Walnut Flooring

13 years ago

I am very excited that this is my very first post not just on houzz, but on the entire Internet!!! Here goes....
My husband and I are planning a whole home renovation. We both think that Walnut flooring is beautiful, however my husband is very hesitant and ruling it out because it is a fairly soft wood. I have seen some beautiful pictures here of walnut floors and would like to hear your experience of living with it. How does it stand up to wear and tear? We have no children and no pets. Thanks for your input!

Featured Answer

Ann

13 years ago

I love, love, love my walnut floor. The grain is amazing and the color is so great which I imagine is what has drawn you to it. It's just a nice warm brown without orange, yellow, red etc. The color gets warmer over time, less purple and more golden. I was also a bit worried about it being fairly soft so I got mine handscraped so dings wouldn't show, but that hasn't been a problem since it is holding up very well after 4 years. I do love the handscraping though! We got prefinished walnut (natural color) and prefinished wood has an amazingly hard finish, but I bet you could get a good finish in house as well. We also don't have children or pets. You'll never regret walnut if you get it, you'll think it's the best thing in your house.

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Comments (14)

Ed
13 years ago
Hi dum, Congrats on your first post on the entire internet!!! :)
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Ann
13 years ago
Here is a picture of our walnut floor.
dum7117
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Ann. That is almost exactly what I want! I have thought about hand scraped as I know it hides things better, but overall hand scraped is just not for me. It is the warm brown that attracts me to it. My husband loves lots of variation, generally I do not. He likes things more on the red side, I like true browns. Its been tough finding a compromise. While Walnut has far more grain then I ever thought I would want there is something about the swirls that I love. My husband is stuck on Tigerwood. I need to convince him that walnut is the way to go.
Ann
13 years ago
Well, I was lucky in that my husband chose the walnut. I was thinking reclaimed Chinese Elm and my husband loved the color and the big open grain of walnut. I'm glad I ended up agreeing with him (it usually goes the other way with decorating). :) Good luck, there is lots of business and orange in Tigerwood!
dum7117
Original Author
13 years ago
Precisely. Tigerwood is way too orange for me. While I see some pictures that look great, I just do't think it would fit in our home.
Ed
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
Hi dum, how about light solid maple hardwood flooring ?
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dum7117
Original Author
13 years ago
We have ruled out maple. It was the first species I thought of when we decided to pull out the oak (yes, I said it. We are taking out the oak) but my husband doesn't like it because it doesn't have enough variation, and ultimately I am tired of seeing it in every house I go into. Its hard to find a compromise for his desire for grain, and my desire for uniformity. Any other ideas?
Ann
13 years ago
Well I already told you how much I like my walnut, but the grain of walnut is outstanding, not boring.
Ed
13 years ago
Hi dum -- * sigh *. I'm with you, on uniformity. :) Exact opposite direction to your hubby's. :)
PRO
Dullea and Associates Inc.
13 years ago
Walnut floor can be gorgeous! Keep in mind that wood flooring comes in various grades. The better the grade the more uniform in color, grain and board lengths.

If you are looking for some beautiful Walnut you might want to consider checking out Carlisle Wide Plank Flooring. They specialize in old growth wood flooring. There number is 1-800-595-9663. I have specified their flooring for some of my clients.

Mark Dullea
mark@dullearesidential.com
PRO
Significant Buildings and Construction
13 years ago
Try getting a solid wood nail-down and then having it hand-scraped, it might give you the uniformity that you are looking for but give a unique, edginess to the grain and texture.
Sheila
11 years ago
Hi Ann, just now seeing this. Love your floors and am also trying to stay away from reds. What brand is your walnut?
Ann
11 years ago
Hi Sheila. Ours is Homerwood.