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Im considering replacing the carpet and laminate i currently have downstairs with engineered wood flooring. I personally prefer tile but it seems the majority up here are in favor of wood. Should i place tile in the kitchen and wood elsewhere or just wood the whole way?
Why engineered over genuine 1/2" or 3/4" hardwood? How about bamboo? A renewable resource and better than engineered. The engineered in my former home had 1/16" of hardwood over plywood. When the dogs would hear someone coming up the driveway, they would peel out and leave digs in the floor. My high heeled shoes left dents and so did a couple of glasses when I dropped them on the edge.
We have wood in our kitchen and 1/2 bath but wish it was tile. I wouldn't put wood anywhere where there is lots of water. I personally wouldn't mind tile throughout the house except maybe where there are long brutal winters.
I love the look of wood floors in a kitchen however I prefer tile. I had hardwood in an older home we had. Then my son who was a toddler at the time dropped a cup of milk. It went between the slants and for about a month the kitchen smelled of spoiled milk. Ick.
Wood holds up quite well even in kitchens, baths, and laundry rooms if it is finished with a product that will protect it and the installer is experienced it properly using the product. Too many builders finish floors with "poly" but in a high wear / high moisture application that is a mistake. Alcohol-borne acid-cured finishes are far superior in such cases. Some newer finishes are also suitable, but again if the installer is not experienced and instruction are not followed there will be disappointment...
Tile is VERY hard on your legs, joints and back when you stand on it for long periods of time as is often the case in kitchens. Anti-fatigue mats are ugly and not well suited for most kitchens. I like tile in parts of the bath (toilet area and shower) as well as being acceptable for use in entry area and even (with appropriate consider of finish / weather resistance) outdoors, but it is poor choice for most kitchens.
Im considering replacing the carpet and laminate i currently have downstairs with engineered wood flooring. I personally prefer tile but it seems the majority up here are in favor of wood. Should i place tile in the kitchen and wood elsewhere or just wood the whole way?
It depends on where you live. Being from NC, more folks prefer wood. People in Florida seem to prefer tile.
Wood looks nice in a kitchen but I don't think it is practical. When you have spills you always have to worry about cleaning them up as soon as possible.
I do not recommend wood in a maodern kitchen as one leak of mnay water using apliances and you have a problem. that is why perople with woden floors in older houses went with lanoleum when it came out and they had few applainces to leak really.
Im considering replacing the carpet and laminate i currently have downstairs with engineered wood flooring. I personally prefer tile but it seems the majority up here are in favor of wood. Should i place tile in the kitchen and wood elsewhere or just wood the whole way?
My house was built in 1986. We have a wood floor in the kitchen --- parquet, actually --- finished with polyurethane.
It has held up very well. It has never been refinished, and there are some areas that have worn through the polyurethane, but the wood itself is still just fine.
Tex, I have had leaks. One involved an incident with the water supply to my refrigerator. I needed to disconnect the fridge I was replacing. I thought I had turned off the water to the ice maker, but I turned off the dishwasher instead by mistake. The flood was significant enough to go through the ceiling in the room under the kitchen. I did mop up as soon as I could, and there was no problem with the wood floor.
I like the wood because it does not show every speck of dust the way tile does. If I were starting over, I would use a rug right in front of the sink. That would catch most of the daily drips. Wood is more forgiving if you drop something glass, and a dropped pot does not do the damage to it that it would to tile, I think.
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