OKW "wood" floors

[JudithM]

I spoke to a CM the other day regarding the OKW new floors. Here is what I gathered from the conversation. I do not know anything more at this time :).

The floors will be a vinyl embossed plank with a heavily grained surface which replicates the look and feel of wood. It’s a product with a good look for a residential environment but built to withstand commercial use. Hard surface flooring also reduces issues with guests who have allergies. The wood look themes to the turn of the century homes in Key West Florida.

Also, DVC did focus groups with Members showing them the design boards and fabric/material samples as well as the installed floor. The new flooring was installed in a second floor room so they could test for sound intrusion below. After 8 months of testing, DVC has not had any noticeable issues. In addition many of our DVC properties have wood floors with no noise issues.

The CM also said refurbs were to begin April 2010 and last through Spring 2011.

Remember I know NOTHING else at this time :).

[Tinks Girls]

Thanks for the update. We will be staying at OKW in September. I was curious to see what was being done and when.

[dvc_john]

Thanks for the info.

I still think an area rug is needed, and I'm still concerned about noise.

Also, if anyone on the DIS was part of the focus group, please respond.

[5forDiz]

Thanks for the info.

I still think an area rug is needed, and I'm still concerned about noise.

Also, if anyone on the DIS was part of the focus group, please respond.


I agree that area rug(s) would be nice & I also hope that they will be added. But I think they may hesitate to do that since area rugs can also present a slipping hazard although I'm going to guess that there is lots of potential to slip on these laminated floors just as easily :sad2:

This is the first I have heard about focus group re OKW refurbishing :confused3

[Shadeaux]

Call me skeptical, but I find it hard to believe they don't know about the noise issues with the hardwood floors that are in the grand villas. This is mentioned on these boards quite often. I also find it a bit difficult to believe that this unit has had these floor for 8 months and no one from the disboards has ever been in this room.

Thanks for the information. I appreciate you taking the time to check this out.

[JudithM]

... I also find it a bit difficult to believe that this unit has had these floor for 8 months and no one from the disboards has ever been in this room. ...
I wondered about that myself. I realize the DIS DVCers are a small percentage of DVC members, but we usually hear/read about changes here. Also, I was not familiar with the focus groups the CM mentioned. Who knows?!

[bwvBound]

I also find it a bit difficult to believe that this unit has had these floor for 8 months and no one from the disboards has ever been in this room. There were photos posted earlier this week ...?

Link: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2402899

[Shadeaux]

There were photos posted earlier this week ...?

Link: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2402899

I guess I should have said no one from the DIS has posted about being in this room prior to this week.

[castleri]

Call me skeptical, but I find it hard to believe they don't know about the noise issues with the hardwood floors that are in the grand villas. This is mentioned on these boards quite often. I also find it a bit difficult to believe that this unit has had these floor for 8 months and no one from the disboards has ever been in this room.

Thanks for the information. I appreciate you taking the time to check this out.

It could be the same mind set that says "I don't have time on vacation to report things that need repairing" that has kept people from reporting the noise issues. It could also be that hardly anyone has reported them figuring that it is what it is and there is nothing that can be done about it since the buildings are already complete. The time to suggest (complain) that there is a problem with noise in units under the grand villas and under the vinyl floored room is now - although it may be too late already. Maybe they could increase the soundproofing under the vinyl if they get enough messages from concerned members before they get the project in full swing. Anyone have an address and name of the person or department that should be contacted?
It's too bad they don't have the design people stay in the room under it for a week or so with a family with young active children in the unit above it to test for noise issues. Maybe have several weeks of testing this way.

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks for the info.

I still think an area rug is needed, and I'm still concerned about noise.

Also, if anyone on the DIS was part of the focus group, please respond.

I agree that it just looks too stark without some sort of area rug under the coffee table or something.

John, do you remember the floor cloth they used to have under the coffee table in the GVs? They were a painted canvas, and VERY true to the theme and they looked great! I wish I had a picture of them, but I didn't get a picture of that area when we stayed in a GV back then.

