Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Hardwood to laminate question

We are considering replacing some 3/4 hardwood with a some sort of laminate. Question is the door frames and vertical moulding on two wall openings are cut for the hardwood. That will leave about a 1/2" gap between the bottom of the door frame and the new flooring. How is that normally handled, add 1/2 inch subfloor?

Why not refinish the existing floors? Their are comercial finishes that are extremely hard and easy to care for. Change is good, not necessarily better.

We're considering that option also. Having 2 dogs, the finish on the hardwood hasn't lasted long at all.

What Brand or type of finish do you have on the floor and how many coats. Was it stained. Gloss, Semi-gloss, or Satin. If you pull up the hardwood and the laminate gets scratched their is no refinishing option. If you put a floating laminate floor on top of the hardwood floor. The existing base can be removed and the door jambs and casing undercut for the laminate to slip under. Then reinstall the base on top of the laminate. If you refinish and use 3 coats of a quality commercial satin polyurethane scratches don't show as easily and should last for years. By not using any wax or oil base cleaners on it. You can recoat the floor without having to sand to new wood and it can be done in one day with commercial waterbase polyurethane.
AL

The floor is prefinished Bruce, typical builder special. Its 2 1/2 years old and is pretty scratched up from dogs. There are a few spots where it looks like the finish is completely gone (on the edges of a couple boards). Never heard of being able to refinish without sanding.

Hardwood flooring will last 200 years or more with the proper care. It can be refinished. When the finish is gone on plastic laminate products, there is no refinishing. Keeping dogs nails trimmed helps minimize scratching.

The finish on hardwood floors can be 'screened' to give it tooth before applying new coat(s) of polyurethane. This can be done without sanding down to bare wood.

For the Bible on finishing wood floors, go to www.finishingwoodfloors.com.

I never have been impressed by their products. If the finish has not been worn through to wood flooring and no wax or cleaners that contain silicone, oils, and other contaminates have been used. You can buffer the floor with fine sanding screen (150-220grit) and then a fine maroon preping pad on a buffer, vacuum, and tack the floor with a damp clean cloth. Then put on a coat of commercial waterbase polyurethane. 2 hours later you can prep the floor again and put a final coat of the commercial polyurethane. More than likely you will have to sand through to new wood and put 3 coats of com. poly. on the floor. Then if you don't contaminate the finish you just need to prep the floor to recoat the floor as needed over the years. 1 pint of white vineger to 1 gallon of water is all the cleaning solution you really need. Go to the NOFMA site for more information on sanding and finishing floors.

AL