DeeJay wrote:
I have no experience with hardwood floors except that a while ago I had someone replace the carpet in my Living/Great Room with hardwood so I apologize in advance for any silly questions. The transition between the hardwood and the tile (main hall/kitchen is tiled) was slanted/ramped because of the height difference of the wood vs. tile I guess. We love hardwood and would love to have it in our new Mattamy home too but the price factor is discouraging us from Mattamy's hardwood upgrades - the price through Mattamy seems utterly ridiculous ($13 000 to upgrade approx 900 square feet of floor that is included as tile in some rooms/carpet in others into Mattamy's Satin Finish Casa 3"x3/4"), I can't remember the price we spent to get hardwood done in our old home (after closing) but I think it was way less (per square foot) and I think the hardwood we bought was better quality too (purchased from Costco, installed by a local installer). However, we only had the hardwood done in 2 formerly carpeted rooms, so the hardwood did not come near the staircase and we didn't have to worry about removal of tiles. Now in the new home we are interested in having hardwood throughout (except for areas that may get wet like kitchens/bathrooms) and my main worries about getting hardwood after closing are:
1) Would we be able to find a hardwood colour that can match the Staircase (we plan to keep the included Mattamy oak pickets and oak veneer stringers)? If it's hard to match after closing, can homes still look decent if the staircase and hardwood colours are similar but not professionally matched? Is this a strong reason for getting hardwood through Mattamy instead of after closing?
2) Should we replace the carpet in the upper hall with hardwood after closing? Could we do so without damaging the staircase and rail area? We have an "open to below" upper hall area with stair-railing - would the hardwood after closing match the same level/height as the wood at the base of the railing or would the hardwood need to be ramped/transition into the base of the rail (might look off?)?
(the Soulstyle.ca house is not my house, but shows a carpeted upper floor with wooden stair railing base)
3) Should we replace the ceramic tile in the foyer with hardwood after closing? Would replacing the tile be a rough job? Might it damage the connecting staircase? Could the hardwood transition cleanly into curved areas (such as transition areas with the bottom of the staircase).
4) Our main floor is "open to below" too because we opted to have the Next Step (finished basement staircase), so we have railing in the main hall too - would this create a similar concern as described in 2 (except this time the hardwood would be replacing tile instead of carpet if that makes a difference)?
5) If the staircase creates problems for hardwood level/transitions after closing, another option we're considering is to get hardwood only in the areas connecting with the staircase ($4000 for mere hall/foyer space) through Mattamy and then after closing finding a similar hardwood colour to use in other rooms (the $4000 would cover the tiled foyer (~8'x7') so no more tile removing concerns since everywhere else that we're changing to hardwood is carpeted)? Thoughts on this?
6) What would be the approximate installation cost (or price range) (for ~900 square feet all carpeted except for ~8x7 foyer that's tiled) after closing? Is it better to buy materials and find someone to do the install or to go through the installer and purchase the hard wood and installation together through them?
Thanks for your help
1) You can easily match the stair colour with hardwood floors after closing, we have been doing this for years
Of course Mattamy will try to tell you it's not easy to match or it's best if done by them but that's just not true.
2) The stairs will not be damaged if you install hardwood on the upper hallway. Just make sure Mattamy installs a wooden nosing. If you are installing 3/4" thick hardwood & your nosing is set to 3/4" height, the nosing should be flush with floor. Sometimes nosing might be set lower/higher, then it will need to be raised or lowered depending the thickness of hardwood you're getting.
3) It's a bit messy to remove tiles but if it's a small space & you prefer hardwood in foyer, then it can be done. In general tiles are safer in foyer due to wet shoes, snow, etc. But if you have a floor mat & are careful with clean up, it will be fine. Hardwood should transition cleanly into curved areas.
4) Should be no problem.
5/6) PM me your floorplan copy & I can provide you with more info on cost, etc.