For several years now, I've wanted to pull up the carpet and put down hardwood. This fall may be my opportunity.

I'm looking at about 700 square feet across three rooms. It's not a huge job, but it'll involve emptying and painting the rooms, then putting down the new floor, and "reloading" the rooms. More than a week's worth of work, for sure, as I'll likely be an "army of one" on this project.

Between measuring, drawing, and shopping, I finally realized that if I get the 3-1/4" wide planks, it'll mean a lot less cutting --> fewer trips up and down the steps to and from the saw. I think the wide planks will look better, too. But after having thought that out, I started to wonder, "what if I alternated rows of 2-1/4 and 3-1/4 planks?"

The material cost isn't significantly different per square foot. It would add a little character, maybe. Beyond that, though, I cant' decide whether it would be worth the effort.

Aside from appearance, is there any real "value" in the alternating plank widths? Or should I just not bother?

I did one flooring project many years ago, but that was with southern heart pine wood, hard, but probably not considered hardwood. It held up well though. Anyway, in that application, I used three widths, 6", 8" and 10". I liked the appearance and in the two adjacent rooms I did, it flowed nicely.

Going smaller width as you're suggesting, I don't think the difference would be that noticeable, but I'm just picturing it in my mind; I've never seen it.

As for saw location, if you're using a chop saw or sliding compound type saw, I'd move it right into the room I'm working in.

Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
Good luck!

Thank you! It's going to be an adventure.

Here's a quick to-scale sketch showing same-width vs alternating-width planks, across a 10-foot span:



I'm not opposed to putting the saw in the work area, aside from polluting the rest of the house with the dust. I may find myself reevaluating after the first day of the upstairs-downstairs game.

We replaced the old 25 year old red oak 3 inch boards with new wider boards, looks so much better, multi length boards as cut from the manufacturing company.

Check with local independent dealers they can find you deals from the warehouses on wood trims that are on sale or being discounted. You can get a $20 bd/ft for half that and save some serious coin.

If you have a place that gets a lot of traffic and messy boots, ie muddy, hunting, farm work, beach, then the LVP becomes a great choice, and there are some higher end very nice LVP out there.

Personally I like 3 1/4 wide planks over 2 1/4 strips. Hopefully there's plywood under your carpet rather than OSB or particle board. Get the wood flooring in your room well ahead of time to acclimate before installing it.

Dan, the 1" difference in width may not be that noticeable. However, the finish used on each width will definitely show unless you go with naked boards and finish the entire floor at once.

Most likely you have OSB or particle board under your carpet. If you have particle board,you don't need to pull it up, but you will need to drop at least 3/8" plywood over top. OSB should be fine without adding a layer. Be sure to use screws to prevent future squeaks. I went every 6" around the perimeter and 12" inside for every sheet. It's been 10 years and our floor does not squeak at all.

The purpose for the plywood over the particle board is for the hardwood flooring fasteners to bite and hold. I used nails for my floors versus staples. Just my preference.

Bring your saw to the floor you are working!!!!!! Your knees, legs, and back will be sore enough from getting up and down for everything else. No need to add extra steps. Use a vacuum in place of the dust bag. It catches more dust than you think.

I am not a flooring guy, so take this advice as you choose and hopefully someone will correct me if anything I posted is incorrect.

HRK mentions LVP; luxury vinyl plank. I wouldn't discount this as an option. There are some really great looks and you can also get LVT...tile patterns. They are completely waterproof and have an incredible warranty.

And as ridewv mentions, acclimating the wood is a must. Forgot to mention that.

Regarding your sketch, I think both look good.

We pulled our carpet several years ago but went with a 'hardwood look' porcelain tile. It looks great, very durable, impervious to spills, and easy to maintain.

https://www.marazziusa.com/pro...rican-estates/saddle

Forget going up and down stairs, out a box fan in the window pointing out nd put the saw in the room you’re working in. Dust goes out the window and your knees won’t be destroyed from going up and down stair for one cut

quote:

Originally posted by Redleg06:
We pulled our carpet several years ago but went with a 'hardwood look' porcelain tile. It looks great, very durable, impervious to spills, and easy to maintain.

https://www.marazziusa.com/pro...rican-estates/saddle

^^^
We did that in our basement bathroom when we finished it a few years ago. As you mentioned it looks great and wears well.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
Personally I like 3 1/4 wide planks over 2 1/4 strips. Hopefully there's plywood under your carpet rather than OSB or particle board. Get the wood flooring in your room well ahead of time to acclimate before installing it.

