Flooring sample
Ok we took WTG’s advice and bought a box of what we think will work best. By the time we took these pics it was dark out so the lighting’s not the best, but what do you? Re the direction of the grain, I think we will match the two laminate wood directions, which will result in the living room (original hardwood) grain being perpendicular to the new flooring. I think that’s probably preferable to having the two laminate floors being perpendicular just so that the laminate in the den matches the direction of the hardwood.
Also the kitchen flooring doesn’t look too good in these photos but I think it’s a little better in person.

Anyway, what do you think?

So maybe no one's commenting in this thread because the flooring option looks just that horrible??

Bump

Boy, tough call, especially without being able to see (in person) the whole room from various directions.

Random observations:

1) My gut reaction is that since you're trying to match the kitchen floor and you have a fairly narrow transition space next to the peninsula, that it makes sense to run the new den floor in the same direction as the existing kitchen floor. You have photos where you show the new floor perpendicular to the old one and somehow it just doesn't look right to me. But I'm not able to imagine how the den will look with the floor running the width rather than the length. But maybe it won't matter because much of the den floor will be covered with an area rug?

2) Just for your info, flooring typically has a direction which is marked on the back. Doesn't matter which way you lay it, but all the arrows on the back should be pointing in the same direction. I know you're having an installer put it in, but when the boards are laid without regard to the directional arrows, it does change how the floor looks.

3) Real wood tends to be very random, and some flooring mimics the randomness better than others do. From the photos, it looks like many of the boards for the flooring you're considering look identical/have the same pattern. The installer would open multiple boxes and mix them up to get an aesthetically pleasing layout, but of course is limited by the material itself.

If you lay the floor with the directional arrows all facing the same way and trying to mix up the boards so that like patterns aren't next to each other, are you satisfied with how it looks on its own, and also relative to the kitchen floor? You could try laying the new floor over a portion of the kitchen floor to get an idea of how similar or different they are. Stagger the boards so the ends don't line up.

4) The color match looks quite good, at least in photos.

WTG that is soooo helpful!!! Could you just move down here for the next few weeks and be our consultant?

1) Re the direction of the flooring, I agree, I think the planks should be laid so they match the kitchen.

2) Re the directional arrows, we did not know that! I'll check when I go back there later to see how we have them laid out.

3) Re the randonness, yeah, that might be a problem.... We weren't really paying attention to that yesterday, we were more focused on how it matched the kitchen, so we'll check for that today.

4) I agree that the color match is good (I do want to look at it when the sun is out though). But there's a difference in the .... I cannot think of how to explain this in english! um... On the flooring sample, the pattern is quite clear, whereas in the existing laminate flooring, the pattern is, not muddy, but the lines that are supposed to mimic wood are less distinct. If there's a reason we end up thinking they don't match closely enough, I think that will be it. Although I do think it's less noticeable in person than it is in the photos.

I'll be back over there after I finish my day, so maybe I'll be able to get a better idea.

BTW, what do you think about the spot where the living room floor (original hardwood) and the new flooring are visible together? I can't decide if I would come to hate that or not! But I feel like the issue will be the same no matter what type of flooring we choose.

Yea, the differences you're observing between the kitchen and the new flooring are the things I was trying to describe in your previous thread. Color is one thing, but there are a whole host of others. You have to step back and look at the overall effect and find something that you can live with.

I think that by laying the floor in the same direction, you create a single point of transition in a fairly narrow space. If you went perpendicular, you are not only changing flooring, but changing direction, and I think that's more jarring to the eye. The lighting is different (darker) right in that space because of the counter, which also helps hid the transition.

As far as the transition to the living room...the living room floor and the existing kitchen floor are different, and there's no way around that. The living room floor is reddish brown and narrow boards, and the kitchen floor is brownish gray and wide planks. And they are laid in different directions. If you're trying to extend the kitchen floor into the den, that difference is brought front and center. I think that's where both Lisa and I were coming from when we suggested something completely different (non-wood) in the den. It avoids the "dissimilar woods" problem.

You have to decide which look you can live with is most pleasing to you.

