The Great Floor Debate Part I
So P and I need your help with something. The Great Floor Debate. Let me explain. We currently have 4 different types of flooring in our downstairs:
1. Kitchen and Entryway: new solid hardwood floors in a cherry finish (3/4" thick by 3 1/4" wide) that the previous owners installed
2. Dining Room: old hardwood skinny floors that the previous owners left alone when they redid the kitchen floors (not sure if they are oak, pine, etc...any guesses?)
3. Living Room, Family Room and Stairs: very old and nasty cream-colored carpet. mysterious stains seem to pop up daily.
4. Bathroom: lovely (and I mean not so lovely) green tile that we can live with.
Here, look. I made you a visual:)
Now that you're caught up on the background info, I think I'll make this 2 posts. Come back tomorrow to help us decide what to do about this debacle. Because we all know how inconsistency in flooring makes a space feel smaller and more chopped up. And nobody likes nasty carpet. Thanks!
1. Kitchen and Entryway: new solid hardwood floors in a cherry finish (3/4" thick by 3 1/4" wide) that the previous owners installed
2. Dining Room: old hardwood skinny floors that the previous owners left alone when they redid the kitchen floors (not sure if they are oak, pine, etc...any guesses?)
3. Living Room, Family Room and Stairs: very old and nasty cream-colored carpet. mysterious stains seem to pop up daily.
4. Bathroom: lovely (and I mean not so lovely) green tile that we can live with.
Here, look. I made you a visual:)
Now that you're caught up on the background info, I think I'll make this 2 posts. Come back tomorrow to help us decide what to do about this debacle. Because we all know how inconsistency in flooring makes a space feel smaller and more chopped up. And nobody likes nasty carpet. Thanks!
I vote to carry the cherry color into rooms with carpet.
ReplyDeleteYes, various flooring types adjacent to one another like yours rarely works! Curious what the options you are considering are. The second photo looks like oak, hum. Also curious about the 3/8" solid cherry, is it solid or a layer of 3/8" cherry wood on an engineered product? Usually solid flooring is 3/4". I've had so many flooring issues, for myself and clients, centered around the debate over what flooring is identified as by sellers & manufacturers, hence my interest.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your next post! Janell
I would carry over the cherry wood into the living room and family room. These are the largest spaces and would have the most impact in unifying the public areas. Love your home!
ReplyDeleteGirl, I'm with the above three... carry that cherry ON!! The oak is nice, too...
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Janell! The cherry is 3/4" thick, I typed the wrong fraction!!! Thanks for catching it, I just edited it.
ReplyDeleteReplacing the carpet with the cherry floors was our first thought, but its super expensive and not the floor we would have originally chosen if starting from scratch.
My SIL had the same problem, and she just had the wood stained an ebony color. It's nice and makes the colors really pop.
ReplyDeleteIf budget is a concern, then I'd just suggest refinishing the existing (oak, I'm guessing) floors in the dining room to a stain that matches the new floors in the kitchen/entryway. The fact that they're not identical woods won't matter once they're the same color. As for the carpet, if you can afford to carry the wood the rest of the way through great, but if not, maybe just a visit from a professional cleaner will help extend its life?
ReplyDeleteOh my. This sounds like it could get complicated so I'll save my "two cents" til after I read Part 2! Your dining room floor looks like white oak... very common around these parts in houses built in the 40's and 50's.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks guys! Didn't expect this many great responses so soon!!! I was going to talk about the different options we've come up with in this post, but then I thought it would be too long, so I thought I'd do that in another post. I'll get started on it now:) You are all the best!
ReplyDeleteI was going to say maybe white oak, and also that you couple probably have it refinished to match the rest -- but I'm clearly not breaking new ground here :)
ReplyDeleteI think consistency is the key. I am actually a fan of the old hardwood floors. I know the cherry is new but I really love the look of the oak.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. We have the exact same problem but with worse options. lol I'm looking forward to seeing what you're considering. :)
ReplyDeleteHmm, maybe you could have the oak refinished to match the cherry although this won't be perfect because oak is much more grainy. So what about replacing the oak with the cherry since there is less of it and installing a really nice textured carpet in the other rooms since the cherry would be too expensive to carry throughout.
ReplyDeleteBring the cherry into the dining. OR, have them both redone since they are similar in size and make them match in color. A nice dark color.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks for the info on the brick fireplace. I think we are going to go for it!
Have you thought about re-finishing the wood floors to match? I really do not like the cherry color for your home.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your preference? Do you like carpet for the Family room? If you like carpet I would install a new carpet just in the family room (where you really are most of the time and if you want to try to cut some expense)
Thanks for the visual...it looks great! My opinion...I like the idea of consistent flooring.
ReplyDeleteYour old floor looks like oak. Do you know if the oak is intact under the cherry floor? I like the look of the oak floors more than the cherry.
However, if the old floor has been removed, it may be more affordable to continue the cherry floors through the rest of the house.
I would also run the wood in the bathroom as well. We've always had tile in our homes but I think wood floors are easier to clean.
I'll be anxious to see what you decide. You have a beautiful blog and home, so I know you'll make the right choice. ~Lisa
Wow - lot's of great opinions already. I'm looking forward to your next post! I agree that the more consistent it can be, the better, and budget will obviously influence what you end up doing.
ReplyDeletepk @ Room Remix