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Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

BacktoBack said:
Anyone have thoughts on Engineered versus traditional hardwood floors for above grade flooring?

We live in Boone so the weather is more extreme than other parts of NC. We had planned for traditional hardwood but or builder is recommending engineered. We don't want to deal with cupping or creaking from moisture issues. The house will be over a crawlspace with a commercial grade dehumidifier in the crawlspace.
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I'd go with traditional hardwoods. Boone may be colder than most of NC, but it isn't anywhere near as cold as plenty of other places that have done fine with traditional hardwoods for centuries. If something goes wrong with them it won't be because of Boone's weather.
 
BacktoBack said:
Anyone have thoughts on Engineered versus traditional hardwood floors for above grade flooring?

We live in Boone so the weather is more extreme than other parts of NC. We had planned for traditional hardwood but or builder is recommending engineered. We don't want to deal with cupping or creaking from moisture issues. The house will be over a crawlspace with a commercial grade dehumidifier in the crawlspace.
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You have apparently identified the major issue with hardwood floors. It is not the temperature that is the problem, it is the moisture. Regular hardwood floors do not do well if they are subject to great changes in moisture content of the air above/below them. Also, they don't do well with greatly different moisture levels above and below. With your crawlspace presumably dirt floored, it is important that you have a really good vapor barrier between the top of the crawlspace and the bottom of your floor. Also insulate the space just below the floor as well as you can. It will make your whole house warmer if the floor isn't always cold.

Engineered floor materials resist warping/twisting/buckling because the wood strands are oriented in multiple directions, whereas the wood strands in regular hardwood are all oriented in the same direction. Thus if the wood expands or contracts because of moisture level changes, the expansion/contraction will be in multiple directions, whereas the regular hardwoods will expand/contract in the same direction, and thus warp, twist, buckle etc.

Your contractor is probably pushing the engineered floor because it is less important for him to do a really good job with the vapor barrier and insulation between the crawlspace and the living area if he installs engineered floor. You want a good vapor barrier and insulation for more reasons than just for the floors.
 
Thanks for the info!
He is planning for a heavy mil plastic on the floor of the crawlspace. Then the heavy duty dehumidifier.

It's hard in Boone because we do get a lot of change in moisture from season to season.
 
BacktoBack said:
Thanks for the info!
He is planning for a heavy mil plastic on the floor of the crawlspace. Then the heavy duty dehumidifier.

It's hard in Boone because we do get a lot of change in moisture from season to season.
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I have hardwoods at my place near Linville. When I bought it year and half ago, the floors had the worst cupping I had ever seen. I put heavy plastic over the crawl space floor and the problem is solved. Didn't even need a dehumidifier. Just make sure the wood is properly acclimated before they install it - basically, get someone competent to do the job - and you won't regret real wood. If this is new construction, it is much easier to fix the potential humidity issue on the front end by sealing the crawl space properly.
 
It is good practice, if not code these days to also have a vapor barrier between heated and unheated space along with insulation. That is, the "ceiling" of the crawlspace should have a vapor barrier closest to the heated space (just under the subfloor) and insulation below that. These obviously in addition to the plastic on the floor of the crawlspace. Your builder should be installing R-25 to R-30 insulation in the crawlspace under the floor. That is about 9 inches of fiberglass insulation.
 
I need to put in some (extra) insulation in the storage room under my bedroom, which was an addition at some point. There's some insulation down there, but some has fallen out, so I can see the bottom of my floorboards from the unheated/uncooled storage area. One of these days I'll actually do that.
 
Under contract to build a house and have to decide whether to get carpeting upstairs/ in the bedrooms vs hardwoods. It's only a $1,000 difference to do the hardwoods so I'm leaning towards that. Only downside: the builder doesn't allow enough time to do anything but carpet to the staircase, so either way the stairs have to be carpeted even though there'd be hardwoods on the main floor and the second floor (and the staircase is one of the first things you see when you walk in too).

How expensive/annoying would it be to have the stairs redone after build? Anybody familiar with that process?
 
