Solid Timber Flooring / Floating Timber Floor Recommendation

kevin · Mar 05, 2007 9:55 pm

Hi All,

I am in the midst of obtain quotes to put in either floating floors or solid timber flooring. I have heard from another post that most people would not even attempt to sand a floating timber floorboard and that I should go with solid timber flooring but I am on a budget of not more than $80 m2.

My place will be in the western part of Melbourne and I would welcome recommendations of good and reasonable flooring companies you have ever used.

Cheers,

Kevin

Bud977 · Mar 06, 2007 8:50 am

Why are you thinking of sanding a floating floor?

They are installed pre-finished so no is sanding required.

They have a hard clear coating protecting the timber veneer below.

kevin · Mar 06, 2007 7:48 pm

Bud977

Why are you thinking of sanding a floating floor?

They are installed pre-finished so no is sanding required.

They have a hard clear coating protecting the timber veneer below.

There is a possibility down the road where the floor will lose it's shine or have surface scratches due to wear and tear. And I figure as with solid timber flooring it will require some form of sanding. Wouldn't it?

uncle_ant · Mar 07, 2007 7:24 pm

G'Day Kevin

I am in a similar position to yourself and in the early stages of looking at what is available.

As you are in the West also, try Hynes Tiles at 212 Old Geelong Rd Hoppers Crossing, or National Tiles on the Western Hwy Sunshine.

Both companies had a laminate flooring within your budget that 'according to them' could be sanded in the future if/when needed. Both products had a 4mm wear layer (if that is the correct term) and are claimed to have the same sanding properties as ordinary floorboards.

I have not decided, but it may be worth a look.

Tony

kevin · Mar 07, 2007 11:42 pm

uncle_ant

G'Day Kevin

I am in a similar position to yourself and in the early stages of looking at what is available.

As you are in the West also, try Hynes Tiles at 212 Old Geelong Rd Hoppers Crossing, or National Tiles on the Western Hwy Sunshine.

Both companies had a laminate flooring within your budget that 'according to them' could be sanded in the future if/when needed. Both products had a 4mm wear layer (if that is the correct term) and are claimed to have the same sanding properties as ordinary floorboards.

I have not decided, but it may be worth a look.

Tony

Thanks for the tip Tony.

I had approach Macey's and Solomon's Flooring about a month ago to get an idea of my options and have told the same (ie. with 4-9 mm it can be sanded probably at least once and this again depends on how good the sander is in taking the top bit off). But I'd thought I'd post after hearing other posts about sanders not wanting to touch this.

audrey · Mar 23, 2007 4:52 pm

Bumping this

Kevin. How did you go with your floorboard hunting. Which brand did you decide to go with?

I am contemplating between installing solid timber floorboard and floating too. And it seem the price differences per sqm between floating and solid is around $30 per sqm

kasiakm · Mar 23, 2007 6:16 pm

Hello,

We wanted the solid timber floor to our house (110m2) but we simply coudnt afford on it. We were given the price around $150/m2

We then started to consider the floating floor with 5mm wood on top. And this was a good choice.

We went to carpet call and the guy let us know when there was a big order and by attaching us to this order we got the price 80$/m2. Solomon's floor gave us $87/m2.

We are really happy with the floor we got, one more advice - please lift the skirtings up.

thanks
kate

audrey · Mar 24, 2007 8:41 am

May I know which brand of floating floor did u go with? which wood species did u choose and was it one strip ?

There are so many in the market. The more I shop, the more i get confused.

kasiakm · Mar 24, 2007 11:03 pm

audrey

May I know which brand of floating floor did u go with? which wood species did u choose and was it one strip ?

There are so many in the market. The more I shop, the more i get confused.

brand? it was from carpet call (solomon's floor offers exactly the same)
it was a two strips timber floating floor with 5mm of hardwood - KEMPAS.

kate

Emi · Mar 25, 2007 3:47 pm

Stupid question but what do you mean by 'please lift the skirtings up'?

vpande · Mar 26, 2007 11:08 pm

My experience of Carpet call's floating floor was that it got dented very easily just with fingernails!!. During my search for a better option (perhaps solid timber) I came accross bamboo flooring in home ideas centre which was much harder than any of the polished floorboards. apparently its also environmentally friendly (bamboo maturing within 5 yrs unlike the trees that need to be cut down for timber flooring) Also its more dimensionally stable.(lifting skirtings to avoid gaps forming may not be as bad, you'll notice polished floorboards always require quads adjacent to skirtings for this reason) I wonder if any of yous have gone through this option. I would like to know the opinions of others.
VP

kasiakm · Mar 26, 2007 11:14 pm

Emi

Stupid question but what do you mean by 'please lift the skirtings up'?

