About to order wood flooring

deck hand

I have been on this forum earlier for a step transition question.
Now I'm really looking for the big answer. I want to purchase 120 sq.ft of flooring for my upstairs hallway entering 3 brs Carpeted ,and a 1/2 bath tile
I know about all the transitions needed. Where to shop what's best ?
What i'm lost in is what's the type of flooring to use I have no pets, no kids.
Just two adults. I plan to sell my home in the next 5 to 7 years.
This home was built around 1895. two story wood frame Farm style.
I would spend up to $5.00 sqft. I plan on self installation. would like a floating floor. 3/8 " thickness is my desire Should I get a backing use corking do I need an under padding ?
I have currently 5 1/2 " T & G plank boards now, pretty flat but has seen better days. The pattern for laying looks kind of simple.
I went to Lumber Liquidators, Wolrd of floors, Big box stores and others.
all trying to sell me their floors. " That's their job" I'll pay
$ 2.99 to $6.00 . On line I have to buy a 250 sqft min. order

Man I don't know what would work for a medium quality floor There's
Laminate, Engineered, some with wood plies, also hard pressed core.
I have been reading this internet for up to 10 days off and on I'm so confused
I decided to go to you pro's who do this for a living.
Is it possible I'm too picky here ? Like just buy a $3.50 floor and be done with it. But someone will buy this old home and I want them to have some quality
flooring ) The down stairs floors are all original hard wood Oak. Heart Pine or a maple ? Very nice condition.

Deck hand

christy74

not trying to break the rules but i hav been installing floors for 20 years and recently bought a house and used cabin grade from floorstoyourhome 3/8 hardwood easy to install by yourself for 99 cents a foot hope this helps

DannyT

i would read reviews on any place you plan to buy flooring, and not the reviews on their company website.

christy74

okay sorry to ruffle your feathers

joecaption

I'd be looking at engineered flooring and not the cheap poop with a fiber core.
Look for one with plywood.
It's avalible in about 50 differant types of wood, most can be refinished, do not look like cheap plastic laminet floors because there real wood on the top layer.
It would be better to nail them down, but they can be floated.

deck hand

Thanks to all for the input.
I have been reading the news papers, Consumers Reports etc.
I really want American Made flooring even if the cost is higher.
I really like the wood center of the layered samples better.

JoeCaption your right I can try and find a snap or glue tongued floated floor
Nothing is as simple as it seems. Today I plan my visit to my local interior design store and get the straight skinny >?

I'll let you know what I find out for others searching this same information
Deck Hand

joecaption

Interior design store? Why not a real flooring store. There the people that install flooring everyday and know what works and what does not.

rusty baker

I agree with Joe. I have picked up customer orders at design stores, that would have looked pretty but did not work in the real world.

__________________
"I'm twisted, not sick. Sick implies, I'll get better"
Semi-Retired Installer
Installing since 1973

joecaption

That would be like building a house exactly the way an architect draws it.
Looks pretty on paper but most often there's just somethings that will not work in real life.
Had one show the washer and dryer on inside walls in a slab home that was being remodeled. The dryer and water supplys were 25' away from an outside wall or water supply.
Drew the new garage right on top of the septic system and main incoming underground power.

deck hand

Thanks JoeCaption
Still looking
Deck hand

zakany

I looked at flooring samples for over a year. Couldn't decide. Then one day I took the wife to a nearby mill, looked at their samples and just picked one.

FWIW, I ended up with solid hickory flooring for about your price point (mix of 3-1/4 and 4-1/4 for less than $5/sq ft prefinished).

deck hand

Thanks I've got a few weeks before D day I figure a week to seek and a week for delivery. Right now I'm at $966.23 $3.99 129.sq two door transitions $ 70.00 ea ,one 72" step nose,$ 90.00 ea. two steps, one roll of underlayment $ 90.00 " Quiet Walk "shipping $ 69.00 and tax
deck hand