Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>Brooklyn1 wrote:
>>
>> had Brazilian
>> cherry T&G hardwood installed directly over it, looks far more
>> attractive and very easy to maintain... also cost less than ceramic
>> tile as the 3/4" thick solid hardwood flooring didn't require any
>> floor prep, no mud floor needed. Some people thought it would be
>> difficult to maintain in wet areas but that's not true, the new water
>> based sealer seal extremely well, dries fast, and hardly any odor.
>
>Was your installed bare wood and then finished in place?

Yes.

>We're looking at remodeling our kitchen and are having a hard time
>figuring out what to do with the floor. Hard tile is out of the
>question. We were considering sheet vinyl, but everything we've seen
>looks terrible. Hardwood is an appealing option, and those pre-finished
>planks with the UV-cured finish are interesting, but I'd be afraid
>that debris would fall down between the boards. Then again, our
>floors are pretty bouncy (and the kitchen is over a bunch of
>mechanicals, so it would be difficult to sister the joists), so
>a finish applied in situ might well crack anyway.

Our kitchen floor was a bit bouncy too but after the 3/4" T&G hardwood
was installed no more bounce. The fella that did it knew his stuff,
his father installed all the hardwood floors here more tham fifty
years ago and retired, but now his son took over. He had all the
proper tools, a special pneumatic nailer that nailed on a bias, no
glue... real hardwood flooring is NEVER glued, that would be sinful.
His sander was laser driven, floor turned out as flat and level as a
pro billiard table. There are no spaces between the boards, all the
appliances were moved out so the flooring was installed there too, and
inside closets. All the molding was carefully removed and replaced
after the flooring was installed. Where there were transitions he
custom made saddles. I have no complaints, and everyone who sees it
loves it.
Starting:
http://i65.tinypic.com/2dvk83k.jpg
A custom made on site transition saddle:
http://i68.tinypic.com/14acvx3.jpg
The only down side to installing real hardwood flooring is that
sanding is messy, but he sealed all the other rooms with plastic
sheeting and when he was done he vacuumed up all the dust, his sander
had a dust collection feature but not perfect, we had to do some clean
up too.
http://i66.tinypic.com/16rjx5.jpg
What's not to like:
http://i64.tinypic.com/2vu0nix.jpg
I have lots more pictures but I think you get the idea, I have no
regrets, none:
http://i63.tinypic.com/20hoift.jpg
I love my kitchen, perfectly designed. Every stick of lumber in this
house came from trees on this property, all the cabinets and paneling
too. The whole family helped build it, Norwegians are excellent
carpenters.
Brazilian cherry darkens when exposed to sunlight but we've gotten
used to the changes and move the area rug under the table occasionally
so it all evened out. We have no wall to wall carpeting anywhere,
instead we use area rugs and some very nice oriental rugs that get
moved about periodically. If you decide on real hardwood be certain
the intaller you choose knows his stuff, do your research and inspect
his jobs in person, do not rely on photos. Real hardwood is a
lifetime investment so choose carefully... don't let anyone talk you
into laminate. If you have questions I'll be happy to share what I
know.