On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:16:22 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

>Kalmia wrote:
>> On Nov 9, 8:32 am, "Jean B." > wrote:
>>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>>>
>>> --
>>> Jean B.
>>
>> Whatever you do, don't put in any sort of carpeting. We bought a
>> place once with indoor-outdoor in the kitchen - dark brown - I can't
>> imagine how filthy it must've been. It got replaced, pronto.
>>
>> I like tile, altho the grout can get dark and nasty. Pick a light
>> color tile and you'll then see how often you need to wash it - ha. I
>> could do mine daily!! I don't like a pattern either - harder to wash.
>
>I see there was later discussion of grout.
>
>I have read enough about carpeting to make sure that it is all
>taken out of this house and replaced by something else. If I have
>any rugs in the kitchen, they will be small, and wasily washed!

I think rugs make any place in the house (kitchens included) look
nice... and their place in the kitchen can be quite functional too.


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:19:44 -0500, brooklyn1
> wrote:

>in fact every stick of lumber used to build this
>house came from trees growing on this property

Dayam! Did you build that house yourself??? Was the mill on your
property? My grandfather built his own house, but he didn't grow the
trees or mill the wood. When the houses in my neighborhood were
built, they had their own mill that milled of all the wood -
structural and decorative... the trees were not grown on the property,
maybe a few were, but not as many as they needed to build all these
houses.



--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Jean B." > wrote in message
...
> Debbie wrote:
>>
>> "Jean B." > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
>>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see the
>>> conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the kitchen.
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>
>> I have ceramic and would love to replace the carpeting in the rest of the
>> house with it.
>>
>>
>> Debbie
>
> Wow! Where do you live? I have seen houses with a lot of tile, and I
> missed the hardwood. I guess I expect that in most of the house.
>

I'm in Canada. I would use area rugs to bring colour and warmth into the
rooms. I could change em up as the mood suits. :-)

Debbie

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:39:23 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>And cats aren't smelly?

Actually, they aren't... just their poop. Maybe some cats that have
fleas are smelly because they lick themselves a lot

>My dogs don't get up on the furniture

That's training from "puppyhood". My dogs don't get up on the
furniture either. Not even when I'm gone.

>and they don't walk around on the kitchen counters helping themselves to food.

Again, that's training... but it also requires that you to not be a
slob. Put your food away and clean up after you're finished. My cat
doesn't get up on the counters now, but he's been trained not to.
They're curious and want to see what's going on up there. You know
the saying, "Curiosity killed the cat"? It's true. It also gets them
persona non grata.

Dogs can't resist temptation either. My favorite story is from when I
was just a wee babe: my grandparents had a St. Bernard that was less
than a year old at the time. Mom made a birthday cake for my dad.
She shoved it into a corner, left to do something and came back into
the kitchen a few minutes later only to discover the dog had eaten the
entire thing.

Dad's birthday was not called off for lack of cake, so in the end it
was a good story. All's well that ends well!

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:46:07 -0800, TammyM > wrote:

> a Dyson "Animal" vacuum cleaner :-)

I want a Dyson. I don't like what I have now because it's too heavy,
it feels like it wants to suck up the rugs when I have it on the
highest setting and the hose is too short.

> The dogs are indoor/outdoor (natch), the cats are indoor only.

My cats are indoor/outdoor too. My current cat doesn't like being
outdoors. He goes out if the weather is perfect and he doesn't want
any "trouble". He's content to be an indoor cat, but he rushes to the
door when he wants to do his "business". I'm ok with that.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:01:50 -0500, "Pete C." >
wrote:

>I once baked some salmon, just plain salmon
>since I made a separate dill cream sauce for it. I gave here a little
>piece of the salmon, she sniffed it and then walked away.

It's a texture thing.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:33:36 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

>Hi. I'd love to hear more about the engineered wood, which my
>agent suggested.

Engineered wood can be sanded and refinished at least once... or
that's what they claim. Regular wood floors are good for only twice,
according to every refinisher I've talked to. I don't know if it has
to do with resetting nails or what, because I know they have to reset
nails anyway from pure experience with floor refinishing.

>Thanks for the tip about the wood darkening. It
>would be useful to see what the color would be when aged. It must
>be like my cherry furniture, which has aged to a beautiful color.

Natural cherry is my favorite! I would love to have natural cherry
cabinets. I love the way it ages and I was hoping my engineered floor
(some exotic wood) would age the same way. As it is, it's darkening
quickly (only 6 months) so I'm not sure how dark it's going to end up.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

brooklyn1 wrote:

> Everyone loves my new kitchen floor:
> http://i33.tinypic.com/28upbg8.jpg
> http://i38.tinypic.com/20a29h3.jpg
>
> Any questions feel free.


