# Hardwood Floors



## Jules (Feb 15, 2021)

Do you have them?  Do you love them?

Everyone on HGTV seems to want them.  Often they buy a house and then learn they’re too old for redoing.

In the east where I grew up, hardwood was the norm.  When I sold the family home, the floors were in as good as new condition.  

A few years ago when we decided to replace our carpet with a solid floor, it was surprising to learn that we could only get Engineered Hardwood & it very likely it would even able to be refinished.  In 15 - 20 years, they’d likely need replacing just like carpet.  Wow.  We weren’t looking at the lower end products either.  We stated that we were willing to pay whatever needed for quality.  

What happened to good old fashioned quality that lasts for decades.  

Maybe unfinished hardwood will become fashionable again by the time we need to redo our flooring.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

My husband said if we had the money, he'd buy solid oak stock, mill it himself, then cut it to size (whatever design look we wanted), lay it, and finish it by hand.

Quality is still available today, just that for most, it's out of people's reach financially.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Feb 15, 2021)

I've had carpet throughout our whole house. These last few years I was having trouble vacuuming and my creaky knees and achy legs were complaining.
My son put down wood flooring for me, the hand made stuff, certainly not top of the line, but I love it.  Easy to swish a dry mop around and once in awhile I use a damp mop with mild vinegar water. 
It has held up well although that might be a different story with kids and pets around. 
I haven't had major spills or scratches but spilled coffee and ice tea came right up the next day.
I did keep the carpet in our living room I think carpeting looks more cozy.


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## Lewkat (Feb 15, 2021)

We had the old fashioned double planked floors in my parent's house.  Not a nail used, all tongue and groove.  But because of the wear and tear of us kids and friends and cousins, my mom insisted on carpeting throughout.  Too bad, but she was the BOSS!


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## Sassycakes (Feb 15, 2021)

We have hardwood floors now in the house we just bought a few years ago. Before we moved here my brother-in-law had a hardwood floor business. He installed hardwood floors in most of the house we owned then and I LOVE hardwood floors.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

A few years after having our house built we ripped out all the carpets and put down 3/4 inch maple. It was a lot of work but we love it. We also have maple stairs and balusters we installed . We love hardwood. It’s so easy to clean and always looks nice. Ours need sanding and refinishing soon.


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## Pecos (Feb 15, 2021)

We have hardwood floors and really like them.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Jules said:


> Do you have them?  Do you love them?
> 
> Everyone on HGTV seems to want them.  Often they buy a house and then learn they’re too old for redoing.
> 
> ...


You should be able to still get it. Maybe just shop around. In our area it’s still available.


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## Warrigal (Feb 15, 2021)

Our house, built in 1965, has hardwood flooring throughout.  In recent years we decided to remove all carpeting and mats and had vinyl tiles that look like slate installed in the lounge room and kitchen dining area. They have been very easy to look after. Shortly after we got rid of the carpet in the bedrooms. We were unable to match the tiles and decided to just sand and polish the wooden floors. They came up beautifully and feel great underfoot. It is also very safe now with fewer trip points.


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## Lethe200 (Feb 15, 2021)

HW is great if you have allergies. Carpets hold an enormous amount of dust and dirt. It sifts through; any rip-out of W2W carpeting will reveal a dusty floor with gritty particles, needing to be thoroughly vacuumed up.

If you are planning for resale, at our ages the buyers are likely to be younger. I have yet to meet a single Gen X/Y or Millennial that is yearning for W2W carpet. HW, whether laminate, engineered, or solid, seems to ALWAYS be their flooring of choice. 

The only exception is if you live near a beach or water - in that case, often tile is recommended, at least for the public areas and entryways. Even then, "natural stone" looks, or the real thing (granite, marble) is preferred.

We have both real HW (1940 original red oak) and LVP wood look ("Sussex Oak" luxury vinyl plank). The HW was a DIY refinish job with 1990 oil-based polyurethene. It's still in good shape and can be damp mopped with ease. The LVP is a breeze to keep clean with a Swiffer wet/dry.

