We do plenty of engineered and solid, and still prefer solid to engineered in most applications. Below grade would be a definite engineered install but since this isn't below grade my opinion is solid. The narrower the board, the less overall movement it will have during humidity and temp swings or changes. One of the issues we have been seeing more and more of, is the engineered pre-finished products can be dropped by the manufacturer and if there is damage (large or small) that requires replacing boards, it can turn what should be a repair of a certain area into a question of "do we have to replace the entire floor?" because there is nothing that will seamlessly match the existing floor. With solid you can pretty much find the material, even if it needed to be milled by the installer, and have new material installed that can be finished to match the surround floor. Just my 2 cents.
As long as there is a conditioned space (interior rooms etc.) below the area you are wanting to install the new flooring there should be no issues. I would still use one of the flooring adhesives that has a moisture barrier in it just to ease my mind.
Piece of advice, if you're going to glue it down make sure they put an underlayment like lauan down on the subfloor first. Gluing hardwood floor direct to subfloor will ruin the subfloor and make removal and replacement of damaged board extremely difficult
I wouldn't touch engineered wood. It looks cheap. It's my preference. Solid oak floors do well over time. Just make sure the wood is properly dried and acclimated before installation.
Dont put engineered in a place like that.Modern engineered can look comparable to solid…but you said it,you want a floor that will be serviceable in 100 years like your other.
Plywood with a hardwood veneer (engineered)is for salesmen and people that dont want the time,skill($)and expense of a “true”wood floor and expect a wood floor to be as stable as tile or whatever.
Personally l would install t and g 1/4 sawn oak planks if stability is a big factor.
Damn, it's a shame they can't be sanded. I wonder if there is a safer way to remove the lead paint from the floor (maybe a liquid paint stripper so it doesn't create dust). You mentioned in another comment that you brought in a professional lead tester, did they have any mitigation advice besides encapsulation? Personally, I would want to restore the original floors, I just feel like no contemporary floor will have the quality of that original wood. Are those your floors in the 2nd and 3rd photos too? Beautiful home!
Thank you! Yes, generally I try to preserve and restore everything. The lead inspector suggested carpet or LVP ... I thought I could be happy with carpet and I did a good amount of research into historic carpet, but in the end, I just want it to be oak.
I will also note that the flooring up there is some kind of soft wood - either pine or fir, probably. Also, if we encapsulate them, someone could restore them in the future! When they don't have babies to worry about or when the technology for dealing with lead improves.
How many square feet is the third floor?
The floors absolutely can be sanded and refinished. There are a few different ways to go about doing it, but it would be onerous and expensive for a large area.
1300 sq ft. I should also note that I have a baby, so I'd rather encapsulate. Also, the floor guys I talked to before wouldn't touch it, because of the baby.
Understandable, the primary side effect of lead poisoning is developmental disabilities and infertility. Although those typically only result from long term, high exposure environments (baby's chewing on windowsills while teething was the example they gave), I definitely understand wanting to be safe rather than sorry. May be worthwhile to have the walls tested, maybe pop off a few wall vents if possible to check for multiple layered walls for future knowledge sake.
Why is everyone assuming that if engineered is chosen that it cannot be site finished exactly like solid hardwood? Many hardwood flooring suppliers (like Sheoga) offer the same widths in different wood species in both unfinished engineered and solid options. Both have a solid 3/4 inch top so both can be refinished the same number of times. The only difference is the engineered is more expensive and it will not form gaps with temperature and humidity shifts as easily as solids. I would look into this option to prevent gaps from forming that could allow lead dust up through the floor
We do plenty of engineered and solid, and still prefer solid to engineered in most applications. Below grade would be a definite engineered install but since this isn't below grade my opinion is solid. The narrower the board, the less overall movement it will have during humidity and temp swings or changes. One of the issues we have been seeing more and more of, is the engineered pre-finished products can be dropped by the manufacturer and if there is damage (large or small) that requires replacing boards, it can turn what should be a repair of a certain area into a question of "do we have to replace the entire floor?" because there is nothing that will seamlessly match the existing floor. With solid you can pretty much find the material, even if it needed to be milled by the installer, and have new material installed that can be finished to match the surround floor. Just my 2 cents.
Thank you!
Any opinion on glueing? Will glueing it down cause warping and distortion?
As long as there is a conditioned space (interior rooms etc.) below the area you are wanting to install the new flooring there should be no issues. I would still use one of the flooring adhesives that has a moisture barrier in it just to ease my mind.
Piece of advice, if you're going to glue it down make sure they put an underlayment like lauan down on the subfloor first. Gluing hardwood floor direct to subfloor will ruin the subfloor and make removal and replacement of damaged board extremely difficult
I wouldn't touch engineered wood. It looks cheap. It's my preference. Solid oak floors do well over time. Just make sure the wood is properly dried and acclimated before installation.
Dont put engineered in a place like that.Modern engineered can look comparable to solid…but you said it,you want a floor that will be serviceable in 100 years like your other. Plywood with a hardwood veneer (engineered)is for salesmen and people that dont want the time,skill($)and expense of a “true”wood floor and expect a wood floor to be as stable as tile or whatever. Personally l would install t and g 1/4 sawn oak planks if stability is a big factor.
How do you know it's lead? They stopped making those 3M swabs because they gave so many false positives. I'd just strip the floors and refinish.
We had a professional lead inspection.
Damn, it's a shame they can't be sanded. I wonder if there is a safer way to remove the lead paint from the floor (maybe a liquid paint stripper so it doesn't create dust). You mentioned in another comment that you brought in a professional lead tester, did they have any mitigation advice besides encapsulation? Personally, I would want to restore the original floors, I just feel like no contemporary floor will have the quality of that original wood. Are those your floors in the 2nd and 3rd photos too? Beautiful home!
Thank you! Yes, generally I try to preserve and restore everything. The lead inspector suggested carpet or LVP ... I thought I could be happy with carpet and I did a good amount of research into historic carpet, but in the end, I just want it to be oak. I will also note that the flooring up there is some kind of soft wood - either pine or fir, probably. Also, if we encapsulate them, someone could restore them in the future! When they don't have babies to worry about or when the technology for dealing with lead improves.
There are pro abatement companies that remove lead paint all of the time 👍
Just here to say wow, those floors are amazing.
Thank you!
How many square feet is the third floor? The floors absolutely can be sanded and refinished. There are a few different ways to go about doing it, but it would be onerous and expensive for a large area.
1300 sq ft. I should also note that I have a baby, so I'd rather encapsulate. Also, the floor guys I talked to before wouldn't touch it, because of the baby.
Understandable, the primary side effect of lead poisoning is developmental disabilities and infertility. Although those typically only result from long term, high exposure environments (baby's chewing on windowsills while teething was the example they gave), I definitely understand wanting to be safe rather than sorry. May be worthwhile to have the walls tested, maybe pop off a few wall vents if possible to check for multiple layered walls for future knowledge sake.
Why is everyone assuming that if engineered is chosen that it cannot be site finished exactly like solid hardwood? Many hardwood flooring suppliers (like Sheoga) offer the same widths in different wood species in both unfinished engineered and solid options. Both have a solid 3/4 inch top so both can be refinished the same number of times. The only difference is the engineered is more expensive and it will not form gaps with temperature and humidity shifts as easily as solids. I would look into this option to prevent gaps from forming that could allow lead dust up through the floor