Nice! Is that Jilly on the counter in the first pic...???

^..^

--
Best
Greg

"sf" < ha scritto nel messaggio
"Giusi" > wrote:

.. Sometimes my feet hurt, but I change into
>>bouncier shoes and continue.

> I dunno, that's what I've been told by people who have ripped out> their
> tile floors. Personally, I wouldn't have tile because of the> grout.
> Maybe I'd feel differently if I lived in Hawaii.

Maybe they don't wear adequate shoes, but up to about 4-5 years ago, I often
cooked in heels and was fine up to 5-6 hours.

Epoxy additive in grout solves problems and I NEVER use white grout. It's
like a sin against humanity to use white grout. Even my pure white bathroom
walls have mortar colored grout.

sf wrote:

>> and they don't walk around on the kitchen counters helping themselves to food.
>
> Again, that's training... but it also requires that you to not be a
> slob. Put your food away and clean up after you're finished. My cat
> doesn't get up on the counters now, but he's been trained not to.
> They're curious and want to see what's going on up there. You know
> the saying, "Curiosity killed the cat"? It's true. It also gets them
> persona non grata.
>
> Dogs can't resist temptation either. My favorite story is from when I
> was just a wee babe: my grandparents had a St. Bernard that was less
> than a year old at the time. Mom made a birthday cake for my dad.
> She shoved it into a corner, left to do something and came back into
> the kitchen a few minutes later only to discover the dog had eaten the
> entire thing.
>
> Dad's birthday was not called off for lack of cake, so in the end it
> was a good story. All's well that ends well!


I was raised with dogs. I can only remember one incident where one our
dogs took some food off the counter. We never had cats when we I was a
kid. My wife and I got two cats when we moved out here. One year I
brought a birthday cake out to the patio table and went inside to make
coffee while my wife was changing the kid's diaper. I went out a few
minutes later to find the cats eating the cake. It had never occurred to
me that the cats might do that.

On Nov 9, 5:59*pm, sf > wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:58:10 -0800 (PST), --Bryan >
> wrote:
>
> >On Nov 9, 5:56*pm, sf > wrote:
> >> On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:32:50 -0800 (PST), --Bryan >
> >> wrote:
>
> >> >In pic #17 you can see our house to the right. *It was a foreclosure
> >> >and we got a great deal.
>
> >> Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you, but what a deal and
> >> you didn't even have to move out of the neighborhood. *
>
> >I get to buy a new range too.
>
> I love appliance shopping. *Does your wife get to have any input?
> Just askin'!
>
She insists on a gas range because she's the baker (though I do as
well because of the burners). I do 99%+ of the laundry (she folds and
puts away) so the washer/dryer is my domain. She'll probably have the
most input into the choice of fridge, and she can be the sole decider
of colors for the kitchen appliances. I might hold off on buying a
dryer and go back to hanging up, though now we have a child, so more
laundry.

--Bryan

sf wrote:
>
> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:33:36 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
> >Hi. I'd love to hear more about the engineered wood, which my
> >agent suggested.
>
> Engineered wood can be sanded and refinished at least once... or
> that's what they claim. Regular wood floors are good for only twice,
> according to every refinisher I've talked to. I don't know if it has
> to do with resetting nails or what, because I know they have to reset
> nails anyway from pure experience with floor refinishing.
>
> >Thanks for the tip about the wood darkening. It
> >would be useful to see what the color would be when aged. It must
> >be like my cherry furniture, which has aged to a beautiful color.
>
> Natural cherry is my favorite! I would love to have natural cherry
> cabinets. I love the way it ages and I was hoping my engineered floor
> (some exotic wood) would age the same way. As it is, it's darkening
> quickly (only 6 months) so I'm not sure how dark it's going to end up.
>
> --
> I love cooking with wine.
> Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Regular a.k.a. full dimensional (3/4") hardwood floors can absolutely be
refinished a lot more than twice. Nails have little to do with it since
hardwood floors are not normally face nailled.

--Bryan wrote:

> She insists on a gas range because she's the baker (though I do as
> well because of the burners).

I think bakers usually prefer electric, that's why they have
dual fuel ranges. Just sayin.

> I do 99%+ of the laundry (she folds and
> puts away) so the washer/dryer is my domain.

I totally don't think you're giving her enough of a percentage.
Folding/sorting/putting away is the worst part of it. Just
sayin. (laugh)

> She'll probably have the
> most input into the choice of fridge, and she can be the sole decider
> of colors for the kitchen appliances. I might hold off on buying a
> dryer and go back to hanging up, though now we have a child, so more
> laundry.