There is an actual reason not to use "real" HW. It shrinks and warps. If you live in a climate of extreme temps or seasonal high humidity, solid wood is NOT recommended.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 15, 2021)

We downsized by selling our colonial and moving into a carriage house addition behind the kid's place.  We put hardwood floors (treated, real hickory) throughout the open-plan first floor. The floor is shown by the picture below of the kitchen area just after the cabinets and appliances were installed.. 







We've been a fan of real hardwood floors for decades and haven't had any problems with it shrinking or warping in our NE climate.  You do, though, need an experienced installer who knows hardwood flooring, understands how/when to acclimatize the wood beforehand and will carefully install it (versus a "wham, bam, thank you, maam" installation.


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## Llynn (Feb 15, 2021)

I have hickory planks. The wood is warm looking and the finish is quite durable. Yes, I like them.


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## bowmore (Feb 15, 2021)

We also pulled up the carpet that was 12 years old and getting tired and replaced it with hardwood floors. We love tham


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> We downsized by selling our colonial and moving into a carriage house addition behind the kid's place.  We put hardwood floors (treated, real hickory) throughout the open-plan first floor. The floor is shown by the picture below of the kitchen area just after the cabinets and appliances were installed..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is  beautiful! We have ceramic tiles in our kitchen. We didn’t find hardwood too difficult to install. The main thing we learned is to start from an exterior wall. Interior walls aren’t often straight  and you definitely need the first piece down to be perfectly straight.

Does anyone know what type of wood this is? It looks like hickory to me but I haven’t actually seen it in person yet.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> That is  beautiful! We have ceramic tiles in our kitchen. We didn’t find hardwood too difficult to install. The main thing we learned is to start from an exterior wall. Interior walls aren’t often straight  and you definitely need the first piece down to be perfectly straight.
> 
> Does anyone know what type of wood this is? It looks like hickory to me but I haven’t actually seen it in person yet.
> 
> View attachment 150054


Given the differences in shading on the floor, it could be cherry.  Real cherry reacts to sunlight by darkening in spots not shaded or covered by area rungs.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> That is  beautiful! We have ceramic tiles in our kitchen. We didn’t find hardwood too difficult to install. The main thing we learned is to start from an exterior wall. Interior walls aren’t often straight  and you definitely need the first piece down to be perfectly straight.
> 
> Does anyone know what type of wood this is? It looks like hickory to me but I haven’t actually seen it in person yet.
> 
> View attachment 150054


It does resemble that of hickory.

Gorgeous entry.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

JonDouglas said:


> Given the differences in shading on the floor, it could be cherry.  Real cherry reacts to sunlight by darkening in spots not shaded or covered by area rungs.


Cherry wood is nice. It could be. It’s hard to tell when you can’t really see the grain. Cherry wood is a softer hardwood and won’t last as long as hickory. What it’s stained with can be deceiving at times.

Here’s some other pictures. The grain pattern doesn’t look like cherry to me but I could be wrong.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Cherry wood is nice. It could be. It’s hard to tell when you can’t really see the grain. Cherry wood is a softer hardwood and won’t last as long as hickory. What it’s stained with can be deceiving at times.
> 
> Here’s some other pictures. The grain pattern doesn’t look like cherry to me but I could be wrong.
> View attachment 150061View attachment 150062


The yellow paint selection is beautiful. 

Makes for a fresh and bright environment.

Colours in the pale yellow and green family give me energy.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> It does resemble that of hickory.
> 
> Gorgeous entry.


Thank you. It’s a sunroom with 4 windows and a door with a big window in it. It’ even faces south for the most sun exposure. What a wonderful room that will be to paint in.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> The yellow paint selection is beautiful.
> 
> Makes for a fresh and bright environment.
> 
> Colours in the pale yellow and green family give me energy.


I seriously LOVE the yellow and how bright this place is. It would really help with seasonal effective disorder and depression in general I think.

I really like sage green. We had it in our hallway but now it’s 50 shades of grey.


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## mellowyellow (Feb 15, 2021)

Oh boy, I'm loving all the photos, they all look absolutely gorgeous.  But I love my carpet, and agree that when the time comes to sell, the younger generation will definitely want wood on the floor.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> I seriously LOVE the yellow and how bright this place is. It would really help with seasonal effective disorder and depression in general I think.
> 
> I really like sage green. We had it in our hallway but now it’s 50 shades of grey.


