Hard wood flooring

[taco]

We are thinking about putting down wood floors in an area about 700sqft.
Any good stores in Austin? Will do the install myself. Any brands better than others?

 

[brntorng]

A major decision will be which type of wood flooring to use. Are you installing over a concrete slab or wood subfloor? A slab limits your choices, and the prep can be a much bigger job than laying the flooring.

Austin Fine Floors is a good place to shop, but I'd check around for price. Locally, The Tile Guy is a great source of flooring. Just don't be put off by their hole-in-the-wall location. They're great to do business with.

I've ordered wood flooring online with no problems at all. It gets drop shipped from the manufacturer usually and the prices generally can't be beat by a brick and mortar location. No sales tax, either.

 

[ACuriae]

Another vote for The Tile Guy (one of my clients). Kevin Lorino is a great guy to work with.

 

[HURRICANE]

I laid 1,200 square feet of Manninton Marrakech from the Floor King in Austin. Very competitive on prices and the store is very Longhorn friendly. Ask for Rennie Popp.

 

[taco]

thanks for the info.

Would be put over a slab

 

[brntorng]

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[Uninformed]

I bought oak engineered floating floors and moisture barriers over the internet and installed them over a slab in a room in our basement and am very happy with the result.

 

[brntorng]

I wouldn't disagree that a floating floor in a basement with a moisture barrier is a suitable solution in that case. There's nothing inherently wrong with floating installations. It's just a personal preference on my part that I don't like how they sound when you walk on them. I would suggest that anyone considering a floating floor find a place to check out a similar installation to make sure you'd be satisfied.

I know there are people who don't like engineered flooring and would only install solid wood. Again, it's personal preference and understanding the trade-offs you're making.

 

[taco]

think I am going to do a floating floor. some sort of click and lock.

Uninformed what brand did you put down.

Was thinking about Bruce. Anyone hear of them

 

[HURRICANE]

I would go with the engineered glue down wood. It's not that much more expensive and you will like it better in the long run. It's solid and doesn't click and clack when you walk on it. The floating floor will also hurt the resale value of your home vs the engineered wood floor. Ask any realtor.

 

[Uninformed]

In reply to:

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[brntorng]

The resale value point is a good one. I have ruled out property that had a floating floor for that reason alone. Some people may not mind, but a floating floor sounds like you're walking in a mobile home (no offense to our okie neighbors). A glue-down engineered floor, on the other hand, is indistinguishable from a solid wood floor. Night and day in my book.

 

[taco]

brntorg, I know what you mean about that sound. but the ease of non-glue has me interested. Not sure what I am going to do at this point

 

[brntorng]

I don't think you'd ever regret going with a glue-down floor. That may not be the case with a floating installation, however. Glue-down will be a bit more prep work, but it's not that difficult.

 

[7Titles]

hey im on okie with a glue down floor!!!

 

[Clarence Iba]

Make sure you give any natural wood product at least 72 hrs to get acclimated to your home environment.

 

[Little Earl]

I put a floating Bruce floor down in my previous home, and was very pleased with the results. I did however spend the extra money to get the concrete surface "leveled" before installing the floor, just using a self-leveling compound. I think this made a huge difference in the outcome. I've seen a few installs where people just drop the engineered floor down on their existing slab and had really poor results.