Engineered Hardwood Flooring FAQ - Comments
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I have engineered hardwood flooring and my 65 lb. dog is scratching it. How can I repair the scratches. The fillers don't work. My floors are a cinnamon maple.
Sharyn at October 16, 2007 07:00 AM
Posted by: Sharyn at October 16, 2007 07:00 AMYour floor sounds beautiful. It sounds as if sanding the floor and then sealing it with a durable polyurethane will fix the problem and keep it from occurring again.
I have found the fillers don't work for long either.
The Flooring Lady at October 26, 2007 06:52 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at October 26, 2007 06:52 AMDo all pre-finished floors have a mineral based finish, or is a water based finish available?
Tom Bresadola at November 5, 2007 02:49 PM
Posted by: Tom Bresadola at November 5, 2007 02:49 PMI'm not sure if anyone is using a water-based finish at this time and I'm only hearing about the various mineral-based finishes. What is your question about -- avoiding mineral-based finishes, avoiding off-gassing finishes, or something else?
Pergo has the reputation for flooring that has been "off-gassed" before it gets to you. From personal experience I know it's a good floor. I hear it withstands dogs too.
If you really want to use a water-based finish, buy unfinished engineered flooring and do the finishing in place. That also lets you fill in any gaps that happen with flooring installation. And if you use a nail-down approach, you can patch the hole of the nail/staple before finishing the floor so that the putty stays put. You'll have a smooth flooring surface when you're done too.
The Flooring Lady at November 5, 2007 03:23 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at November 5, 2007 03:23 PMMy husband says over time engineered hardwood will still warp in the bathroom. I would love it in our ensuite. Is it really something that can work without warping as we shower in their daily, and how exactly can you use it with radiant? You can't use radiant with traditional hardwood can you?
sonya at November 11, 2007 08:30 AM
Posted by: sonya at November 11, 2007 08:30 AMI suppose over time any flooring surface will be damaged and/or ruined. But with simple care, engineered hardwood flooring will last a very long time.
To use engineered flooring in your bath you need to take some simple precautions, the same precautions that are probably prudent anyway. Either open a window or use an exhaust vent during your bath or shower. Dry off in the shower or tub before stepping onto a bath mat. Hang the bath mat so that it and the floor can dry (a little water is bound to find its way to the bath mat, even with care being taken to avoid it).
I think radiant heat is probably harder on solid wood floors than it is engineered flooring so I wouldn't do that. I do have radiant heat under my engineered hardwood flooring however, and am quite content with it.
Let us know what you decide to do.
The Flooring Lady at November 11, 2007 08:36 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at November 11, 2007 08:36 AMI have engineered hardwood floors that are glued down and are 10+ years old. We had a leak in the concrete slab underneath and the plummer had to cut a 2x3 hole in the floor (middle of the room). 3 flooring installers have told me they can't fix without a visible transition/bump and that I should tear up the whole floor and replace. Is there anyway to avoid doing this? They say the floor hasn't been manufactured for years, is very thin, and the tongue and groove will not fit with existing products. Please advise! Thanks!
Laura S at December 1, 2007 06:46 PM
Posted by: Laura S at December 1, 2007 06:46 PMI agree with your installers: there will be a visible transition. I disagree with the installers that you should rip up the entire floor and replace it.
Not knowing what room this is in or if the center of the room is the center of activity or not, consider making the patched area a different finish all together, something artistic or fun. You could replace the hardwood with a different wood -- or even cork, or with tiles or linoleum.
Or you could spend the extra money to get a T&G wood that's been milled/ripped horizontally to give you the thin wood style you presently have and patch it in with the wood running a different direction or with a border around it. You could even enlarge the area that's being removed for the repair so the replaced wood looks intentional.
Painting wood was common many years ago, creating a variety of faux finishes, like rug-looks, faces, marble or stone, or any number of creative looks. Rather than get bogged down with trying to match this repaired area, have fun with the artistic possibilities.
The Flooring Lady at December 1, 2007 11:35 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at December 1, 2007 11:35 PMMy wife and I are planning on buying engineered floors and had a decision made today on some African cherry flooring. I decided I'd drop a fork on our sample to simulate a little real life accident. The fork dinged up the finish pretty badly. Is that something we could repair by sanding the finish off of that spot and then reapplying some sort of aluminum oxide or something? We really like the floors, but the demonstration really opened our eyes to what could easily happen. Thanks for any help you can give.
Darren at December 16, 2007 10:49 PM
Posted by: Darren at December 16, 2007 10:49 PM
African cherry is a soft wood -- 1010 on the Janka scale. Pine, considered soft, is 870 on the Janka scale. If you are really set on the African cherry flooring you could try to put a basketball court finish on it and hope that's strong enough to withstand the bumps, drops and grinds flooring gets.
But if you don't like the dents and mars softwood flooring gets (all wood can get it, but softwood is worse), then find a harder wood for your engineered flooring. There is no way you can stay ahead of damage on a softwood floor.
The Flooring Lady at December 16, 2007 11:04 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at December 16, 2007 11:04 PMComment Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
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