Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't know about the costs but I like the real wood for the bedrooms. It feels warmer beneath the feet if someone gets out of bed, it is more resiliant to walk on, it looks better, and so on. Fake wood is better for the basement but you want the real thing for the house.
^This.
Lumber Liquidators online may have a good price on the materials, maybe Grossman's Outlet.
I'm with everyone else. I would go with hardwood in the bedrooms. If you want to save some money by installing it yourself (provided you have the know how to do so) you could go with a pre-finished board.
The rest of my house already has wood flooring from the 80's, including the upstairs hallway. Should the bedroom floors match the hallway? I'm having a hard time picturing what it would look like if the hallway flowed into a bedroom that had different floors. Also, the planks in the hallway are only 2 1/4" wide, whereas it seems most hardwood floors these days are 3 1/4". Does the plank width need to match as well as the color? I guess I'm just wondering if anyone here has mismatching wood floors, but still thinks it looks good.
We have mid-80s oak flooring all over the ground floor and in the halls upstairs. 2 1/4" planks, probably the same floors you have . This summer we enlarged the dining room with a bump out to make an in-law suite and the floor folks made the flooring match just about perfectly, you can't tell where the original flooring ends and the new begins, in the same room! It's definitely possible. I can find out who did our floor (they were subcontractors) if you'd like, I believe we live in the same general area.
We did go with floating laminate planks, rather than real wood, in the "bonus" room over the garage. It's quite separate from the rest of the house and I didn't want to spend a fortune on flooring for such a big room. It looks fine for what it is, but really isn't as nice as the real thing.
I just had some hardwood flooring installed in my house 2 years ago and I paid $6/sf for red oak 3 1/4" boards. If you look around, you'll find prices better than $8-$9/sf. FYI, I find if you hire someone with a storefront that they have more overhead and therefore they charge more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parsec
The rest of my house already has wood flooring from the 80's, including the upstairs hallway. Should the bedroom floors match the hallway? I'm having a hard time picturing what it would look like if the hallway flowed into a bedroom that had different floors. Also, the planks in the hallway are only 2 1/4" wide, whereas it seems most hardwood floors these days are 3 1/4". Does the plank width need to match as well as the color? I guess I'm just wondering if anyone here has mismatching wood floors, but still thinks it looks good.
I would try to match the flooring that's in the hallway. I'm sure when you have someone in for an estimate they can tell you what kind of wood it is. Likely, the existing flooring is 2 1/4". I've been in plenty of houses where the owner has made no effort to match the flooring and it looks awful IMO.
Always have identical looking floors as possible.Most people dislike different types for different rooms, and some will wonder if you had some issues with your house if your floor is not matching.
I would also put real wood that it the best match to an existing floor in the rest of the house. Vinyl or any other fake looking floor in the bedrooms would look completely out of place, and would scare your potential future buyers. Younger crowd is even more sensitive and in tune about sourcing, how is product being made, is it green and safe for kids?...
Basement is not as huge deal as bedrooms, and you can get away with more down there. Most people will probably use some kind of area rug to warm it up a little. Tile, or good vinyl/fake wood should be OK.
The rest of my house already has wood flooring from the 80's, including the upstairs hallway. Should the bedroom floors match the hallway? I'm having a hard time picturing what it would look like if the hallway flowed into a bedroom that had different floors. Also, the planks in the hallway are only 2 1/4" wide, whereas it seems most hardwood floors these days are 3 1/4". Does the plank width need to match as well as the color? I guess I'm just wondering if anyone here has mismatching wood floors, but still thinks it looks good.
Parsec, I have 2 1/4" in the dining room flowing into 3 1/4" in the kitchen same color oak. I don't think it's something anyone would notice, right away. The color has to be the same, though.
Parsec, I have 2 1/4" in the dining room flowing into 3 1/4" in the kitchen same color oak. I don't think it's something anyone would notice, right away. The color has to be the same, though.
Staying with the same type of wood and the same color stain certainly helps to make it less noticeable. I find with that kind of difference it's more subconscious. Someone will look at the room and think "something doesn't look quite right" but they won't be able to figure it out easily.
The most glaring issue is when people use different species of wood. I've seen oak floors (the most common hardwood flooring in these parts) butt up against cherry, bamboo, and many other types of wood. It never looks right.
Just installed 800 sq ft of eastern white pine from Bingham Lumber in brookline, nh. $1.99/sq ft for 8" width random length up to 16 ft. Couldn't be happier with the quality.
Lightly sand, vacuum, & 1 coat gloss oil poly then 2 coats satin oil poly. 12+ hrs btwn coats. I DIY'd, got a quote for $3k to install. (Not including material)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. This summer we enlarged the dining room with a bump out to make an in-law suite and the floor folks made the flooring match just about perfectly, you can't tell where the original flooring ends and the new begins, in the same room! It's definitely possible. I can find out who did our floor (they were subcontractors) if you'd like, I believe we live in the same general area. 