Your choice, obviously, but I wouldn't go back to line drying as
my only option for nothing. Not going to happen.

nancy

Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:30:19 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
> Maybe I should add that the next kitchen has a big opening
>> to the diningroom, so that might color the aesthetic choice.
>
> Aside from the new floors, will you now have room for all your
> cookbooks?
>
> Christine

That is one reason why we ended up with this particular house. Of
course, placement will be interesting. And it will be an
organizational nightmare, since I have my tightly packed shelves
plus books that need to be injected into certain areas. (The main
problem is that moving the books seems to be rather like the
chicken and the egg.)

I am sure we are going to be able to empathize about the moving of
vast quantities of books, Christine!

--
Jean B.

Pete C. wrote:
> "Jean B." wrote:
>> sf wrote:
>>> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:32:06 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>>>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>>>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>>>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>>>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>>> Good choice on the hardwood floors, it's a great choice for many
>>> reasons and resale value is high on the list.
>>>
>>> We put an engineered wood floor in the kitchen a few months ago. The
>>> color we chose was a medium tone which is darkening quickly. Even
>>> though the planks vary in shades, it is definitely not a good choice
>>> for a working kitchen because every spot shows. So if my advice is -
>>> if you go with wood, go lighter. Do your homework about how dark even
>>> the lightest of woods will be eventually.
>>>
>>> I'm still partial to the vinyl that mimics stone for my kitchen.
>>> Spots don't stand out on that one.
>>>
>>> Good luck!
>>>
>> Hi. I'd love to hear more about the engineered wood, which my
>> agent suggested. Thanks for the tip about the wood darkening. It
>> would be useful to see what the color would be when aged. It must
>> be like my cherry furniture, which has aged to a beautiful color.
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> Engineered wood flooring is essentially a thin plywood type of product,
> typically about 3/8" think vs. traditional hardwood which is 3/4" solid
> wood. The engineered wood flooring will have a top layer of the desired
> hardwood, usually about 1/8" and the underlying layers will be cheaper
> material. The engineered wood flooring will have factory applied finish,
> lightly beveled edges, etc. and will install very quickly vs.
> traditional finished after installation hardwood floors. Full
> dimensional hardwood is also available factory finished now, so it can
> be installed just as quickly as engineered wood can. With the hardwood
> layer around 1/8" thick, engineered wood flooring can be sanded and
> refinished once or twice only, vs. full 3/4" hardwood which can easily
> be refinished a dozen times. For the "green" types, the engineered wood
> flooring uses less new wood and can use recycled wood scrap in the
> substrate layers, however full dimensional hardwood has a much longer
> service life, and of course wood is a renewable resource.

Thanks. I saw that layered bit at the site Sheldon posted. It
sounds awful. My broker made it sound like legitimate HW flooring....

--
Jean B.

Pete C. wrote:
> "Jean B." wrote:
>> George Leppla wrote:
>>> Felice wrote:
>>>> "Jean B." > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>>>>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
>>>>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see
>>>>> the conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the
>>>>> kitchen. Thanks!
>>>> I thought my glazed quarry tile was the most gorgeous floor ever,
>>>> despite the occasional loss of china and glassware. But when we moved
>>>> house I put in Pergo and was delighted with it. It comes in great
>>>> colors, and is easier on the feet and the breakables.
>>>
>>> When we bought this house, we had laminate wood floors installed in
>>> every room... including baths, utility room, closets and kitchen.....
>>> 2000+ sq feet and it sure wasn't cheap. The newer laminates are great
>>> looking, have a wear life that will outlive me and are very easy to
>>> maintain. With the humid weather here in the south, I just didn't want
>>> wall-to-wall carpeting.
>>>
>>> Laminates aren't usually recommended for any "wet" areas like bathrooms,
>>> but we don't have any children so spills and constant dampness haven't
>>> been a problem. I have to admit that I had reservations about doing
>>> this, but after almost 3 years, the floors look just as good as they did
>>> they day they were installed.
>>>
>>> That said, I wish we had put a tile floor in the kitchen. For some
>>> reason, I'm just not used to a wood floor there. It looks great... but
>>> doesn't "feel" right.... probably because all the cabinets are wood
>>> grained. My wife disagrees with me.... she loves it.
>>>
>>> George L
>> Interesting. The current kitchen has white cabinets. I don't
>> love them, but there is so much I want done that they will
>> probably be there for a while. I need to think about the floor
>> both with those cabinets and with possible replacements.
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> Don't underestimate the change you can get from a simple refinishing of
> the existing cabinets, presuming they are of decent quality
> construction. Even putting entirely new doors and hardware on the
> existing carcasses is vastly cheaper than replacing the entire cabinet.

I'll see whether I have any money left for that. Actually, I
dislike the countertops more. And as far as the kitchen goes, I
am also wondering whether I will want to replace the gas stove
(yes, gas--goodbye you awful smoothtop) with a dual-fuel stove.

