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jadeite_z7

flooring in desert Southwest

jadeite
9 years ago

I've been lurking on this forum, hoping to find answers to questions about flooring suitable for hot dry climates. We live in Albuquerque NM where humidity ranges from below 10% in winter to 50-80% during the rainy season (June - September).

Our house has a mix of flooring: (1) tile in kitchen, bathrooms, entry, hallways; (2) Pergo in bedrooms, office, family room, on stairs; (3) dingy old carpet in large living room (approx. 30' x 20'). The house is split-level, built on a concrete slab and is about 30 years old. Heating is forced hot air, cooling is by swamp coolers.

The entryway/living room (one big open space) is complicated by a collapsed duct under the slab. We were told this damage probably happened during construction. There are other working ducts to the living room. The entry way is tiled but there was a big planter which has been taken out. The entry way has 2 steps down to the living room, and the planter hole is on the top level and middle step, roughly 5' x 3' on each level.

We want to replace the living room carpet, and the Pergo which was a bad DIY job. We've been told that hardwood and bamboo can crack and will shrink to show spaces between boards during the dry season. Is this true in general? Is hardwood, engineered wood or some decent laminate a possibility? Humidifying the whole house is not an option, it would be very costly and anyway we live in the desert and low humidity is just a fact of life. We have a humidifier in the MBR which we run in winter.

If wood is not a good choice, what about refinished concrete in the living room? We have no experience with concrete flooring but there are several local contractors who specialize in this. All of their photos show commercial installations rather than residential. I thought that going with concrete would allow us to hire one contractor to take care of the collapsed duct as well as the refinishing.

We may decide to remove the tile in the entryway and refinish the concrete under it, rather than try to come up with something to fill the planter holes which coordinates with the living room floor.

If we go with refinished concrete, can we have hardwood in the bedrooms, stairs and upper level rooms (office, family room)? Over smaller areas will damage be less obvious?

Thank you for your help,
Cheryl

Comments (19)

  • _sophiewheeler
    9 years ago

    Tile would be your best bet.

  • jadeite
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    tishtoshnm - what kind of wood floors do you have? Is it solid hardwood, a laminate or engineered? It sounds like you don't have cupping in winter, which surprises me. We spoke to a couple of wood installers and were warned off solid wood. Both said that engineered or laminate would contract/expand less than solid wood. I wouldn't expect problems in summer but in winter because of the very low humidity. Some friends of ours have bamboo flooring which has split in several places, and there are obvious gaps.

    Cheryl

  • tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM
    9 years ago

    It is not a solid hardwood. What we have is reclaimed pine that interlocks. Not sure of the term. One thing I can tell you is we do not have forced air heat. The house has radiant but we primarily use the woodstove. We have been in the house for 7 years but to be honest, the humidity is low most of the time, single digit humidity is not uncommon in the summer. From a maintenance perspective, I prefer tile, concrete or brick floors.

  • jadeite
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Tishtoshnm - I think you have less of a range in humidity than we do, given that you have radiant heat and don't use a swamp cooler. I think our climate isn't well suited to wood.

    I'd really like to hear from anyone with polished concrete. I can't find much in this forum. One friend told me they decided against it because every contractor they spoke to told them it would crack. They were building a new house. I wonder if our slab which is about 27 years old, has cracked all it's going to?

    Cheryl

  • lazy_gardens
    9 years ago

    I have 2 1/4 solid oak tongue and groove nailed down in Socorro .... laid during the dry and the monsoon season and it's not moving much. We have AC, not swamp coolers. And, narrow strips make less obvious shrinkage gaps than wide planks because there are more of them.

    Over slab ... how about wood-look tile? Big slate or stone look tiles?

  • jadeite
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    lazygardens - now I'm confused! Several installers told us solid wood was NOT recommended. Friends have told us they got the same advice. Some friends who built their house have engineered wood which moves more than hardwood did in their New England home.

