buying floor boards today - any help?

seaner

Hi
we're planning on buying our floor boards today. And I'm a little confused.

Solid wood would appear to be the best (when you compare prices to semi solid, and laminate) but my bro has solid floors and its covered with tiny little dents from people's shoes!!

So I was thinking I would get semi solid, but would this happen to this floor too?

THen I was thinking laminate, but would this just look horrible??

And if laminate is the most hardwearing then why is it normally the cheaper of the lot?

We're on a budget, got around 1500 to spend and we have 20 square metres to cover!

Any advice?

ta

stapeler

Personally I prefer Solid floors as you have the option to re-sand & varnish them a few years down the road. Semi-solid can possibly take a future sanding and laminate cannot be resanded.
Woods such as Wallnut, Beech, Maple, Cherry & Oak are hardwearing and will withstand the test of time.
Prefinished floors appear common these days where the timber has its varnish factory applied and once laid there's no varnish/sealer stinking out the house.
Laminate flooring would be most suited to bedrooms and low traffic areas as once scratched there is little can be done to repair. Laminate would probably be your cheapest option.
I laid Solid Beech and Maple approx 10yrs ago in my hall and bedrooms and they are still like new. A year ago I laid pre-finished Maple in a sitting room and there are some light scratches starting to appear. I also put the cheapest of cheap laminate in a bedroom 4 years ago and it's still perfect.

Check out http://www.houseofwoods.com/ in Santry. Large choice on display but a bit pricey.
Good value at The Hardwood Flooring Factory in Lucan (very limited choice but all pre-finished solif floors)
Brooks also have a good choice

Expect to pay anything from approx €8 up for laminate. Prefinished Solid from €20 up per sq yard depending on choice. No idea on fitting charges.

In summary, for high traffic area like a sitting room go with a Solid of Semi-solid floor. Thickness is important and ask the sales person/expert if the boards can be resanded in the future.

Lex Luthor

bottom line is, budget will dictate what you can afford. Solid is the best looking....laminate looks cheap and is ok for kids rooms, etc. Semi solid is a compromise

antoinolachtnai

Laminate lasts longer though, with the least maintenance. You can't repair it if it gets damaged, but it hardly ever does (and you can always drop in a spare piece).

Solid or semi-solid definitely looks the best, but there are decent looking laminates too. All depends what you need for your circumstances.

eamon234

antoinolachtnai wrote:

Laminate lasts longer though, with the least maintenance. You can't repair it if it gets damaged, but it hardly ever does (and you can always drop in a spare piece).

No way I'm in my house 3years and have laminate in the bedrooms and sitting room they all need replacing already they look terrible and the seams on the edging are starting to lift they don't get a whole lot of wear and tear and a
re cleaned properly I'm looking at replacing with solid or semi this time - plus if you damage laminate there's no good way of repairing it

As far as marks and dents are concerned - stay away from pine it's a very soft wood and make sure you finish with a good hardwearing varnish

johnnyrotten

eamon234 wrote:

No way I'm in my house 3years and have laminate in the bedrooms and sitting room they all need replacing already they look terrible and the seams on the edging are starting to lift they don't get a whole lot of wear and tear and a
re cleaned properly

It all depends on the quality of the laminate!.
Expect to pay about €20 upwards per sq metre for a decent laminate. Steer clear of the Bargaintown/Des Kelly specials for €5 per sq metre.

antoinolachtnai

Yep, all depends on the quality of the laminate. I have bought decent laminate for 12 euros/meter though.

If you buy crap solid or semisolid flooriing you will have problems too. From what I read, there is a lot to getting the right stuff and fitting it properly (never done a solid or semi-solid project myself, so don't claim any knowledge)

I would certainly pay the premium to get good advice, a branded board and a recommended fitter.