laminate flooring and resale value?

9 years ago

My wood floors in my house are completely trashed, from previous owners and the fact that it's softwood. I've been looking at replacing the floors and I have dogs. My question is if I put laminate flooring down, will it decrease my resale value?

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PRO

AKG Design Studio LLC

9 years ago

I highly recommend keeping the wood floor for resale! contact a local flooring company to see the cost and the possibility to refinish the wood. Replacing all the floor will cost you as much as refinishing. Some people opt to add carpet above the wood to protect and refinish it before they leave.

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Comments (8)

PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
9 years ago
Hardwood always commands more money than laminate. You could do an engineered hardwood.
acm
9 years ago
You could also have the current floors refinished, and request extra-thick polyurethane layers to help prevent further damage.
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Bailey R
9 years ago
Have them refinished if possible, always a selling point even if not in pristine condition.
PRO
NOMI - Luxury Bathroom Remodel
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We strongly suggest keeping the wood flooring for resale and we do not recommend to have laminate flooring with pets what so ever. In most cases (not every engineered wood can be refinish) you can refinish the floor, stain it - change color. If your dogs have a light hair color and lots of hair fall, we would also recommend to stay away from dark floors. Good luck.
lobelia
9 years ago
You should be aware that not all wood floors can be refinished-especially engineered. We bought a townhouse and the floors were in pretty bad shape - worse than yours. We thought they were real wood (our mistake) and could be redone. They were engineered and we ended up having to get them replaced. A floor company can tell if refinishing is an option by pulling up a floor heat vent and looking at the wood.
acm
9 years ago
But with real wood, some amazing stains can be sanded out. Definitely worth a consult!
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
9 years ago
Soft wood or hardwood = doesn't matter. The DAMAGE is done to the finish. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, the finish is there to PREVENT damage to the wood = exactly what it is supposed to do. This is the nature of wood flooring.

If you WANT a quick fix, go ahead and lay a laminate floor OVER TOP of the damaged floor (not vinyl...laminate) and let the dogs beat up that floor for the next 10 years. Leave the wood! It is worth as much as 20% of your home's value.

If you can't have it refinished today, that's fine. Not everyone has that option. Cover it with laminate. The laminate will PRESERVE the hardwood underneath. And when you are ready to sell, rip out the laminate and have the floors refinished. Tah Dah! Valuable asset reestablished!

Good work! Personally I think the wood (with proper refinishing) will survive LONGER than a laminate (unless you go with a HIGH END laminate for $3.50 - $4.50/sf which is IDENTICAL to the cost of a full sand and refinish for $4 - $5 per square foot).

I suggest you do what is best for your HOUSEHOLD....while still preserving the wood floor that is of huge value to your HOUSE. Leave the wood floors in place and then decide how to work with a floor that will work best for you.