Advice for wood floor in kitchen/diner

[loubyloo]

Hi
I wonder if someone could offer some advice on wood flooring

I live in an old cottage with the kitchen/diner knocked through to be the width of the house. I used to have an old reclaimed maple floor in this room but last winter had a burst pipe which damaged the floor and so it had to be replaced- I could then see that the front part of the room the floor was laid on the original floorboards and the kitchen ½ of the room has a concrete floor. The floor was replaced with a lacquered solid maple floor- which must confess I didn’t have lot of say in and can’t say I particularly like, compared to the original.

Being the jinxed person I am I recently had another loss of water incident in the hall and some water leaked through into the edge of the kitchen side of the room and damaged the floor again. The insurance company are recommending the floor be replaced again.
My dilemma now is what type of floor to fit- the insurance co have accepted a quote for £45 per m- labour cost is on top of this, the room is around 30 sq m
This time I was thinking of going for a brushed oiled oak solid floor as I have a dog and the lacquered floor easily scratches. However, this obviously would be in a kitchen area, (though I don’t spend a lot of time cooking and it doesn’t get especially humid) so it could get splashes from washing up and would be laid on a concrete floor.

So my questions are
Would brushed oiled oak be OK for this environment?
Should I be looking at solid or engineered - bearing in mind the insurance co have already made the cheque out to the contractor and so they could just install something cheaper and pocket the cash,
I know some folks may suggest tiles or vinyl but I need something that will maintain the character of the house which I don’t think the current maple one actually does.

Any advice?
(By the way I’m getting water tanks removed so fingers crossed won’t get another water leak !!)

Thanks
lou

 

[mac391]

First of all,, remember you have every right to choose whatever flooring you like within budget allowance.

Oiled oak is a good alternative, both character wise for an old cottage and easier maintenance. Your dog might still scratch it but it's much easier to repair/maintain than a varnished floor.

Not sure how your previous floor was installed but the lounge room should be secret nailed to existing flooring and the concrete end should be fully bonded with adhesive. It should also be checked for moisture content before being fitted (RH value less than 75%) or you could have problems.. If the RH value (relative humidity) is above 75% then you will need a DPM (damp proof membrane) before installation.
Sounds a bit techno but all very straight forward realy and your flooring contractor should know all this..

There's no real reason why you can't have solid wood in your kitchen except for when your washing machine leaks !!

 

[loubyloo]

Thanks

I think last time I was somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of work that needed doing- this time it's less and I hope to have more control.

Totally paranoid about water now but thankfully my washing machine isn't in the kitchen and the dishwasher iis no longer used

Thanks
lou