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We will be moving into a house (built in '94) and need opinions on replacing the flooring. The house is a typical track house in Northern Va. and would sell for approx. $550,000.
This is NOT our dream house...we will be living in it about five years and then plan on moving and selling it. Of course any changes we make we'l like the best resale value. We have a labrador dog as well as two teenagers so that is something to consider when making a choice. Would hardwood floors REALLY be worth it for resale? I've been trying to do a lot of research and people seem to love them. We'd need to install about 1,000 square feet. This would include foyer,LR,DR,FR, and kitchen area. Any "ballpark" figures out there on how much hardwood would cost (installation included??) for this size area?
Would high end Pergo or Wilsonart put people off when we go to sell the house? Would this be that much cheaper. I've heard it definitely wears better, but will it look cheap?
Yes it will look "cheap" compared to real hardwoods. Will it hurt the resale? Possibly. If most of the homes in your area in that price range have hardwoods or higher end flooring it could cost a sell. I have real hardwoods, two dogs (one of our previous dogs was 80 lbs) and not a knick one because of the dogs, kids or us. Hardwoods are a lot tougher than most people think. Since you do plan on selling in a few years ask your realtor if the hardwoods would increase the value. If you can ask a little more because of all of the hardwoods it may be worth it. Also remember your own enjoyment for the 5 or so years. We toured a house last year in a VERY high end area w/ all beautiful custom homes and this house had a great floorplan but we immediately threw it out because they had used laminate wood flooring. It did not go w/ the price range or the neighborhood. It stayed on the market for awhile even though it is in a highly sought area and I don't believe it sold. If selling is going to be deterimental in a few years don't waste your money now on something that will cost you more latter.
I like laminate but it looks like laminate! Not real HW. Teens and dogs are tough on HW and you have to be willing to maintain the real thing. Laminate is easier to care for.
Ceramic tile or stone is indestructible. Practically! I wonder what the difference in resale would be? I wouldn't do carpets. You can't keep them clean and they would have to be replaced b4 you sell anyway.
I agree. at that price point i would expect hardwoods. personally speaking too I can't stand fake hardwood flooring no matter how high end the material.
I have to say that I know for a fact that large dogs, multiple small dogs AND kids do not wreck havoc on hardwoods. We have been in this house for 5 years w/ real hardwoods (not the pre-engineered wood floors) and there is nary a scratch on them from anything and that includes me dropping LARGE things on the kitchen floor (house was built in 1999 and prev. ownes had an indoor dog and 3 teenagers). I've dropped large glass bottles that have broken and not even made a knick. Our dogs run all over them and we even had one that weighed 80 lbs. I have two active kids and typically a house full of kids coming in and out from the backyard and half the time dripping wet from the pool. We have had no problems at all w/ the hardwoods. They are less slippery than the laminate wood floorings too. If you get a knick on the laminate it is just like vinyl flooring and there is no way to repair it. At least w/ real hardwoods if you do happen to get a large gash you can fix it easily. As far as maintaining them w/ kids and dogs and an active family - EASY! It really does not take that much to keep them up and they can last forever. If your worried about knicks from the dogs or anything then go with the handscrapped wood floors (which I LOVE!) and then scratches and indentations will be part of the floors charm.
Hardwood is definitely the way to go. Pergo does look cheap. We put in hardwood floors four years ago and we have two boys and two dogs. We are very rough on the floors and they have held up very well. A neighbor of mine took me to see her kitchen recently. She pointed out the damage to her pergo floors in her kitchen due to water damage. It looked like peeling wallpaper at the seems. I assume from what I saw and what she said, if pergo is in the kitchen and receives water damage, there's not much you can do to rectify it.
Well mine hardwoods have held up to appliances being moved in and out. New washing machine came today and the old one went out. ALL on hardwoods w/ a two wheel dolly. Not a mark one.
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not pergo
