OP here - Huum, bamboo sounds nice. As for bamboo's durability, I've heard both. Some said it's too soft and scratches/dents easily, but some other said otherwise. But, as I said, we're hoping to do a gut reno in a few years, so everything will be torn out anyway. I just need short-term, but nice and safe material for the next few years. I've looked into cork floor too, but they seem slightly more expensive than bamboo. About this new material 3:48 mentioned, I'm not sure...what's it called & is it toxin-free?

Posted by: MT at August 28, 2007 4:31 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

OK, CMU is right and I feel terrible now. We certainly don't have money to throw out and 2K is actually more than we'd like to spend. Of course, I certainly wouldn't want to add more to the landfill either. If we use glueless-installation type of bamboo floor, could I re-use the floor for smaller room after renovation? Then maybe I don't have to throw out the floor..

Posted by: MT at August 29, 2007 11:31 AM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

A gut reno in 2~3 years hopefully, but it may take 3~4 or more years..it all depends on how economically we can live. ($8 sandwitch I just bought doesn't help...) We used to have an area rug in our old apt, and I used to vaccum every other day. Maybe I have to invest in a better vaccum cleaner instead...and start packing my lunch! Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

Posted by: MT at August 29, 2007 2:32 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

Yes, I was thinking about those click-together type floor that doesn't require nails. I guess it's not that easy to un-click them. The house is definitely livable now - I just have a problem with its layout. The previous owner added many walls to create many small rooms. I'm hoping to change the layout so that it will better suit our family life. I'm not sure how much of it I can keep.. House is old & charming, but it's so outdated. Our electric wiring is apparenlty cloth-covered and dangerous , all the toilets seem to use like 100 gallons everytime I flush, and I'm looking into cleaner heating system than the huge oil heater we have in the celler (I had a nightmere that it burst & spilled oil all over...is it common for a house-owner to have such a dream?) I guess I could call this "updating" than "gut reno", but we'll see. I have a few years (or longer!) to plan this - I'd better decide what to do with the floor first before the baby's arrival...which is happening in 2 months! AHHHHH!!!

Posted by: MT at August 29, 2007 6:51 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

Hi CMU,
Warm floor seems creepy to you? Really? I don't wear shoes in my house either (I grew up in Japan) but I can't go barefoot as my tile-covered floor gets too cold to walk on. Anyway, our steam heat is not unrelizble but very loud. I don't know if it's just ours, but it makes this loud banging noize whenever it's working. Are you saying that can be fixed by relacing a boiler??

If existing radiators and pipes (that run throughout 2 stories vertically) can turn into water heater like you're saying, I would consider keeping them. But can they still be separated into 2 system, one for us and one for renters? It's been a problem that there's only 1 thermostat - we need to keep our thermostat at 74F(!) in order to keep upstairs renters warm.

I'm not really familar with steam system, so if you could explain a bit more, I'd really appreciate it.

Posted by: MT at February 24, 2008 10:28 PM in response to Heating sysytem replacement

OP here. Thank you all for the comment.

I guess I'd bring in a professional plumber and see if we could convert steam heat radiators into hot water heater.

Regaring the noize I mentioned, it's not the hissing noize. We do hear some hissing but it's not bad at all. I'm talking about the loud noize that seems to come from vertical pipes - it sounds like someone is banging on the pipe with a metal hammer. It's not constant but it does wake me up middle of the night sometimes. I guess that's what Master Plvmber called "velocity noise"? If that's caused by improper piping, does it need to be re-piped to fix?

Posted by: MT at February 25, 2008 7:53 PM in response to Heating sysytem replacement

pergo secretly looks ok if you pick the right color. very very cheap. probably no eco friendly - sorry!

Posted by: guest at August 28, 2007 5:56 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

The "greenest" thing you can do is go out and spent $2K on area rugs that are soft and fluffy and big.

And then after your gut reno, you will still have the rugs. And you will not have added a single thing to a landfill or had to live with anything you don't want or broken your infant on your marble floor.

