ᐅ How affordable can hardwood flooring be?

Hello,

we purchased a 20-year-old house that still has the original laminate flooring installed in the upper floor.

At first, we planned to install laminate there again, but now we are leaning more towards hardwood flooring. A carpenter friend advised us: better to choose inexpensive hardwood than expensive laminate flooring.

We are not yet 100% decided. Our requirements are:
- There is no underfloor heating, and due to previous troublesome experiences, we definitely will not install it.
- The laminate was installed as a floating floor.
- We have two small children who will remain quite young for the next 10 years, so the floor will certainly be subjected to some wear and tear.

Initially, our thought was to install relatively inexpensive laminate, around 15 euros per square meter (about 1.40 USD per square foot), and consider hardwood in 10 years.

We no longer find this very sensible. Hardwood clearly looks better visually and is probably more comfortable to walk on. Also, while solid or engineered hardwood can be sanded and refinished after several years, this is not possible with laminate, which means removing and replacing the entire floor again.

At first, we assumed hardwood flooring would not be available for less than 80 euros per square meter (about 7.40 USD per square foot). However, we found offers for engineered hardwood at around 45 euros per square meter (about 4.15 USD per square foot) in a local store. Some online shops even offer it cheaper.

We are not looking for the cheapest option at any cost. For now, our budget for initial repairs is limited, so it’s a matter of weighing the options. If we were to spend 15-20 euros per square meter on laminate, it makes more sense to invest 40-50 euros per square meter in hardwood, which will provide better living quality, appearance, value, and durability.

However, if engineered hardwood at 40-50 euros per square meter is poor quality, this calculation doesn’t hold; but we currently cannot budget 100 euros per square meter for hardwood.

We are not fixed on a particular type of wood; both plank flooring and strip flooring appeal to us aesthetically. The product does not need to be premium eco-friendly, but we do not want a floor with strong formaldehyde emissions, especially in the children’s rooms. Also, the floor should have a wear layer thick enough to allow at least one sanding and refinishing.

I just posted a link to a type of flooring that we like, for example. I was unsure whether private users are allowed to share links or not, but apparently not. Sorry about that, it seems the admin has already removed it. Sorry again, there was no ill intention.

The product was oak parquet flooring, strip planks, rustic grading, 2.5 mm (0.1 inch) thickness. It is supposed to cost 27 euros per square meter. Do you think something like this is better than a good laminate floor, despite the very low price?

Mizit schrieb:
And while we could sand hardwood floors again after a few years, that wouldn't be possible with laminate, and we would have to go through all the hassle of removing and reinstalling the floor again.

For me, sanding is almost more effort than installing new laminate. Still, I would always prefer hardwood over laminate.

There are solid plank floors, for example oak, available for under 40€/m2 (approximately $40/sq ft). These are, of course, glued down, making them nearly indestructible and sandable.

Bieber0815 schrieb:
Sanding would actually be a bigger effort for me than installing new laminate. Still, I would always prefer hardwood flooring over laminate.

We are complete beginners when it comes to DIY and quite naive. But we thought you could rent a sanding machine from a hardware store, of course for a fee, and then sand an upper floor within about 2 hours, then vacuum once and clean once, and that would be it? Not the case?

blockhauspower schrieb:
There are solid plank floors, for example oak, available for under €40/m2 (€40 per square meter). These are usually glued down, making them almost indestructible and sandable.

You say "usually glued down." So, is gluing optional? That would be an issue for us because we definitely don't feel confident doing the gluing ourselves, and hiring a professional to install it would cost so much that it would exceed the budget we planned for renovations. With those click systems, we thought that with some help from more experienced tradespeople, we could manage. But gluing—no.