--
Jean B.

Jean B. wrote:

> That is one reason why we ended up with this particular house. Of
> course, placement will be interesting.

Jean, I didn't have anything to offer concerning the kitchen floors,
but I did want to say Congratulations on the new house!

nancy

Pete C. wrote:
{snip]

> Full dimensional hardwood is available factory finished these days, so
> it can be installed as quickly as the engineered flooring can, this vs.
> the old finished after installation hardwood floors.
>
[snip]

This is more what I was envisioning from what my broker said.
Thanks a lot, Pete!

--
Jean B.

Pete C. wrote:
> "Jean B." wrote:
>> Kalmia wrote:
>>> On Nov 9, 8:32 am, "Jean B." > wrote:
>>>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>>>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>>>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>>>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>>>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Jean B.
>>> Whatever you do, don't put in any sort of carpeting. We bought a
>>> place once with indoor-outdoor in the kitchen - dark brown - I can't
>>> imagine how filthy it must've been. It got replaced, pronto.
>>>
>>> I like tile, altho the grout can get dark and nasty. Pick a light
>>> color tile and you'll then see how often you need to wash it - ha. I
>>> could do mine daily!! I don't like a pattern either - harder to wash.
>> I see there was later discussion of grout.
>>
>> I have read enough about carpeting to make sure that it is all
>> taken out of this house and replaced by something else. If I have
>> any rugs in the kitchen, they will be small, and wasily washed!
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> I'm not sure what you have against carpeting, a good portion of my house
> is carpet and I like it. Cleaning is quite easy with a $30 day rental of
> a carpet machine from 'Depot or similar sufficient to do the whole
> house. The dining room and kitchen are ceramic tile and I like that as
> well.

Carpeting can harbor all sorts of bad things. I also don't like
the idea of just covering up the current plywood with it.

--
Jean B.

sf wrote:
> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:13:04 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> Thank you. I am going to do a list of all answers, do some
>> searching, etc. I hope the outcome is pleasing.
>
> It's a crap shoot, Jean B. Use your best judgment based on your needs
> and hope for the best. If you're not a house flipper or move every
> few years, you really won't know if it suits you until you try it.
>
No, I'm not a house flipper. That being said, though, this house
is a compromise, since my daughter will still be living with me.
My ideal house would be more rural, so if I have an iota of energy
left, I will move again after she leaves.

--
Jean B.

Pete C. wrote:
> "Jean B." wrote:
>> brooklyn1 wrote:
>>> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:32:06 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>>>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>>>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>>>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>>>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>>> I love hardwood flooring, real hardwood, not that fake Pergo laminate
>>> crap. Except for my main bathroom every floor in my house is
>>> hardwood. All the bedrooms, living room, hallways, even inside all
>>> closets were white oak when I moved in. My kitchen, dining area, and
>>> laundry room floors were covered with awful green vinyl tiles... had
>>> Brazilian cherry installed over all that, I love it... looks terrific
>>> and is super easy to care for. You never wash hardwood floors, and
>>> with the new finishes there is no reason to ever wax a hardwood
>>> floor... once a week a quick vacuuming and an easy peasy once over
>>> with the Bonakemi hardwood floor care system:
>>> http://www.mybonahome.com/Home.aspx
>>>
>>> I had hard tiles installed in my last kitchen, never realized how much
>>> I'd grow to hate it; was cold, noisy, hard on the feet, was difficult
>>> to keep the grout clean, and tile scratches easily.
>>>
>>> Make certain to have a professional hardwood flooring installer do the
>>> job... there are too many "handimen" out there who haven't the
>>> knowlege or proper equipment... definitely not a DIY project:
>>> http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/
>>>
>>> Real hardwood flooring is forever so it costs less than all other
>>> types of flooring... it can be refinished, and given a whole new look
>>> with various treatments; stains, pickling, and bleaching. Hardwood
>>> flooring costs less to install, does away with the need to install a
>>> new sub floor, it covers all blemishes that would be enhanced with
>>> vinyl... being a full 3/4" thick it goes directly over old vinyl and
>>> less than perfect sub flooring.
>>>
>>> No other flooring looks as rich and generates the warmth af real
>>> hardwood flooring (figuratively and literally - an excellent
>>> insulator/sound proofing). There are many types and grades of
>>> hardwood and various ways it's sawn so it behooves one to educate
>>> themself before running out to buy.
>>>
>>> Hallway:
>>> http://i35.tinypic.com/14vs768.jpg
>>>
>>> Livingroom:
>>> http://i38.tinypic.com/2z5vdl4.jpg
>>>
>>> Goodbye ugli vinyl:
>>> http://i37.tinypic.com/25zgua8.jpg
>>>
>>> Be sure to remove all moldings, cut into door jambs, and floor inside
>>> all closets:
>>> http://i34.tinypic.com/16lyd0w.jpg
>>>
>>> Everyone loves my new kitchen floor:
>>> http://i33.tinypic.com/28upbg8.jpg
>>> http://i38.tinypic.com/20a29h3.jpg
>>>
>>> Any questions feel free.
>>>
>> Thanks for those links, which I will examine more carefully
>> tomorrow. I will be putting in hardwood for most of the flooring
>> and am just unsure about the kitchen and bathrooms. Your kitchen
>> floor does look splendid though, so maybe!
>>
>> My agent suggested engineered hardwood--actually they sound like
>> the prefinished floors on the NWFA site. I need to look into that.
>>
>> I am about out of time for the night but will continue perusing
>> suggestions--and looking more carefully at the links, which I
>> thank you for, Sheldon. Thanks, too, for the tips!
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> Be sure to investigate and understand the differences between engineered
> hardwood flooring, and factory finished full dimensional 3/4" hardwood
> flooring. Both are factory finished and install quickly, and both look
> similar from the surface, however they are very different products.

