Q. I plan to put in a hardwood floor, but am a little confused.
There are so many types around: engineered, floating, laminated, and solid. A friend put in a floating floor and did not like it. What would be best for me?
Pat Cirone, Middleborough
A. I really don’t know what is best for you, but the best flooring under normal conditions is solid prefinished hardwood, 3/4inch thick, and nailed in place, not stapled. The prefinish will stand up well and the thickness of the floor means that it can be sanded three times, which will allow it to last 100 years or longer.
Your friend’s floating floor is OK, but it is laminated and cannot be sanded. It also may feel funny underfoot, creating a double click when walking, because not all the floor is touching the subfloor.
There are a lot of laminated hardwood floors on the market, probably because there is less and less solid wood available, so manufacturers are using laminates to make the available wood go further. Or the laminated hardwood floors are less expensive. Still, in my opinion, prefinished hardwood 3/4-inch thick is the best way to go.
Q. I read a lot of information on bamboo floors, but I still cannot understand how those skinny bamboo shoots can be made into thick boards.
Do you know how they do it?
Mr. Eff
A. Bamboo can grow much larger “shoots” than those used for fishing poles. I saw a remarkable grove of bamboo some years go in Japan, and it was more like a forest than a grove. Huge trunks of bamboo, 6 to 8 inches in diameter. The larger bamboo grows, the less hollow it is, so it can be cut into floorboards. And, while it makes a beautiful floor, it is neither hardwood nor wood at all, but a grass. And a remarkable grass it is.
Q. We have spent quite a bit of money installing and refinishing wood floors in our Colonial-style home. Unfortunately, the finish on the stairs is slippery and we have had a few cases of kids and adults slipping and falling down the stairs. The good news is that no one has been hurt. The obvious solution is to carpet the stairs, but we do not really like the look or the cost. However, we have not been able to find an alternative.
Any suggestions?
M.M., Andover
A. I don’t quite understand why the stairs would be more slippery (slipperier? – yep, it’s in the dictionary) than the floors.
However, certain polishes can make a varnished finish super-slippery; if that has happened, simply remove the polish. If the varnish is not polished, M.M.
has to do something about it. You might be able to find a nonslip finish for varnished floors in stores. It is made by Bondex, but Bondex was taken over by Dap, which had no information on such a nonslip finish.
A top-quality stair carpet is the best way to go (an Oriental design works well) but it is indeed expensive. So, try this: The Improvements Catalog (ImprovementsCatalog.com or 1-800-642-2112) carries braided tread covers that make the treads nonslip and protects the wood as well, and also double-faced self-adhesive mesh for installing the treads without tacks.
The protection of the wood is important, too, because varnished treads tend to wear out quite quickly from the scraping and scuffing action of walking on stairs.
Handyman on Call Peter Hotton is available Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. MST) to answer questions on house repair. Call 617-929-2930.
