Floors - Advice Please!!!!!

PRman

Hi everyone - Just bought a small house recently with my girlfriend. However I can't decide what floors to put in!! Laminate? Semi-Solid? Solid? I'm getting different advice off different people!!! We seen a lovely laminate yesterday - Balterio Liberty Oak Wide Plane effect. It's lovely but its 26.50 a square yard. Is this too much to pay for a laminate? We seen another one in B&Q which was Bevel Luc laminate Weather Oak which was cheaper at 20.42 per square meter. Any advice/feedback much appreciated!!! Thanks

GreeBo

PRman wrote:

Hi everyone - Just bought a small house recently with my girlfriend. However I can't decide what floors to put in!! Laminate? Semi-Solid? Solid? I'm getting different advice off different people!!! We seen a lovely laminate yesterday - Balterio Liberty Oak Wide Plane effect. It's lovely but its 26.50 a square yard. Is this too much to pay for a laminate? We seen another one in B&Q which was Bevel Luc laminate Weather Oak which was cheaper at 20.42 per square meter. Any advice/feedback much appreciated!!! Thanks

if you are having cash problems with €26 then stay away from solid
I find that heitons have good sales on the flooring, if you pop in every now and again they seem to have > 50% sales on some of their lines...

Noelie

It sort of depends on your budget, are you putting the floor down your self or getting someone to do it. Getting someone else will nearly double the cost of the floor, most people will charge more to lay solid than laminate.

if laying yourself laminate is much easier to lay. I've my dad, he's a carpenter, doing my floor but i still bought laminate for cost reasons mainly

Moanin

The advantage of solid over laminate is that solid can always be sanded if scratched over time but laminate cannot.It also depends on your budget or how long to intend to stay in this house? Is it shorterm to move on?I had oak semi solid in my old house and it was perfect and now have solid birch.Personally I prefer the solid.I purchased Solid Birch 17 sq yards last Sat in Roscommon for €25 a Sq yd.I got a van from my mate and drove from Navan to Roscommon.It was well worth it!

The Hill Billy

It's worth taking a trip up to Irwins in Castleblaney (tel: 042 974 0278).
They have great value on all flooring & give good advice too.
Only thing is - they don't deliver. You'd need to arrange this yourself.
At their prices - you'd still save a few bob after van rental.

LFC Murphy

.

The Hill Billy

Monaghan

delly

Got lovely solid flooring put into my first house as a wedding present and had the house for 2 years. When it came to selling, I came back to the house after a viewing to find the whole floor ruined with marks from an obvious pair of very high heels. I was fuming after this with the only consulation being that we were moving out.

I'm about to get around to putting flooring down in my new house and while I love the idea of getting solid flooring again, I can't help but remember how the previous flooring could be so messed up in the space of 20 minutes. I know you can be careful about who comes in and what there wearing, but there is always the risk.

The Hill Billy

Depends on what style of look you are going for too.
Modern with clean lines? Laminate is your only man.
Rustic or olde world? Gotta be solid.

delly wrote:

the only consulation

Consolation?

/pot-kettle-black?

delly

Hill Billy wrote:

Consolation?

Thats the fella I was looking for

Neverends

We have Balterio in our dining/play rooms and solid in hall/sitting room. Find Balterio looks nice but not as nice as solid coz its a different sheen and less variation of colour etc. across the floor, and its not as hard wearing as they make out so we'll prob replace it in a few years - its gotten some scratches already from heavy furniture being moved (not very carefully). Its grand for rooms kids are in a lot though. Solid is scratched too but I think that might blend in with time and we can always sand eventually?

Wobs

Have to agree with Hill Billy, Irwins in Castleblaney is the place to go for floors. We were up there on Friday, they have a huge range, their prices are unreal and they know what they are talking about. We are going for a Walnut floor and they are easily half the price of most places in and around Dublin.

mrbungle

Wobs wrote:

Have to agree with Hill Billy, Irwins in Castleblaney is the place to go for floors. We were up there on Friday, they have a huge range, their prices are unreal and they know what they are talking about. We are going for a Walnut floor and they are easily half the price of most places in and around Dublin.

