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New House Flooring - Is solid wood still best? (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by CraigeryTheKid@beehaw.org to c/chat@beehaw.org

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Looking at flooring options for entire 1st floor, which includes kitchen, dining, family, and den. I feel like solid hardwood is the 'default' and what realtors would say is best for resale - but what about alternatives?

Luxury Vinyl Plank - LVP has come a long way on style, and offers the best water protection. But it might feel obviously not-solid, and I hear it scratches easily.

Laminate - And here I mean the fancy stuff, commercial rated coating and water resistant. Feels pretty solid, very resistant to scratches. "Dreamhome" line from LL Flooring, or similar.

Solid hardwood - not only the most expensive by a decent margin, but water resistant is limited, and I know it scratches. Plus sides are you can sand/refinish, and resale value. But I'm not too keen on making a choice just because selling it later.

Thoughts? Experience? Are there other major properties to consider?

Edit: I should have mentioned we have 4 kids, as far as wear & tear. Currently dog-free after both passed, but we'll eventually get small/medium-sized dogs again.

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[–] hashFUNction@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

When I bought my house, we bought surplus unfinished engineered oak flooring. It was a great deal and saved us over 50% vs buying from a flooring supplier directly. We stained it our preferred shade (a warm orange) and when the sun sets our rooms glow with the colors of a warm sunset. I honestly wouldn't trade the floor for anything else. It has a warm, vibrant and rich feeling throughout the house.

Granted, the flooring is starting to show signs of wear and tear. We have a small dog and no kids so the damage is minimal but its something to consider. But in our case, we appreciate the minor weathering look. It makes our house have character and feel lived in.

If you have kids, pets/animals and/or lots of foot traffic, it may make sense to have something more sturdy. Personally, our home is our sanctuary so we keep it pretty tip-top and we've never had more than 4 guests over at a time.

You can't really beat the look of hardwood flooring, but its durability may not be great for your needs. For us its plenty durable. Something also to consider it that you can restore hardwood flooring back to its original glory pretty easily whereas other flooring may require a complete replacement.

Good luck! Renovating a home can at times be challenging but making it truly your own is very rewarding.