Hello AT,
I've just bought a one bedroom apartment on the 16th floor of a midcentury building near Yankee Stadium and I need to install a hardwood floor. The current floor is concrete covered in broken vinyl
tiles. I've done my research and am fairly certain what I want, namely, a prefinished engineered floating oak or maple wood floor. Problem is, I don't know where to buy it and who to have install it....
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I looked into buying the wood from Lumber Liquidators but have read and heard so many horror stories about them that they are definitely off my list. I also checked out Home Depot. Again, I came across one horror story after another.
I could go to New York Flooring, a bespoke company that sells and installs intricately designed hardwood floors. If money were no object, I'd certainly hire them. But if money were no object, I wouldn't have bought an apartment that needed a floor to begin with. My question: can anyone recommend a reputable middle-of-road company that could provide and install my modest little floor? I'd be forever grateful.
Thanks! Barbara in the Bronx
Dear Barbara,
Our best experiences have come with buying the wood floor through the person installing it. You kill two birds with one stone that way.
Our go to guy is a charming Irishman named Vincent Devaney of Devaney Custom Flooring. He is a small outfit and can get really busy so that it is tough to pin him down, but if you get him, you will be lucky.
It would be great to get references here for others.
Anyone??
In NYC, i would definetly recommend Pianeta Legno Floors located at 2nd avenue between 57th and 58th street (212) 755 1414 (www.plfloors.com) They have a gorgeous showroon, carrying all exotic engieneered prefinished floors, and extremely easy to install. They're awesome !!! My wenge floors has been installed in two days, no sanding, staining etc. My contractor just glued down the floor and that was about it. They have mostly natural engineered prefinished floors, but they also do have some stain ones. I also have to admit that sales people were so helpful and friendly.
i've been using a company called hvf floors for years and i've always been thrilled and you need not have to rely on "luck" to get them to do work for you.
their # is 212-343-0701. ask for carmel or austin.
My floors should be finished today! I did a lot of research through Angie's list....and ended up going with a guy that did my neighbor's floors.
They were very well priced...and so far have done an excellent job. They even brought me to the place where they buy the wood so I could take a look at a wide selection. (Or he can bring you samples)
Fernandez Hardwood Floors
Kelvin 646.591.4892
If you have any questions....feel free to email me mgd208@hotmail.com
we used verrazzano flooring, and had a very good experience with them.
We used Sullivan Floors a couple of years ago and they were great to wrok with. Fast, pleasant, reasonable.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/service-misc/sullivan-flooring-service-001151
Norweigan Wood in Brooklyn. They fixed a major floor malfunction in my renovation. I can't recommend them highly enough. Ask for Zuba. 718-218-8880
I recommend Marc Ringel at Masterpiece Flooring. He refinished my floors this July. Very flexible, accomodating, honest, trustworthy and reasonable prices. He'll show you samples and find what you want and make sure the job is done to your satisfaction.
Masterpiece Flooring
212.334.5100
www.nymasterpiece.com
Maybe I'm nuts, but what about keeping the concrete floor? I've seen some very cool, contemporary places with concrete flooring, and always thought "Wow, that looks slick, but who wants to go through the trouble of pouring the concrete?" But if you've got it already, maybe cleaning it up and sealing it could be a sexy option?
Our contractor used Duffy Floors, which he swore by. They were nice and helpful during the staining process, but the poly job was an unmitigated disaster. They came back three separate times to fix problems and it's still not right - bubbles, hairs, tons of dust permanently stuck in the finish, broom straws stuck in the poly (!!) - every square foot of my apartment has a problem with the floor. That's to say nothing of all the poly that got slopped all over my new paint job - how they got it halfway up the wall I'll never know - and the 30-40 hammer marks they left dented in my wall, for whatever reason.
Hi-
I just yesterday received my new Martha Stewart Living, and she has a buying guide for hardwood floors. As I am a free-lance designer, I even learned a few things I didn't know!
Best of luck,
Zeb
Many thanks AT friends for the advice and recommendations -- and the cautionary tale about Duffy Floors. I really appreciate it. I'm going to make some calls and get estimates.