Hey Wobs,

What kind of prices were the offering for walnut ? Also Wide plank or narrow ?
We got prices from TC Matthews for Solid Wideplank Walnut, think it was 80 per sqyd.

Wobs

Hey MrBungle,

The one we liked was 6 3/4 inch solid walnut for 59.60 a yard, but they had narrower ones from about 37 and an engineered 7 inch one for about 62.
80 from TC Mathews is not bad either for walnut, every where else I went you were looking at over 100 for solid, one place was 170.

PRman

Hey everyone. thanks for all the replys. We ended up going for that Ballerio Laminate one. We're putting it down tomorrow so looking forward to seeing how it looks. It's some type of oak (wide plank version) looks real to me but I'm sure plenty of you would disagree!!! Semi or Solid would have been tight on the fundage and knowing us pair we would have it scratched to bits within a couple of months

Neverends

Balterio does look great and its dead easy to clean and of course the cost savings means you can easily replace in the future if you want a change.

AJ02

hey prman,

i'm thinking of putting down balterio floors too. can you let me know where you got them from. also how much the did it cost you for the materials and fittings?

tribesman

delly wrote:

I'm about to get around to putting flooring down in my new house and while I love the idea of getting solid flooring again, I can't help but remember how the previous flooring could be so messed up in the space of 20 minutes. I know you can be careful about who comes in and what there wearing, but there is always the risk.

There's a big difference between solid softwood and solid hardwood. Softwood (red-deal, pine etc.) is really easily marked by stilettos but hardwood (oak, walnut, ash) is much tougher. Maybe yours was a softwood.

delly

tribesman wrote:

There's a big difference between solid softwood and solid hardwood. Softwood (red-deal, pine etc.) is really easily marked by stilettos but hardwood (oak, walnut, ash) is much tougher. Maybe yours was a softwood.

Thats Interesting as I never knew that such a difference existed. If thats the case then I reckon i'd be happier going for the solid hardwood knowing that it would be a little more robust.

regedit

We're going for the balterio range as well in a few weeks. Their new range is greta. They have this textured laminate which looks great. I know the prices are not very friendly but on the positive side, it will be tougher than solid flooring when it comes to stileto or any object that falls on the flooring and it has at least 15 years warranty for home us.
We have spoken to a few people/carpenters and most of them would recommend a good quality laminated flloring over solid one.
We're getting it from World of Pine in Blnachardstown. Found a guy who works there helpfull (Ken Byrne). It will be some 30-35 Euro (fitting included). It is nicer than the Quick Step
I was just checking the Microsoft Autoroute and if you want to make the trip to Castleblaney, it is roiughly 110 km from Dublin so you should be there in 1.5 hours.

PoolDude

Is maple a hardwood?

tribesman

PoolDude wrote:

Is maple a hardwood?

Yes.

The Hill Billy

delly wrote:

Thats Interesting as I never knew that such a difference existed. If thats the case then I reckon i'd be happier going for the solid hardwood knowing that it would be a little more robust.

Looks like you've been shown up for the charlatan that you are! :eek:

Tribesman for MOD!

delly

Hill Billy wrote:

Looks like you've been shown up for the charlatan that you are! :eek:

Tribesman for MOD!

Just an friendly DIYer, computers are my day job

jaytobe

Heard about Irwins from a few websites....looking for rustic factory oiled engineered oak. Saw it in Woodlands, Midelton called it 'Resance' for 104 sq yd but seems a alot....
Anyone seen this around...:)

Hill Billy wrote: »

It's worth taking a trip up to Irwins in Castleblaney (tel: 042 974 0278).
They have great value on all flooring & give good advice too.
Only thing is - they don't deliver. You'd need to arrange this yourself.
At their prices - you'd still save a few bob after van rental.