That's what I find soothing colours do for me, too, they're make me feel good (inside and out) colours to me.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> That's what I find soothing colours do for me, too, they're make me feel good (inside and out) colours to me.


Absolutely. I need soothing colours. 
We saw one house with a red leather couch in a room painted all red. That would get on my nerves after a while. Oddly enough though, when I was a kid I had my room wall papered in bright cheerful sunflowers which had a lot of orange and yellow in it but I loved it as a kid. Funny how our tastes change.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Absolutely. I need soothing colours.
> We saw one house with a red leather couch in a room painted all red. That would get on my nerves after a while. Oddly enough though, when I was a kid I had my room wall papered in bright cheerful sunflowers which had a lot of orange and yellow in it but I loved it as a kid. Funny how our tastes change.


I've read that the colour red is hard to live with.

I'm not a red person at all. In small doses, yes... very small, but nothing more.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> I've read that the colour red is hard to live with.
> 
> I'm not a red person at all. In small doses, yes... very small, but nothing more.


I feel the same way. Red isn’t a colour for me except in small doses like red roses or red foil chocolate  drop  kisses.


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## Gary O' (Feb 15, 2021)

I'm big on wood floors
Our last two houses had them

The 100 yr old house I refurbed had original native fir floors
Could not believe how good they still looked, even though fir is a soft wood
Wish I had some pics of the floors, here's the exterior of the back (before/after);






Those fir floors swayed me to lay 2x6 planks on the cabin floors

Was very happy with 'em


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## Phoenix (Feb 15, 2021)

They are cold in the winter, and all the dust bunnies show up.  So if you want to do a lot of cleaning of the floor and have cold feet, I'd say go for it.  The dust and stuff does not show up nearly as fast on wall to wall carpet.


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## RadishRose (Feb 15, 2021)

@Gary O' you did a get job on that house. Those colors were in keeping with those times and even earlier, but you knew that.


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## asp3 (Feb 15, 2021)

Our house was built in the 1880's out of old growth redwood.  The flooring is redwood but it was made to be carpeted.  We decided we just wanted wood floors and  my wife sanded and finished the floors even though they weren't intended to be left bare.  We love the rough look of our floors.  Most of the boards are such that you can easily see the nail heads and the dents in the wood where the nails were driven in.  I'll take a picture some time and post it here.

We have large rugs that cover a lot of the wooden floors, but you can still see the wooden floors well around the edges and in the doorways between rooms.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Phoenix said:


> They are cold in the winter, and all the dust bunnies show up.  So if you want to do a lot of cleaning of the floor and have cold feet, I'd say go for it.  The dust and stuff does not show up nearly as fast on wall to wall carpet.


Yes wood is fairly cool in the winter. That’s what slippers are for. As far as dirt and dust? You are right. It doesn’t show up as fast. It seeps into the fabric of the carpet. If hiding dirt is what you’re looking for then go for carpet.


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## Gary O' (Feb 15, 2021)

RadishRose said:


> you did a get good job on that house. Those colors were in keeping with those times and even earlier, but you knew that.


Funny thing
the place (and neighborhood) was hooked up with the historical (hysterical) society
A block from The McLoughlin House
A lady from there dropped by
I told her what I had in mind as far as refurbing
She said 'you know what you can do?.....nothing!' (had a Pelosi smirk on her wretched face)
This after putting in a garden window in the kitchen
I asked around
Found out I could do anything I wanted, just wouldn't be included in the historic tour
(like a wanted people traipsing thru my house)

Yeah, I was happy with the colors
The dark trim made it sorta pop

Thanks, Radi


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## Jeweltea (Feb 15, 2021)

Our house was built in the mid 50's and has real hardwood on the main floor except the entry, baths and kitchen which are tiles. I love hardwood. However, I was reading an article the other day that said carpet was coming back in style.


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## Jules (Feb 15, 2021)

Jeweltea said:


> article the other day that said carpet was coming back in style.


