best hardwood flooring

CheriAlli

in your opinion what is the most cost effective and eco-friendly hardwood flooring on the market today?

wnabcptrNH

Eco friendly - Bambuu (it grows really fast and there is a lot of it)

Nice Looking - Douglas Fir (soft and easily damaged)

Nice looking and harder - Maple

Cheapest and least upkeep - Oak (Red or White).


Personally I plan on going with red oak when I do my floors.

CheriAlli

thanks so much for the speedy reply!
i will write this info down...

rusty baker

Bamboo is not wood, it is grass.

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

CheriAlli

well is it a decent option in your opinion? the house is going to be a contemporary design.

wnabcptrNH

wow way to help out buddy.

As for contemporary, bambuu might be exactly what you are looking for.

CheriAlli

thanks again wnabcptrNH! i appreciate hearing from professionals such as yourself.

wnabcptrNH

No problem...I may be a wanna be carpenter but I am a commercial construction PM so good luck.

racebum

deal shop, it all comes down to price what i would vote for. if i bought bamboo it would be stranded and mature. the young 1.89 a sqft stuff is very soft and easy to damage. a nice stranded bamboo is about twice the money but worth it. wood wise oak is always cheap and a natural choice. i recently bought 1000sq of 3/4 hickory from lumber liquidators. when they get massive buys the prices are often good. you really need to know what you're getting there though, they also sell a lot of junk. maple/hickory are probably my 2 favs, love the randomness of hickory but it does take an artist to lay out the install.

CheriAlli

thanks. so much to learn. i had no idea.
all these comments have been great!

CheriAlli

racebum,
i like the stranded but seems too busy to put furniture on...is there a particular color that you would go with?
and i was looking at the fossilized bamboo online - maybe that's the more mature wood that you mentioned???
thanks.

Daniel Holzman

Traditional hardwood flooring is 3/4 inch thick tongue and groove, nailed in place, typically available in widths ranging from 3 to 8 inches, and in lengths up to about 16 feet. Commonly available species (in my area) include red and white oak, sugar maple, ash, cherry, hickory, fir, various species of pine, and locust. More exotic species that are available include mahogany, Brazilian cherry, and a mulitude of tropical hardwoods that are rare and typically expensive.

There is an entirely different type of hardwood flooring available generically known as engineered lumber. Typically this comes in squares that may be 1 foot on a side, and is installed by gluing in place. I have never worked with engineered flooring, I don't like the look, I stick with traditional floor techniques.

Your choice will depend on your aesthetic tastes, how hard the wood is, and your budget. I have used mainly oak, easily available, realtively good price, hard, durable, can be sanded relatively easily, can be nailed without predrilling in most cases, and takes finish well. You should look at the variety of wood species in a showroom and see what you like.

finalsay.ca

Good afternoon - I would say that along with a bamboo flooring that engineered wood flooring is the most cost effective and eco-friendly flooring. Engineered wood flooring allows for a better use of the hardwood, only top layer is hardwood; it comes in a wide variety of wood selection, widths and lengths. If you select one with a thick layer of hardwood (almost down to the top of the tongue) it can be refinished the same as solid hardwood. There is a large price variation depending on several factors such as type of wood, width and length of individual strip and thickness of the hardwood layer. This type of flooring be nailed down, glued or in some cases floated. Hope this helps.

Paul
www.finalsay.ca

woodgirl

Cheri,
There are so many factors that come into play when you are considering an investment of this nature. Are you planning on staying in this home for a considerable amount of time? Do you have children and/or pets? Is there a lot of traffic in the area you plan on flooring?, etc.

If your main concern is price, then you could go with a discount flooring outlet, but as racebum mentioned, "you really need to know what you're getting there though, they also sell a lot of junk."

If being eco-friendly is high on your priority list, then go with reclaimed. There are a lot of species choices there. When you consider that this wood has already survived 100's of years, then that is saying something about durability too.

I would not recommend the engineered flooring since you really don't have much depth to work with should you need to refinish. In my personal opinion, even though the top layer is "Real" wood, I still think it looks fake.

If you have kids and/or pets, or if the area is high traffic, then a harder wood like Oak or Maple would be a good choice. If aesthetics is more important, then something in the pine family would work. Pine is relatively inexpensive, a softer wood and visually appealing.

Take a look at my photo album to get some ideas.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to shop around. I realize it is time-consuming, but if you do your homework, you will wind up with exactly what you are looking for.

Good luck with your project

woodgirl

CheriAlli

woodgirl,
kids are gone...empty nesters...
want something good if we sell down the road...
a lot of 2nd and 3rd homeowners in the area.
need nice but not crazy expensive and would like very much to be eco friendly.