Yes, thanks to you, I now have a clearer picture. I wonder
whether my broker misspoke? Since he is also a building
contractor, I would have thought not. I want solid hardwood
flooring, not layered flooring.

--
Jean B.

Pete C. wrote:
> Yes, tile will more readily break stuff like plates dropped on it, and
> can be broken by suitably hard stuff dropped on it. If you do tile, get
> an extra box or two of the original tile and stash it in a closet along
> with an extra box of the grout to allow for any future repairs. It takes
> a lot to crack a tile, but a good heavy pan dropping can certainly do
> it.

Sounds like good general advice. Get more material than you need,
just in case.

--
Jean B.

sf wrote:
> Tile is not unusual (porcelain, yes), especially here in California.
> However, I know people who have taken it out because they are fumble
> fingers and every little thing they drop breaks or for the comfort
> reason. If I lived in an area that was warm and humid year 'round,
> I'd consider ceramic/glazed tile. I also would wear flip flops all
> the time and leave them at the door when I entered as would my guests.
> I'd even have a little place to rinse/wash my feet before entering the
> house (if they were grungy).
>
> <sigh> I think I need to move to Hawaii.
>

I went around in socks even before I lived in Japan. My daughter
also is either bare-footed or wearing socks in the house.
Unfortunately I won't have a good space for guest slippers....
Well, maybe I have JUST that much space....

--
Jean B.

sf wrote:
> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:15:09 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> The irregular
>> coloration seems to have pros and cons as far as showing dirt goes!
>
> It's a HUGE plus if you don't like upkeep (like wiping up water spots
> too). Please keep that in mind.
>
Heh! Well, I did learn that lesson with my black cooktop, etc.

--
Jean B.

sf wrote:
> I think rugs make any place in the house (kitchens included) look
> nice... and their place in the kitchen can be quite functional too.
>
>

I can see this will be an ongoing process, just as getting a yard
to one's liking is.

--
Jean B.

Debbie wrote:
> I'm in Canada. I would use area rugs to bring colour and warmth into
> the rooms. I could change em up as the mood suits. :-)
>
> Debbie

Is it common to have houses with tiled floors (other then the
kitchen and bathrooms) there?

--
Jean B.

sf wrote:
> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:33:36 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> Hi. I'd love to hear more about the engineered wood, which my
>> agent suggested.
>
> Engineered wood can be sanded and refinished at least once... or
> that's what they claim. Regular wood floors are good for only twice,
> according to every refinisher I've talked to. I don't know if it has
> to do with resetting nails or what, because I know they have to reset
> nails anyway from pure experience with floor refinishing.
>
>> Thanks for the tip about the wood darkening. It
>> would be useful to see what the color would be when aged. It must
>> be like my cherry furniture, which has aged to a beautiful color.
>
> Natural cherry is my favorite! I would love to have natural cherry
> cabinets. I love the way it ages and I was hoping my engineered floor
> (some exotic wood) would age the same way. As it is, it's darkening
> quickly (only 6 months) so I'm not sure how dark it's going to end up.
>
I need to see whether I can find photos or examples of flooring
after it ages then. I LOVE cherry. If I "won the lottery", I'd
have cherry cabinets in the kitchen.

--
Jean B.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> Natural cherry really is beautiful. We used it in our last kitchen back in
> Ohio. In the six years we lived there, it had deepened and mellowed into a
> gorgeous color.
>
Like my bedroom furnishings. We were meandering in an out of
furniture stores in Cambridge (Mass.) yesterday. One was the
store where I got that furniture. I always have to tell them how
much I love it!