[Pig Pen]

I think it will help with cleanliness issues. DH has a phobia with carpeting - he won't walk barefoot on any hotel carpets. And don't even get him started on the tv remotes or bedspreads!

[Deb & Bill]

When we removed all our moldy, wet carpet and ruined parquet flooring after we got flooded, we decided to replace it with engineered wood and Italian tile. And I knew we would have to get some area rugs because it was going to be cold in the winter time. Well, we didn't get any area rugs because I couldn't find what I liked and kept putting it off. Lo and behold, the first winter, we didn't have any floor covering and it wasn't that bad. Second winter and it's much colder than last year, it still isn't a problem. So we have no area rugs and I really like the look. We don't live in Minnesota like Diane, but we're slightly colder than Orlando.

[Sammie]

There is an area rub in the GV under the coffee table, so maybe there is hope for an area rug of some sort.

It is possible the laminate will quieter than the wood floors depending on how it is installed.

As to the focus groups, does not surprise me at all that no one from here was chosen. :surfweb:

http://allears.net/acc/okwgv17.jpg

[donald...really]

Here is another picture of the GV floor and rug. Hopefully the other villas will follow suit with the rugs.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh91/donald27/IMG_2375.jpg

[Inkmahm]

When we removed all our moldy, wet carpet and ruined parquet flooring after we got flooded, we decided to replace it with engineered wood and Italian tile. And I knew we would have to get some area rugs because it was going to be cold in the winter time. Well, we didn't get any area rugs because I couldn't find what I liked and kept putting it off. Lo and behold, the first winter, we didn't have any floor covering and it wasn't that bad. Second winter and it's much colder than last year, it still isn't a problem. So we have no area rugs and I really like the look. We don't live in Minnesota like Diane, but we're slightly colder than Orlando.

Same here! I really intended to get area rugs after we put engineered wood in the entire house (other than bathrooms.) I did add a couple rugs in the master bedroom because we found tinkerbell and the Incredibles. But the main living space downstairs has no rugs at all and we like it that way.

[ChrisMouse]

Just have to say I'm thrilled by this choice. My family came down with a terrible stomach flu on our trip last year (one by one, every day and a half...it was AWFUL). Both of my children vomited on the floors while trying to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and it took them 10 hours to get someone in there to clean the carpet. With the wood floors, we could have cleaned it all up ourselves, which would have been more pleasant and MUCH more sanitary. We felt awful about the whole situation, and it was made much worse by our having to spend SO MUCH TIME in a room that smelled so bad.

Glad to hear about the wood floors! :cool1: (Maybe now we'll never have the stomach flu on vacation again! LOL)

[dianeschlicht]

Here is another picture of the GV floor and rug. Hopefully the other villas will follow suit with the rugs.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh91/donald27/IMG_2375.jpg

That is the picture of that horrible dark green rug that doesn't match ANYTHING in the OKW GV. I hated when they changed to that awful rug that looked like it belonged in a totally different theme. The original ones were a nice canvas painted floor cloth that were so beautiful and almost looked antique. I suspect they weren't too practical though, because they had an ecru background, and probably needed to be cleaned too often. Also, that is a refinished wood floor. The original wood floor in the GVs was much lighter than that.

[zorro77]

I like the look of the floors plus just thinking how easy it will be to keep clean floors and when that person spills on floor it is easy to clean up. Carpets are tuff to keep clean and this will make for a less smelly home after the shampoo for put into the carpet.

[BEASLYBOO]

Not only that, but you can easily remove, replace a soiled area rug!

[Lew]

The new flooring was installed in a second floor room so they could test for sound intrusion below. After 8 months of testing, DVC has not had any noticeable issues.Hi Judith,

I can tell you from experience that there are noticeable sound issues. As I mentioned on another thread on this issue, our family is now occupying the second floor one-bedroom unit in question.

They are trying to be as quiet as possible, something you normally cannot ask of your neighbor above you. The noise transference is greater than with the carpeting. I, too, hope for some area rugs, but those rugs aren't going to cover the entire floor.

Get ready for more noise coming from above.

