Installing hardwood...maybe...

[SarahK]

Our kitchen (which has vinyl flooring) opens up into our family room (which has berber-like carpeting.) The family room does have space for a kitchen table in front of the sliding door, we just haven't bothered to buy a table yet...so currently that portion of the family room is open space.

We do have a formal dining room that is connected to our formal living room and that area is all carpeted.

We also have a baby who is three months away from starting solid food (she's three months right now) and thus eating in a high chair...and yet all of our eating areas are carpeted.

I could station a high chair in the middle of the kitchen, but it would be in the way and not very conducive to family eating. I could also put a "splat mat" or large piece of linoleum under her high chair and position it on one of the carpeted eating areas and just hope for the best.

OR I could have someone come in and install hardwood flooring in our kitchen and the eating portion of the family room...and that's the option I like best! (As a side note, in our last home we did install 500+ sq ft of Pergo flooring ourselves and we're opting NOT to do that this time...Brian's hours at work are too insane.)

So, after explaining all of that, here are my questions. What places tend to have the best rates for doing this sort of stuff--is Home Depot a good option for having someone come out and install hardwood? Also, we have oak cabinets and light khaki colored walls (freshly painted)...any flooring color suggestions?

[AahRee]

Sarah, do you guys have a dog or cat? Do you wear high heels frequently? I'm just asking because you might want to consider having someone install Pergo instead of hardwoods if that is the case. Hardwoods are a lot harder to care for. And I believe basic installation for Pergo (from HD or Lowe's) is around $2 per square foot, whereas it's about $4 per square foot for hardwoods. Just something to think about! Incidentally, HD and Lowe's subcontract out their flooring contracts, so you might get a better deal if you call around to some of the smaller places, since you won't be paying Lowe's/HD's contracting fee.

And with khaki walls and oak cabinets, I'd go for a light-colored floor. If you'd consider Pergo, I loved the Pergo signature in Moonlight Maple. It's really light, but very neutral. For real hardwood, you could do something like a natural maple, or even a beech. OR, you could consider bamboo flooring. It's easier maintenance than hardwood (I think...) and comes in a lot of nice colors. Just another fun thought!

[SarahK]

I didn't realize they subcontract the flooring--that's good to know!

We don't have any pets and I rarely wear heels. The reason we're leaning toward hardwood is that we already have hardwood in the entryway of the house--and one of the doorways leading into the kitchen is the hardwood leading to the entryway...I just think it might (maybe??) look better to continue to have hardwood.

[CICI]

Hi Sarah! We are thinking about installing hardwood floors as well. Like you, we already have hardwood in our foyer, hall and half bath. It meets up with the entrances to the LR and Kitchen, which are currently are vinyl and carpet. We opted to call a smaller company and they came out for an estimate. We want to do the kitchen, DR, and LR as they are all open. The total measurement was 620sqft, 26 ft of transitions, and I don't remember exactly how many ft in molding. We were going to remove the carpet and carpet strips ourselves because it took alot off the price. However, it was going to cost us $6000.00 so we are now back to square one. We are planning on checking out HD and Lowes over the weekend. We have thought about getting a sample of the pergo to lay down beside the existing floor. Like you I don't think it will look right but I'm willing to at least check it out. Either way, we will most likely install the flooring ourselves just to save money.

[AahRee]

Oh, if you already have hardwood, I'd definitely continue it. :nod: I didn't realize you had hardwood in the house already. If you've got the upkeep/maintenance issues of hardwood anyway, you might as well keep using it. Just be careful that you don't let water stand on it (an issue in the kitchen and dining area more than the entry, of course), since you can warp the boards. But then again, you can have that problem with Pergo, too.

And coming from someone who has a toddler and a carpeted eating area, you've definitely got the right idea to get the carpet out of there and get something more washable. Even with the little mat, our carpet is a wreck. (It's amazing how kids know exactly where to aim to throw their food onto the carpet and not on the mat...)

[SarahK]

Exactly my thinking, Anne--and Brian agrees that any child of his will manage to get the carpet dirty! :lol:

Missy, thanks for giving me a ballpark on the price. Our area would be smaller than that since we have a medium size kitchen (bigger than a galley, but not big enough for an island) and it's a relatively small eating area. Good idea about removing the carpet and tack strips ourselves.

This is a picture I took a couple weeks ago (ignore the blue painters tape!) This shows the kitchen, but not the eating area--I'm standing in the eating area to take the picture. See, not too big an area, right?

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc04b3127cceb917acfc374e0000002610 (http://java_script_:openSlideWin(1,%20'67b0de21b3c8412be473',%209);/)

I should add that the doorway to the left (where you see the painters tape) is the hardwood coming in from the entry hallway and the table you see in the background is the carpeted formal dining room.

[Karri]

I agree w/ Anne...I would def. go with a lighter colored floor. Just a tad lighter than your cabinets.

[Cortney]

I don't have much time to answer as I've got to finish packing :blush1: but here it goes....


What type of foundation is your house on? Do you know what type of wood floors are already down? (glue down, nail down, etc?) A good option if you have a slab foundation (or just want a good floor) is the pre-finished planks- these suckers have THE BEST finish on them since the polyeurethane is baked on in like 7 layers. The upkeep for these is minimal and they won't scratch if you TRY (and believe me I have!) :lol: IMHO Harris-Tarkett has the best wood floors out there.

Yes, Lowe's and Home Depot subcontract out (to companies). They'll be (or should be) the most expensive out there. Then the other installers fall into two catagories: those with in-house guys and those who subcontract out to independent contractors. Those who use contractors are normally cheaper because they don't have the overhead and all the "benefits" for the subcontractors.

And here is my opinion (and it's only my opinion)......if you are getting nail-down floors it's best to pay the extra $$$ and get a company who specializes in that type of wood floors to install it.(there are a lot of wood-only companies) If you are getting the planks it's ok to go to someone else. This is because there IS a difference in how people lay planks and finish the floors.

Sorry for the book- I only know about this, because before the whole motorcycle thing Josh worked as installations manager for his dad who owned a flooring company. :)

LMK if you have any more questions.

[Ana975]

Sarah, we're putting in hardwoords too and we're going with the prefinished hardwood floors. No need to sand or stain and they are scratch resistant (for the most part). They come in all sorts of colors. I'd probably go with a shade lighter than your cabinets or try to match it up to the rest of the hardwoods in your house as much as possible. They might even be cheaper than the regular hardwoods since you basically just lay them down, you don't have to stain it and all that other stuff. We went to a home show and talked to a lot of different vendors and called up the ones we liked best are are starting to get quotes now. For my whole condo, minus the bedrooms, it'll be about $5,700, including labor (just so you can get an idea of pricing).

[SarahK]

Wow, Ana--that sounds like a great deal. :nod: I really need to get on this now that my MIL is gone.

[Cortney]

Sarah- what Ana was talking about is what I referenced in my previous post- we have some throughout our whole house and they are the best way to go IMHO. :nod:

[SarahK]

Good to know--I really like the idea of prefinished boards...I can't fathom keeping Katie out of the house while workers stain and finish traditional hardwoods.