I, too, like the 3-1/4 better. I pulled up the carpet in a closet a few years ago, chasing a water leak. Didn't find the leak there, and can't remember what the floor was like. I'll look again shortly.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
HRK mentions LVP; luxury vinyl plank. I wouldn't discount this as an option. There are some really great looks and you can also get LVT...tile patterns. They are completely waterproof and have an incredible warranty.

And as ridewv mentions, acclimating the wood is a must. Forgot to mention that.

Regarding your sketch, I think both look good.

I believe LVP is the stuff that's in The Lovely Girlfriend's house -- if it is, then I can say I don't like it. It just sounds and feels weird. But to give it a fair shake, I should give LVP a look.

quote:

Originally posted by Redleg06:
We pulled our carpet several years ago but went with a 'hardwood look' porcelain tile. It looks great, very durable, impervious to spills, and easy to maintain.

https://www.marazziusa.com/pro...rican-estates/saddle

Now, that, I would love to put in the bathrooms!

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
box fan in the window

Good plan!

quote:

Originally posted by petr:
the finish used on each width will definitely show unless you go with naked boards and finish the entire floor at once.

Most likely you have OSB or particle board under your carpet. If you have particle board,you don't need to pull it up, but you will need to drop at least 3/8" plywood over top. OSB should be fine without adding a layer. Be sure to use screws to prevent future squeaks. I went every 6" around the perimeter and 12" inside for every sheet. It's been 10 years and our floor does not squeak at all.

The purpose for the plywood over the particle board is for the hardwood flooring fasteners to bite and hold. I used nails for my floors versus staples. Just my preference.

Bring your saw to the floor you are working!!!!!! Your knees, legs, and back will be sore enough from getting up and down for everything else. No need to add extra steps. Use a vacuum in place of the dust bag. It catches more dust than you think.

I am not a flooring guy, so take this advice as you choose and hopefully someone will correct me if anything I posted is incorrect.

Ooh, good to know that about the finish differences. I'm not about to put down anything other than pre-finished. "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

Box fan and vacuum -- got 'em! Nails, not staples. On it!

Thanks, too, to all who mentioned acclimating the wood. I've been aware that it needs to be done; I now have to get on about emptying one of the rooms so I can bring the new wood in. Obviously, I should unwrap it ... should I try to re-stack it, too, to allow air circulation all around the planks?

I'm tempted to buy a carton of each width and lay them out in the alternating pattern, just to see what it looks like. It's an expensive experiment, though, if I end up not liking the combination. (Then again, I guess I could use the carton of narrow strips in the walk-in closet...)

One appearance enemy of wood flooring, to me, is a noticeable pattern. I personally would rather all 3 1/4” than to do one row of 2 1/4, one of 3 1/4 and back to 2 1/4.

What we used to do, is space the end joints at least 12” and use at least three different widths in a random lay. Best you can. 6, 10, 8, 6, 8, 10, 6 etc best you can no more than 2 rows of the same width together.

Wasn't sure from your original question whether you're leaning towards traditional hardwood or open to the engineered flooring planks. Engineered has come a long ways in durability, ability to refinish (sand) and the install options. I've floated with padding underneath and I can tell you it looks and feels great. The wood species options are wide too.

^^^

To clarify, yes, I've been staring at traditional 3/4" hardwood.

I'm optimistic that refinishing is something I'll never need to do. (We're fairly easy on things.)

And for a new twist on things: surfing a little last night, I found similar material in 5" width. That'd just be the bee's knees, I think!
Material cost would be about $700 more, but there should be some pretty fair savings in terms of "up-and-down time," helping out the knees and back.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: vthoky,

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

And for a new twist on things: surfing a little last night, I found similar material in 5" width. That'd just be the bee's knees, I think!
Material cost would be about $700 more, but there should be some pretty fair savings in terms of "up-and-down time," helping out the knees and back.

Be aware that the wider the width planks the more likely they are to cup and the larger the gap between planks when they shrink in winter.


