10-24-2012, 12:59 PM
We had the same questions 6 years ago when we moved. We ended up getting a demo home with only part of one level with flooring. This was great since we have allergies, and hardwood flooring really helps us with that health issue.
What we decided to do:
For the main floors (middle and top), we had professionals install hardwood (extending the existing flooring style throughout the level) and bamboo in the top level with the bedrooms. The bamboo still looks as new today as the day we walked into the house. It's really pretty IMHO and has worn better than the ash the builder used for the kitchen and dining room (which we extended to the rest of the floor like the dining room). If you USE your kitchen - something some modern folk and even some couples don't these days - I do NOT recommend hardwood for the kitchen. If you are washing your hands properly, the spilled water from that alone will wear down finish on even good hardwood.
We installed a quality laminate in the basement. Again, it has worn much better than the ash. It still looks the same as when we installed it. Professionals would do a better job of trimming, edging and finishing than we did. But it's a basement - I can still add some polish down the road should I need to. But if that were the look of the main floor, my house would have a lower quality feel to the space.
What we decided to do:
For the main floors (middle and top), we had professionals install hardwood (extending the existing flooring style throughout the level) and bamboo in the top level with the bedrooms. The bamboo still looks as new today as the day we walked into the house. It's really pretty IMHO and has worn better than the ash the builder used for the kitchen and dining room (which we extended to the rest of the floor like the dining room). If you USE your kitchen - something some modern folk and even some couples don't these days - I do NOT recommend hardwood for the kitchen. If you are washing your hands properly, the spilled water from that alone will wear down finish on even good hardwood.
We installed a quality laminate in the basement. Again, it has worn much better than the ash. It still looks the same as when we installed it. Professionals would do a better job of trimming, edging and finishing than we did. But it's a basement - I can still add some polish down the road should I need to. But if that were the look of the main floor, my house would have a lower quality feel to the space.