Change for the sake of change.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Gary O' said:


> I'm big on wood floors
> Our last two houses had them
> 
> The 100 yr old house I refurbed had original native fir floors
> ...


Fir planks are nice. They actually look nicer once they’ve gotten that well used look . They were what was used back then. 
I really like the sage green siding you picked. 
Im surprised you didn’t want your house toured through though.  lol . You could feel like part of a circus.


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## Gary O' (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Im surprised you didn’t want your house toured through though.  lol . You could feel like part of a circus.


Heh
Yeah, we toured some places
Folks really got into it
1800s garb and all

My luck, degenerate 20 somethings would be 'touring' to case our place


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Jeweltea said:


> Our house was built in the mid 50's and has real hardwood on the main floor except the entry, baths and kitchen which are tiles. I love hardwood. However, I was reading an article the other day that said carpet was coming back in style.


The flip-flop in styles is for fools with money. Yesteryear it was shag carpeting, in the late 90's it was Berber carpeting, yesterday it was hardwood and engineered flooring, today it's vinyl plank flooring, tomorrow it will be some other newfangled carpet type product, and so long as there are consumers who are willing to throw away their money, they'll be manufacturers that will continue to dream up product, just as there will be nonsensical articles promoting such products.

Myself, I like hardwood, as it never goes out of style and lasts forever under the right conditions. It's always looks clean and fresh, doesn't lock dust and airborne particulate and mites in it, and there's just something more stately and grand about hardwood.


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## Gary O' (Feb 15, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> The flip-flop in styles is for fools with money


Have you seen what they've done with concrete?


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Gary O' said:


> Have you seen what they've done with concrete?


Oh, I sure have, Gary, and that would be my first choice if we were to build a modern concrete and glass house, it would be polished concrete floors throughout. Gorgeous!


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Gary O' said:


> Heh
> Yeah, we toured some places
> Folks really got into it
> 1800s garb and all
> ...


That would be my fear.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Gary O' said:


> Have you seen what they've done with concrete?


They add designs to it. It’s called printed concrete.  It’s very fashionable from what I’ve seen   lol


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> That is  beautiful! We have ceramic tiles in our kitchen. We didn’t find hardwood too difficult to install. The main thing we learned is to start from an exterior wall. Interior walls aren’t often straight  and you definitely need the first piece down to be perfectly straight.
> 
> Does anyone know what type of wood this is? It looks like hickory to me but I haven’t actually seen it in person yet.
> 
> View attachment 150054


This house is made with concrete. The walls are a foot thick with foam insulation. It’s got a heat pump for heat and air conditioning in the summer plus a woodstove. 
Perfect.


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## OneEyedDiva (Feb 15, 2021)

I would love to be able to get hardwood floors but had floods in here a few times, once from a broken water pipe (massive event) and from neighbors above whose faucets were left running. I decided it would be better to get wood look tile. After looking online and in stores for years I finally decided this is what I want (flooring, the countertop and lighter cabinets), then COVID hit. The ceramic flooring shown in this kitchen would look nice in my entire apartment. There are some lovely rooms and flooring posted in this thread.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> They add designs to it. It’s called printed concrete.  It’s very fashionable from what I’ve seen   lol


I wouldn't even have a design added to it, just 100% natural, well, maybe a dash of colour... maybe.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

OneEyedDiva said:


> I would love to be able to get hardwood floors but had floods in here a few times, once from a broken water pipe (massive event) and from neighbors above whose faucets were left running. I decided it would be better to get wood look tile. After looking online and in stores for years I finally decided this is what I want (flooring, the countertop and lighter cabinets), then COVID hit. The ceramic flooring shown in this kitchen would look nice in my entire apartment. There are some lovely rooms and flooring posted in this thread.
> View attachment 150077


That’s nice. We were in the midst of renovating our kitchen when covid hit. It took us over 6 months to finish it but it’s finally done. 
If you are in an apartment where water is shut off for repairs and some neighbours forget so your apartment is flooded and often, you are best off without hardwood.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> I wouldn't even have a design added to it, just 100% natural, well, maybe a dash of colour... maybe.