That's one lesson I have learned (pertinent to floors too): don't
just go for a look that you may get sick of or that is cheap but
will suffice for now; get quality things that you will never get
tired of.

--
Jean B.

On Nov 9, 3:06*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > On Nov 9, 8:32 am, "Jean B." > wrote:
> >> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. *Before we move in, I am
> >> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
> >> wall-to-wall carpet). *Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
> >> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
> >> flooring in the kitchen. *Thanks!
>
> > I like sheet vinyl in the kitchen. *No seams. *Easy on the feet.
> > Forgiving if you drop stuff. *Comes in many styles.
>
> It also comes in 12" and 18" squares for easy replacement, theoretically.

That gives you a boatload of seams for crud to collect in. No, thank
you.

> Remember to buy an extra 12-20 sheets now rather than trying to find the
> same pattern 2-15 years later. *Dropped knives will put a gash in linoleum
> (unless you you're using Ginsu or similar).

Huh. I've never had that happen. Maybe a little nick that is nearly
self-healing, but I don't throw my kitchen knives with any force.

If you do go with vinyl tile (which is, in fact, what I have now
courtesy
of the house's previous owner), I endorse getting extra.

Even with sheet vinyl, if you keep a little, it can be patched if
something
truly horrendous happens to your floor. Of course, you might not get
a match with any sort of patch if the floor has yellowed, as sometimes
happens with any surface (even paint).

Cindy Hamilton

Nancy Young wrote:
> Jean B. wrote:
>
>> That is one reason why we ended up with this particular house. Of
>> course, placement will be interesting.
>
> Jean, I didn't have anything to offer concerning the kitchen floors,
> but I did want to say Congratulations on the new house!
>
> nancy

Thanks!

--
Jean B.

Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On Nov 9, 3:06 pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
>> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>>> On Nov 9, 8:32 am, "Jean B." > wrote:
>>>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>>>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>>>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>>>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>>>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>>> I like sheet vinyl in the kitchen. No seams. Easy on the feet.
>>> Forgiving if you drop stuff. Comes in many styles.
>> It also comes in 12" and 18" squares for easy replacement, theoretically.
>
> That gives you a boatload of seams for crud to collect in. No, thank
> you.
>
>> Remember to buy an extra 12-20 sheets now rather than trying to find the
>> same pattern 2-15 years later. Dropped knives will put a gash in linoleum
>> (unless you you're using Ginsu or similar).
>
> Huh. I've never had that happen. Maybe a little nick that is nearly
> self-healing, but I don't throw my kitchen knives with any force.
>
> If you do go with vinyl tile (which is, in fact, what I have now
> courtesy
> of the house's previous owner), I endorse getting extra.
>
> Even with sheet vinyl, if you keep a little, it can be patched if
> something
> truly horrendous happens to your floor. Of course, you might not get
> a match with any sort of patch if the floor has yellowed, as sometimes
> happens with any surface (even paint).
>
> Cindy Hamilton

That's an interesting consideration. Thanks!

--
Jean B.

On Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:09:46 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

