Replacing Hardwood Floors

I’m looking for a discussion on hardwood flooring.

My house was built in 1966 with hardwood oak floors. Recently there was water damage in about a 9 X 9 foot area causing warped edges on the edges of the wood. The room size is about 30 X 20 ft. The thickness of the existing floor planks appears to be 5/8 in and the width is 2 ¼ in.

The insurance company offers two options. They are, replace the total floor with new wood or replace only the damaged area with new wood.

Most of the retail stores seem to offer engineered wood. So, these are my questions.

1. Would you agree my 1966 floors are probably not engineered wood?

2. For over-all reasons, which type of flooring is better, engineered or my 1966 wood?

3. I looked at Lowes and did not fine oak flooring 5/8” X 2 ¼.” It appears hardware dimensions do not include length. Why is that?

4. If only the damaged area were repaired with new wood, how difficult is it to match the surrounding area? The adjoining rooms have the same wood floors.

Replacing the complete floor is a bit daunting for me to consider, unless absolutely necessary

However, any feedback on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jerry

 

1966 flooring is not going to be the same as anything you will buy today, it will not match perfectly.

Your best option would be to remove wood from somewhere, like another room and use that to do the repair then at least you can put some separation between the two types!

 

I am a fan of traditional solid hardwood. If the insurance company is willing to replace the entire floor it would be a no brainer for me.

5/8" thickness is common with engineered (plywood) flooring. If your existing floor has been refinished the original thickness may have been reduced from by sanding.

 

Hello Marq1
Thanks for the return.
Are you able to answer Questions 2 and 3? As for #3 about length, do you know if stores sell the size plank I use?

Thanks,
Jerry

 

1. I am 99.9999% certain your flooring is solid wood. Your house is about 20 before engineered strip hardwood started to become a thing.

2. I prefer real, non-engineered wood. It is solid wood all the way through and has been the flooring of choice for thousands of years so it's longevity can't be questioned. Engineered products have a limited number of resurfacings they can endure in their life. I also question the glue's lifespan though it should be pretty good.

3. Strip hardwood flooring is sold by the square foot and width of the planks. The pieces inside the box are random lengths. Wider width pieces are more expensive than narrower ones.

4. It will be difficult to make a repair that is not visible. For such a job you usually get replacement flooring from closets to weave into the damaged area. Then the floor is sanded and refinished. Then new flooring is installed out of sight in closets.

If replacing all your flooring now is the time to have fun. You can choose whatever flooring or type of wood you want. You don't have to stick with narrow oak planks.

 

Hello Pilot –

Thanks for your detailed response.

You said: 3. Strip hardwood flooring is sold by the square foot and width of the planks. The pieces inside the box are random lengths. Wider width pieces are more expensive than narrower ones.

A. So, if I were to have a floor wood contractor replace only the damaged area, would he use strip hardware flooring or can he replace it with the same width, thickness and variable lengths using non-engineered planks that is currently installed? Are they available?

B. You mentioned a gluing issue. Would a contractor use glue for both a complete floor and a floor for only the damaged area?

Thanks,

Jerry

 

I think the glue issue Pilit Dane mentioned is in reference to the adhesive used to bond the plywood layers.

Have you had a flooring pro look at it or are you planning to DIY the job? Laying a hardwood floor is a pretty simple process that requires little expertise. Sanding the floor to prep for finishing is not.

Solid hardwood flooring comes in random lengths so there is less waste when the flooring is put down. The random lengths allow the installer to off set the end seams as the flooring is installed. I think it would be very difficult to patch and match a section of existing flooring that is more than 50 years old. At the least it would take a complete sanding and refinish of the entire floor to try to get a close match.

A properly installed solid hardwood floor will out last you and your grand kids. I'm not sure that an engineered floor would last that long. It can be sanded and resurfaced as needed. The top surface of an engineered strip floor is a veneer of hardwood.

 

CW Buff -

Thanks for your comments.

Jerry