View Full Version : Am I crazy for not caring about keeping my hardwood flooring?
I realize that it sounds blasphemous, but we are going to be doing a pretty major remodel/refresh of our 1927 house within the next year, and while I have loved the character of this house -- part of it having to do with the hardwood floors, built-in bookshelves, etc., the fact is I'm not really opposed to changing my floors vs. repairing them. A friend of mine just re-did one bedroom with a hardwood floor & it cost $4,000! There are only about two people who work on hardwood floors in my city, and I'd want to use the same person she did. Our floors are in rough shape. I had been estimating about $10,000 for the floors, but then I'd still have to deal with my bathroom tile and kitchen floor. I really think that besides the bathroom, I'd like the same flooring throughout the downstairs.
I know we're supposed to treasure historic homes and do right by them, but the fact is that someone came along in the 1970's and made several poor design choices that we have yet to undue but that already messed with the integrity of the historic home. So am I awful for wanting to modernize it? Houses in my neighborhood are mostly older, but plenty have modern interiors. I wouldn't want "modern," but I'd strive for an "updated classic," with an eye toward what would make sense even 100 years from now.
Thoughts? Things I should consider? Thanks!
What are you thinking of replacing it with?
My previous home was a very historic Craftsman cottage, and the previous owners had chosen to put nice carpet down over some hardwood floors that needed work, and that was a decent solution - they had carpet, and putting the carpeting down preserved the floors fairly well until I came along and wanted to refinish them and lose the carpet.
Definitely not carpet. Probably tile, although our guesthouse has polished & stained concrete floor that is decently common around these parts & is super easy to care for & probably wouldn't ever feel off-trend like I worry about with, say, wood tile. The other very common flooring here in the desert Southwest is saltillo tile, but I'm not a fan.
To your point, I usually hate to see the character of old homes replaced with the latest HGTV trend. That said, I think tasteful changes can be made. I don't have any specific suggestions, but maybe researching colors and patterns of different types of tiles that might have been used earlier in the 20th century. Linoleum is an interesting choice--it's so "old school" but has made a modern resurgence.
When you say the floors are in bad shape, are the boards in disrepair, or are they simply dirty/stained? Could you do the refinish? DH and I have sanded down and finished our floors. It's work, but it's not rocket science.
I really like the magazine Old House Journal--maybe you could get some ideas online from their website: https://www.oldhouseonline.com
Teacher Terry
9-30-19, 1:49pm
Depending on the condition of the wood Catherine is right that you can do it yourself. We did just that. No matter what you choose you will probably spend the same amount of money. We put laminate pergo that’s waterproof in our kitchen and bathrooms. We picked a similar color to our hardwood and it looks fine. I don’t like tile as the grout is hard to clean, it’s cold and if you drop something it’s toast.
Whatever you do, don't rip the old floors up unless they're completely unredeemable.
A friend's realtor used to call historic houses mucked up to emulate modern standards "remuddled."
I love the idea of linoleum--we used to have that at the beach, eons ago--and the new patterns are wonderful.
iris lilies
9-30-19, 2:30pm
I think it is a big mistake to do something that damages those floors further. I don’t know what you’re planning on putting on top of them. I don’t know what kind of work they need. people tend to overestimate what they really need.
On the other hand, we had bits and pieces of 150-year-old pine floors in our Victorian house they were not salvageable. Truly they were not salvageable. I wish the rooming house people had thrown carpet or linoleum over them but they didn’t. Pine is a softwood and is easily damaged.
Our weekend house in Hermann Missouri built in 1941 has very nice hardwood oak floor in the living room. I am pumped about it! . It needs stripped and refinished but everything is in structurally sound shape. We do not know what the hallway looks like because it’s covered with flooring from the 70s but I am hoping it is that same hardwood. Bedrooms have soft pine floors and those are workable, I plan to preserve them.
Please I am begging you do not pull up those wood floors only to put down something like the horrific gray hardwood’s going everywhere.
That said, I looked at a condo I’m thinking about buying in a 1920’s building. Someone renovated it from top to bottom. They pulled out the hardwood floors and put in new hardwood. But they made a good choice, they chose historically appropriate Oak. The boards were a little wider than original. I think it’s weird that they pulled up the old floor only to put in something that is very similar.
Ooh, linoleum/Marmoleum is a good idea! JaneV2.0, I know exactly what your realtor friend means by remuddled & I don't want that. Our house already feels remuddled to me (although friends love its character) because of the aforementioned addition (back room addition and upstairs added). I'm going to be trying to undo that remuddled feeling, but really reclaiming the "historic-ness" of the house isn't realistic because of the upstairs, both interior and exterior (roofline & windows). We're in an historic neighborhood but aren't eligible for property tax breaks because it's already been altered by the second story addition. Catherine, thanks for the link to This Old House! I will check it out. When I say old, besides just being worn down there are several spots that need repair, where a board is loose/damaged.