[Shadeaux]

Hi Judith,

I can tell you from experience that there are noticeable sound issues. As I mentioned on another thread on this issue, our family is now occupying the second floor one-bedroom unit in question.

They are trying to be as quiet as possible, something you normally cannot ask of your neighbor above you. The noise transference is greater than with the carpeting. I, too, hope for some area rugs, but those rugs aren't going to cover the entire floor.

Get ready for more noise coming from above.

Lew - PLEASE let someone in management or member service know about this. If no one says anything, DVC is going to continue to say they've had no complaints about the noise from the flooring.

[La2kw]

Lew - PLEASE let someone in management or member service know about this. If no one says anything, DVC is going to continue to say they've had no complaints about the noise from the flooring.

Definitely mention it. However, when does DVC ever listen to the members? Every decision lately seems to come with the explanation "in order to enhance our member enjoyment" and a result of consulting with "focus groups".

I like wood floors, and even the engineered wood. The wood floors do not need to match the cupboardsat all. I have wood floors in my home and think the look makes sense at OKW. I just hope this floor covering doesn't look cheap. We stayed in Motel 6 a few years ago and they put a wood grain vinyl floor in the room and it looked cheap. Of course, there's a huge difference between OKW and Motel 6, so I'll reserve judgement until I see it in person. Pictures never do our DVC units justice. AKL and WLV look very tacky in the photos, but definitely are not tacky in reality.

[dianeschlicht]

Lew - PLEASE let someone in management or member service know about this. If no one says anything, DVC is going to continue to say they've had no complaints about the noise from the flooring.

I would reccomend you go one step farther and send a review into Member Satisfaction. That seems to go a LOT further than speaking to a manager or anyone else.

[Pixieflip]

As for hard floor surfaces in general...not OKW...but we stayed at Kidani in January underneath perhaps the noisiest family of furniture movers. They moved those stools on the kitchen ceramic tile more times than Dumbo flew over Fantasyland every morning and evening. Clunk, clunk, sliiiiiiide, sliiiiide, clunk...on and on it went. Pick a spot and sit for crying out loud!!! When they woke our daughters in the second bedroom at 7am...DD11 called the front desk to complain! :scared1: Front desk called back to confirm and though we didn't know she had called, we could definitely confirm on her behalf.

Having said that, we, too, are a family who can admit that one of us (DD13:rolleyes1) puked on the carpet while trying to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Eeewwww. Don't even want to think about the history of any of the carpet in any of the resorts!

I guess my point is both surfaces have their plusses and minuses. Just do unto others and be as quiet as you can. Oh and wear your slippers. ;)

[JudithM]

Lew, I agree with other posters that you need to let someone in management (housekeeping, engineering, front desk, general resort manager) know about the noise level you are experiencing. Just curious ... if your relatives are in the actual room with the new flooring, how do they know it is noisy in the unit below them?

[dianeschlicht]

Lew, I agree with other posters that you need to let someone in management (housekeeping, engineering, front desk, general resort manager) know about the noise level you are experiencing. Just curious ... if your relatives are in the actual room with the new flooring, how do they know it is noisy in the unit below them?

Lew is in the unit below.

[JudithM]

Thanks, Diane! I'm concerned about the noise level. We had noisy residents in the unit above us last fall nd that was with carpeting. Time will tell ...

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks, Diane! I'm concerned about the noise level. We had noisy residents in the unit above us last fall nd that was with carpeting. Time will tell ...

Yes, we've been the unfortunate lower neighbor to elephants wearing spurs in the past as well. Children pounding pots and pans on the tile floor at 5 AM was not at all what I expected! I did learn early in our DVC experiences that a well placed mop handle to the ceiling got my point across to the afore mentioned "elephants"!;)

[WDWMom]

In the past 10 years we have never had a noise problem that I can remember from the unit above. I guess we have been lucky. Had problems with the unit next to us with the lock-off though.

I like the wood floors. We have them at home. I hope we get a refurbished room in April.

[kathleenj]

If I want laminate flooring, I'll rent a home out on Palm Parkway. Disney is cheapening down my experience. Sad.