Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Can't decide on hardwood color, help?!

Hi all, thanks for your previous help on my popcorn ceilings. If you fix up your ceilings, you will want to do your floors! I can not decide on a color though. I am picking a solid hardwood that comes in several finishes and I like 3 of them, the lightest natural one, the next more golden and then one that is more brown then gold but still in a light shade. It is all oak, 3/4" 3# wide "builder's choice" by century. My house is not very light having just one window in the living room and I plan to have the living room, dining room, kitchen and hallway all done. It is just hard to decide because I don't want it to be too dark but the natural looks a bit cheap. All these areas except the kitchen currently have a buttery white carpet which helps to keep it bright.

Are there any tricks for picking finish colors?

Any "bad" things about the brand I am picking? (Century builder's choice grade) I am on a tight budget so I can't go much higher. This is about 700 sq ft at $10/ft installed.

Thanks again. I love this place!!

Natural red oak had pinkish/reddish tones. Golden has yellow tones. And, your third choice is more brown. Take into consideration your woodwork. Stained or painted. If stained, a floor finish that complements wood tones of trim would likely work best. Take into consideration the wood tones of your furniture. Ther red tones of cherry furniture work very well with natural red oak's pinkish/reddish tones. Furniture with honey tones would contrast nicely with the darker brown tones. Darker brown tones of furniture would contrast nicely with golden tones of wood flooring. If also installing kitchen, take into consideration the wood tones of cabinetry. Remember, a complementary contrast is more effective than trying to match. Contrasting wood tones will showcase furniture and cabinetry.

The Century brand is frequently mentioned in the forums and is a popular builder's grade product. With proper installation per manufacturer's instructions and proper care and maintenance per manufacturer's instructions, the hardwood flooring should serve you well.

As always, twelvepole, thanks so much for your comments. I feel so much better knowing that it a decent product!! I've seen so much bad stuff trying to fit in our price range that it is scary.

Our kitchen cabinets are quite dark and our furniture is pecan but all the baseboards will be white to match the trim work. If I choose the natural, it will have pink tone? I have a feeling that I should pick the praire wheat instead of the natural but am being out voted just because the sample looks so much darker with the honey tone. Nothing I pick is going to match both the furniture and the kitchen. I plan on refinishing the kitchen cabinets down the road but will have the furniture forever so do you think the wheat with the pecan or just pick the lightest just for the brightness? I was told the natural will turn "yellowish" within 6 months to 1 year. Tough choice!

Another question; I have to choose either satin or semi gloss finish. I like the semi gloss for the shine but was told that it will show every bump, dent or scrape, unlike the satin. I have 2 kids and 2 cats and naturally since the floor will be installed everywhere including the high traffic hall and kitchen, what would be best?

Finally, the literature says that after a period of time "you may want to recoat" so what does this mean?! Is this the same as having the floors "refinished" because here that is just about as pricey as putting in a whole new floor. Or does it just mean they come put a coating on without having to sand? Something I could do and maintain myself. I think I read here that if you see wear, it's best to recoat before it gets through to the stain but are we talking years and years or once/twice a year?

I was also reading about how my crawl space should have plastic down. Is this for cement or dirt or what? Can you tell me more about this as the installer NEVER mentioned that nor did he even look under our house. The crawl space is just dirt and we are about 2-3 feet off the ground with plywood subfloors and the crawl space has many "vents" (screened openings to let air flow through0. If they have to go under there and lay plastic sheeting down, it won't be pretty and the difference in the labor will probably knock the price out of my ballpark. All he talked about was putting down the #15 felt over the plywood as a moisture barrier.

Thanks again!!

It sounds like the pecan furniture will be the determining factor for making the selection. Remember, flooring will vary somewhat from the sample. If you are talking about red oak 'natural,' it does not yellow as it ages. If it has oil-based polyurethane finish, then oil-based poly ambers (yellows) with age. Most pre-finished hardwood flooring has non-yellowing, water-based poly finish.

At www.centuryflooring.com the Prarie Wheat is a mix of northern and southern white oak and is described as having a deep golden color. They do not show a natural color in either red oak (pinkish/reddish tone) or white oak (honey tone).