RollTheQuad06 said:
I need to put in some (extra) insulation in the storage room under my bedroom, which was an addition at some point. There's some insulation down there, but some has fallen out, so I can see the bottom of my floorboards from the unheated/uncooled storage area. One of these days I'll actually do that.
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[Plama posts Money Pit pic]
 
Dash if you are planning to put in hardwood then I'd tell them to leave the stairs unfinished, there's no point in putting in temporary carpet only to have it torn out. Also that would look really awful, can't believe contractor has that kind of hardwoods everywhere but not the stairs deal.
 
dashionista said:
Under contract to build a house and have to decide whether to get carpeting upstairs/ in the bedrooms vs hardwoods. It's only a $1,000 difference to do the hardwoods so I'm leaning towards that. Only downside: the builder doesn't allow enough time to do anything but carpet to the staircase, so either way the stairs have to be carpeted even though there'd be hardwoods on the main floor and the second floor (and the staircase is one of the first things you see when you walk in too).

How expensive/annoying would it be to have the stairs redone after build? Anybody familiar with that process?
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depends where you live (Raleigh?).
As mentioned we are building in Blowing Rock. For sound purposes and to make things feel more cozy in the colder climate we are putting carpet in the upstairs bedrooms. It's a smidgen cheaper but it's mainly just to keep things warmer and better sound separation. We are also putting insulation between the upstairs and downstairs to help with sound.
 
ThinkingWithMyDeac said:
Dash if you are planning to put in hardwood then I'd tell them to leave the stairs unfinished, there's no point in putting in temporary carpet only to have it torn out. Also that would look really awful, can't believe contractor has that kind of hardwoods everywhere but not the stairs deal.
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+1 on this. Contractor can be late for just about any reason, but won't find enough time to do hardwood stair treads???!!!

Personally, I am a fan of doing hardwood floors with area rugs with good padding as needed in bedrooms. And really all over the house.

If you find your stairs too noisy after the build, you can always put a stairway runner down the middle (main foot traffic area) of the stairway.
 
BacktoBack said:
depends where you live (Raleigh?).
As mentioned we are building in Blowing Rock. For sound purposes and to make things feel more cozy in the colder climate we are putting carpet in the upstairs bedrooms. It's a smidgen cheaper but it's mainly just to keep things warmer and better sound separation. We are also putting insulation between the upstairs and downstairs to help with sound.
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I like this last thought. Not enough thought goes into insulation as sound barrier inside houses. That can leave a lot of sound traveling where it isn't wanted. If you do the extra insulation when everything is open, it isn't that expensive. Retrofit is more expensive.
 
Deaconblue said:
+1 on this. Contractor can be late for just about any reason, but won't find enough time to do hardwood stair treads???!!!

Personally, I am a fan of doing hardwood floors with area rugs with good padding as needed in bedrooms. And really all over the house.

If you find your stairs too noisy after the build, you can always put a stairway runner down the middle (main foot traffic area) of the stairway.
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yep, super annoying. i'm buying through a builder (stanley martin) and they don't allow it as an option at all. i'm going to get the crappy standard carpet and pull it out before i move in i guess.
 
dashionista said:
yep, super annoying. i'm buying through a builder (stanley martin) and they don't allow it as an option at all. i'm going to get the crappy standard carpet and pull it out before i move in i guess.
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That is a bummer, because it probably will require a total rebuild of your stairs to put in hardwood and make it look right. When builders do carpeted stairs, they rarely put in anything that looks decent under the carpet. Thus you will have to do both treads and risers. And to do that properly, will need to take out the trim on the sides etc....

Good luck!!!!!
 
I don't often recommend stuff, but I will in this case. And that is Weather Tech mats for car floor and trunk. Had one can in a case of soda spring a leak in my trunk. wet sticky liquid all in the case and on the trunk mat. Pulled everything out, hosed off the mat, and you would never know it happened.
 
Just got this quote to replace our side door (which we use as the primary entrance to the house):

 Remove side entrance door

 Install Terma Tru Smooth star fiberglass entrance door S262 fixed grille

 Insulate perimeter of door with fiberglass insulation

 Install new interior wood casing

 Cover exterior trim work with matching aluminum trim

 Install Schlagle standard deadbolt with handle set keyed alike

Remove all debris from job site

TOTAL 1,112.00

I know exactly nothing about this. Is that in the ball park of reasonable?
 
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