My contractor is refinishing all the wood floors in my house. I would like the wood floor to continue throughout the main floor and flow into the kitchen (right now we have old linoleum tiling which will be pulled up). The kitchen is very heavily used in our family and I’m wondering which would be more practical: wood flooring, or laminate such as Pergo? The contractor prefers wood flooring because it is permanent and can be touched up by buffing every few years, whereas laminate is difficult to match if one section needs to be replaced. Any opinions out there?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
The best tool for straight, splinter-free cuts is made even better without a cord.
Featured Video
SawStop's Portable Tablesaw is Bigger and Better Than BeforeHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Appearance is entirely a matter of your taste. The appeal varies with the brand and pattern, both in wood or laminate.
For practicality, my preference is laminate. Prefinished hardwood has grooves between each board which would be a terrible dirt catcher. Post-finished hardwood will develop very small gaps between the boards in winter. If standing water is left on either you will eventually get damage, but a few hours would probably not harm most wood, and certainly will not harm laminate.
Laminate is the easiest cleaning floor surface I've ever had, better than wood, tile, or vinyl. After three years in my kitchen there was no wear or damage anywhere, even under the kitchen chairs.
If you pick flooring that is appropriate for the decor, I think either looks good. Here's a photo of mine. http://forums.taunton.com/tp-cookstalk/messages?msg=17942.35
I couldn't find your photo, but I did find the other conversations about wood vs laminate vs tile....and your point about dirt getting caught between the cracks of wood flooring really hit home. I have two young teens and all their friends, a sporting dog (and his visiting buddies!) and a husband who refuses to remove his shoes in his own home. So it seems that laminate in the kitchen makes the most sense for us.....Which brand of laminate do you find is the most durable? Thanks so much for advising....I don't think I can ever do anything in the house again without checking in here!
I've only used one brand, Wilsonart, so I can't compare brands for you. I chose Wilsonart over Pergo partly because they had laminate on the back as well as the front (which would minimize warping and moisture absorbtion), and because they had a pattern that looked good to me.
Breaktime gets more traffic than House Chat, so you're likely to get more response there, but it's a different sort of crowd.
Sorry about the photo. Cooks Talk message 17942.35 should have an attachment which you can click on to open. I don't know why it wouldn't work.
I'll try the Cooks thread for your photo. One thing I'd appreciate your opinion on: I know if I mention to my contractor my concerns about wood seams and dirt/water, he will claim that sealing the wood floor with polyurethane should prevent dirt from reaching the floor. He uses 3 coats of sealer on wood floors. Wouldn't this prevent the problem of open seams in the wood floor, or is it just a matter of time until dirt finds its way to the floor?
It depends on whether your contractor is talking about pre-finished flooring or bare wood that he finishes. Nearly all, but not absolutely all, pre-finished floors have beveled edges. These certainly will catch dirt. That doesn't necessarily mean dirt will work its way all the way to the subfloor. But, it means you have to vacuum because sweeping won't work. If he is talking about flooring he will install then finish, there won't be any beveled edges. There will be tiny cracks, say 1/16" wide at most, opening up in the winter and closing in the summmer. Dirt will get in the cracks, but won't make it all the way to the subfloor. The small amount of dirt won't bother most people, I think. Both pre-finished and unfinished flooring is tongue and grooved; this arrangement keeps dirt from making its way all the way to the subfloor.
A pre-finished floor will resist scratching noticably better than one finished in place.
Moisture will have to sit a long time on either floor to cause any visible change.
I believe wood floors look beautiful. But, I like to keep my kitchen spotless, and so for me, I can't live with a wood floor in the kitchen.
You ought to go see samples of all the alternatives, both wood and laminate, that you are considering. It's too bad more people haven't responded with actual experience. Maybe Cooks Talk would be less intimidating than Breaktime.
I can't recommend other sites. I don't use the internet much, and this is the only set of forums I belong to.
Good luck!
Thank you so much for all the information. I'm going to get in touch with my contractor and discuss the remodeling project again.
"Hi Missy,
I'm not a pro but have laid about 4 pre-finished hardwood floors and 2 large pergo floors, all for family and friends.
My personal preference is for real wood. It feels warmer and more solid. The laminate floors are a floating floor, they are placed on top of a thin pad and tend to have a hollow sound that many people don't care for.
Waynel5 had some very good points regarding the ease of cleaning that laminate allows. Using a swiffer wet and a swiffer dry mops you can easily clean that floor in minutes .
