Hello,

I have been researching wood flooring for almost a year now and this site is great. I have a question and would appreciate input.

Our project: 2000 sq/ft (Ugh!) in our home, wood subfloor, better than average DIY weekend warrior skills. We’ve budgeted every weekend in October and November for completion (if needed.)

Now, what product?

We have narrowed down our choices to Kahrs Builders Grade and a prefinished solid, 3/4" oak (nail down.) I know they are dramatically different choices. We are a young family with a dog. I am concerned about our ability to complete the nail down installation, but hubbie is concerned about having a) a floating floor, after all how the heck does it stay in place, and b) a hollow sounding floor.

Thoughts? Which would you recommend? Thanks in advance for any assistance.

-Jamie

Both styles you've chosen are good for DIY. The pros and cons of each.
Kahrs floater:
Inexpensive but good to high quality, installs fast and easy (for the most part), great over concrete slabs, square edge (no grooves between planks), can be refinished, engineereed flooring is more stable than solid. Cons; can sound hollow, uses bulky transition moldings at doorways and meeting other floors, has the 3-strip "Pergo" laminate look, Kahrs doesn't use the "enhanced" urethane floor finishes which make it's finish a little less durable compared to the most durable (Award's Ceramix).
3/4" solid:
Pros: the real deal (3/4 solid oak), fairly easy to install for DIY, can be refinished many times, lots of choices in colors and styles, timeless design, moderate cost, easy to repair compared to floater or gluedown, solid feel.
Cons: Can't go over concrete without expensive new plywood subfloor, less stable than engineered, prefinished has grooves between boards, usually more expensive than Kahrs builders floater, takes more time to install than floater.
These are not all the pros and cons of each product but just what I could think of at the moment. Others can add to this I'm sure. My personal preference if it was going in my house: If I was on a slab, I'd go with the Kahrs but would chose one of the single strip designs. If not on concrete, I'd go with the solid 3/4" nail down.

Thanks. That sounds consistent with what I've learned so far. Your note about the "pergo" appearance of the Kahrs Builder's is interesting, I haven't heard that comment before and I have not yet seen a sample (husband has). Anyone else have thoughts on the appearance?

What do you think?
http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... -monte.jpg
http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... 278pix.jpg
http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... 268pix.jpg

ditto on Gary's comments, one thing though. If you are going to nail the floor down you are going to need a flooring nailer. You guys may consider buying one to resell when done. 8 weekends of tool rental is going to be costly. You will save money in the long run, most dyi with a nail down install will only put down about 200 sf a day on average.

Yeah, we'd definately buy the nailer. Too costly to rent. I think the pics of the floor look pretty good, but I haven't seen an installation in person.