Posted by: guest at August 28, 2007 7:24 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

OK, CMU is right and I feel terrible now. We certainly don't have money to throw out and 2K is actually more than we'd like to spend. Of course, I certainly wouldn't want to add more to the landfill either. If we use glueless-installation type of bamboo floor, could I re-use the floor for smaller room after renovation? Then maybe I don't have to throw out the floor..

Posted by: MT at August 29, 2007 11:31 AM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

If you're doing a gut reno in two years, why would you even put down ANY kind of Pergo or other permanent floor? If you don't want area rugs, you could go with those Flor carpet tiles, which would be easy to remove and would be softer for your kids. But again, even Pergo is too much trouble and expense in your situation as described.

Posted by: Rehab at August 29, 2007 1:17 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

A gut reno in 2~3 years hopefully, but it may take 3~4 or more years..it all depends on how economically we can live. ($8 sandwitch I just bought doesn't help...) We used to have an area rug in our old apt, and I used to vaccum every other day. Maybe I have to invest in a better vaccum cleaner instead...and start packing my lunch! Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

Posted by: MT at August 29, 2007 2:32 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

By glueless, you mean click-together wood flooring? Most are engineered wood and have a quite thin wear layer (2-5mm). Not sure if it's that easy to take up after installation. Comes in multiplank strips, a look that many might not like as joints are lined up too well. Also requires very level surface (more than nail down.) So surface prep may be more expensive.

Finally, you talk about a "gut reno," which personally I'm very against unless your house is unlivable (and yours is clearly not.) You can protect the floor and there's no need to remove and reinstall it, in which case you might as well put in a good permanent floor in now.

In most cases, walls can be fixed without tearing the plaster down to the studs, obvious exceptions like removing or building new walls aside. Skim coating old plaster walls is much preferable to putting in sheetrock.

I would strongly urge you to consider gentle reuse and redo instead of destroy and rebuild, particularly since you say you are "saving up" for the reno. Sorry, maybe guess previous comment about money to burn was too hasty.

Posted by: cmu at August 29, 2007 4:07 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

Yes, I was thinking about those click-together type floor that doesn't require nails. I guess it's not that easy to un-click them. The house is definitely livable now - I just have a problem with its layout. The previous owner added many walls to create many small rooms. I'm hoping to change the layout so that it will better suit our family life. I'm not sure how much of it I can keep.. House is old & charming, but it's so outdated. Our electric wiring is apparenlty cloth-covered and dangerous , all the toilets seem to use like 100 gallons everytime I flush, and I'm looking into cleaner heating system than the huge oil heater we have in the celler (I had a nightmere that it burst & spilled oil all over...is it common for a house-owner to have such a dream?) I guess I could call this "updating" than "gut reno", but we'll see. I have a few years (or longer!) to plan this - I'd better decide what to do with the floor first before the baby's arrival...which is happening in 2 months! AHHHHH!!!

Posted by: MT at August 29, 2007 6:51 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

We have shedding pets and area rugs. May I recommend the Dyson vacuum? It's every bit as awesome as they claim and has been a lifesaver. I'm sure that (being plastic and running on electricity) it is inherently evil and someone will come along and suggest you use a cornhusk broom in it's stead, but believe me: when it comes to pet hair pickup this vac is without peer.

I agree, though- lam floors are unappealing on just about every level. It sounds like your funds are best spent elsewhere. Electrical repair can be extremely pricey yet I'd consider it a priority.

Lastly, check out Build It Green's warehouse in Queens- ( www.bignyc.org) last time I was there they had a ton of maple hardwood flooring - unused- going cheap. You never know what you might find over there and you might find an affordable solution.

Posted by: guest at August 30, 2007 9:33 AM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

you should probably keep your baby in a padded cell.

Posted by: guest at August 30, 2007 10:32 AM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

The suggestion for Flor tiles is a good one. If you want to see them in a person, Design Within Reach carries them. Go directly to the their website for better selection. Also, sign up for their email list and you will get coupon offers. We ended up putting down a rubber no slip grip thing and then the tiles on top instead of sticking them down. It was very baby and pet friendly since they clean easily. Good luck!

Posted by: guest at August 30, 2007 1:29 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?