Remodeling an Old Camp House

Q: I am remodeling a old camp house that has the original wood flooring in it. The floor can not be saved. The entire house is about 1300 sq ft. We want to leave the old flooring and cover it with something that is durable and country looking in style. What do you recommend for the floor and how do you recommend to do this.
Priscilla
I followed up with Priscilla to find out what type of traffic this floor would see to get a better idea of what options we could look into and here is what she had to say:

My husband and I will be the only ones living in the house with a small winnie dog.
The floor will be thorough out the house except the bedroom. My kitchen, living, and dinning are all one room. I could put something else in the bath and utility room.
I have only grown children, but have two grand children that visit often (10-7). We entertain some but not every month.
My breakfast chairs have rollers on them. My dinning chairs will be just normal chairs.
A: Based on your information you have quite a few options. Depending on what appearance you are going for and just how durable you want your floor to be will be your primary ways to narrow down your search. Let’s start with durability.
Laminate is the wood flooring of choice when it comes to taking abuse. Laminate can take quite a bit of abuse from household pets without ever showing it, and even the occasional dropped item has a tough time damaging most quality laminates. The only problem you will run into with laminate is that the patterns will repeat and there are only so many rustic or country looking laminates. Examples here would be something like Westhollow’s Barn Milled Oak or Rustic Oak and Quick Step’s Scraped Rustic Hickory.
Cork also could work very well here. I have had several customers who used cork in cabins (including a few log cabins) to get a great rustic look. The key to remember here is that cork is durable against denting, as it will naturally remove dents over time. Cork is susceptible to gouging though, so you need to avoid dragging things over cork. This is very similar to vinyl flooring when it comes to dragging something over it.
You can also look into various hardwood floor types, though I would suggest finding something that is at least as hard as Oak. A good way to get a nice rustic look is to purchase an unfinished product in a #1 or #2 common grade, which will feature more of the wood’s natural character like grain variation and mineral streaking, then have the floor installed and site finished. Avoid something that is cabin or tavern grade here, as these take a lot of patience and waste to make into a truly amazing floor. The key in any installation like this is to spend plenty of time selecting boards and racking out the floor so you get the appearance you are looking for while still keeping to the best planks.
You can also look into a nice hand scraped product like those made by Virginia Vintage to get a great old home or weathered look while still using a brand new, high quality floor. Woodstock also features a nice hand scraped line which will give you a great look.
Regardless of the type of floor you choose, there are some simple practices to extend your floor’s life and prevent many of the most common causes of damage to a floor. The biggest tip is to use furniture cups on your chairs, tables and similar furniture to protect your floor against the pressure applied by these furnishings. Also, keep your Winnie’s nails trimmed and this will reduce the likeliness of scratches on your floor. Try to avoid wearing stiletto style heals as these types of heal put tremendous pressure on the floor and cause denting easily. A person weighing 120lbs wearing stilettos will exerts about 2000lbs or pressure per square inch to a floor.
I would suggest using something other than wood in places like a bathroom or utility room where you are likely to have more moisture and potential spills. Tile or linoleum works well in these areas as they are nearly impervious to water spillage. You can use a wood floor in these areas, but should any water be left standing for more than a few minutes, it is likely to seep into the flooring and cause problems later on.