Hardwood floor questions

[Penguinfan]

The old lady has finally worn me down and I am going to install a new kitchen for her. MOST of the job I can do myself (just don't want to).

She wants a hardwood floor and though I have never installed one I have read enough to take a pretty good shot at it.

My question is what is the best kind for a kitchen and keep in mind I have a 85 pound dog with nails that sometimes works off energy by running nuts in the house and I don't want him scratching anything.

Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Morris]

I put pergo down in my dining room and hall way because they were the only rooms in the house without real oak hardwood. After having the bedroom and living room floors refinished I ripped out the Pergo and had real oak installed. Looks 100% better. I wouldn't go with a laminate in the kitchen. Water will find its way into the seams and make it swell and there's no fixing that. We were going to run oak thru the kitchen into the dining room but the installer recommended not putting it in the kitchen altho I do know people that have. GL

 

[freelancc]

if you must put wood in a kitchen..Oak is the best choice. (if you can raise the floor 5/8" without affecting doors, etc. I would look into the pre-finished, oak flooring kits, since they are easier with less hassles for the novice do-it-yourselfer

what is subfloor?

 

[Penguinfan]

if you must put wood in a kitchen..Oak is the best choice. (if you can raise the floor 5/8" without affecting doors, etc. I would look into the pre-finished, oak flooring kits, since they are easier with less hassles for the novice do-it-yourselfer

what is subfloor?

I am afraid to look under the vinyl over tile combo the original lazy owner had.

I'm gonna guess and say plywood.

 

[IX_Bender]

Dont put hardwood in the kitchen.

With an active larger dog, you want to get a sturdy harder flooring choice. Take a look into Brazilian cherry, expensive but worth it.

 

[Morris]

I ripped out the old vinyl and had 5/8" plywood over the subfloor. I ripped out the plywood so I would be down to the same level as the original hardwood. Did this in the kitchen also. Over the subfloor I put down a layer of thin set morter then screwed hardi-backer board on that. That gave me a real strong base for the tile and all the floors in the house were the same level.

 

[Franky Wright]

If I remember right, PF is near Pittsburgh:shrug: I don't like tile for the kitchens in the Northern Climate. I have built over 100+homes, and have put hardwood in the kitchens of some of the higher end homes with good success. My clients who have it tell me they like it.

Now with a large dog, who likes to tear up floors with his claws, I probably would be inclined to go with tile, and then use an underfloor heat installation. I have yet to put that in a kitchen, but it has worked well in basements and bathrooms.

IX had a good choice with brazilian cherry, we have some of that in our home. Also bamboo has become a popular choice, but I have yet to use it.

GL PF,

Franky

 

[The Sponge]

if you must put wood in a kitchen..Oak is the best choice. (if you can raise the floor 5/8" without affecting doors, etc. I would look into the pre-finished, oak flooring kits, since they are easier with less hassles for the novice do-it-yourselfer

what is subfloor?

Make sure you listen to this fellow Pengy. There are so many little details that could be forgotten that can make this job a pain in the nuts. You bring this floor up and like freelancc said now you have a problem with your doors, your trim looks smaller because now you are butting into it. The trim around a door may now need to be cut and you may have to blend it into another floor with a different height. I would probably rip out all the trim and start over but now the price is going up. You can remove the old trim and reuse it but you have to be careful you don't break it.