That’s beautiful. The polished look is clean & classy. Very nice.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> That’s beautiful. The polished look is clean & classy. Very nice.


My sentiment, too.

I love this one, because it reminds me of terrazzo.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> My sentiment, too.
> 
> I love this one, because it reminds me of terrazzo.


This is the kind of stuff you see in fancy malls and hotels. Easy to clean too.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> This is the kind of stuff you see in fancy malls and hotels. Easy to clean too.


Yes, and not too funky like some of the epoxy finished floors, where it may look great today, but tomorrow it will be out of style.

I've always aired on the conservative and traditional side of things, because you can never go wrong with traditional.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> I've always aired on the conservative and traditional side of things, because you can never go wrong with traditional.


Absolutely. Go with classic & traditional. All the funky new styles only go out of style and then make your place look outdated so you have to throw more money into it, especially if you want to sell. Best sticking with classic traditional styles. You can’t go wrong.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 15, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Absolutely. Go with classic & traditional. All the funky new styles only go out of style and then make your place look outdated so you have to throw more money into it, especially if you want to sell. Best sticking with classic traditional styles. You can’t go wrong.


One doesn't have to look very far when it comes to flooring found in old mansions. They were installed using 100% real wood, with many laid in a pattern, and so long as no extensive damage was sustained to the flooring through fire or water damage, once refinished and sealed, they look as grand as ever and rival anything available on the market today.


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## Keesha (Feb 15, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> One doesn't have to look very far when it comes to flooring found in old mansions. They were installed using 100% real wood, with many laid in a pattern, and so long as no extensive damage was sustained to the flooring through fire or water damage, once refinished and sealed, they look as grand as ever and rival anything available on the market today.


Plus they last forever. If they start losing their shine or start yellowing too much with lighter woods or even are too scratched up, they can be sanded and resealed so they look like new. Nice hardwood floors never go out of style. They are classic.


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## JonDouglas (Feb 16, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Cherry wood is nice. It could be. It’s hard to tell when you can’t really see the grain. Cherry wood is a softer hardwood and won’t last as long as hickory. What it’s stained with can be deceiving at times.
> 
> Here’s some other pictures. The grain pattern doesn’t look like cherry to me but I could be wrong.
> View attachment 150061View attachment 150062


Now that view does look like hickory.  There's no areas of light/dark shading on the floor.


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## Jeweltea (Feb 16, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> The flip-flop in styles is for fools with money. Yesteryear it was shag carpeting, in the late 90's it was Berber carpeting, yesterday it was hardwood and engineered flooring, today it's vinyl plank flooring, tomorrow it will be some other newfangled carpet type product, and so long as there are consumers who are willing to throw away their money, they'll be manufacturers that will continue to dream up product, just as there will be nonsensical articles promoting such products.
> 
> Myself, I like hardwood, as it never goes out of style and lasts forever under the right conditions. It's always looks clean and fresh, doesn't lock dust and airborne particulate and mites in it, and there's just something more stately and grand about hardwood.


Yes...agree completely. Wait for it to start showing up on the TV renovation shows...cover up all that hardwood everyone wanted last year!


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## Keesha (Feb 16, 2021)

It just shows how different we all are. I personally love watching those renovation shows, especially of old houses where they start gutting the house only to discover that underneath layers of old carpet is beautiful hardwood that only needs a bit of TLC and in my opinion,  always looks better. To each, their own.


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## Glowworm (Feb 16, 2021)

Phoenix said:


> The dust and stuff does not show up nearly as fast on wall to wall carpet.


And neither does all the other nasty stuff that finds its way into the carpet


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## Jeweltea (Feb 16, 2021)

Keesha said:


> It just shows how different we all are. I personally love watching those renovation shows, especially of old houses where they start gutting the house only to discover that underneath layers of old carpet is beautiful hardwood that only needs a bit of TLC and in my opinion,  always looks better. To each, their own.


I actually LIKE these shows and watch quite a few of them. It is just that some are so predictable. Most people only want the latest trends, like hardwood this year, carpet next year or the latest type of countertop. I personally do not like it when they rip out the original details of an old house like molding but then I like old houses.


