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The OFFICIAL Hardwood Flooring Thread

Deal Addict
Mar 31, 2003
4250 posts
155 upvotes
Cambridge
Stairs. I am about to install hardwood tread and riser on the rough softwood builder stairs going to the basement. Looks like Oak and Maple are available, intend to stain them to a light grey. Any pros or cons between the two woods? Will buy from big box unless there is a better option.

Thanks
Deal Fanatic
Nov 17, 2012
5361 posts
4957 upvotes
Toronto
howang wrote: Haha when I read my question it is pretty silly. I just heard Lysol wipes are bad too. Guess vinegar and water is likely best option. Thanks for your response anyways!
Soap and water. Just like washing your hands. All this disinfectant stuff is marketing hype. Surgeons don't use hand sanitizer.

And you're right to be worried about the impact of harsh chemicals on the finish of your hardwood floor.
Jr. Member
Oct 6, 2009
125 posts
16 upvotes
Have prices of hardwood flooring been affected during covid similar to lumber?
Deal Addict
User avatar
Nov 2, 2020
1438 posts
2076 upvotes
turbotime wrote: Have prices of hardwood flooring been affected during covid similar to lumber?
One thing I found difficult was how some items were out of stock and it takes time to get stuff. I was in a rush so I ended up with something I did not completely love. Not sure if the situation has improved now but I did my floors in February.
Member
Dec 29, 2019
304 posts
162 upvotes
Toronto, Ontario
So I got an order in of this in before prices go up again:
https://mercier-wood-flooring.com/ca/en ... ow-design/

Mercier solid hardwood maple (select/better) in matte Shadow, 3/4" thickness, 4.25" wide, $9.59 for supply and install (~1000SF).

Doesn't include floor removal (don't need), but we may need the floor levelled so TBD. And will have to wait maybe 10 weeks for it to come in.

Any idea if this is a good price? lol I am in a bit of a rush so I do things blindly and decisively in the end.

Did I accidentally pick something premium?
Deal Expert
Feb 29, 2008
21713 posts
21305 upvotes
Tarrana & The Ri…
Have some engineered hardwood from Lauzon. Man, these floors scratch easily.Just an FYI.
Deal Guru
Sep 2, 2008
12603 posts
2308 upvotes
turbotime wrote: Have prices of hardwood flooring been affected during covid similar to lumber?
I put an order in for superior a few weeks ago and was told their prices were just set to rise the day after my order.
Deal Guru
Sep 2, 2008
12603 posts
2308 upvotes
howang wrote: how do you guys disinfect hardwood flooring? We have hardwood floor in the kitchen so if we drop some raw meat etc we would want to disinfect the area vs just clean up with water

Thanks in advance!
I would just use soapy water and dry with paper towels.
Deal Fanatic
Nov 17, 2012
5361 posts
4957 upvotes
Toronto
Looking for some advice / inventive ideas. I put 1200 sq ft of solid birch flooring down a few years ago, and then reconfigured things. Bumped out a couple of closets, laced in an open space of flooring where a woodstove was etc.

Now I'm left with the two closet openings I created, where of course there was a wall when I installed the flooring. I have no interest in trying to cut it out and lace in flooring from the bedroom into the two closets. Would be a nightmare. The ends of the courses are not perfectly even, so I can't just stick a threshold in.

The simple thing would be to slap a 3/4" chunk of filler in the cavity and put a thin cap of wood spanning the gap. Can't think of many other ideas.

Maybe I'll get motivated and see how many pieces of wood I'd need to slice out to lace it in nicely, but ugh - the wood stove area was a pile of work. I might have enough wood to do both closets this way but really would rather not repeat that work.
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Sr. Member
Jul 31, 2017
510 posts
640 upvotes
Toronto
Looking for some advice for a main floor engineered hardwood. We put Fuzion Hickory on the top floor and it looks wonderful, but I swear if you glance at it wrong, it chips or dents. I had assumed that a nice hard wood like Hickory would be more resilient but I presume it is a cheap finish on top that is actually getting damaged. We have a dog that never comes upstairs so it should survive normal use but I am not risking it downstairs. Unfortuneatly the transition to another room was based on us using this flooring downstairs so we really need to stick to a 1/2" thick flooring. Most of the advice I have read talks about wood hardness being the main driver of a resilient floor, but with a poor finish it makes no difference. Any suggestions on a manufacturer of 1/2" engineered that might withstand a 70lb dog ?
Deal Addict
Jan 21, 2011
1580 posts
952 upvotes
GTA
torontotim wrote: Soap and water. Just like washing your hands. All this disinfectant stuff is marketing hype. Surgeons don't use hand sanitizer.

And you're right to be worried about the impact of harsh chemicals on the finish of your hardwood floor.
How would you use soap and water on hardwood properly for 20 secs without damaging the floor? I would rather take my chances with alcohol if you don’t want to use wipes.
Sr. Member
Oct 30, 2017
817 posts
608 upvotes
Toronto
torontotim wrote: Looking for some advice / inventive ideas. I put 1200 sq ft of solid birch flooring down a few years ago, and then reconfigured things. Bumped out a couple of closets, laced in an open space of flooring where a woodstove was etc.

Now I'm left with the two closet openings I created, where of course there was a wall when I installed the flooring. I have no interest in trying to cut it out and lace in flooring from the bedroom into the two closets. Would be a nightmare. The ends of the courses are not perfectly even, so I can't just stick a threshold in.