"Skirtings or base boards serve as a trim or finishing moulding where walls meet floors. Apart from adding a stylish visual look to your room, they protect walls from everyday wear and tear and scuffs."

We have build the house and did the floor after house handover. I trusted that floor people know what they are doing. I had nice white skirtings as a finish to the bottom of the walls.

Tradies cut the wooden floor with a gap around the white skirtings and sticked the small brown plastic skirtings on top of the white one.... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Ok, I have noticed that a lot of people are doing it that way (I spotted that in home displays too) BUT... it would look much nicer and stylish if they would lift the white skirtings up, fit the floor and put them back.

kate

Amber · Mar 27, 2007 11:45 am

G'day Kate ... we are installing our floorboards and carpet after we take possession of the house as well.

We asked the builder if they could leave the skirtings off for the flooring to go in but said they cannot hand over as it would be deemed an 'unfinished home' and the bank wouldn't make our final payment.

Somebody suggested once before to remove the skirtings yourself and then put them back but after a few discussions with various builders and people that have had this done, our decision to keep going the way we were was based on $$$. To get the builder to put the same flooring in was going to cost around $5k more and for the sake of the 'beading' that goes around the edges, we were happy to live with it.

I'm hoping that the excitement of being in a new house will outweigh this small glitch :-)

Amber

http://www.ourdreamhouse.blogspot.com

Touchingcloth · Mar 27, 2007 1:21 pm

Amber

G'day Kate ... we are installing our floorboards and carpet after we take possession of the house as well.

We asked the builder if they could leave the skirtings off for the flooring to go in but said they cannot hand over as it would be deemed an 'unfinished home' and the bank wouldn't make our final payment.

Somebody suggested once before to remove the skirtings yourself and then put them back but after a few discussions with various builders and people that have had this done, our decision to keep going the way we were was based on $$$. To get the builder to put the same flooring in was going to cost around $5k more and for the sake of the 'beading' that goes around the edges, we were happy to live with it.

I'm hoping that the excitement of being in a new house will outweigh this small glitch :-)

Amber

http://www.ourdreamhouse.blogspot.com

Beading is nasty!!!!

Just ask the builder to tack on the skirtingm which makes it easily removable. Some builders will do this...for a charge of course!

kasiakm · Mar 27, 2007 2:44 pm

Hello Amber,
Of course you can live with the double funky skirtings still being excited about new house :-)

I still am!

I have spoken however to my frined trade and he said you can easily cut them with knife carefully before putting the floor. The floor people will then fix them as they always asking - do you have the skirtings or not?

I believe that your builder will leave you a plenty of paint so you can just paint it over and you will be living happilly ever after hihihi

I just can't look at them and regret I didn't know how they doing it. Anyway, now I am gonna to sand the small brown skirtings and paint them cream so they will stop catching my attention :-)

)

regards
kate

vpande · Mar 27, 2007 9:43 pm

HI Amber,
The guy who gave us quotes for bamboo flooring has asked us to teel the builder to loosely place skirting with soft nail struts so these can be refinished when the flooring is done and also to place 16 mm gap betn the chipboard floor and plaster as expansion gap. perhaps this may help in your case too.
cheers
VP

kevin · Apr 25, 2007 8:44 pm

Sorry about this very late reply. I just returned form an overseas trip.

I am actually still in the quotation phase of things, and still waiting for the title release on my land. I hope to drop by National Tiles this weekend to obtain some quotes.

Have you go ahead with your selection? If so, care to share your experience?

audrey

Bumping this

Kevin. How did you go with your floorboard hunting. Which brand did you decide to go with?

I am contemplating between installing solid timber floorboard and floating too. And it seem the price differences per sqm between floating and solid is around $30 per sqm