>Pete C. wrote:
>> "Jean B." wrote:
>>> brooklyn1 wrote:
>>>> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:32:06 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>>>>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>>>>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>>>>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>>>>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>>>> I love hardwood flooring, real hardwood, not that fake Pergo laminate
>>>> crap. Except for my main bathroom every floor in my house is
>>>> hardwood. All the bedrooms, living room, hallways, even inside all
>>>> closets were white oak when I moved in. My kitchen, dining area, and
>>>> laundry room floors were covered with awful green vinyl tiles... had
>>>> Brazilian cherry installed over all that, I love it... looks terrific
>>>> and is super easy to care for. You never wash hardwood floors, and
>>>> with the new finishes there is no reason to ever wax a hardwood
>>>> floor... once a week a quick vacuuming and an easy peasy once over
>>>> with the Bonakemi hardwood floor care system:
>>>> http://www.mybonahome.com/Home.aspx
>>>>
>>>> I had hard tiles installed in my last kitchen, never realized how much
>>>> I'd grow to hate it; was cold, noisy, hard on the feet, was difficult
>>>> to keep the grout clean, and tile scratches easily.
>>>>
>>>> Make certain to have a professional hardwood flooring installer do the
>>>> job... there are too many "handimen" out there who haven't the
>>>> knowlege or proper equipment... definitely not a DIY project:
>>>> http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/
>>>>
>>>> Real hardwood flooring is forever so it costs less than all other
>>>> types of flooring... it can be refinished, and given a whole new look
>>>> with various treatments; stains, pickling, and bleaching. Hardwood
>>>> flooring costs less to install, does away with the need to install a
>>>> new sub floor, it covers all blemishes that would be enhanced with
>>>> vinyl... being a full 3/4" thick it goes directly over old vinyl and
>>>> less than perfect sub flooring.
>>>>
>>>> No other flooring looks as rich and generates the warmth af real
>>>> hardwood flooring (figuratively and literally - an excellent
>>>> insulator/sound proofing). There are many types and grades of
>>>> hardwood and various ways it's sawn so it behooves one to educate
>>>> themself before running out to buy.
>>>>
>>>> Hallway:
>>>> http://i35.tinypic.com/14vs768.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Livingroom:
>>>> http://i38.tinypic.com/2z5vdl4.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Goodbye ugli vinyl:
>>>> http://i37.tinypic.com/25zgua8.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Be sure to remove all moldings, cut into door jambs, and floor inside
>>>> all closets:
>>>> http://i34.tinypic.com/16lyd0w.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Everyone loves my new kitchen floor:
>>>> http://i33.tinypic.com/28upbg8.jpg
>>>> http://i38.tinypic.com/20a29h3.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Any questions feel free.
>>>>
>>> Thanks for those links, which I will examine more carefully
>>> tomorrow. I will be putting in hardwood for most of the flooring
>>> and am just unsure about the kitchen and bathrooms. Your kitchen
>>> floor does look splendid though, so maybe!
>>>
>>> My agent suggested engineered hardwood--actually they sound like
>>> the prefinished floors on the NWFA site. I need to look into that.
>>>
>>> I am about out of time for the night but will continue perusing
>>> suggestions--and looking more carefully at the links, which I
>>> thank you for, Sheldon. Thanks, too, for the tips!
>>>
>>> --
>>> Jean B.
>>
>> Be sure to investigate and understand the differences between engineered
>> hardwood flooring, and factory finished full dimensional 3/4" hardwood
>> flooring. Both are factory finished and install quickly, and both look
>> similar from the surface, however they are very different products.
>
>Yes, thanks to you, I now have a clearer picture. I wonder
>whether my broker misspoke? Since he is also a building
>contractor, I would have thought not. I want solid hardwood
>flooring, not layered flooring.

There's no point in continuing to talk about something without a cite:
http://homerenovations.about.com/od/...ngineerflr.htm

What's termed "engineered hardwood flooring' is in fact plywood with a
relatively thin hardwood veneer finish face... it's solid wood (like
plywood is solid wood) but it's not solid hardwood. I wouldn't
recommend EHF, it's difficult to install over subflooring without
adding a second sub floor crosswise... it's prefinished, which
presents another problem with uneven subflooring, the prefinish will
need to be sanded off in order to produce an even floor and then
refinished. And EHF can only be refinished a couple of times, the
veneer laminate is too thin. No matter how you slice the cake nothing
comes close to real T & G solid hardwood flooring, I'd not consider
anything but the real deal... and only real hardwood flooring ends up
looking like real hardwood flooring, everything else looks fake
because it is fake. EHF and laminate actually depreciates the value
of a home, it's a major and expensive overhaul to remove. I recommend
either get real hardwood flooring or choose a completely different
flooring material like vinyl/ceramic tiles, roll flooring, or
carpeting.

Choosing flooring is like choosing your furniture and any other items
one lives with on a constant basis... if you're a slob, not into
housekeeping, then fine wood flooring, fine wood furniture is not for
you. Laminate flooring is for folks who are best served by furniture
from IKEA... beat it to hell for less than five years, throw it away
and buy new.

On Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:11:01 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

>Pete C. wrote:
>> Yes, tile will more readily break stuff like plates dropped on it, and
>> can be broken by suitably hard stuff dropped on it. If you do tile, get
>> an extra box or two of the original tile and stash it in a closet along
>> with an extra box of the grout to allow for any future repairs. It takes
>> a lot to crack a tile, but a good heavy pan dropping can certainly do
>> it.
>
>Sounds like good general advice. Get more material than you need,
>just in case.

Same with hardwood flooring, any flooring... any building materials,
whether roofing, wood fencing, patio blocks, paint... just like decent
clothing comes with spare buttons.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:31:17 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:13:50 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>>Michael "Dog3" wrote:
>>>
>>> We have porcelain and love it. It is hard though. If you drop something on
>>> it be prepared for whatever you dropped to either break or be damaged. Not
>>> everything breaks of course but some things will break or crack.
>>>
>>> Michael
>>>
>>>
>>Thank you, Michael. (Nice to see some posts from you, BTW.) That
>>seems like an unusual choice!
>
>Tile is not unusual (porcelain, yes), especially here in California.

