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The OFFICIAL Hardwood Flooring Thread

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Apr 17, 2005
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The OFFICIAL Hardwood Flooring Thread

I thought I would start The OFFICIAL Hardwood Flooring Thread, since there are many people always asking for hardwood flooring advice/help.

Since I have knowledge on the topic, just ask away if you have any specific questions ;)


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The OFFICIAL Hardwood Flooring Thread
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Nov 19, 2005
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patrob wrote: I though I would start an official hardwood flooring thread, since there are many people always asking for hardwood flooring advice/help.

Since I have knowledge on the topic, just ask away if you have any specific questions ;)
which hardwood flooring specialists would you recommend?
Also, did you borrow the idea of naming your threads from my other official threads in other subforums? thanks in advance.
Money, Religion, Sex and Politics is what it is all about!
99% Tryhard I've got hardwood flooring downstairs...if you know what I am talking about
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AzN_RiverdaleCI wrote: Also, did you borrow the idea of naming your threads from my other official threads in other subforums? thanks in advance.
I did not realize the ''official thread naming' belonged to you only :lol:

What are you looking to have done?
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Money, Religion, Sex and Politics is what it is all about!
99% Tryhard I've got hardwood flooring downstairs...if you know what I am talking about
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Oct 14, 2006
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Thanks a lot Patrob :)

A few simple questions to start:

Is it better to glue or nail a hardwood floor ? Which one is more costly ?

Is hardwood thickness important and what will it impact (noise, cost, resistance to dilatation/contraction) ?

Would you recommend "engineered" hardwood ?
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leafs wrote: I am looking to get the following hardwood installed in my new home. I couldn't bring myself to pay the builder what they were asking. Do you know where I can get the best deal on the this flooring? Also a reliable installer at a good price?

http://www.miragefloors.com/floors/coll ... ierra.html
The best place to get Mirage floors is at Darmaga.com. They are the biggest Mirage dealer & very reputable.

Talk to them about the price of the wood first & ask how much for installation...& then you can get back to me & I can recommend someone if you want.
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kaos25000 wrote: A few simple questions to start:

Is it better to glue or nail a hardwood floor ? Which one is more costly ?

Is hardwood thickness important and what will it impact (noise, cost, resistance to dilatation/contraction) ?

Would you recommend "engineered" hardwood ?
On a wooden sub-floor, you nail. On concrete with no sub-floor you glue down or float. Or you build a sub-floor & you nail.

Yes, thickness is important in solid hardwood. I also recommend engineered even though the price is slightly higher. The floor is more stable & every board is milled perfectly straight.
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Apr 18, 2002
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I am looking to purchase about 1000 SF of Brazilian Jatoba hardwood flooring (stained). I have a few price quotes from various suppliers, but was wondering what other people on the forum have paid their Jatoba for. Any feedback would be great!
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Daboss wrote: I am looking to purchase about 1000 SF of Brazilian Jatoba hardwood flooring (stained). I have a few price quotes from various suppliers, but was wondering what other people on the forum have paid their Jatoba for. Any feedback would be great!
You can buy Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba) from China for about $4 ft. Or you can get good quality Jatoba for $7 plus...
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Oct 30, 2007
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Can one put hardwood over directly over parquet flooring?
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How much do installers usually charge?
Does their price include removing old flooring (ie. carpet) and baseboards?
I guess moving the furnitures are homeowner's job...
Do baseboards need to be replaced if hardwood is installed?
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SMC23 wrote: Can one put hardwood over directly over parquet flooring?
Yes you can as long as there are no parquet pieces loose/popping up. You will also loose your manufacturer's warranty on the wood, since they do not recommend installing over an old flooring. You will also height difference from your tiles to wood floors, but that can be solved with reducers.
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jl001 wrote: How much do installers usually charge?
Does their price include removing old flooring (ie. carpet) and baseboards?
I guess moving the furnitures are homeowner's job...
Do baseboards need to be replaced if hardwood is installed?
Installation depends on what is being done...but usually if straight installation, it should be around $2 sq. ft.

The price does not include old flooring removal or baseboards. This is usually quoted as an extra. Yes, moving furniture usually is done by the owner but if it's something small, then I see no problem but that can be discussed when being quoted...just don't ask for a piano to be moved :D You can re-use your old baseboards but need to add quarter round.
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We just bought a place from lady with a standard poodle who did a number with his claws on the hardwood floors (floor age unknown, house is 100 years old).

Is there some polishing/cleaner-type product you would recommend, or am I likely to need to sand?

If I do decide to sand, how strong/coordinated do I need to be to handle one of those monsters I've seen on TV? (bad images of me taking out walls, flying out front door into traffic, etc)

Is there a refinishing company you recommend for the GTA?

thanks!
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buyways wrote: We just bought a place from lady with a standard poodle who did a number with his claws on the hardwood floors (floor age unknown, house is 100 years old).

Is there some polishing/cleaner-type product you would recommend, or am I likely to need to sand?

If I do decide to sand, how strong/coordinated do I need to be to handle one of those monsters I've seen on TV? (bad images of me taking out walls, flying out front door into traffic, etc)

Is there a refinishing company you recommend for the GTA?
More likely you have to sand, since nothing will cover scratches. If you never touched a floor sander, then don't do it yourself. You can cause yourself & the floors a lot of damage, including your walls :lol:

Where are you located & what kind of floors do you have :?:
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Jan 17, 2002
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Nice thread

Is there a good spot in the West GTA for seeing a good selection of engineered hardwood floors?
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frogger wrote: Nice thread

Is there a good spot in the West GTA for seeing a good selection of engineered hardwood floors?
Thanks :)

For engineered try these two places, they have some areas of the showroom done in real engineered hardwood, so you can see it in real life.

www.Stansflooring.com
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We have this T moulding which was put in after hardwood floors were done (installer pretend to not know what it was when we went and asked why the carpet - hardwood floor had no transition - they offered to sand down the end of the hardwood floor to 'make it smooth' :!: - we refused)

Later they finally got the T moulding, but now had to be nailed from the top in between the floors, but in 2 pieces since one piece could not be spanned across the whole length.

(top view)

carpet
_______ __

floor

line represents the t moulding.
problem now is that the moulding (1st piece) has popped out (indicated by the space), and it has split from at T section underneath.



Can I just renail that in or should I apply some kind of adhesive underneath the broken off piece.. then fill poxy for the gap of the 2 pieces?


Thanks
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Mar 9, 2006
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hi patrob,

my wife and I just bought a new home from plans and the builder wants to charge us between $14-$17 /sq.ft. to install 3 1/4" x 3/4" Mirage planks.

If you were in our shoes, would you have the builder install standard carpet and then rip it out to install the Mirage flooring by a third party or is it worth the convenience to have the builder install it at that price?

The rooms are standard straight edge rooms but I'm thinking that at the very most, I'd have them do the upper hallway as well as stain the oak stairs to match. What do you think?

Great topic! (and timely too!)

mrvedder

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