Teacher Terry
9-30-19, 3:39pm
We took wood out of our closets to fix the bad boards. We didn't care if we had wood in there. Some of ours was stained also but most came out. People comment on how nice they are. The hallway had a huge hole where the floor was missing in about a 5 foot length area. You can't tell now where it was patched. I think having the closet wood was key. Thankfully ours is a hard wood.
We took wood out of our closets to fix the bad boards. We didn't care if we had wood in there. Some of ours was stained also but most came out. People comment on how nice they are. The hallway had a huge hole where the floor was missing in about a 5 foot length area. You can't tell now where it was patched. I think having the closet wood was key. Thankfully ours is a hard wood.
That's a good idea! I'm sensing I should try to work with what I've got and *maybe* do the floors ourselves. That would save so much money! My husband keeps saying he needs a new hobby, so maybe this can be it! Thanks, all.
Oh dear, please don't take out original hardwood.......you've been given some great options here!
Teacher Terry
9-30-19, 4:37pm
It really wasn't hard and all we had to do was rent a sander.
rosarugosa
9-30-19, 5:57pm
To your point, I usually hate to see the character of old homes replaced with the latest HGTV trend. That said, I think tasteful changes can be made. I don't have any specific suggestions, but maybe researching colors and patterns of different types of tiles that might have been used earlier in the 20th century. Linoleum is an interesting choice--it's so "old school" but has made a modern resurgence.
When you say the floors are in bad shape, are the boards in disrepair, or are they simply dirty/stained? Could you do the refinish? DH and I have sanded down and finished our floors. It's work, but it's not rocket science.
I really like the magazine Old House Journal--maybe you could get some ideas online from their website: https://www.oldhouseonline.com
Catherine: I love OHJ and have been a subscriber for many years! It is such a wonderful resource.
Catherine: I love OHJ and have been a subscriber for many years! It is such a wonderful resource.
I love old houses. And I HATE when I watch House Hunters and a young couple walks into a beautiful Craftsman house and says, "Oh, we have to paint all this oak woodwork WHITE!"
I want to scream.
And I do hate when people adhere to exterior historic landmark requirements and go haywire with modern stuff on the inside. The disconnect is disturbing to me.
iris lilies
9-30-19, 6:44pm
I love old houses. And I HATE when I watch House Hunters and a young couple walks into a beautiful Craftsman house and says, "Oh, we have to paint all this oak woodwork WHITE!"
I want to scream.
And I do hate when people adhere to exterior historic landmark requirements and go haywire with modern stuff on the inside. The disconnect is disturbing to me.
I do not mind contemporary furnishings in an old house. In fact, I like the contrast. That is, if they left the woodwork and mantles and ceiling medallions and pocket doors and original floors
I like the contrast of all that with modern sofas chairs etc.
This thread is of course right up my alley.I can rant and rave about sooooooo many things touching on this topic. Dont get me started.
But let me just mention The Latest Trend here in my Victorian village of perfectly gorgeous 1880’s houses, and it is to rip out walls for “open concept.” Today’s open concept is the 35 year ago trend to rip out one floor in a second story room order to have a double storied living room.
Eyeroll.
Already two of those double storied room have been put back together I’m sure the new owners thought “what were they thinking all those decades ago!? “
I do not mind contemporary furnishings in an old house. In fact, I like the contrast. That is, if they left the woodwork and mantles and ceiling medallions and pocket doors and original floors
I like the contrast of all that with modern sofas chairs etc.
I agree... and I acknowledge that my emotional response to all this is based on my early life in Paradise: my great-aunt's cottage that was built in 1910, and never touched all these years. Raw timber interior, "open concept" living/dining, old-fashioned farmhouse sinks, pantries, clawfoot tubs...
I have gotten some "hints" that I should never GoogleEarth my aunt's cottage again, and so I won't.
Teacher Terry
10-1-19, 1:20pm
I spent years stripping the woodwork in my Kenosha house that was built in 1920. Some moron painted it. The new owners loved it and left it.
I agree with everyone who says to keep the hardwood. If the cost is the holdup, maybe just do one or two rooms at a time?
I've had discussions about the two with a relative. His argument is that wood floors always look dirty and require more cleaning attention. He has a large dog that seems to always be shedding to some degree and I can see the point. I also suppose carpet gives some insulation to the floor and feels warmer in the winter. I have wood floors and it's my preference. I have dust allergies and think wood floors are better for that, but I can see favoring comfort and maintenance over style for some people. If it's just looks, wood is the fashion.
Teacher Terry
10-1-19, 6:18pm
I find them easy to keep clean and they don’t look dirty. I had a 80lb shedding machine and easier to clean than carpet. I don’t like super dark flooring as that shows everything. If you have a oak or pine color it won’t. You can never get carpet truly clean.
I really like the idea of rugs you throw in the wash. If I wasn’t also sensitive to almost all plastics, that is what we’d have everywhere.
