Wood floors

[Scoony]

He should let his wife make the call.  That's what I would do.

No way! He will still be wrong. Whatever happens He will be wrong!!

No, he is smart and has remained a bachelor. Young Captain in the Army. Able to buy a house and have three cars in the garage. 

Lots of very pretty girls have tried, but ended up with broken hearts. We are hoping the current girlfriend (nurse) will end up a keeper.

He was considering a different color and I was against it, but I guess I am for it now.

[Willyou]

What is it you do in your kitchen that disqualifies wood?  It's been used in kitchens and every other room in houses for centuries. 

John

I think the answer to that question is obvious; wood and water don't get along. One thing you have in kitchens is lots of water. Between spills, overflows, and potential plumbing leaks, wood gets wet and swells, warps, and finishes get damaged. Centuries ago there were few, if any, options (I wonder how many wood floors in kitchens were damaged and repaired during that era). Then, along came linoleum, vinyl, and tile.  Of course, you are free to use wood in the kitchen if you desire. IMO, you should do so with the understanding that significant water damage is possible. I think by doing so you are building in a maintenance problem.

Our kitchen has a split brick floor. Our adjoining living room has engineered oak. A few months ago we had a very slow plumbing leak that went undetected until we noticed staining and finish damage of the oak floor adjacent to the kitchen. The water had seeped under the wall and was absorbed by the oak staining it and causing the finish to peal. The brick floor (behind the refrigerator) was not damaged.

[jteneyck]

You could just as easily have said water and most flooring don't get along.  The condensate pan on my refrigerator fell off when it got overloaded in really humid weather a few years ago and dumped onto my ceramic tile floor over plywood.  Might have been a couple of gallons.  My the time I found it when I got home hours later it had blistered up about 8 of those tiles.  I had a friend who lost a whole room's worth of tiles from a more serious leak.  Nothing stands up to water for very long short of industrial construction.  Even Linoleum will blister up if water gets under it.  

I have a bamboo floor on my kitchen floor now.  It's been about a year w/o any issues.  We'll see how it goes.  I do know that it's a lot friendlier to dropped glassware than the ceramic tile ever was, and it doesn't chip or crack.  Occasional spills are of no consequence if you clean them up.  I look at it as use what you want because there will be issues with most any floor if water sits on it long enough and especially if it gets under it.  

John

[Cooler]

I've seen really good matches where they have stitched (or laced?) the new boards in, and refinished the entire floor. 

Is the existing floor solid wood or an engineered floor?  Maybe I'm spoiled--my house was built in 1953--but the white oak floors in my house are made of long boards.  The flooring shown seems to be made from 2 or 3 foot cuts.   For that reason only, I would consider re-flooring the entire area.

For any of you out there planning on putting carpet over hardwood, insist on felt carpet padding (and not the foam stuff).  With felt padding gravity will hold it to the floor and no staples are required. 

With the foam padding (which I recently removed), there seemed to be thousands of staples to remove.  The holes are not too noticeable, but the work to remove them was tedious.  

Installers like the foam because it is so light.    But insist on felt.

[Willyou]

Occasional spills are of no consequence if you clean them up.  I look at it as use what you want because there will be issues with most any floor if water sits on it long enough and especially if it gets under it. 

You are correct. If water gets under most any flooring it will likely cause problems. However, I believe this is mostly true if your sub-floor is wood. My split brick is on a concrete slab and it has withstood two minor floodings. As I said above, the engineered wood (also on slab) did not. Certainly, a well finished wood floor can withstand minor spills that are quickly wiped up. I am still of the opinion that a wood floor in a kitchen is asking for problems; especially if it is on a wood sub-floor. Having said that, I think that rigid tiles on a wood sub-floor can also be problematic. Because the wood frame structure has a small amount of flex and give, the tiles and/or the joints can crack creating an entry point for water. IMO, it is hard to beat a good quality sheet vinyl in the kitchen or utility areas.

[Cooler]

Luxury vinyl is super durable and looks pretty good too. A good choice for a dog owner as it is both durable and offers good traction for the dog. Pergo now offers laminate floors with a water resistant substrate, not a bad choice for kitchens.

[messmaker]

No way! He will still be wrong. Whatever happens He will be wrong!!

Wisdom

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

Your existing flooring is most likely #1 common red oak. Removing the transition piece and lacing into the existing floor isn’t terribly difficult. I did this when I added 800 sq/ft to my existing floors. You would have to sand everything to bare wood and finish. Staining everything would definitely help hide the transition but even if you keep it natural there’s enough color variations that it should still blend nicely with a little thought to scattering your boards for the best look.

I would not use a select and better grade. The color on S/b is more uniform unlike what you have now. It won’t blend as well.
If you decide to lace in, start at the longest wall. I would square and snap a chalk line to help you keep your first laced in course straight.

Running a commercial drum sander is not as easy as sanding a table top flat and you can dip a floor easier than you’d think. For $1.50-2.00 sq/ft consider hiring a pro to sand it. You won’t see the dips until you start applying the finish most likely.

The HF pneumatic flooring nailer is a bargain. HF also sells a $10 kit with a bracket to help pull boards close to the wall tight. It has wedges too. This is money well spent. If the original floor used staples continue with staples. If it’s cleats then use cleats.

Buy spline from a supplier for any directional changes. It’s not worth the time to make your own. Consider adding flush mount wood vents for $15-20 each. They look great. You can also add them to existing vents by carefully using an oscillating tool—like a Fein—and a good wide blade. Glue, toe nail in place, add a RO filler around edges as needed. I would highly consider using a commercial grade waterborne finish. It cost more but very durable, dries fast, less VOC’s and toxic fumes. It will cost you $100/gallon though.

[JosephP]

if it was my place, i was pulling out the carpet and putting in wood floors, id use something that contrasts and run it on a 45 degree off that one 45 degree edge( or whatever that angle is).
different and breaks up the 2 rooms.

I think this is what I'd do too...bast way to make it look "intentional".  Perpendicular would also work, but I think that angle makes for a nice opportunity to run the new floor off of that.

I was thinking the existing is probably hickory with the color variation.  Besides contrasting color, I'd probably also go to a diffuse porous wood to contrast the grain as well like cherry, walnut, or maple for example.

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

I doubt it’s hickory. Hickory isn’t that commonly available as unfinished flooring but RO is and can bought anywhere quick, easy, and cheap for a track home builder.

One reason to lace in and keep it uniform is for flow. It’s a small room and any contrasting woods or patterns will make it look even smaller. I’d guess $5-6 sq/ft to buy and lay yourself, hire a pro to sand and then top coat yourself. The real art is in the sanding.