The one thing I would stress to you is to go to a good flooring store in your area and look at displays of both. Try to find a dealer that has a large diplay that you can walk on and "feel". Either option you choose is going to cost you a pretty decent amount of money, and you should be sure you truly appreciate and want what your going to get.
To address your specific situation, you have an existing wood floor. Aestetically (sp?) continuing real wood of the same species and grade into your kitchen will look the best. your gc should be putting in unfinished wood with no bevels, and if properly dried and installed you should have very little seperation at the joints,
Although laminate is available in wood prints, it will not match in either look or feel next to your existing floor. That being said, if you really like the look, feel and cleanability of laminate maybe you could consider a laminate faux tile floor? same material and set up, it just looks like 12-18" square tiles. I would say the most important things about laminate are to buy a good quality, and have a good, qualified installer.
Good luck in your decision. Don't get pressured by any contractor, or any one else for that matter, to just do what they usually do. Go to a few stores, explore all your options, and love what YOU choose.
Thank you for your advice. I have to really think this through now after getting the opinions on this site. My initial feeling is that I need a wood floor installed in the kitchen to continue the flow from the rest of the house, but my house is filled with teens and --yes, I know this sounds odd--my Brittany Spaniel's buddies (we have to keep these dogs busy or they'll get themselves into trouble!). We have a lot of coming and going here...I really have to decide which floor would be the most practical for us. It's not easy with a busy and active family. We are on Long Island which means all summer and fall everyone is coming off the beach or boat (with sand and water) and in the winter and spring we have rain, snow and mud. The laminate faux tiles you mentioned--are those the laminate floors that simulate stone and slate?
Hi Missy,
the imitaion stone laminate was what I was reffering to. It may give you the benefits you like and not have the fake wood next to real wood look?
I just re-read your orignal post and was wondering how old the wood flooring is that your having redone? and how badly worn is it? I would think that a well finished floor should give you many years of use without showing too much wear. upkeep may only entail polishing it up every couple of years?
The house is 37 years old, but until we moved in a few years ago, the oak floors were entirely covered with wall-to-wall carpeting. My "floor guy" has told me they will look brand new when refinished. He uses stain and 3 coats of sealer. The kitchen has linoleom tile, the kind that can be bought at home centers and put in place one tile at a time. I plan on remodeling the kitchen in about a year, but I have to put a new floor in now. And that's my problem: choosing a kitchen floor before the kitchen itself is remodeled, and choosing something that either continues the flow of the original wood floors into the kitchen, or choosing something entirely different from the rest of the house.
Still think real wood would look best and last better than you might imagine. If you didn't have tham put wood in the kitchen, do you have to have the floor redone this year? I could see that it would be much easier if you were going with wood to do it now, but if you want laminate or tile couldn't that be done with the kitchen remodel?
Hi Deskguy! My contractor feels wood would look the best, he likes the warmth of it and feels all it needs every couple of years is a buffing. He also told me that when the time to remodel the kitchen arrives, he can easily add on to the wood floor if we enlarge the kitchen, but it is difficult to match up laminate at a later date. I have to replace the kitchen floor---it doesn't even appear clean anymore after a cleaning! I will still check out the laminate flooring in the faux stone and have another talk with my contractor.
hi missy,
sounds like your contractor has a pretty good feel for you and your project. He will be able to add to the wood floor easier than the laminate. your other option is to have him lay the hardwood, and you can just float the laminate floor on top of it next year if you choose. More expensive though, your buying both.
Good luck on your project, it sounds like your going to be a little torn up there for awhile. It's nice to here your kitchen gets so much use, especially with teens. When I was a teen, the homes we frequented the most had well stocked and well used kitchens. Enjoy your new floors!
Hi Deskguy. Waynel thinks I should just put down inexpensive linoleum on the kitchen floor until we remodel the kitchen, which could be a year...I have to think this through carefully. My feeling is that I WANT a wood floor NOW! and if I change my mind in a year, as you said, I could float a laminate floor on top (it's kind of nice to know there would be real hardwood there permanently). On the other hand, I don't want to be penny-wise, pound-foolish. The thing is....I have access to my floor guy in May and I know my husband would never get around to putting in a temporary kitchen floor. We're just too busy with family activities, especially since boating/beach season is starting. It is fun to have the house filled with teenagers and their friends, the only problem is they create a lot of wear and tear...but I figure I only have a few years left with my kids and their friends before they wander out into that great big world. After that, I'll probably end up replacing kids with another Brittany puppy or two! So, you can see this is a well lived-in house with a lot of activity. I really appreciate the advice from you and Waynel....I don't have anyone else to exchange ideas/opinions with.
