Refinish or Replace Hardwood Flooring - The Answer is Simple!

The original flooring in my client's downstairs of her house was carpet in the living room and family room and a thin plank oak in the dining, kitchen, and hallways which she never really liked.  When it came time to do something about the old carpet, she decided she wanted to replace the carpet with hardwood flooring.  The issue was to add more of the thin plank or replace everything with a wide plank.    She preferred wide plank flooring over thin planks and really wanted to make the change to the wide plank for cosmetic reasons.  She was worried at the price difference of wide plank flooring. 

We looked at adding the thin plank oak to the other rooms 

  Here are the Pros and Cons:

1) Add Harwood flooring in areas where we currently have carpet(den and living room) and refinish all the flooring to match

Pros:  Hardwood floors are always hardwood floors 

Cons:  We would continue to have the same thin board flooring which the client didn't love.  The client would have to move out of their house and fill the driveway with a pod of furniture or rent a storage unit and be inconvenienced during the process or go to a hotel.  Depending on the finishing products chosen it could be three days out of the house or up to 7 seven days.  The flooring may or may not match exactly as the original.  Anytime new flooring is laid beside an older flooring you stand the chance of the wood not taking the stain the same way.  

2) Replace all the floors with a prefinished product.

Pros -  The flooring can be replaced one room at a time and once the flooring is laid the room's floors are instantly finished.  There is no need to wait days for polyurethane to dry.  The process is complete when the floors are laid.  I could also choose the width of the boards and the color of new flooring.  When you choose a pre-finished floor you see the finished look of the floor so you know exactly what you are getting.  There isn't the worry that you won't like the stain or that some boards may not take the stain the same way.  Depending on the finish and style of flooring chosen, you can change the look and feel entirely of your home.  The options are endless!  

Cons:  Honestly we couldn't find any cons.  The price was the only issue at this point.  There are many products to consider but another designer friend of my client's recommended she check out hand scraped bamboo flooring. 

We entertained using a dark stained floor, light natural floor and the new grey options which are currently available but decided for the client's home the medium brown color was a perfect choice.  

Here is are some of the reasons my client and I chose this flooring for her home:

 Bamboo Flooring is one of the best bamboo floors on the market today. It is produced from old growth bamboo reeds that are at least 4 years old, thereby increasing hardness.  Bamboo Flooring creates a naturally beautiful and ecologically friendly product that evokes a feeling of luxury.

Quick Highlights:

- Real Bamboo

- Eco-Friendly

- Low Emission Adhesive

- Easy to Install Click/Glue Flooring

- Premium Finish

- 30 Year Warranty

Strand

Twice as hard as oak, strand bamboo is an optimal choice for busy homes when durability is needed to stand up to the wear and tear of family foot traffic, active kids and even pets. 

To make strand bamboo, shredded bamboo fibers are compressed under extreme heat and pressure.  This manufacturing process yields flooring that is even harder and more dense than traditional bamboo floors. Available in a variety of colors to complement and décor, all Morning Star strand bamboo products are finished with premium coating and backed by a 30-year warranty.

And, since bamboo is a naturally sustainable grass that re-grows spontaneously after harvest, you can feel good about making an environmentally friendly flooring decision.

My Client's floors have been down now for almost 2 years and still look great!

  Dogs nails are hard on flooring but these floors hold up well to dogs wear and tear.  

The hardwood flooring testers!  My client has two dogs who haven't hurt the floors at all!

If you are interested in bamboo flooring I suggest you check out prefinished bamboo flooring.  It makes life so much easier!  

NOTE: If you google reviews on bamboo flooring you will find people who complain about bamboo flooring just like you will find people who complain about everything online.  These floors are solid bamboo and are great floors.