective) to other flooring in a kitchen -- esp. when your floor isn't Bonneville Salt Flat. Worst about it is floor penetrations (or "immovable" furniture (eg cast iron radiators)) the planks need to be cut around and that may comp the "click/lip". Yes radiators can be moved, after draining the system, unscrewing the rad from sup/rets (with hope unseized) _and_, wait for it, lifting away.

2nd worst is the option of not removing the old floor(s). Do u want to trip when entering the room or not?


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