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## Jeweltea (Feb 16, 2021)

Keesha said:


> This house is made with concrete. The walls are a foot thick with foam insulation. It’s got a heat pump for heat and air conditioning in the summer plus a woodstove.
> Perfect.


My house is concrete too...foot thick walls.


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## Ronni (Feb 16, 2021)

We were planning to refinish the hardwood that was underneath the tile in the kitchen and dining room, but we discovered that the tile had been clued directly to the hardwood which destroyed a lot of it.  We agonized over whether or not to lay new hardwood down to match the hardwood in the living room and hallway (all of which was going to have to be refinished.) It's the really skinny planks that were popular in the 50's which are harder to find and more expensive.  Finally decided that it was more economical and a lot less time consuming to just lay new flooring over the top of everything.  It was done in a day.  

Of course, then Ron decided that he just wanted to go ahead and do the two bedrooms off the hallway as well!!     So that added another day lol!  Compared to the laying, sanding, staining, finishing the hardwood, which would have taken about 2 weeks!!


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## Keesha (Feb 16, 2021)

Jeweltea said:


> I actually LIKE these shows and watch quite a few of them. It is just that some are so predictable. Most people only want the latest trends, like hardwood this year, carpet next year or the latest type of countertop. I personally do not like it when they rip out the original details of an old house like molding but then I like old houses.


Yes, I do also. Once you get used to watching the show they are very predictable. Love it ir list it always has a major turning point of drama where the house owners flip out and sway to moving to a new house and in the end are overwhelmed that their original house looks FAR better than they ever imagined.

Yes some of that old hardwood are mouldings look fabulous. I’ve seen some cool things done with some of the old stuff where they’ve made a high shelf under a bay window done with the original stuff.


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## Kathleen’s Place (Feb 16, 2021)

Keesha said:


> That is  beautiful! We have ceramic tiles in our kitchen. We didn’t find hardwood too difficult to install. The main thing we learned is to start from an exterior wall. Interior walls aren’t often straight  and you definitely need the first piece down to be perfectly straight.
> 
> Does anyone know what type of wood this is? It looks like hickory to me but I haven’t actually seen it in person yet.
> 
> View attachment 150054


I don’t know what it is but it sure is beautiful


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## Kathleen’s Place (Feb 16, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Cherry wood is nice. It could be. It’s hard to tell when you can’t really see the grain. Cherry wood is a softer hardwood and won’t last as long as hickory. What it’s stained with can be deceiving at times.
> 
> Here’s some other pictures. The grain pattern doesn’t look like cherry to me but I could be wrong.
> View attachment 150061View attachment 150062


My dream home


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## Phoenix (Feb 16, 2021)

Glowworm said:


> And neither does all the other nasty stuff that finds its way into the carpet


For those who like to clean the house all the time, hardwood floors are beautiful.  I like to be  warm and cozy.  I'd only have them if I lived where it's hot all the time and I had a maid.


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## StarSong (Feb 16, 2021)

Ronni said:


> We were planning to refinish the hardwood that was underneath the tile in the kitchen and dining room, but we discovered that the tile had been clued directly to the hardwood which destroyed a lot of it.  We agonized over whether or not to lay new hardwood down to match the hardwood in the living room and hallway (all of which was going to have to be refinished.) It's the really skinny planks that were popular in the 50's which are harder to find and more expensive.  Finally decided that it was more economical and a lot less time consuming to just lay new flooring over the top of everything.  It was done in a day.
> 
> Of course, then Ron decided that he just wanted to go ahead and do the two bedrooms off the hallway as well!!     So that added another day lol!  Compared to the laying, sanding, staining, finishing the hardwood, which would have taken about 2 weeks!!


What kind of flooring did he install, Ronni?


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## StarSong (Feb 16, 2021)

Phoenix said:


> For those who like to clean the house all the time, hardwood floors are beautiful.  I like to be  warm and cozy.  I'd only have them if I lived where it's hot all the time and I had a maid.


If not a maid, at least a Roomba!  

I'm with you on not being a slave to housework. When we took our kitchen down to the studs and completely redid it a few years ago, white cabinets were all the rage. 

