Hard Wood Floors online? Best place to buy? Advice?

[ericcsong]

I'm in the middle of a home rennovation and am looking for a good deal on Hard Wood floors. We are going with a simple 2 1/4 Red Oak to match exisiting floors. Our kitchen will open up to a new dining room with lots of windows. We think we want to continue the same wood, but are open to ideas.

- Where is a good place to buy to get a great price/deal on hard wood floors?

- Has anyone had good luck matching old wood floors to new hard wood? (I understand matching can be hit or miss)

[MikeBmusic]

Are you doing the work yourself?

I would advise to buy locally where you can inspect the wood before bringing it home. Wood is super expensive right now.

[ericcsong]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

Are you doing the work yourself?

I would advise to buy locally where you can inspect the wood before bringing it home. Wood is super expensive right now.

We have a contractor but we are picking up some materials. Surprisingly wood for hardwood floors hasn't been affected by the lumber craze.

[catndahats]

Hi Eric, I'm unclear on whether you want solid wood or veneer floors. We are DIYers and have found local Lumber Liquidators to be our best source for bargains. It is not that hard to find floors that match or blend well. The best deals are in-stock closeouts/odd lots. We bought a high end closeout for our music room (they will haggle to get rid of an odd lot) and ended up with enough wood for 2 other rooms, and still saved 50% or more over other flooring/big box store prices for lower quality goods.

As we renovated our current home (3yrs) also found Craigslist and even FB marketplace (of all places) to be a good source for solid woods. Local flooring mills, contractor leftovers, and home recyclers like to advertise there for some reason and good deals can be found on new/recycled solid flooring, doors, windows, fixtures, etc...

Hope that helps.

[ericcsong]

Originally Posted by catndahats

Hi Eric, I'm unclear on whether you want solid wood or veneer floors. We are DIYers and have found local Lumber Liquidators to be our best source for bargains. It is not that hard to find floors that match or blend well. The best deals are in-stock closeouts/odd lots. We bought a high end closeout for our music room (they will haggle to get rid of an odd lot) and ended up with enough wood for 2 other rooms, and still saved 50% or more over other flooring/big box store prices for lower quality goods.

As we renovated our current home (3yrs) also found Craigslist and even FB marketplace (of all places) to be a good source for solid woods. Local flooring mills, contractor leftovers, and home recyclers like to advertise there for some reason and good deals can be found on new/recycled solid flooring, doors, windows, fixtures, etc...

Hope that helps.

Thanks! Good advice! Looking for solid wood to match a 1950s home

[Dirk Hofman]

So this is maybe a bit random, but I had a huge allergic issue happen to me in a home with floors from Lumber Liquidators. I'll say off the bat that I'm not 100% sure that the flooring was the issue, but a reaction to formaldehyde is by far the best explanation for my mysterious and extensive symptoms.

Some months after moving into a new house, I started experiencing symptoms of burning eyes, nose, throat, lungs and even skin. It gave me asthma, and I had great difficulty sleeping. No one else in my family was affected. We searched and searched for MONTHS for the cause of the issue, testing for mold, mildew, and every contaminant we could think of. I was only affected in my own home, and I felt it immediately upon entering, and felt better immediately upon departing the house. Suffice it to say it was a stressful and frankly maddening experience. At certain points I thought I was going nuts. In the garage, there were a couple of boxes of extra flooring, and it was all made by Lumber Liquidators. It was the flooring used all over the home.

We eventually sold the house and found a great place in a nearby town. We're very happy here, so there was a silver lining. However, the kids pulled from their school district, but thankfully they were quite young. Luckily we sold it for a bit more than what we bought it for and didn't lose anything but some sales costs. As soon as we left I started feeling better, but have been sensitive to many allergens I wasn't sensitive to before the issue. It changed my life and was a very, very difficult chapter in my life. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

I only saw this report long after we'd left the home, and the way the symptoms were described matched my problems completely. I'm fairly convinced formaldehyde poisoning was the cause of my problems.