Someone earlier mentioned Luxury Vinyl Plank to which you responded your friend has a floor that sounds odd when walking on it. That is most likely laminate flooring (think Formica type panels that are laid loose) which can "give" over undulations and have a brittle, hollow sound. LVP is quiet and conforms to the subfloor so doesn't give that fake sound. Click together LVP can be laid right over particle board and OSB and the better ones are quite attractive IMO.

Thank you, ridewv. I'm familiar with laminate -- I put a bunch of that down in the previous house. It was economical, and far better looking than the nasty carpet there when I moved in. But you're right -- it's got a brittle sound to it. Dropping a coin or my keys on it made an awful sound.

Oddly, the house The Lovely Girlfriend is in had hardwood before she moved in. Evidently, the previous people removed it after the pictures were taken and before move-in. It's evident, as the doors are all way short (tall? -- there's a BIG gap between door and floor), and the baseboards have all been added on to. It's weird.

Anyway, the flooring there now appears to be a vinyl of some sort. It doesn't have that laminate sound when you drop something. It's almost got a rubbery feel about it, but it's slick enough that the cats don't really get good traction when they're chasing one another. Idunno what that stuff is, but I'm not a fan.

There's a shop along my commute that offers LVP. I'll drop in there one evening this week and have a look.

Thanks, too, for the mention of larger gaps in winter. Ugh, I don't need that to hassle with.

quote:

I believe LVP is the stuff that's in The Lovely Girlfriend's house -- if it is, then I can say I don't like it. It just sounds and feels weird. But to give it a fair shake, I should give LVP a look.

Like most things, there is a HUGE variability in this product in terms of look, feel, price, etc.

We wanted hand-scraped wood floors in a recent construction, as we had had in a TX home. However this home is also a lake cabin and subject to all sorts of family, occasional dog, etc. We found some LVP that has a similar look, feels mostly like actual wood, etc.

We had our previous primary residence built on a lot, 30 years ago. Wood frame / brick veneer, on a slab. Initially, we had mostly carpet, linoleum, ceramic tile, and hardwood. The hardwood was tongue-in-groove oak planks in the living room and dining room. They were fastened to the slab with a pneumatic nail gun. Roughly 300 SF.

About 20 years ago, we replaced most of the carpet with LVP / laminate flooring in a color close to the original wood flooring, but none of the areas are "connected", so the color difference is unnoticeable. Total area was about 800 SF. I don't recall the brand name offhand, but it was made in Europe and was purchased at a flooring warehouse. The LVP requires no fastening with a nail gun, was put over an underlayment, and essentially "floats" on the slab. During the installation, I found several small uneven areas in the slab, that I had to either grind down a little, or fill with some Redi-mix to level out. None of the uneven areas were excessive. The flooring was finished at the baseboards with some quarter round trim. So far, the flooring has held up well, and has been steady through temperature and humidity changes.

Our current primary residence had hardwood flooring installed on most of the main floor just prior to our purchase. It is attached to a wooden subfloor, I assume by nails. The basement level has some LVP "wood" flooring on the slab in a downstair den, most likely installed in the same fashion that I described about my other house.

Good luck with your decision.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Glynn863,

quote:

I believe LVP is the stuff that's in The Lovely Girlfriend's house -- if it is, then I can say I don't like it. It just sounds and feels weird. But to give it a fair shake, I should give LVP a look.

There is LVP and there is really good LVP, you want the latter, a good flooring store will know the difference. The varied widths are available as well. Your work load installing it will be less and quality with proper installation fixes the sound issue.

We ended up with a higher end engineered wood, it was discounted as being discontinued but we really liked the finish and look, and they had enough in the warehouse on clearance for less than the LVP.

We did just under 2500 sq ft of product, replacing every floor in the house except the bathrooms with the wood flooring. I also pulled the center island in the kitchen and replaced it with a new Island.



On acclimation, yes, bring it in, open the boxes and if you have varied panel colors as you can see in the image, mix it up, mix the boxes contents and colors so when you go to install it you don't look down half way in and find out the boxes you have been opening are all from the same color lot.

And buy enough to do the job plus 10 to 15%, having extra is a plus incase of damaged wood during install, or for future repairs, you can store it under a spare bed, and you want to buy it all from the same dye lot.

That looks great, HRK.