Flooring

Reply to: Stairs are done! And it I love it! My panic attack over the oak staircase and maple floor was really a non-issue. What do you guys think? Here are some before and after pics...

Q

Reply to: Gorgeous! Adding ours now that we're finished and bc this forum has been so helpful - Riad's snow with mapei's avalanche grout

Q

Reply to: Went down super slow. Like G and S said, you’ll need to work one row at a time while checking milling congruency. Hard wood is wood, it’s going to scratch and it’s going to get dented. The longevity of the floor will largely depend on your lifestyle and habits. The average person that walks into my home loves the floor. To a carpenter, it’s subpar. There is only so much one can do with sub par products. Buying flooring from LL needs to be carefully considered. Don’t let the cheap price seduce you into a hastened purchase. Take your time. Look at forums like these. Look for the good and the bad reviews. I’m my instance, as aggregating as the install process was and the defects here and there, I got what I paid for and I’m ok with that in the end. Most importantly my wife is happy. FYI, I bought the stair treads from LL so they’d match the floor. The floors are Bellawood character white oak. Beware, the treads in this product only come in semi gloss. Which is crazy slippery. Just make sure to ask if ordering treads what the sheen is. I have three kids and I had to reteach them how to walk on stairs because the are super slippery.

Q

Reply to: Hi, Yes we had them reinstalled and they are the rift and quartered select white oak. I love my floors but the company and that mill were not honest and I wouldn't use them again for sure. We had to go through a lot of trouble, mess and time to get them right. We did a combo finish 50/50 in ebony and jacobean with a satin finish.

Q

Reply to: General flooring stores will push planks and nosings on stairs as a very slim handful of manufacturers offer matching stair treads. And your average hardwood installer doesn't know how to install solid treads properly. Depending on where you live there's bound to be somebody that would have a go at matching the distressing. However, I'm sure the cost will be way up there. For others that may stumble across this discussion in the future, matching treads, vents and other mill work is a specialty. I've handled jobs that included the floor, stairs, baseboard and casings. Need extra stain? No problem. Along with some uncommon items such as knee wall caps and crown molding from time to time. Matching Stair Treads & Other Mill work

Q

Reply to: Because this is a secondary area, I, personally, would fill, caulk, and paint everything white. A flat weave or low pile stair runner would be a more modern look than carpeted treads.

Q

Reply to: I have often found that homeowners make some of the best installers because they KNOW they don't know. So they READ. Congratulations on all your hard work. You are doing a great job. For the issues you have found with the flooring you have purchased, your patience with the product would NOT have been matched by a professional. Not unless they were paid VERY HANDSOMELY. I'm so glad you took an abundance of caution and over purchased. Keep the culled stuff. If it turns out to be MORE than what LL says you need (some say 10% waste...others require 15% waste...check your product's recommended waste allotment) then you can get a refund on the damaged planks ABOVE the required amount amount. Example: You purchased 1000sf (just to keep numbers nice and round). The documents say 15% waste. Of that 1000sf, you can be ASSURED there will be 150sf of 'nasty'. Now you go ahead and cull what is nasty and install the rest (so far so goo). You look at your culled pile to find it contains 250sf of 'bad' boards. That means you have 25% milling issues. That's 10% more than advertised. Go ahead and take all 250sf back to LL and ask for a refund. They will play hardball. You know you want the 10% refunded. That's the bare minimum you will accept. And the 'extra' you are keeping to make repairs in the future are NOT the 'culled' items. The extras will be the 'good stuff'. So don't let them con you into keeping all that waste to be used 'just in case'. Tell them you already have your extras set aside.

Q

Reply to: best return would be not to do the laminate. any reason you can't do engineered hardwood? not getting the baseboard thing. If you are putting in laminate flooring in the living spaces, how would they not have to change the baseboards? are you considering doing a shoe molding w/the laminate?? and if you are changing baseboards, regardless, get this one also, are you selling the home? No one who walks in a home is going to say, "oh good. they have vinyl over real wood!" yay! a really, really good laminate will cost as much as a good engineered wood floor. a properly done, good looking wood floor will always give a better return.

Q