WoodFlooringGuy.com

I am purchasing a home and don’t know which is the best, most durable wood to choose. I worry about wear and tear over the years. What is the best way to maintain wood floors before you have to change it, or not? I don’t love too much grain in the floor, that is why I prefer maple; but is Black Cherry, Maple or Walnut better? If I have to choose oak due to cost, should 3/4″ size or more be better? What about staining the oak? I was told that staining is not good. I thought that all wood had to be stained to achieve all the various colors that are available. What then is “natural hardwood” without staining, but in a darker color?

I have carpeting in my house now, but I want hardwood or laminate. I don’t know what color. My house is over 100 years old. My living room furniture is cherry and my dining room is walnut (was my parents). Can you give me some suggestions?

I am redoing the floors in my foyer area with solid hardwood. I have a half bath off of my foyer that I was going to put hardwood in as well since it would flow very nicely. I know hardwood is not recommended for bathrooms, but would it be okay for a half bath?

Is it wise to put good quality oak hardwood flooring in a front entrance ( 9′ x 7.5′) and up the 7 stairs to the main level? We have very expensive tile on the floors now and carpeting on the stairs and main floor. We were trying to keep some semblance of continuity by putting it all in hardwood. We use this entrance 95% of the time.

I live in a condo and recently had hardwood floors installed in my kitchen and living room. The contractor used nails versus glue. The original floor in my kitchen was vinyl and under the vinyl is zipcrete. I was told by another contractor that my floors should have been installed with glue and not nails and that my hardwood floors will not stay secure. Is this true? If so, what should I do to correct the problem?

Is there such a thing as a floating hardwood floor? I have seen hardwood flooring that has a “uniclic” design which looks like it can be floating. If so, what types of things should I consider for installing it in my new (less than 5 year old) condo? Would there be a sub floor over the concrete?

On the second floor much of the hardwood floors are painted very bright and vibrant colors. It is expected below the layer of paint that the previous owners painted, is lead paint ( or the hardwood floors were painted with lead paint some years ago). So it seems the floors were painted a few times at least over the years. My wife and I really like the look of the original hardwood like is on the first floor. We would like to remove the paint from the second floor. What would be the best way to do it? Also our contractor said we could put a wood laminate over top of the painted hardwood floor to cover it.

My son is in a power wheelchair. To get to his room he needs to cross the den and I would like to replace it with wood. I’m understanding that the laminating would be easier to keep from getting damaged. Please let me know if a laminated one would work better than a hardwood one. It will get a lot of wear and tear.

…If this happens to be an engineered wood floor, is there any problem with sanding and refinishing it? My understanding is that you can, but this type of floor can’t take this process as often as a solid wood floor. Is that true?

My mother is in a wheelchair. What would be the best flooring for them to use in their home?

Is hardwood too slick for a large dog with bad hips?

We want to replace our carpeted floors with hardwood floors. We have two large dogs and two cats. Which type of flooring would be best with this many pets? Thanks in advance for your help! We want to make sure that whatever floor we choose (hardwood, engineered, laminate) will withstand many pet feet and the occasional pet stain without becoming too scratched, dingy or stained.

We are building a new house. I love the look of hardwood and would love to have it in the kitchen. The problem is we have three children and I’m afraid it won’t hold up in the kitchen area. I’m also concerned about water damage. At this point I have requested ceramic tile in the kitchen but really want hardwood. The hang ups I have are durability and water damage???….. Help! What’s your opinion?

My husband and I are considering laying parquet flooring in our living room and removing the carpet b/c our dog cannot seem to stop staining the carpet. We feel hardwood would be better but after reading your website I see that pet stains are a problem with hardwood. Is there a way that we can protect the wood after it is laid to prevent the urine from soaking into the wood in case we do not find it quickly?