Janka Scale

Tandy Reeves · July 26, 2009, 03:20 PM

Gary, I understand you liking laminate over wood because laminate is a European product, and for the most part it is the new kid on the block in the US. You have grown up with laminates, and we grew up with wood, and neither of us are willing concede. Hang in there and keep shipping it over because as an inspector it sure did open a new very good source of income.

GaryS · July 26, 2009, 05:16 PM

Tandy Reeves said

Gary, I understand you liking laminate over wood because laminate is a European product, and for the most part it is the new kid on the block in the US. You have grown up with laminates, and we grew up with wood, and neither of us are willing concede. Hang in there and keep shipping it over because as an inspector it sure did open a new very good source of income.

LOL I had not even considered where the products were from.

I agree there are some really bad laminates out there along with some really good ones.

There has been a marked increase in the last few years in customers here requesting solid wood flooring though on the whole the UK market will buy considerably more laminate than solids and more carpet than either laminate or solid.

Cost is most likely the significant factor here though the ability to maintain the finish is a big issue due to the mainly wet climate. Wet and dirty footwear will embed dirt into the scratches of solids discolouring the surface of the wood on lighter woods. So six months with these conditions can cause a lot of damage to a solid floor. I have seen the results of this on several occassions not too pretty.

Given the type of treatment a floor in the UK is likely to recieve and since I do a lot of sales myself I thought it a good idea to try and find out a bit more about the different species of solids so I can then give my customers a better understanding of what to expect from their choices, a much better idea than having them think they were cheated because the product does not live up to their expectations.

As you rightly pointed out you grew up with solids so I figured this rather than a forum from the UK would be a better source of information on the subject.

Jerry Thomas · July 27, 2009, 03:26 AM

Gary, as far as scratches and having to refinish a wood floor every few years.... alot of that has to with with the finish applied to it. What finish product and or technique is prevalent in your country?

Tandy Reeves · July 27, 2009, 09:44 AM

Gary I think we may be talking apples and oranges. You are asking questions that will survive in Europe, and we are using US information. I know very little about the climate over there, the building standards, the building codes, sidewalks, and other such things.

For example is there a requirement that the slope away from the building at least 5% or 6" in the first 10' away from the home?

When I went to Siberia a few years ago, the custom was to remove your shoes when entering the home. Is this custom only observed in certain areas or is it a European thing. The reason I ask is with shoe removal a lot of floor damage would be eliminated.

Lets explore some of these things under your conditions and I bet together we can come up some workable ideas. Sorry for not understanding earlier.

GaryS · July 29, 2009, 05:08 PM

I am not that familiar with building regs here or the normal finishes that would be used as the jobs I have done have all been pre finished the question of pre finish over site finish is an interesting one as it is the finish that seems to be the problem.

FlooringGirl · July 30, 2009, 09:27 PM

GaryS said

Peter your advice or lack of it is to get knowledge which coming to a forum with lots of experts in the field I should be able to get here.

Yet you say that is unlikely I was asking for some general information on what to advise customers on when it came to hardwood floors. I am starting to think hardwood in general is a really crap idea unless you are prepared to spend cash on a regular basis for the mainteinance and upkeep of the floor.

So for some practical advice to give to customers don't bother with solids it is going to cost you lot's more to purchase and have it installed and then it will also cost you lots more in maintenance so unless money is no object buy a good laminate as the customer will probably be a lot happier with the way it still looks new in 5 - 10 years time.

GaryS said

Thanks Tia you don't know me but you don't like me as I happen to have an opinion that may be different from yours LOL.

Sorry, Gary. I was just a bit put off because of your response to Peter, who seems to be one of the most knowledgable there is. You don't know him, and you judged him! Again, please don't take offense - I've always wanted to visit Scotland and Ireland when I'm in Europe and would hate to run into you at the pub and have a bad feeling amongst us.

Tia

Peter Kodner · July 30, 2009, 11:00 PM

FlooringGirl said

Sorry, Gary. I was just a bit put off because of your response to Peter, who seems to be one of the most knowledgable there is. You don't know him, and you judged him! Again, please don't take offense - I've always wanted to visit Scotland and Ireland when I'm in Europe and would hate to run into you at the pub and have a bad feeling amongst us.
Tia

Thanks for the kind words Tia.

In candor, I probably should have be clearer. I do not know of any shortcuts to the learning process. Great mentors, tons of mistakes, piles of reading, too many classes to count, etc. are the way I learned. This has been spaced over an extended period of time (closing in on 40 years). I no doubt have had many opportunities many do not enjoy and I am grateful my circumstances allowed me access to people and places most others haven't. That is probably one of the main reasons I try to share as much as I can- it was given to me so I feel the imperative to give it to others.

This said, and although there are some great discussion and sharing of knowledge and experiences here, TFP (and other internet sources) do not replace the time and effort required to becoming a pro in our industry.

GaryS · July 31, 2009, 12:34 PM

FlooringGirl said

Sorry, Gary. I was just a bit put off because of your response to Peter, who seems to be one of the most knowledgable there is. You don't know him, and you judged him! Again, please don't take offense - I've always wanted to visit Scotland and Ireland when I'm in Europe and would hate to run into you at the pub and have a bad feeling amongst us.

Tia

Hi Tia please understand I meant no disrespect to Peter I was only talking about the post of Peter's in my reply not his knowledge as I am sure he is an expert in his field. Thank you for clearing that up though no offence taken.

GaryS · July 31, 2009, 12:47 PM

Peter Kodner said

Thanks for the kind words Tia.

In candor, I probably should have be clearer. I do not know of any shortcuts to the learning process. Great mentors, tons of mistakes, piles of reading, too many classes to count, etc. are the way I learned. This has been spaced over an extended period of time (closing in on 40 years). I no doubt have had many opportunities many do not enjoy and I am grateful my circumstances allowed me access to people and places most others haven't. That is probably one of the main reasons I try to share as much as I can- it was given to me so I feel the imperative to give it to others.

This said, and although there are some great discussion and sharing of knowledge and experiences here, TFP (and other internet sources) do not replace the time and effort required to becoming a pro in our industry.

Sorry Peter I did not mean to cause offence by my post. I realise that there is a lot of information to be gained from specialist courses, it is an avenue I will no doubt explore in more depth when I have the opportunity. It seems there is no hard and fast rules as to what type of floor's would be best though there have been a few interesting posts made so far on the forum.