Also thinking of laminate flooring

[Perfidiajoe]

I have Hardwood flooring in my kitchen. It is in pretty bad shape in some areas, due to water, maybe saltwater, for years under a carpet. I have an Island w/ granite counter top built on top of this floor, (Not the damaged part of course). I wanted to rip it out before doing the kitchen, but IKE (the little woman) has the patience of a 3 year old. I do not want to remove the island, or mess w/ the counter top as they are rather large. My question is should i rip out as much of the old (Came w/ the house 53 years old) hardwood then put down laminate or go right over the existing wood. A rough guess for area is about 275-300 square feet. Thanks, Joe

[cgallery]

As long as you don't mind any uneven floor transitions (kitchen to hallway, for example), I'd go right over the top. I guess it kinda depends on how much of a step-up it would cause, if any.

BTW, are you sure the existing floor can't be sanded/repaired? And, are there any other hardwood floors adjoining the kitchen floor? Laminate floor next to real hardwood floor has a tendency to look pretty awful, IMHO. That is, the combination looks back.

[Perfidiajoe]

Adjoining floor is Ceramic tile, & I'll need to level floor anyway. I believe the bad spot, aprox 3'x4' is pretty dead saltwater , maybe for years, did take a toll. Thanks

[crokett]

As long as the existing HW is sound and level, I'd go right over it with the new floor. Floating floors were designed to do this.

[Jan]

I think you should consider sanding and refinishing your hardwood. If the old floor is only discolored then a dark wood stain would cover it. Dark kitchen floors are all the rage these days; they're considered quite dramatic. If the floor boards are badly damaged in a small area they can be cut out and replaced. Replacing a few boards when the whole floor is refinished isn't a really tough job. I'm pretty sure you could refinish for less money than a quality laminate.

[newbie2wood]

I would not recommend using laminate flooring in the kitchen, especially if the existing hardwood floor was damaged by water. Laminate flooring is easily damaged by water. Replacing the damaged area with hardwood is the better way to go.
________
Live Sex Webshows

[Perfidiajoe]

Hardwood was badly damaged. The entrance is no longer where the hardwood ended, no more danger of water. No the floor is not level. The damage is a large area. The hardwood planks are thin width, which I don't care for. I should have done this before the Kitchen, extention, Island, etc. Too late for that now. I'm stuck with what I got I guess. Thanks, Joe

[crokett]

Laminate flooring is easily damaged by water.

I disagree. We have laminate upstairs with two active dogs and a 2yr old. Lots of messes, most of which are wet including accidents from the dogs (and my daughter once ). So long as you wipe up right away a laminate floor will do ok.

[Woodshark]

If you are installing it in a wet area like a kitchen or bath most of the laminate makers recommend you glue the edges as you install it. Even the click together stuff. If helps prevent liquids from seeping into the fine openings between the panels and swelling the material.

I like to use a little glue on the short ends when laying laminate anyway. This is the weakest connection between the panels and I find a little glue on the end keeps this edge from opening up.

[eezlock]

floors..

I have Hardwood flooring in my kitchen. It is in pretty bad shape in some areas, due to water, maybe saltwater, for years under a carpet. I have an Island w/ granite counter top built on top of this floor, (Not the damaged part of course). I wanted to rip it out before doing the kitchen, but IKE (the little woman) has the patience of a 3 year old. I do not want to remove the island, or mess w/ the counter top as they are rather large. My question is should i rip out as much of the old (Came w/ the house 53 years old) hardwood then put down laminate or go right over the existing wood. A rough guess for area is about 275-300 square feet. Thanks, Joe

Why don't you strip all carpet/padding off the floor and have a professional
floor sanding/ refinisher refurb. your hardwood floor...you might like what you see and like it all the more! eezlock

[gerti]

I disagree. We have laminate upstairs with two active dogs and a 2yr old. Lots of messes, most of which are wet including accidents from the dogs (and my daughter once ). So long as you wipe up right away a laminate floor will do ok.

We are considering laminate, as our aging dogs do have occasional accidents. Is your laminate glued or just 'clicked' together? Ever had accidents in the night that were discovered hours later?

Thanks

Gerd

[jziegler]

Why don't you strip all carpet/padding off the floor and have a professional
floor sanding/ refinisher refurb. your hardwood floor...you might like what you see and like it all the more! eezlock

It certainly is worth at least a look. I have taken the carpet out of 2 rooms in my house to reveal nice wood floors underneath that just needed a little sanding and refinishing. If it's not too bad, you can even do the sanding yourself. The new random orbital type (3 or 4 disc usually) floor sanders work well, no danger of gouging like a belt or drum sander.

Also, a really nice product to look at is Marmoleum click. I just installed it in my kitchen back in December. It is a linoleum with a laminate style click together backing. It's not as easy to install as they make it look, but not terrible either. It looks great when done. It's not wood or a wood look, but I really like it.

http://www.themarmoleumstore.com/

I'll try to get some pictures of the kitchen up in the next week. I've been holding off until I get a few more finishing touches done.

Jim

[Crash2510]

I just installed 300 sq ft of laminate flooring in our kitchen area and this stuff is great easy to install and clean. I would recommend if you are worried about water etc. to glue the seams.

Glueing is very easy and worth the little extra time.