Hard wood flooring?

[silverado]

We have a gardenia home and thinking about removing the carpet.We would like input about what type of wood flooring is best for the climate. Thinking about lumber liquidators. Has anybody used them and if not can anyone recommend someone they used .

[Mudder]

We used Lumber liquidaters and they were excellent.

[kaydee]

Who and where are Lumber Liquidaters? Is there a big difference in flooring cost? Do they install?

[homeball]

We replaced all our carpet with laminate floors which are as popular as tile. Of course, you have to realize that laminate floors are not really wood but a version of plastic. ;) They look like real wood and cost considerably less and are easy to install. Since they are thinner than wood, you might want to have a cushion material installed underneath them to reduce the noise when walking on them with anything but sneakers or sandals.

BTW, we used Floor Masters.

[laryb]

Used Lumber Liquidators on my home up north and they were excellent. Bought Bellawood hardwood and Nirvana V laminate ( each plank is about 5" wide like real hardwood) and installed myself. Great warranties and great prices. When we went looking around last week the salesman showed us a new product, I think it was called exilon. It's an underlayment that you put down and then you install real hardwood over it. Instead of nails, you glue the tongue and grooves together, basically turning hardwood into a floating floor. This makes it a lot easier for slabs and a possible project for the do-it-yourselfer, that's why we were looking. Just have to ask the sales people down here what type of wood is better suited for here, if any. Although I like laminates, nothing feels and sounds like hardwood to us. You can also get a product that is installed like laminate but has a real wood surface, it's called an engineered floor. It's about the same thickness as laminate. Just food for thought.