As for not covering the concrete, I agree it could be sexy. I do like the look of glossy, tinted concrete floors. My co-op board would kill me though. Concrete floors not only don't muffle sound, they amplify it. Luckily, I like wood, too. So much so that I'm having trouble choosing a wood color. But that's ANOTHER good question...
Thanks again. Barbara in the Bronx
Barbara,
I know that NYC has a Home Depot that you can visit and learn more about engineered floating floors with REAL WOOD VENEER. These floors are easy to install and usually come with their own foam backing. Either way, to install over concrete you will first need to lay a 10 mil piece of plastic sheeting (moisture barrier) and then use a foam padding before laying the floor. Of course, the floors that have the foam padding already attached to the individual planks makes this MUCH easier.
Note: the moisture barrier is the same as heavy duty plastic paint tarp found in the paint department, the flooring tarp is blue, the paint department has a choice of black or clear. It's the same stuff but in the Paint department it is much cheaper.
You'll need a table saw and chop saw to intall the floors yourself, but no nails are required until you begin installing baseboard moulding. Blue painters tape is helpful to hold down the plastic sheeting and a small Cat's Paw is useful for the floorboards close to the walls. You can use the Cat's Paw to gently pry the boards into one another. Be sure to use a piece of scrap board or wood to avoid damaging the tongue and groove.
Good Luck!
-Tiffany
Personally, I recommend DuPont Real Touch Laminate floors because they are very easy to install and look realistic (they are fully engineered and not a wood veneer). My experience with these floors: 2 installs, 6 years of living with them. They don't crack, chip or peel; withstand water; and clean easily. The only downfall was the amount of green sawdust resulting from the cutting during installation.
As for real veneer flooring, they are usually very good quality. A lot of what I hear from people has to do with installation rather than longevity (unless that person owns a 100 pound dog, then they complain about scratches in the veneer). Also, a lot of people don't work well with the expensive transitions you buy to match the flooring. This was a problem on my first install but during the second install I had cut a 3" piece off one transition and used it as my guide for measuring lengths of flooring that would butt up against other flooring in the house (tile and carpet). This way the transition's tongue would fit in the groove between the tile and wood and could be glued in using Contractor's Grade Liquid Nails Adhesive. I also added a bead of permanently flexible silicone adhesive to either side of the transition so that it remained flexible as people stepped on it. I never had one broken transition problem. The transitions are VERY EXPENSIVE to replace.
My suggestion for installation, especially if you are doing it yourself and have never done so, is to make paper templates for the more complicated cuts. The templates will keep you from making expensive mistakes (make sure you label your template top and bottom).
Also, I forgot to mention this, try to remove most of the loose linoleum with a 4" scraper blade (a long razor blade attached to a 14" handled tool).
-Tiffany
you don't need to lay down any plastic on the concrete... that's only helpful if your're apt is at ground level... over dirt. the plastic keeps the moisture vapor in the soil from rising up and warping your new floor. don't bother, seriously i'm an architect and i've never had a problem with this in over 20 years of rehabs and such. if you're buying an engineered laminate wood you might even be adhering it with an adhesive to the concrete... in which case a sheet of plastic will cause you much grief. so, if its engineered find out exactly what the manufacurer requires for your suspended (not on ground) concrete slab... they might in fact tell you to use plastic or their very own propritary junk.
We used Ace Flooring to install our wood floors. We went with bamboo, but they can do whatever wood you want. For an affordable flooring contractor, I recommends them.
Ace Flooring
Ask for Ray: (718) 877-1671
I have been using Conte's Flooring located at 5008 Avenue L in Brooklyn (718) 531-6706 , they are a family owned company and are just great. they installed a Brazilian Cherry Hardwood floor in my living room & dining room that is absolutely amazing. They also do carpets & laminate flooring and have a wonderful selection.
Ask for Mike or Joe and tell them Bobby Burke recommended you ! That should be good for a little discount
Hey Everyone,
I've got a Wood Flooring "Cheat Sheet" posted on my site cityhammer.com to help you get started on either refinishing an existing floor or finding the right pro to install a new one.
here's a link: http://cityhammer.com/tips/show/?id=34
if you're looking for good flooring pro's in the New York Area, we have a section filled with them including ratings and reviews, here it is:
http://cityhammer.com/catalog/companyList/?category_id=22
Josh
view cityhammer's profile