I told my contractor I only wanted to see natural wood color cabinet samples. He asked why I didn't want white. 

I told him, "I'm not that ambitious. Every spatter, fingerprint, and smudge shows up on white cabinets. Wood grain hides a multitudes of sins. I don't want to be washing down my cabinets every week." 

Some of my friends now regret their white cabinets for exactly that reason.


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## Jules (Feb 16, 2021)

So agree about white cabinets since one house we bought had them. 

I find using a Dyson stick vac so much easier than pulling out the heavy vacuum for the carpeted areas.


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## StarSong (Feb 16, 2021)

Jules said:


> So agree about white cabinets since one house be bought had them.
> 
> I find using a Dyson stick vac so much easier than pulling out the heavy vacuum for the carpeted areas.


We have a stick vac, too.  Lugging the big vacuum around became such a chore.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 16, 2021)

Keesha said:


> It just shows how different we all are. I personally love watching those renovation shows, especially of old houses where they start gutting the house only to discover that underneath layers of old carpet is beautiful hardwood that only needs a bit of TLC and in my opinion,  always looks better. To each, their own.


I love that, too, uncovering and revealing a gem, but what I don't love seeing is all of the waste, more often than not, good waste, as in nice cabinets and flooring and things ending up in dumpsters.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 16, 2021)

Jeweltea said:


> Yes...agree completely. Wait for it to start showing up on the TV renovation shows...cover up all that hardwood everyone wanted last year!


You said it, and that's the beat of it, too.


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## StarSong (Feb 16, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> I love that, too, uncovering and revealing a gem, but what I don't love seeing is all of the waste, more often than not, good waste, as in nice cabinets and flooring and things ending up in dumpsters.


I watched a few of those shows and found that they seemed to be doing nearly identical remodels in every house.  Same open floor plan - kitchen to family or great room, island or peninsula breakfast seating, pendulum lights, stone counter tops, subway tile backsplashes, engineered wood flooring, etc.   

Nobody even considers a linoleum floor (perish the thought), a little glass block for accent (too 80s), tile countertops (heaven forbid), track lighting (no longer hip), a wall blocking the working area of the kitchen from the rest of the house, or painting most of the house in something other thana shade of pale grey.

Heaven help anyone with brass or gold tone bathroom fixtures if they need to replace some pieces and need to match the color. What's outré is unavailable.

It's so easy to date when a home was built and when it was remodeled because everyone does the same blasted thing - partly because of what's available at the time.


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## Phoenix (Feb 16, 2021)

I find it interesting how styles change and everyone has to do what's in, even at this age.  In the early 70s the rage was to cover up the hardwood floors with wall to wall carpet.  Everyone just had to do it.  It was warm and homey.  Now hardwood is back.  White cabinets, white everything in a house is boring.  No personality.  I'm all for individuality.  What do I like?  What do you like?  What do each of us really like?  We are old enough to decide without style dictating what we do.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 16, 2021)

StarSong said:


> I watched a few of those shows and found that they seemed to be doing nearly identical remodels in every house.  Same open floor plan - kitchen to family or great room, island or peninsula breakfast seating, pendulum lights, stone counter tops, subway tile backsplashes, engineered wood flooring, etc.
> 
> Nobody even considers a linoleum floor (perish the thought), a little glass block for accent (too 80s), tile countertops (heaven forbid), track lighting (no longer hip), a wall blocking the working area of the kitchen from the rest of the house, or painting most of the house a shade of pale grey.
> 
> ...


Bingo!

Yes, absolutely right, episode after episode, much the same as the last, and as for dating homes by the interior fashions and designs, right again.


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## Jules (Feb 16, 2021)

StarSong said:


> Nobody even considers a *linoleum floor *(perish the thought), a little glass block for accent (too 80s), tile countertops (heaven forbid), track lighting (no longer hip), a *wall blocking the working area of the kitchen from the rest of the house,* or painting most of the house in something other thana shade of pale grey.



We used the same overpriced linoleum in the entries and washrooms.  That’s 15 years ago and it’s still like new.  It has no pattern.  Money well spent.  I didn’t put it in the kitchen and sure wish I had.

