Let's talk hardwood flooring. Who's got them or has had them? Pros? Cons?

[Tinelement]

Sure did.

[Jer]

Sure did.

Why not tile? I always did tile for kitchen & bathrooms (plus any laundry or mud rooms) and then hardwood on the rest of the surfaces. Seems that that's the recommended setup anyway.

[Tinelement]

Why not tile? I always did tile for kitchen & bathrooms (plus any laundry or mud rooms) and then hardwood on the rest of the surfaces. Seems that that's the recommended setup anyway.

Why tile?

Wood floors look way better.

I have tile in the mud room and bathrooms. Better for moisture.

[Jer]

Why tile?

Wood floors look way better.

I have tile in the mud room and bathrooms. Better for moisture.

You answered your own question in the same post. You don't get moisture on the floors in the kitchen? Seems just as prone to liquid as bathrooms.

[Tinelement]

You shower in your kitchen? Walk in from the snow with wet boots in the kitchen?

Our kitchen is a place that is clean. We prepare food there. If the kids want a glass of water they can sit at the table in the dinning room which is tile, or have it in a spill proof sippy cup. It's not an area that is exposed to 3 hot humid showers a day. Yes things get spilled, but I clean it up right away. They are work, but worth it in my opinion. Properly taken care of they last way longer than carpet.

You said it wasn't the norm. I just bought a house built in '92 with original hardwood floors. My in laws have had their house since '72, original hardwood floors.

I originally answered your thread by saying I have hard wood floors and love them. I will do them again.

[hatidua]

My parents-in-law (not sure that is an actual term...) did bamboo floors about eight years ago, entire (large) home, cost a fortune. In hindsight, I don't think they would have chosen bamboo again for a host of reasons.

It looked great for the first month though...

[Irving]

My parents did bamboo floors several years ago (5+) and their floor still looks good from what I remember.

[buffalobo]

You shower in your kitchen? Walk in from the snow with wet boots in the kitchen?

Our kitchen is a place that is clean. We prepare food there. If the kids want a glass of water they can sit at the table in the dinning room which is tile, or have it in a spill proof sippy cup. It's not an area that is exposed to 3 hot humid showers a day. Yes things get spilled, but I clean it up right away. They are work, but worth it in my opinion. Properly taken care of they last way longer than carpet.

You said it wasn't the norm. I just bought a house built in '92 with original hardwood floors. My in laws have had their house since '72, original hardwood floors.

I originally answered your thread by saying I have hard wood floors and love them. I will do them again.

+1.

I am in 25-30 new home kitchens or newly renovated Kitchens per month. The large majority of them are wood floors. Tile comes in second and vinyl(all types) third.

Lobbed from my electronic ball and chain.

[jslo]

Moisture content, noise and warmth, IMO, are the 3 top concerns with wood flooring. Therfore, I would not put it in bedrooms, bathrooms, laundrys or basements (engineered in basements if you must). Surface moisture, if wiped up relatively quick, shouldn't be an issue. Air moisture from swamp coolers or unfinished basements will cause expansion and contraction opening up cracks constantly. Lots of pros to hardwood over carpet but there are a few cons which include 230lbs of excitable dogs. Tinnelment is probably correct though. Don't put it where dogs access the back yard.

[HoneyBadger]

I have a wood floor, but the boards are a composite with solid wood on top, and layers underneath that kind of look like OSB or fiberboard. The floor is not as tough as hardwood. My dog's nails (which we keep trimmed) have scratched and gouged the floor. If we were going to do it over, we would get real hardwood.