Missy,
If you really really really can't live with your kitchen floor until remodelling time, then I second the idea of putting in a cheap sheet vinyl floor now. If you put in the wood floor now, you will regret it in headaches later. Not just the fact that it will limit you in floorplan decisions later, but you will worry about it being damaged for the entire project. How 'decent' of a floor do you need if you only have to live with it for 2 years? You can have someone install the sheet flooring pretty inexpensively, or if you want to go really cheap, buy some more squares at a home center and do it yourself. It's easy to do and will look just fine for a while. If you buy the end of a lot or offcuts on the sheet flooring, then you will save money and keep that stuff out of a landfill.
Something else to consider in your flooring decision. You might want to have a room in the house that can take a little wet work. If you plan on getting puppies in a couple of years, then you will want to have a room that is warm, can take the occasional piddle, and is convenient for feeding and cleanup. In our house that was always the kitchen (bathrooms meet all the requirements except they are usually COLD). Wood floors, while durable and wonderful, aren't as great for these applications. I know lots of people put wood in their kitchens and I think it is lovely - I have wood throughout my house. BUT, for a kitchen it is a higher maintenance floor than vinyl, linoleum, or even tile. From what I understand, many laminates have similar problems with moisture, so you need to be careful about the brand if you chose to go that route. I'm not a huge fan of tile in the kitchen either, because I'm not into sealing the grout every couple of years - I think a floor is a floor. If you must have a high end floor in your kitchen, you might consider going with a sealed concrete floor. I think it was the first issue of this magazine that showed a beautiful one that had a high shine from butcher's wax. It was really lovely.
One last thing - if you put wood throughout knowing that you are going to put another surface over the wood in the kitchen, then you might have higher resale value. BUT THINK ABOUT THOSE TREES! They spend hundreds of years growing just so you could stick them under a piece of plastic.
I am going to look for the offcut or end of the lot sheet flooring you recommended. I still have time--a month--to get out there and see what's available. Oh, and the trees....oh the guilt! You hit a soft spot there....we had 6 acres of woods behind us and the land was subdivided into 6 one-acre lots for housing. The builders tore down almost every tree and it made all of us sick....I never understand the reasoning behind tearing down all the trees, then trying to replace nature's world with trees from a nursery. Regarding the puppy room...that would be our family room. After all the floors have been done, we will put laminate in the family room for the teens and my dog. Thanks so much for all the advice. I am listening to every word!
I'm not sure replacing the floor now if you are going to remodel later is such a good idea. When you remodel later you are going to be so tempted to not rearrange anything so as to alter the floor. Then you will be compromising an expensive undertaking, trying to make it fit.
If your floor is so bad now you can't stand it, how about buying the cheapest sheet vinyl flooring you can find? I had to for a temporary job one time and found some that was 75 cents a square foot. It looked fine for a few years.
I think you may be right about not hurrying to put in a new kitchen floor. I have a lot of reservations about doing this now. Where in the world did you find sheet vinyl flooring for that price? If I could do it myself, I would....I have to pay someone to install something so I have a decent kitchen floor for a while.
I hope you don't take us all too seriously. We're just disembodied strangers on the internet offering opinions and fodder for thought.
I purchased my cheap vinyl in a Carpet One / Ace Hardware store. They had top quality vinlyls, too, of course, but in my case I needed cheap just to satisfy an inspection and convert a construction loan to a mortgage before the final flooring was installed. (Two years later it still hadn't been!)
Enjoy your projects.
Hello Waynel5 again! I do take all of you seriously---as I told Aimless, I am listening to every word you all contribute. It's great, having a group of experienced people out there who are willing to share their opinions. I just wish I knew how to do some of this house remodeling stuff myself, instead of having to wait for and pay someone else to do the work!
Hi Waynel5! I went to Breaktime and I don't think that's the group for me! I am still LOL here...what a surprise to find those threads on a home site. I am looking more and more at laminate....will have to call my contractor again to discuss the issue. We are going to do the whole house May 20 so I have to make up my mind. If you're familiar with any other sites with easily accessible info, please advise. I am most concerned with the traffic from the kids and my Brittany Spaniel and his buddy....sporting dogs get into everything outside!
What about ceramic tile? If you seal the tile and grout, it is durable and cleans easily. Depending on the color, it can be a smooth attractive transition.
Wood flooring is so fragile! Especially in high traffic areas that can have water and cooking spills.