Here
https://ruggable.com/
There are lots of robot vacuums on the market now.
The carpet looks cleaner but in reality is much dirtier. When a wood floor looks clean, it is clean.
catherine
10-2-19, 11:24am
I really don't like carpet because of the difficulty keeping it clean, especially if you have dogs, or people that refuse to wipe their feet. It's not that I'm a clean freak or germaphobe, but I hate the look of stains and drabness. The only carpet I liked from a "clean" perspective was my avocado/gold shag carpet that was in the house when we moved in. It was probably NEVER clean, but at least it never looked dirty. :). And now and then I would find interesting things that my teen-age sons dropped into it that you couldn't see, like cigarette butts and roach clips.
I do love hardwood, but you have to be nice to it as well, over the long run. Daily sweeping, not soaking it, watching pet stains, etc. I'm crushed because my son knocked over Tide in my "office" where the stacked W/D are and the detergent left a stain!!! How can a cleaner leave a stain? But now it looks like we're going to have to sand that spot at least.
I guess I will be a contrary voice here but having lived with lots of hardwood floors, I would counsel that you keep the hardwood and consider putting a floating floor over it if it would meet your needs better. I am considering doing that--would never remove the maple that is in my old house now but it would need to be patched and refinished and all I am trying to do is get it presentable enough to sell, and a floating floor would leave the wood safe and intact, but appeal more to the kind of family that might want to buy the house.
It would also withstand dog traffic much better so would fit our needs better at this point.
For caretaking wood or vinyl, I use a terry mop head mop where you just take the terry cover off and throw it in the wash. I wet it and put dish detergent and run it over the floor--really fast and easy.
Teacher Terry
10-2-19, 11:50am
We have both hardwood and vinyl pergo. The dogs have peed, pooped, threw up, chased each other and it all looks perfect. The people before us put pergo over the hardwood and we removed it. I sweep it weekly with the robot and mop it once a month.
iris lilies
10-2-19, 12:14pm
I really like the idea of rugs you throw in the wash. If I wasn’t also sensitive to almost all plastics, that is what we’d have everywhere.
Here
https://ruggable.com/
I have recently noticed as being advertised and I think the concept is interesting.
I guess I will be a contrary voice here but having lived with lots of hardwood floors, I would counsel that you keep the hardwood and consider putting a floating floor over it if it would meet your needs better.
I think that's a great idea. DH and I installed a floating Pergo floor over old vinyl tiles ourselves, and it worked great, and I found the idea that you could remove it so easily (and even re-sell it to someone else!) to be very appealing.
frugal-one
10-2-19, 4:13pm
Guess I am the odd one out here. I find wood floors COLD... living in the northern climes. We left the wood floor but covered with carpet. As it is, I cannot stay warm. I would rather be comfortable than fashionable, I guess.
iris lilies
10-2-19, 5:22pm
Guess I am the odd one out here. I find wood floors COLD... living in the northern climes. We left the wood floor but covered with carpet. As it is, I cannot stay warm. I would rather be comfortable than fashionable, I guess.
While wood floors are popular now, I certainly didnt get a sense from those here that is why they prefer them.
I despise our carpet. It is on our second floor but still filthy. We have cats who vomit, dogs who pee, cats who pee, dogs who vomit. It is stained and filthy. It is disgusting. I absolutely hate it but DH will not hear of pulling it up.
I spent three sessions trying to get the goddamn vacuum sweeper to work correctly this week and this was after DH had torn it apart at least twice. I was so disgusted I threw up my hands and came downstairs and got out my simple broom and dust pan to sweep the wood floors on the first floor because that is what I like —simplicity. I can even mop the floors down
stairs and they will be clean of the latest set of puppy pee spots
I hope to move to Hermann and not maintain any vacuum sweeper for floors. Carpeting in our lifestyle is filthy.
rosarugosa
10-2-19, 5:34pm
We are big fans of hardwood floors and installed them ourselves throughout our home, although it's true they aren't as warm as carpets and we live in New England. I agree with what others have said that carpeting and rugs are never really clean and hard surfaces make a lot more sense with pets.
By my thinking you can get the best of both worlds using area rugs. You can choose how much of the good wood floor to show and how much of the floor you'd like to be warm and care for. The area rugs I've shopped for seem to be a little pricey for decent quality. My house was built in 1951 and when I pulled up the old carpet there were rooms that I don't think had ever had traffic and must have been carpeted shortly after the construction. That was a pretty nice bonus to work with. I think in the day they were lacquered rather than the modern finishes so they aren't wearing especially well.
We had the original wood floors upstairs refinished and had solid wood oak flooring installed on the main level which was previously carpet. Natural finish, no stain so very light. The basement is laminate and i hate it but oh well...Since getting all new wood floors, we no longer wear shoes in the house and they still look new and stay clean that way.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.