I'm home from being gone for 9 days. So much to do and you'd think I'd have been organized enough to make a detailed to-do list on the plane home. I didn't. However I did find a link to a post on Buzzfeed with 21 incredibly helpful lists (those are their words, but the lists are indeed very helpful). For example:
What I really need a list for is 'how to choose everything for a remodeling project' because that's what I spent the day on. We are about to begin kitchen/bathroom/other stuff remodeling project. We are not doing this one ourselves because neither of us have the time to do it. It will be a new and amazing experience to pay to have this sort of work done.
The contractor, Rick Owens, comes highly recommended and I like him a lot. He returns calls and shows up when he says he will. All very important. Since I work at home he is working with me to keep the disruptions to as short a time-frame as possible. The plan is to order everything, get the cabinets made, and then he will gut the house in sections and put it back together. Then move on.
My biggest quandry at the moment is which flooring to go with. We are doing the whole house and the floors are a very serious expense. Here's the Bellawood engineered floor which can be glued to our slab, in natural hickory…
Or the solid bamboo that would be a floating floor. The one I like best is darker and has a stronger pattern.
Here's what it looks like in a customer's photo. Those dark areas are nearly black.
I like it but am not sure what it's like to live with this much pattern on a floor. Do any of you have something like this? How do you like it? I should add that the Bellawood is half again as much as the bamboo which equals a lot of money. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Piece O Cake Blog 
Be careful with the bamboo flooring. A friend of mine did her whole house in it and wasn’t very happy with it. It dented and scratched easily. If you can, go to see the product installed in an actual home. On the other hand, I happen to really like the hickory. Our local market used it in the whole store, it still looks good after almost three years of foot traffic and shopping carts.
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My husband is a floorring contractor and he says he would select an owens engineered product.
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We looked at a floating bamboo floor too, and then moved and didn’t do it. We had a wood laminate floor in our old kitchen that held up well to daily traffic and didn’t scratch under dog and cat paws either. Recently we “activated” a 2 car garage into a studio space and decided to keep the original concrete floor. BEST choice!!! We embraced it and kept it natural. The floor is sealed with (many) coats of linseed oil and we absolutely LOVE it. It stands up to a three year old, fabric and scissors, rolling chairs, people and animal traffic plus daily sand – beautifully.
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Be warned about a floor needing yo be glued down. I know from past experience that the adhesive can be very stinky for a long time afterwards. Personally i would recommend something that can be floated some way.
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Becky,
We are doing new floors this month and chose Lido Hickory Toast. Check out this link for a sample – scroll down to Hickory Toast.
http://www.floortraderbillings.com/laminate
Mary Lines
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Thats pretty!
As it turns out, Steve did not like the look of the bamboo so were going with the Bella in a natural hickory. And the glueing down, according to our contractor, is the best choice for a slab foundation in our area due to the variations in humidity. I know my current floating floor is prone to separating in the studio which has been making me a bit cranky. Its probably also due to wet feet coming in from the pool. They are going to add extra glue in the seams to help prevent that.
I do hope that the glue smell isnt awful. If it is, maybe the weather will stay nice so that we can open the house up.
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have you read the bella reviews??? not very encouraging to long term color and dents…..
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Yeah, just did. Im checking with my contractor. You know, there are times when I wonder if any product gets universally great reviews.
Sent from my iPhone
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Tho the darker one is beautiful, I feel that it is too busy. I know I could not live with something with so much pattern to it over such a large expanse. In fact, I just said the same thing to my son and his wife as they prepare to change out their hardwood floors. But, remember, it is your home and your decision. Hope you enjoy whatever you decide.
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The hickory is absolutely beautiful! I’m glad you’re going with it!
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