The simple thing would be to slap a 3/4" chunk of filler in the cavity and put a thin cap of wood spanning the gap. Can't think of many other ideas.

Maybe I'll get motivated and see how many pieces of wood I'd need to slice out to lace it in nicely, but ugh - the wood stove area was a pile of work. I might have enough wood to do both closets this way but really would rather not repeat that work.

EFB6C06A-7733-4448-971F-73179FC58AB5.jpgIMG_0604.jpgIMG_0624.jpgIMG_0687.jpgIMG_2675.jpgIMG_2676.jpg
Do you have any more of this hardwood left? If so you should be able to easily finish that part so that it's seamless. If you can't get the same floor anymore then it's a bummer. Perhaps what you can do is source a similar plank and fit it in across into that closet gap.
Deal Fanatic
Nov 17, 2012
5361 posts
4957 upvotes
Toronto
MetalGear wrote: Do you have any more of this hardwood left? If so you should be able to easily finish that part so that it's seamless. If you can't get the same floor anymore then it's a bummer. Perhaps what you can do is source a similar plank and fit it in across into that closet gap.
I have flooring and can get more. Are you suggesting the whole lacing-in approach where I cut out all the flooring in the closets now, remove some strategic boards in the room and then lace in new flooring?

I did that for one area already where I floored around a hearth pad under a woodstove (in the photos I included) but didn't really want to get into it again with two more areas. Some of the boards terminating where the closet openings are now are 6+ feet long so I'd be cutting those entire boards out and pounding new ones into place. When I laced in the new flooring I slotted boards into the open channels - I didn't cut the bottom of the groove off and drop them down into place.

If not lacing in new boards, what were you suggesting given I do have lots of available material.
Sr. Member
User avatar
Jul 5, 2003
792 posts
127 upvotes
Mississauga
We are about to renovate our main floor and my contractor is recommending that we consider unfinished hardwood floors for the seamless look. What are your thoughts on that? Is there limitation on the width of the planks? My understanding is that the overall cost vs finished flooring is about the same. If you have installed unfinished hardwood, would you do it again?

TIA
Sr. Member
Oct 30, 2017
817 posts
608 upvotes
Toronto
torontotim wrote: I have flooring and can get more. Are you suggesting the whole lacing-in approach where I cut out all the flooring in the closets now, remove some strategic boards in the room and then lace in new flooring?

I did that for one area already where I floored around a hearth pad under a woodstove (in the photos I included) but didn't really want to get into it again with two more areas. Some of the boards terminating where the closet openings are now are 6+ feet long so I'd be cutting those entire boards out and pounding new ones into place. When I laced in the new flooring I slotted boards into the open channels - I didn't cut the bottom of the groove off and drop them down into place.

If not lacing in new boards, what were you suggesting given I do have lots of available material.
I would take out the boards already in the closet and put the longer ones in. If you want to make it look more "random" you can remove a few of the boards that are by the closet door (and again, use the longer boards that go all the way in the closet space).

Maybe a flooring professional could opine on this?
Sr. Member
Oct 30, 2017
817 posts
608 upvotes
Toronto
Genia11 wrote: We are about to renovate our main floor and my contractor is recommending that we consider unfinished hardwood floors for the seamless look. What are your thoughts on that? Is there limitation on the width of the planks? My understanding is that the overall cost vs finished flooring is about the same. If you have installed unfinished hardwood, would you do it again?

TIA
Shouldn't your installer be able to tell you how wide of a board he recommends?

My understanding is that if you finish the floors on site then they look more seamless since they don't have a visible gap between the boards. Also you can use the same color stain for your railings and stairs. Another advantage is that the floor can likely be refinished sometime down the road.

The drawback of this method is that you need to maintain a proper humidity level in your home all the time. During the winter you may need a powerful humidifier. If the boards shrink then you're screwed.
Member
Feb 10, 2021
443 posts
375 upvotes
Stouffville
Hey all- does anyone know how I can acquire a price list from Vintage flooring? Looking for in particular the price for 5" white oak, zeus. Looking for around 2200 sq ft.

Additionally, does Vintage sell directly through the consumer or only through builders/trades?
Deal Fanatic
Nov 17, 2012
5361 posts
4957 upvotes
Toronto
MetalGear wrote: I would take out the boards already in the closet and put the longer ones in. If you want to make it look more "random" you can remove a few of the boards that are by the closet door (and again, use the longer boards that go all the way in the closet space).

Maybe a flooring professional could opine on this?
A pro would definitely want to lace in new boards - it's the right way to tackle it, but just a PITA ;) I'll try a few things and see what I like. Appreciate the suggestions.
Sr. Member
Oct 30, 2017
817 posts
608 upvotes
Toronto
torontotim wrote: A pro would definitely want to lace in new boards - it's the right way to tackle it, but just a PITA ;) I'll try a few things and see what I like. Appreciate the suggestions.
If you have all the tools it shouldn't be a big job.. you can try doing the "nosing" approach first and see if it looks satisfactory.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Dec 6, 2008
2324 posts
685 upvotes
Acton, Ontario
Installing Engineered Hardwood 7.5'' x 3/4'' on normal wood board subfloor.
-Cleats or Staples ?
-What length of fastener ?
-Will glue assist with Bona R850T b good ?

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