    I'm holding out for polished concrete until I'm told that it isn't desirable. I like the look of the photos, and will see the real thing next week when we go to some friends who refinished their slab. They seem very happy with the results so far (about1 year). If concrete isn't a good choice, we'll move on to look at tile.

    Cheryl

  • westsider40
    9 years ago

    Hi Cheryl, will be following this thread as we bought a house in Tucson and we will be snowbirds. We have the same or similar climate. The house has pinkish mauve ceramic in the main living area and yuck carpeting in the bedrooms. We will replace the floor.

    Perplexing. I haven't yet found anything against hardwood and what I found is concerning with high humidity. Nothing bad re low humidity. I will probably settle for laminate in the bedrooms as it will. Be easy to clean, maintain, tough and I like that there are lots of no bevel available. I don't like floors with bevels as I fear that stony particles will get in those bevel places. I like a smooth finish. Much hardwood at big box stores has a small bevel.

    I would like to hear user info re hardwood in this desert. I know ceramic does well in the sw for a lot of reasons.

    I would like hardwood in the kitchen, too. I have hardwood in my Midwest house and have had hw since 1987. I also have pergo in an old Midwest beach cottage and they are both great.

    Polished concrete has been recommended by our experienced and savvy realtor. She sees lots of homes. I just don't know if it canbe done in white. Good luck to you, and me! Your old induction pal, Westsider

  • jadeite
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Westsider,

    Nice to run into you again! I'm still loving my induction, how about you?

    I've been thinking about flooring for a while now. If you want hardwood, I think you need to consider some factors. Most hardwood manufacturers guarantee their products IF you have humidity of 30% and higher. There's an upper limit which I don't recall - it certainly doesn't apply to either of us.

    See this thread:
    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/flooring/msg1118090832517.html

    The only way we would get humidity that high is to install a whole house humidifier and run it for about 9 months a year. We're not going to do that, any more than we're going to have bluegrass lawns which need 40" of rain a year.

    Going with narrow pieces as lazygardens describes will reduce expansion and contraction, but you won't avoid it completely.

    If you do a google search on hardwood flooring in dry climates you'll find several web hits which discuss whether it will work or not. Engineered wood is regarded as more stable, but there is still risk.

    The pergo in our house is as sturdy and low-maintenance as can be. I don't like the amateurish job the previous owner did - we have gaps around the edges, and crooked thresholds. The color also clashes with the other woodwork.

    Polished concrete seems to be popular only in our part of the country, judging from the lack of response to this thread. From what I've seen, you can do it in just about any color. I can't get my head around concrete floors in bedrooms, but some people have it throughout the house. I'm going to look closely at our friends' floors when we visit them next week.

    Cheryl

  • westsider40
    9 years ago

    Cheryl, I was surfing the kitchen forum and in a thread about anti fatigue mats there was apost by kitchendetective who said she has scored concrete floors I thought of you. Amazing what this gw resource does.

    And I love my induction for always and ever! Thanks for your valued input re wood floors in the desert. I will do laminate in the bedrooms and not look back. Hmm, though I really want the in the kitchen. I cannot stand on a hard floor. Oy.

  • jadeite
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Westsider, what about other kinds of flooring for your kitchen? This forum is full of ideas - cork, marmoleum, vinyl tiles. I believe those are easier on the feet than tile, stone or concrete. I haven't looked at any of them seriously yet, but I'm sure there is plenty of information. We have to redo the bedroom floors some time, so I'll keep lurking on this forum.

    Funny, I surf different forums depending on what I'm doing at that moment. I used to live on the kitchen and appliances forums when we were redoing our kitchen in MA and again here in NM. Now I'm working mostly on restoring the garden and learning about Southwestern native plants so I'm on the Perennials, Ornamental Grasses and other garden forums.

    Floors have been on my mind for a while. It's the last big job in this house. Once it's done, I'm sure we'll move and start all over again!