Porcelain tile is not unusual at all... just costs a little more. I
had imported Italian porcelain tile installed in my last kitchen, cost
like 25% more than a similar ordinary ceramic tile.... but porcelain
tile is stronger, denser, more resistant to staining. But most of the
price of a tile floor is in the installation (labor and prep is the
same regardless) so paying a bit more for material accounts for very
few dollars.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:42:49 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:19:44 -0500, brooklyn1
> wrote:
>
>>in fact every stick of lumber used to build this
>>house came from trees growing on this property
>
>Dayam! Did you build that house yourself??? Was the mill on your
>property? My grandfather built his own house, but he didn't grow the
>trees or mill the wood. When the houses in my neighborhood were
>built, they had their own mill that milled of all the wood -
>structural and decorative... the trees were not grown on the property,
>maybe a few were, but not as many as they needed to build all these
>houses.

This house was built more than 50 years ago, I have a few photos left
by the original owners of its construction, one day I'll scan them.
This area is as rural now as it was back then, there are folks here
still logging their acreage for rare woods. And there are plenty of
small lumber mills around.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:41:13 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:33:36 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>>Hi. I'd love to hear more about the engineered wood, which my
>>agent suggested.
>
>Engineered wood can be sanded and refinished at least once... or
>that's what they claim. Regular wood floors are good for only twice,
>according to every refinisher I've talked to. I don't know if it has
>to do with resetting nails or what, because I know they have to reset
>nails anyway from pure experience with floor refinishing.

The nails go into the groove, so there's a good half inch of wood
above the nail heads, enough for like three life times worth of
refinishing... and for serious damage, like a deep burn, it's easy to
remove a board and replace it.

>>Thanks for the tip about the wood darkening. It
>>would be useful to see what the color would be when aged. It must
>>be like my cherry furniture, which has aged to a beautiful color.
>
>Natural cherry is my favorite! I would love to have natural cherry
>cabinets. I love the way it ages and I was hoping my engineered floor
>(some exotic wood) would age the same way. As it is, it's darkening
>quickly (only 6 months) so I'm not sure how dark it's going to end up.

Some woods darken naturally from exposure to UV light. Rearranging
furniture and area rugs occasionally remedies that problem. There are
many types of cherry wood, the kind used for cabinetry is different
from the cherry used for flooring.

On Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:05:24 -0600, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:

>brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>> Everyone loves my new kitchen floor:
>> http://i33.tinypic.com/28upbg8.jpg
>> http://i38.tinypic.com/20a29h3.jpg
>>
>> Any questions feel free.
>
>
>Nice! Is that Jilly on the counter in the first pic...???
>
>^..^

That's Mooch.

"Jean B." > wrote in message
...
> Debbie wrote:
>> I'm in Canada. I would use area rugs to bring colour and warmth into the
>> rooms. I could change em up as the mood suits. :-)
>>
>> Debbie
>
> Is it common to have houses with tiled floors (other then the kitchen and
> bathrooms) there?
>

No, there is a lot of carpeting and hardwood. I like the tile though.
There are so many colours, patterns, and textures to choose from. My old
kitchen had a stone like one with hierglyphic type images on a few well
placed ones.

Debbie

--Bryan wrote:
> We just bought the house next door. WOOHOO! We close Dec. 1st. My
> current kitchen has parquet that I put in myself. The new house has
> ceramic tile. I now have an excuse to buy a front loading washer. We
> have to leave our appliances in this house because we're going to rent
> it out until the housing market improves. I've got to strip all the
> old paint off of the kitchen cabinets and repaint them.
>
> http://www.trulia.com/property/10903...ights-MO-63117
>
> In pic #17 you can see our house to the right. It was a foreclosure
> and we got a great deal.

Congratulations on the purchase of your new home, it sounds like you
found a bargain.


Becca

On Nov 9, 6:56*pm, brooklyn1 > wrote:
> Nancy2 wrote:
>
> > Real wood is nice and warm-looking, but I
> > certainly wouldn't want the maintenance.
>
> What maintenance?
>
> Except for my main bath every floor in my house is hardwood, that's
> more than 2,000 sq ft of hard wood flooring... aside from occasional
> vacuuming and microfiber mopping there is no maintenance whatsoever.
> Most of my hardwood floors are over 50 years old and my newer hardwood
> floors are like 6 years old they all look as good as brand new... and


I was thinking in terms of the dogs' water dish when I would keep the
pets for my son and DIL - water all over the floor. I hate
polyurethane coatings on good wood, and I watched my DIL's kitchen
floor get more and more spotted from water drops. No thanks.

I've lived with hardwood kitchen floors - and no thanks, again. Each
to own and all that...it's just not my thing.

That's why there are all kinds of different floorings. It doesn't
mean someone can't take care of this kind or that kind, or that
someone is a slob - it's just a matter of preference. I don't like
hardwood floors in the main living areas, either, or in the bedrooms -
sue me. >;-)

N.