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Rick Potter
06-17-2009, 1:29 AM
We have been considering Hardwood floors in the kitchen remodel and new room. We are thinking that the ones with composite bases and a veneer would not be suitable for kitchen if they got wet....looks like MDF to me. Correct?

We are not too fond of the veneer on plywood ones either because the veneer is pretty thin, and may need to be redone someday. Correct??

Looking at the Borgs, it looks like 5/8-3/4" thick solid oak is not too much more expensive. Is this the way to go? We like the ones that are about 4" wide.

There is a thread on a new bamboo floor. Looks pretty good in the picture, and is stained about the color we like. Is it better than Oak??

Where is the best place to find a good price on wood flooring??

The floor it will be installed on is raised foundation with T&G 3/4" OSB flooring panels.


Lots of questions, I realize. Thanks.

Rick Potter

Andy Pedler
06-17-2009, 1:50 AM
Hi Rick,

I'm no expert but just put in a new hardwood floor in our kitchen. After doing some research online and talking to a number of people at various suppliers, all agreed that any floor is going to get ruined if the room floods, except maybe linoleum, but that wasn't an option for us. So we went with solid 3/4" T&G hardwood from Lumber Liquidators (Bellawood brand). I really like it. Looks great, solid as a rock, installed well. The only gripe is that a handful of boards in the 300+ sq. ft were slightly narrower than the rest, and a few gaps were created when those went in. These were small gaps, mind you, but still a bit annoying. Filled with an appropriate putty and they almost disappeared (I think I'd have to show you where they are...nobody will notice).

I also did not like the veneered HW. We considered bamboo. It is laminated but I think they use 3 plys to get to 5/8" or so. Each ply has reasonable thickness. It looks good too.

Good luck.

Andy - Newark, CA

Jason Roehl
06-17-2009, 7:59 AM
IMO, if you want a floor that will last in a kitchen, tile is the way to go. I love hardwood, but I don't think it belongs in kitchens or bathrooms, the risk is too great. If I were to put a hardwood in a kitchen, though, I would not do a prefinished floor. Sanding and finishing the wood floor would give it that extra little bit of protection by giving a continuous finish film on top of the floor.

There's always that one time the dishwasher or the sink leaks, or the water line to the fridge breaks...

Prashun Patel
06-17-2009, 9:10 AM
I've had hardwood in our kitchen for 10 years. Works fine. There's more risk of dent damage than water damage.

I believe you have a misconception about hw floors.

There's no quality difference that you'll experience between solid stock and 'engineered' hardwood (hw veneer + ply substrate). The wear layer on good engineered floor is thick enough to be refinished if necessary - just as you can with solid stock. Of course, if youre floors have microbevels, that complicates that process anyway.

Engineered floors are appropriate for places where moisture is high. They expand and shrink less than solid stock, which minimizes the possibility of gaps opening up. I just completed my sunroom using engineered jatoba cherry for precisely this reason. Engineered actually usually costs more than its solid stock counterparts.

That being said, a thicker wear layer on the engineered stuff is desirable. For anything but the skimpiest of remodels, I'd stay away from the BORG stuff.

Jim Rimmer
06-17-2009, 9:30 AM
I agree with Shawn. I did a lot of research before we put the bamboo in the dinig room. Mfrs seem to emphasize not to put water on the bamboo (referring to cleaning). I guess a leak would damage just about anything. The laminates (not engineered type) are actually a photo of wood grain on the substrate which is very thin and can't be refinished. My vote for a kitchen would be ceramic tile.

One other caveat about wood floors - every where on the net that I looked there were complaints about the transition pieces. There seems to be nothing that will work right out of the store. I found the same thing - had to buy what was close and modify it to transition from the wood to the tile (the wood was about 1/4" higher than the tile).

Johnny Pearce
06-17-2009, 9:48 AM
Rick,
Be sure and consider the maximum continuous width and lengths you may have, all the engineered and solid flooring that I considered for my 4000 sq. ft. remodel recommended expansion breaks. I did not want these at all my doorways, so I went with ceramic tile [16"x16"] layed on a 45 degree or diagonal pattern. My house is a concrete slab single story. For your wood subflooring you would need to put down Hardi Backer, which would shorten your counter height unless you put floor down first or blocked up under cabinets. I even used a matching 4"x4" tile for my toe kick. Used same for back splash. Can post a picture if you are interested.
Johnny

Julian Nicks
06-17-2009, 10:16 AM
I'm a carpenter contractor by trade with 20 years experience and have built many houses. I have installed traditional unfinished floors, prefinished, and even engineered in kitchens. It's generally known that it's not a good idea to have wood floors wherever there's a chance for repeated water exposure. All it takes is for the small water line that goes to the ice maker in the frigde to kink, and then you're screwed. I've replaced over 10 floors due to things like that. For me there's only one choice in a kitchen or bathroom, and that's tile or stone. Vinyl floors will also get ruined from water damage because the substrate will stain.

Michael Weber
06-17-2009, 11:11 AM
Gotta add my 2 cents worth. I have hardwood in the kitchen. Leaking dishwasher warped all the boards in front of it and ruined the finish. Refrigerator failed, freezer thawed and resulting water warped the boards in front of the fridge. Even something as small as an ice cube dropped and left to melt on a hardwood floor will leak down between the board and cause damage. Go with tile, you won't regret it. With wood, eventlaully you will.

Prashun Patel
06-17-2009, 12:14 PM
My parents have had HW in their kitchen for 30 years. Looks even better today than the day it went in.

Tile is better for water damage, yes, but it's not without it's maintenance probs either.

Rick Potter
06-17-2009, 4:40 PM
As always, those were some great replies. You folks are amazing.

I hope I can convince the bride we really don't want wood floors in the kitchen.

Rick Potter

phil harold
06-18-2009, 7:57 AM
"The floor it will be installed on is raised foundation with T&G 3/4" OSB flooring panels."

for 3/4" solid wood strip flooring I would use plywood subfloor

I prefer Linoleum over Vinyl

some people have a good argument for laminate flooring:

If it goes bad it is easy and inexpensive to replace