    Cheryl

  • az88
    9 years ago

    I live in the Phoenix area and had 5" engineered hardwood installed seven years ago, glued down, on slab. I use AC, no swamp cooler. I haven't had any problems with gaps or any other issues due to the low humidity. I had 6 1/2 " engineered hardwood installed a year ago in two bedrooms (couldn't find 5" in a similar style/color), and so far, no problems there.

    My only caution regarding hardwood in the desert is that with so much dust a dark floor is hard to keep looking clean.

  • jadeite
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    az88 - that's very interesting. Another person on this forum said that engineered hardwood would delaminate.

    Now I'm thinking that the quality of the materials is more significant than the kind of material.

    Cheryl

  • lazy_gardens
    9 years ago

    We have T&G oak from the 1890s in the Socorro house and it's just fine too.

  • Kathy Harrington
    9 years ago

    Not sure if the OP is still looking at this thread. We had a polished concrete floor in our main floors including bedroom and bath lake house in the Texas Hill Country. It was installed at construction time by the PO/Builder and we enjoyed it for 9 years before we sold it. It was always cool on our feet which we enjoyed in the hot climate. Ours was stained brown and we did have some cracks, but we like the way it looked. Super easy to maintain, didn't worry about anything on it, just vacuumed and swiffered. The picture is taken at night with lights on so it looks lighter than it was in real life. One word of caution, that floor is the only one that would bother me if I stood on in barefoot for long stretches of time.

  • jadeite
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    harringk - yes I'm still watching this thread. Your floor looks great! We visited some friends who had their concrete slab polished about 2 years ago, and still love it.

    We have talked to their contractor who came to the house to take measurements. At this point we are leaning towards having the concrete polished in the living room and two bedrooms. We're waiting for his estimate.

    We're also thinking of engineered wood floors for the rooms on the upper level. Still haven't found a good contractor who can answer all our questions, but we have seen some very attractive solid hardwood and engineered floors in neighboring homes.

    Cheryl

  • westsider40
    9 years ago

    Cheryl, what's going on with your floors? What did you decide?

    We are in Tucson for the winter and spring. This week we put in laminate floors in 3 bedrooms. Looks and feels great.

    I did something brave. I ordered relatively expensive white laminate floor for the master bedroom. Looks like narrowish very whitewashed wood. Pergo brand, I think.

    We installed Costco Harmonics brand laminate in bedrooms and it looks great. I was talking to a Lowes installer who loves harmonics brand and has done many of them. He is also some kind of troubleshooter. Fancy credentialed guy.

    My ankles hurt last night so I am thinking of laminate for the kitchen. Ceramic hurts.

    Do polished concrete? As mentioned, my realtor (an experienced, smart and wise lady) looooves polished concrete.

    I think that hw in the southwest has an unwarranted bad rap and peeps just repeat the same unfounded stories. Just an inkle in my inkled mind.

    Take good care, Cheryl.

  • Toots Hir
    8 years ago

    I see that this thread ended last year but... !!! I am considering hardwood floors in our great room and don't know which product to order. I want USA made but also want to keep the cost low. I presently have carpet in the living and dining room sections of the great room and concrete overlay in the rest. The concrete overlay is over 15 years old and beginning to crack & lift. So, my first step is to remove the overlay and then decide on the new covering material in our price range. Any suggestions??? (Our home is also not well lighted and any flooring will need to be light in color.)

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    Sandra Petersen
    3 years ago

    Following. We are building just outside Santa Fe. We would like to use hardwood....The builder and designer are recommending a vinyl plank hardwood veneer product called Marine Oak by Baroque Floors. It is a waterproof hardwood veneer with vinyl core. I’m not sure about the product but they say it would be much better in the dry climate rather than an engineered hardwood with plywood underpayment. Any advice? We live now in New Orleans so water and moisture is a problem not low humidity. One product has a 50 year warranty; the vinyl plank product is lifetime warranty but I’ve read some negative things...made in China etc. Help!