LESLIE: And now we’ve got Kristen from Ohio who’s got a question about flooring. What can we do for you today?
KRISTEN: Right now I am looking at different options for flooring in my kitchen …
TOM: OK.
KRISTEN: … and I’m looking towards the hardwood flooring but I’m not really sure. There are a lot of options out there. I don’t know what your recommendation would be.
TOM: Well, hardwood floors in the kitchen are beautiful but, remember, they’re going to take a lot of wear and tear. So a couple of …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm, plus you’re dealing with higher moisture levels because it’s a kitchen.
TOM: Exactly. You know, what you might want to think about as an alternative to solid hardwood is what’s called engineered hardwood. That hardwood floor is a lot more moisture-resistant because it’s made of different layers of hardwood …
LESLIE: Like a plywood.
TOM: Exactly, and it’s dimensionally stable. And that would give you the beauty of hardwood. Also, the finishes on them are super, super tough – the prefinished floors – because they’re made with an aluminum oxide finish. So it’ll give you that durability and the installation is a lot easier because you don’t have to sort of nail the hardwood, the solid hardwood, down. A lot of these sort of click together or they assemble very easily and it really can be a do-it-yourself project.
LESLIE: There are also some other great options for kitchens. You can go with laminates and you can even go with cork flooring. Cork is a little bit softer but it’s also equally very, very durable and it’s a great look for the kitchen and it’s also eco-friendly.
TOM: You know, a good website for you to check out, Kristen, is SimpleFloors.com. Not only do they sell all types of flooring online there, they can take care of the delivery; get it right to your house and in a lot of states there’s no tax on the purchase.
KRISTEN: Oh …
LESLIE: And you know what? The website has wonderful installation guides that go along with the product. So if you’re thinking about a do-it-yourself project, it really couldn’t be simpler.
KRISTEN: Right, right. OK, that’s wonderful advice and I really, really appreciate that.
TOM: You’re welcome, Kristen. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
Leave a Reply