Possible to install hardwood something over hardwood floors?
Sep 16th, 2008 by admin
Our house has very damaged (stains, *lots* of screws) hardwood floors that aren't worth salvaging. Possible to install a real wood ‘floating’ floor or something over the current floors without having to rip them up? If we went with a laminate (which I would like to avoid but may not have a choice) what is the best brand? Thanks!
Go with real hardwood and leave the laminates alone. In 5-7 years you'll be trying to figure out what to do with the laminates and you'll end up having to tear them out. Put the real hardwood flooring in over what you already have in place. You really can do it yourself with a chop saw, brad gun and a rubber mallet. Some come pre-finished, some you'll have to sand and finish yourself. But finishing a floor really is not difficult and can be completed in 24 hours.
you can overlay wiyh your choice of either. you do not have to remove what is there. as far as laminates go they are so many on the market it is hard to say which is the best. my opion on them are any that do not require glue. be sure to use paddin under the laminte so that it will deaden the sound as you walk.
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i had this same problem too and i tackled the situation in 2 different ways.
in my living room i went with a mohawk laminate flooring. very easy to put down (and i am a woman and put it down myself!!). there were some places where the floor was very bad and i had to buy some floor cement to make the floor even but it paid off in the end when the room looked absolutely beautiful!! i paid 1 99 a square foot and the stuff is very very sturdy and looks just like the real thing.
then in another room i decided to go all out and i used bamboo flooring. the bamboo flooring used some extra tools that i had to go out and buy like a special staple gun. the bamboo was thicker and more expensive. the bamboo also could be sanded at a later date and refinished if i planned on doing so. it has been three months since i put down the bamboo and the room is already showing scratches when it isnt even a high traffic area.
basically if you want to get by cheap and want the nice look go with a pergo or a mohawk floor. lowes has it at great prices.
all you need is a jig saw for the pergo /laminate flooring and it is super easy to install.
References :
Go with real hardwood and leave the laminates alone. In 5-7 years you'll be trying to figure out what to do with the laminates and you'll end up having to tear them out. Put the real hardwood flooring in over what you already have in place. You really can do it yourself with a chop saw, brad gun and a rubber mallet. Some come pre-finished, some you'll have to sand and finish yourself. But finishing a floor really is not difficult and can be completed in 24 hours.
References :
Hi, Victoria K
You need not rip up your existing floor to install new hardwood. Some things you need to take into consideration though:
-make sure your existing floor is level
-no moisture problems
You can avoid laminates and install real hardwood, either solid or engineered. You may also want to consider bamboo flooring, just as beautiful and sometimes more cost-effective.
If budget is a restricting factor to go with either hardwood or bamboo, laminates would be your next best option. There are a lot of laminates being manufactured today that look almost like the real thing, where the only giveaway is the sound that "bounces back" when you walk on it.
There are installation manuals and quite a bit of useful info at simplefloors.com. Feel free to check out the selections if you would also like to see the possibilities of bamboo and laminates for your home.
References :
http://www.simplefloors.com/default.aspx