Hard flooring options

On a related note, something I find dismaying is the replacement of natural stone with "printed" ceramic tiles to mimic it, that cost about 85% of the real thing. (and about 95% of the cost of natural stone after installation). Like... WHY is that necessary?

My main source used to be southerlands - was awesome for granite, marble, etc. Now, even they don't have a single natural tile. None. Problem with ceramic vs natural stone is the surface of ceramic isn't "lifetime", it is possible to wear through it in super-high-traffic places - like commercial.

Now there's commercial tile places that can still get it on order at like 300% rates.

And I have a hard time imagining natural stone going out of style, ever. Granite/marble tile still improves values and people think it costs more than it actually does. I did a full wall-to-wall bathroom in black marble (with white streaks) once, which I LOVE, now it seems like I won't be able to ever again :/ there's also a depth to the crystals that printed ceramic can't mimic. /// sigh // end rant.

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Originally Posted by OxArt

Eh, I've installed hardwood (tongue and groove) and I don't know any other way to repair damage than to pull it all back from the wall. Maybe better installers have a trick, but since they interlock you either have to rip out the structure that holds it together or uninstall the whole floor to get back to the damaged area. I consider that to be a bitch. Tile, you can use anything but an impact drill to cut out just the one piece. Vibtraroty cutters, cutoff wheels on grout, diamond tipped hole saws, diamond edged saws-all (with a pilot) etc. Once you're through to the concrete board you can generally get it to pry up the rest of it pretty well, then just scrape the thinset, mix a small batch of thinset in a paper cup, and reinstall.

I also do grout in very small batches (paper cup) so tbh, fixing damage isn't much more time over the install, save for breaking the f'n tile off. Cutting is a win, pulverizing until a crack develops can work too but it sucks on well installed. (impact drills imo cause premature wear on the surrounding adhesion)

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You can cut an individual piece of hardwood out along with any protruding tongues and nail + edge glue a replacement in (cut the offending board down the middle and then pry it up half at a time). Takes a lot of patience and time.

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Originally Posted by CavSct1983

at the cost of an entirely new non-hardwood floor, though?

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Site finished floors you have to refinished every X years as that is just part of the process. A quality pre-finished floor will have 12 coats of poly or 4 coats of oil. The oil floor will have periodic no sanding re-oiling, but the poly should last a lifetime. If you buy a hardwood floor from me I would help you install it for free (sub floor ready) )[Beer]

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Originally Posted by William

You can cut an individual piece of hardwood out along with any protruding tongues and nail + edge glue a replacement in (cut the offending board down the middle and then pry it up half at a time). Takes a lot of patience and time.

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Yeah, I do weaved in repairs for water damage all the time for hardwood floors.

Laminate can't be patched in like that though, so once the floor is damaged, ALL of it gets replaced.

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Originally Posted by William

Site finished floors you have to refinished every X years as that is just part of the process. A quality pre-finished floor will have 12 coats of poly or 4 coats of oil. The oil floor will have periodic no sanding re-oiling, but the poly should last a lifetime. If you buy a hardwood floor from me I would help you install it for free (sub floor ready) )[Beer]

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I'm hopeful our new floor with Bona Traffic HD finish will outlast me.

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Originally Posted by Irving

Yeah, I do weaved in repairs for water damage all the time for hardwood floors.

Laminate can't be patched in like that though, so once the floor is damaged, ALL of it gets replaced.

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Depends on the product

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Originally Posted by Wulf202

Depends on the product

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Even when you can patch, new stuff won't be the same shade as the currently installed stuff, and since you can't refinish it, it'd still likely all be replaced.