I don't know if these issues have been fixed, I hope they have. But I would certainly check before I bought anything from them. The expose on the Chinese suppliers in the video above was pretty shocking. I'm angry about it. But again, I don't know for sure this was it, but please beware and check everything out before buying from this company. I'd hate to have it happen to you.

[catndahats]

Re: Dirk
Of course use due diligence in any building/remodel project and materials used. Similar to food you ingest...closer to the source the better for your health. Did not watch the video, and don't need to.

Since the op wants solid wood, my LL suggestion is probably mute. I still think a local mill could be a good source for solid wood.

Both new and old homes are filled with sketchy materials...lead, formaldehyde, asbestos, mold, and caustic glues come to mind.
The most logical answer is build /remodel your home with these factors in mind---and be sure to disclose known contaminants when you sell---I'm sure you did.

Sorry you had an allergic reaction, frightening, but grateful you identified it and moved to protect your health.

[Birdbrain]

That 60 Minutes story deals only with laminate flooring, not the hardwood desired by the OP. Laminates are well know to contain harmful chemicals that can can pollute your indoor air after installation, but wood is just wood, no matter who's selling it.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by ericcsong

We have a contractor but we are picking up some materials. Surprisingly wood for hardwood floors hasn't been affected by the lumber craze.

That's surprising that hardwood floors haven't increased in price like lumber, which has more than doubled in price over the past year. I just googled it and the floors have increased in price as well. Double check to make sure you're looking at hardwood floor and not laminate/vinyl/etc (as others have stated).

[ericcsong]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

That's surprising that hardwood floors haven't increased in price like lumber, which has more than doubled in price over the past year. I just googled it and the floors have increased in price as well. Double check to make sure you're looking at hardwood floor and not laminate/vinyl/etc (as others have stated).

thanks! I'm well aware of the materials and market. I'm looking at hard red oak 2.25 inch. Its relatively cheap. its definitely not like hard lumber and OSB. OSB used to be about $6 a sheet. Now its over $52! Crazy!

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by ericcsong

thanks! I'm well aware of the materials and market. I'm looking at hard red oak 2.25 inch. Its relatively cheap. its definitely not like hard lumber and OSB. OSB used to be about $6 a sheet. Now its over $52! Crazy!

Eric, I still need to get my basement finished in my new house. I'll need to purchase flooring so I'm interested in this thread, although I'll be going vinyl that has the underlay (less expensive and it's a basement).

BTW - you have some fantastic guitars! You'll probably get great ambiance with the sound reflecting off hardwood floors.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by catndahats

Re: Dirk
Of course use due diligence in any building/remodel project and materials used. Similar to food you ingest...closer to the source the better for your health. Did not watch the video, and don't need to.

It wasn't a building project, it was a house we bought that already had the floors installed. No due diligence on anyone's part would have turned up that the Chinese suppliers of the material were not creating it to the standards specified. Reading posts or watching the actual content in question can turn up useful information.

Originally Posted by Birdbrain

That 60 Minutes story deals only with laminate flooring, not the hardwood desired by the OP. Laminates are well know to contain harmful chemicals that can can pollute your indoor air after installation, but wood is just wood, no matter who's selling it.

It's a good point, but many producers make a distinction between "solid hardwood" and "hardwood products" which have hardwood on top but the substrate is laminate.

[BradleyS]

I am in the process of finishing a "tiny home" and purchased about 800 square feet of solid 3/4" oak flooring. After installing 7 rows, I began having a major issue. Some of the flooring was milled about 1/16" wider. I ended up removing the flooring and sending it all back. The flooring company, Prime Flooring, stated they would inspect the flooring and make a determination.
After having a conversation with a contractor, I will be looking at engineered hardwood.
I wish you the best of luck with your purchase.

[The Bard Rocks]

I put in floors from time to time. I had some real nice ones once from Hardwoods4Less. Thin the next two home I had, I found better buys elsewhere. The best buys seem to drift about. Lumber LIquidators, Home Depot or Lowe's has never been in the running.