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I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on hardwood staircases in regards to safety?

There will be adults living in my home but some friends have said that if I plan on selling my house in the future, hardwood staircases might be a turnoff for families with young kids who might slip and get hurt running up and down the stairs. A friend who has a five year old has not had a problem with her son going up and down the stairs though.

I would not personally install a runner to get the hardwood look but also be safe. And as they are expensive to have installed, potential buyers might not be interested in incurring that cost, too.

I did not realize you did not close yet

Yes, Mirage wood is very good I just hope whoever installs it, does it properly. I understand that people like to have things finished when they move in & that's fine but you pay for that convenience

What did Mattamy end up charging you for the hardwood if you don't mind me asking?

Hi patrob,
Just purchased a new village home and as the previous thread, you mentioned that Mirage is one of the top lines. I'm not sure if i got the right name of the brand. Mattamy is also offering the "Bruce" brand. Is it also considered as a quality hardwood?

btw, thank you for this thread. Very helpful.

We were thinking of getting the standard oak stairs and not putting a stain on it. If we decide to stain it later on will this be difficult and would it be very expensive to have it done?

Bruce is a lot lower quality than Mirage. It's one of the better brands from the lower grade. But recently Mirage dropped with their quality.

IMO Vintage is the best product right now on the market

Would you recommend Bruce?? Thanks again for the info patrob.

Can I ask what exactly is bad or not as great about Bruce? Is it not durable?

I upgraded to hardwood for my living/dining room and hallway and the option presented to me was Bruce (I chose the Dundee Oak in the less wide strip), but am feeling like I might have chosen an inferior product now.

We were at the DC on Wednesday I was taking a very close look at the Bruce vs. Mirage. There is a HUGE differnence. When looking at the Bruce, the ends are cut, so when the floor is laid, you can see some of the unstained wood. Also, when you run your hand across the floor, it catches. Pantyhose worst nightmare.
The Mirage flooring looks like the ends are bevelled. Not really sure what the tech. term is, but it was really nice.

Is that because the sample at the DC is old and only meant to be a sample so it's not finished the way it would be when it's installed?

Aside from the price gouging by Mattamy, if I waited until after I moved in and had an outside business install Bruce hardwood, would the installation be better in quality than the job Mattamy will do?

But you have nothing to worry about. I always tell everyone, if you wait & install hardwood after closing, you can get better quality hardwood installed for less (depending of course what wood you choose, etc.) Many people don't want to wait after closing & therefore have to settle for whatever the builder offers.

I agree 100% I got Mattamy to install hardwood Saddle Dundee Oak only cause I wanted to include it in my mortgage. It's hardwood floor, but you can get nicer floors if you wait till after close and call someone like Patrob.

Patrob,

In my new home I am interested in getting hardwood floors but this time I want them to be installed then sanded and stained on site. Do you offer this service?

Hi Patrob,

We would like to lay hardwood floors in our house, and are considering doing it after closing. I am in an Aspen, which is 1887 sq feet http://www.mattamyhomes.com/communities/hawthorne/sub.asp?id=2197, and would like to do all areas except the main bath, laundry room, and ensuite - so probably around 1700 sq feet.

I would love to do the place in Walnut, with wide & longish planks. Either solid (which I love) or engineered.

Would you be able to estimate a range of how much this would cost, and give your opinion on Walnut floors? Is this something I could get a reasonable match with for the Mattamy stain choices for hardwood stairs (oak or maple)?

Thanks!