Hi,

i just received the keys to my new apartment..and thinking of putting up new wood flooring throughout the living room (including the balcony)

i'm wondering anyone here had experience with wooden flooring before.

my is that there are so many types of flooring...i think i dun like laminated wood flooring cos when u step on it with bare foot..it doesnt feel wood at all..in fact, it felt like ur steping on hard plastics..not a nice feeling altho it seems to hv a lot of advantages over other type of flooring esp pricing wise...

and then there are real wood flooring, hard wood, engineered wood..bamboo wood...wooww...like rocket science man...

i wanna know..which type of wood i shud go for that is water proof, i.e. can kena rain water and no problem like those use outdoor & in some bathroom...and at the same time suitable for indoor use as well...

laminated wood flooring can be laid directly over tiles...those other types oso can??

maybe someone can recommend me the brand & type to go for...or any particular shop i shud visit? also pricing per sq ft if possible...

thankx in advance...

From what I know, real wood (including hard wood, engineered wood or whatever fancy name they call it) cannot be laid on tiles.
Not totally impossible, just that you floor will be significant raised (unless you wanna do a platform).
Cos real wood thicker than laminated, and they need breathing space underneath to minimize moisture and thus warping.
Unless it's parquet.

And if I'm correct, bamboo wood is more or less like laminated wood.
Just that laminated wood usually uses HDF (high-density fibreboard).
Heard that bamboo is tougher but also pricier.

As for water proof wood, don't think there's such a thing.
Most will only say they are highly water resistant.
For your balcony, definitely cannot use laminated. I doubt they will even install it for you unless your balcony is actually indoor.
Also, I'm not sure apartment can install real wood cos you'll need a few inches of height/depth.

Just a note, laminated wood does have different classes and prices.
Those you see at Vincci are cheaper, plastic feel type. Glossy, peels off.
Some higher-end laminated flooring comes with imitated natural wood contour and do feel like real wood.
There are also different grades for home or commercial (high traffic with shoes).

Price (material+installation) is around
Laminated RM 9 - RM 1x
Real wood RM 1x - Rm xx

This post has been edited by sotplug: Feb 27 2009, 06:09 PM

It had been discussed here:
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=792737

& here:
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=591761