My galley kitchen is tiny and opens onto the living room.  There’s a half wall to block the view.  There was finally a show the other day that the buyers said they didn’t want the kitchen counter visible from the from door.


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## Aunt Marg (Feb 16, 2021)

Jules said:


> *We used the same overpriced linoleum in the entries and washrooms.  That’s 15 years ago and it’s still like new.  It has no pattern.  Money well spent.  I didn’t put it in the kitchen and sure wish I had.*
> 
> My galley kitchen is tiny and opens onto the living room.  There’s a half wall to block the view.  There was finally a show the other day that the buyers said they didn’t want the kitchen counter visible from the from door.


Easy wipe, easy clean, no-fuss care.

What more could any homeowner ask for.


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## StarSong (Feb 17, 2021)

Jules said:


> We used the same overpriced linoleum in the entries and washrooms.  That’s 15 years ago and it’s still like new.  It has no pattern.  Money well spent.  I didn’t put it in the kitchen and sure wish I had.
> 
> My galley kitchen is tiny and opens onto the living room.  There’s a half wall to block the view.  There was finally a show the other day that the buyers said they didn’t want the kitchen counter visible from the from door.


We did a large remodel (adding 1000 SF including a master suite) in the late 1980s, when our children were still quite young.  Among the work was an expansion of our kitchen into what had been a dining room area, and put on a big dining room/office addition.  We had a half wall added to the newly annexed kitchen area, overruling the aesthetic dismay of our architect and contractor.  Have never regretted the decision. 

13 years ago we remodeled a bathroom and had the linoleum squares replaced with an upscale rolled linoleum. Like your lino experience, Jules, ours still looks like new, though it does have a very nice pattern.


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## Keesha (Feb 17, 2021)

StarSong said:


> If not a maid, at least a Roomba!
> 
> I'm with you on not being a slave to housework. When we took our kitchen down to the studs and completely redid it a few years ago, white cabinets were all the rage.
> 
> ...


Every spatter, fingerprint and smudge shows up
on white cabinets.
Oh goodness YES they do. Especially depending on what material your white cabinets are made from.
When we first got our house we picked a nice size lot and had a house built. Of course everything in it came in builders grade which is something I knew nothing about back then. At first I thought out bleached oak cabinets looked fabulous but after a few years of cleaning them, the finish came off and I realized how cheaply they were made so I had this incredible idea that I’d paint them all white.  BAD idea. 
First of all I didn’t allow enough time between coats of paint and then my husband came in after tending to the fire our back without washing his hands. Well I’m sure most of you can imagine the mess that entailed. They looked horrible but we just couldn’t afford new cabinets. All the ones we were checking out were way out of our price range. Then we discovered IKEA kitchen cabinets. I’ve always assumed IKEA made cheap ugly stuff but our kitchen cabinets look so nice. Far nicer than the builders grade bleached oak and WAY nicer than my botched attempt at white cabinets. 

Due to the lack of finish on them, every finger print , smudge and splatter showed up. Ultimately they were horrendous. The IKEA grey cabinets have the nicest finish to them. Nothing sticks. They always look good at a fraction of the price. I certainly don’t regret getting them.


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## Jeweltea (Feb 17, 2021)

I have white cabinets (they were in the house when we bought it). They are fine. They have a nice finish. Nothing sticks to them. They are so easy to clean...just wipe them down. My old house had wood cabinets and they were much harder to clean.


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## Jeweltea (Feb 17, 2021)

Keesha said:


> Every spatter, fingerprint and smudge shows up
> on white cabinets.
> Oh goodness YES they do. Especially depending on what material your white cabinets are made from.
> When we first got our house we picked a nice size lot and had a house built. Of course everything in it came in builders grade which is something I knew nothing about back then. At first I thought out bleached oak cabinets looked fabulous but after a few years of cleaning them, the finish came off and I realized how cheaply they were made so I had this incredible idea that I’d paint them all white.  BAD idea.
> ...


I think mine have the kind of finish on your Ikea cabinets. Nothing sticks.


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