DIY Network

Flooring: Hard Surface Options From "Blueprint for Home Building" episode DBHB-203

In the first segment of our "Flooring" episode you found out about the design, materials and installation considerations when choosing a floor for your new home. In this segment host Jeff Wilson takes a closer look at hard-surface options.

Hard Surface Options

• Hardwood flooring (figure A) is typically the option by which all others are compared. From a domestic standpoint you start with red and white oak, and then go to hickory and maple. Some of the more exotic domestics potentially are ash, American walnut and American cherry. A little bit of elm is also utilized in wood flooring.

  There's different hardness of woods as well. Walnut is considered the hardest, and even though cherry (figure B) is considered one of the most beautiful, it's a little softer. The harder the wood the more durable it is.

  A common hardwood flooring product is engineered wood, which is a composite made with glue, lumber and veneer.

  A traditional use of hardwood is in parquet floors (figure C), and then there is hardwood that is sold as distressed wood -- a type of wood that looks like it's beaten up a bit. It's a great floor for families because it already has the nicks.

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

advertisement

Hardwood Maintenance

The most important thing with hardwood flooring is that you don't want to get moisture on it, which means the best way to maintain it is to actually dust it. There are also hardwood cleaners on the market that you spray on and dry mop up. Avoid putting water on hardwood at all cost.

Hardwood Cost

The price range is approximately double that of carpeting, however, the life expectancy of the product is indefinite while carpeting is usually five to seven years.

Constructive Advice: Look at your flooring choice on a larger scale. Seeing it on a small scale won't give you the best idea of what it will "really" look like.

Figure D

• Tiling (figure D) is another popular hard surface flooring option. Tiles come in a vast array of materials, sizes and price range. There are ceramic tiles, glazed tiles, porcelain and more. Tile can even be made to resemble stone!

  In addition to these common tiling choices, there are a number of manmade, hand-painted, metal and natural options. Tiling materials vary in price based on what region they come from, but ceramic would be the least expensive and porcelain would be on the high-end range with stones being the priciest.

  Tiling Tip: If you want to take on tiling yourself make sure your tiles are consistently level throughout the floor, and you can achieve this by using a straight edge such as a level or piece of wood. Lay it on top of your tiles and lightly tap for consistency.

Figure E

Tiling Cost

Tiles are comparable to hardwood floors, but tiles can cost a bit more if you need to prepare the subfloor. If you are covering an area that will get wet, and you like the natural look of stone, then marble is a good way to go.

• Marmoleum (figure E) is another great hard surface choice, especially for an area that will be exposed to moisture. This is a natural linoleum product that is made from linseed oil, resin, wood chips and coloring.

  This is a resilient surface that won't break and it cleans up well. It won't stain and handles moisture beautifully, which is why it would be a perfect fit for a bathroom or kitchen. Formal marmoleum comes in a wide variety of unusual colors.

Figure F

• Concrete (figure F) is an option you may not have thought about, but you may want to reconsider due to its cost-effective nature. Concrete can be painted and made to look like cobblestone, for example.

In the next segment the option of carpeting is covered.

GUESTS :

Joe Meringolo
Site Supervisor
6106 Drexel Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Phone: 323-833-9442
E-mail: joemeringolo@yahoo.com

Al Sain
Homeowner
7117 Fairway Dr.
Butler, PA 16001
Phone: 724-865-3056
E-mail: alsain@zbzoom.net

Greg Felikian President
Felikian's Carpet One
188 N. Rosemead Blvd.
Phone: 626-795-2821
E-mail: FGELIK@aol.com

Rob Tarver
National Accounts and Marketing Manager
Wilsonart
3301 Center St.
Temple, TX 76503
Phone: 254-207-3235
E-mail: tarverr@wilsonart.com

Jody Siegler
Interior Designer
E-mail: jodycs@yahoo.com

Don Shafe
Vice President
Virginia Hardwood Company
7117 Fairway Dr.
Butler, PA 16001
E-mail: dshafe@virginiahardwood.com