Updating Wood Floors
I would like to improve the flooring in the two bedrooms in our co-op apartment. While the hallway that the two bedrooms are off of has a nice oak wood stained in Minwax Early American, the bedrooms have what a flooring company described as a pine subfloor (even though the floor is at the same…
I would like to improve the flooring in the two bedrooms in our co-op apartment. While the hallway that the two bedrooms are off of has a nice oak wood stained in Minwax Early American, the bedrooms have what a flooring company described as a pine subfloor (even though the floor is at the same level as the hall floor). The bedroom floors have many damaged planks so repairing and refinishing would not be an attractive option. Pulling up the existing flooring and laying new hardwood is out of our budget, so we are considering lock and fold wood floors to go on top of the existing floors. Since we won’t be able to match the bedroom and hallway floors exactly, what is the best way to choose a color/finish for the bedroom that will go nicely with the hall floor? Also, will not having the same flooring throughout the apartment or having lock and fold instead of traditional hardwood affect the apartment’s resale value?
if you decide to get rid of your pine floors, i will pull them up and remove them for free. im an insured, licensed contractor in brooklyn looking for some extra pine flooring (even if it is in bad shape). if interested email me at chinaspice25@yahoo.com
thanks!
If you are in a co-op, why not ask the opinions of you neighbors. These are people attracted to the same type of apartment and building who can therefore best judge what flooring appeals for such buyers. For me, I’d say to save and do it “right” later with real hardwood planks, not the click together stuff you see now on HGTV quick makeovers. I see that type of thing while house-hunting now and I keep moving. However, when I see wide plank pine, I know it’s original in many older federal style homes and often on the upper floors of victorians.
Do it right … wide-plank quarter sawed white oak baby!
Its just a personal style thing but I personally perfer all the floors to flow thru one another without saddles in between (bathrooms are the exception since they are a different material anyway). But thats just me – a lot of people wouldn’t care. In fact, I think most people have saddles seperating their floors so Im sure Im in the minority on this.
Ive never painted a floor so I don’t know from personal experience. That said, I would fill in any big gaps or holes in the floor before painting and then leave the little scratches as added character. A painted floor is a bit rustic looking anyway so the small imperfections would look fine. And yes, there is special floor paint. The paint store can point it out and explain how to apply it properly. I don’t think there is a topcoat but Im sure you could add some kind of acrylic clear coat if you wanted to keep it looking very new. Its really the cheapest fix you could possibly do.
Mrs. Limestone,
Thanks for your response. The lock and fold is actually a hardwood material (ex. http://www.bruce.com.)The planks click together for easy installation without the need for nails or glue.
Our bathroom floor is already higher than the hallway due to the previous owner installing tile on top of tile, so the higher floors in the bedrooms wouldn’t be out of place.
In regard to painting the floor, does the existing floor need to have a smooth finish? Our floors currently have many scratches and some damanged planks that have begun to splinter. I’m assuming these would need to be corrected before painting. Is that a DIY type job? Also, is there a particular type of paint that should be used on floors and is there any type of topcoat applied to prevent scratches?
I think not having all the floors at different level is somewhat unattractive but I guess its a matter of the lesser of evils. If the pine floor is that bad, then its a better option.
Im not sure what lock and fold is. If its a laminate floor, that will definitely be a negative for potential buyers. I would not suggest that.
You can find relatively cheap oak hardwood flooring at places like lumber liquidators (starting at a few dollars a sq foot).
But if money is really tight and the floor look really aweful, what about painting them? It can look quite nice.
Here are a couple of examples:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/210/457764197_d8259b0fbd_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/154/388314088_035b36099c.jpg