Take some samples home with you and move them around and study them under natural and artificial light before making your decision. This will allow you to make your decision within the comfort of your home where the wood will be installed.

Glossier floor finishes tend to show scratches more. While there are those who want a high-gloss finish, from a practical standpoint a more satin finish is preferred.

With proper care and maintenance, you would never have to refinish. The Japanese almost never have to refinish because they take their shoes off before entering. Applying a new finish coat would require light sanding or screening of the surface to provide tooth for adhesion of new finish. Flooring will come with a finish warranty. This means that there will still be some finish left to protect the flooring at the end of the warranty period. This does not warrantee against scratches, dings, dents, abuse, use, etc. Following manufacturer's recommendation for care and maintenance are best. Use of non-recommended cleaning products can dull and soften finish and will void warranty.

Crawl space needs to be covered with 8 mil minimum polypropylene vapor retarder, overlapped and taped and run up the sides of the foundation and adhered with rot-resistant wood strips. There should be no moisture in the crawl space. If you DIY, you can install the vapor retarder in the crawl space yourself and save on the cost of installation.

The 15# minimum roofing felt acts as an additional vapor retarder and is installed over the subfloor. The wood needs to be in the rooms where it is to be installed and allowed to set for several days to adjust to temperature and humidity. A flooring installer should have inspected the job site conditions above and below the floor. Get references for installers and call and go see work.

Before installation, humidity level in the home should be checked. Humidity level needs to be maintained year round at 35-55% (measured with hygrometer & sold where thermometers are sold). Humidity will vary among rooms and is usually higher in kitchens and bathrooms. The installer should do a moisture meter test to determine the moisture content of both the wood and the subfloor. For strip floors (2 1/4") the moisture difference should be no greater than 4%. For wider plank floors no greater than 2% difference.

For a better understanding of the installation of hardwood flooring, go to the National Oak Flooring Manufacturer's website at www.nofma.org and click publications and download for free the technical manual on installing hardwood floors. You can also find care and maintenance info on the website.

WOW, that was quick and such good information too! Now I know to pick the wheat and the satin finish. I have been carrying around the samples and putting them in different places just as you suggested and the warm tone actually brings out the highlights in the pecan furniture and it looks good. It does however look terrible next to the kitchen cabinets so maybe that project is will have to be sooner rather than down the road!

Here is more on my situation: I got 5 estimates and live in a tiny town with the nearest city 45 minutes away. I got this bid and from here they go all the way up to $21K!
I feel as though I am begging this installer to do the job for this price and I can tell he is on the edge about doing it for such a low bid. The only thing cheaper was Home Depot and while the labor was more, the wood was dirt cheap at $3.09 (tax incl, sale price-Bruce brand) for 2 1/2 strip which I don't like! I went to every store in my town and no one can come up with a decent quality wood for around $5/square foot, even the rustic grade was more than that like $6. This installer can do the 700 square feet installed for a bit over $7K and that includes new baseboards.
He came highly recommend by a flooring distributor in my town who assumed I would be buying the wood from them. Initially, his bid was simply for the labor. He can get the wood cheaper through another distributor and the one here said it was okay, they would not insist he get the wood from them after I asked because he was concerned about undercutting their pricing. I did not check his references, thinking they would not have given me his name without having confidence in him since he is one of their 2 regular installers?

I am however VERY concerned that there was no mention of the plastic under the house! Plus, we live just one block from the ocean so I would think humidity would be a major issue. I am meeting again with him Monday to do the paperwork and iron out all the details so what do you think is a reasonable amount of money added on to put down the plastic. Take into consideration the crawl space entry itself is a mere 3"X 3" opening in the closet and once under there, you have to belly crawl the whole way-ack!! I hope "doing it right" does not push me out of my budget. I WANT the floors so much! Our current carpet is the original 30 year old and -yuk!

Cost of labor varies from area to area in the county, as does materials. It would be difficult to guesstimate what would be a reasonable price to install the vapor retarder in the crawl space. If satisfied with his quote for flooring and installation, you will likely be satisfied with his quote for vapor retarder installation.

Thanks again twelvepole! I will let you know how it goes Monday but at least I am a bit more educated thanks to you and know the right questions to ask. Even though his price is low, it was good to be reminded to check references!