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As far as the transition to the living room...the living room floor and the existing kitchen floor are different, and there's no way around that. The living room floor is reddish brown and narrow boards, and the kitchen floor is brownish gray and wide planks. And they are laid in different directions. If you're trying to extend the kitchen floor into the den, that difference is brought front and center. I think that's where both Lisa and I were coming from when we suggested something completely different (non-wood) in the den. It avoids the "dissimilar woods" problem.

Here's is where the problem is.... I don't want a non-wood option (i.e. tile or carpeting). And since we're not going to get real hardwood, the chances of matching the living room with some kind of laminate or LVP seem quite slim. Thus, it seems like the best option is to try to match the kitchen... So that's where we are now. And once there's furniture in the den, and possibly an area rug, the differences between the den and kitchen will be much less noticeable. Hopefully! We'll see how it looks if the sun ever comes out! (It's rainy and dark here today)

I guess what I was trying to ask was, yes, it's two dissimilar woods. But very dissimilar, so obviously not an attempt to match. Does it still look totally horrible?

I don't subscribe much to the "looks horrible" point of view because everyone has different tastes. They're just personal choices and I don't like being judgmental about matters of taste. Plus it's often a case of budgetary constraints being a driver for decisions. We would all do things "perfectly" if we had infinite financial resources.

As you can probably gather from my original suggestion to do a different, non-wood floor in the den area, the dissimilar woods butting up to each other is not the choice I would make. To avoid it, I would either do carpet or some sort of tile that mimics a fabric look (not a stone or tile look). Or I would wait until I could afford to do all the flooring in the house in one style to get the look I want, and just live with what's there.

Given that the un-wood option is a non-starter for you and you can't live with the carpeting, I think the decision to match the kitchen rather than the living room is the correct one, which means you'll have dissimilar woods meeting.

If the overall look works for you and Mr SK, then you should go for it.

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Plus it's often a case of budgetary constraints being a driver for decisions.

Yes indeed!!

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a different, non-wood floor in the den area

I totally get this and I sort of feel like it's the better approach. I just am not seeing non-wood alternatives that I like. I really dislike the tile, and the ones that mimic a fabric-look, to my eye, look institutional, like something you'd see in an office. Either that or they look like cheap apartment carpeting. Maybe I'm just not seeing the right stuff, or it would look different in person, but so far I'm not seeing other options I like.

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If the overall look works for you and Mr SK

This -- I don't know if it will work for us or not. It's so hard to judge with the room totally empty of furniture and no curtains, bad lighting etc. So I feel like I have zero ability to make a decision on this. But we do want to do something before we move in.

Maybe we should revisit the carpeting option. But, then again, I feel like I'll come to the same conclusion, that I can't really decide with an empty room.

Ugh.

I’d get rid of the kitchen flooring and make it all the same as the living room. It won’t cost much more and will be better for resale. Plus you won’t have to look at the contrast and be unhappy with it.

The thing about home ownership is no one will probably notice the shortcuts. But you will.

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I’d get rid of the kitchen flooring and make it all the same as the living room.

You might have missed the detail that the kitchen and dining have the same flooring. (also, I assume you mean den/family room? the original hardwood is in the living room, the room we're going to re-do is the den). Anyway, re-doing to match the kitchen would mean re-doing three rooms, den, kitchen and dining. So probably close to three times as much.

If our only expense was flooring, I would do all three rooms. But this is not our only expense.

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Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
[QUOTE]I’d get rid of the kitchen flooring and make it all the same as the living room.

You might have missed the detail that the kitchen and dining have the same flooring. (also, I assume you mean den/family room? the original hardwood is in the living room, the room we're going to re-do is the den). Anyway, re-doing to match the kitchen would mean re-doing three rooms, den, kitchen and dining. So probably close to three times as much.

If our only expense was flooring, I would do all three rooms. But this is not our only expense.[/QUOTEI caught that. But if you cant afford to do what you really want, save your money until you can. You will be happier. Also, if you run it perpendicular it will bug you forever.

If only wood-look hard surface flooring will do, I'd use what you bought and run it the same direction as the kitchen.

OTOH, what I would do is find a low, dense, carpet tile that has the colors found in both flooring materials you already have (ties them together), or perhaps something that looks like sisal. Maybe like this:



1. It's not really carpet, it's something different. I get that people don't like carpet these days, although I am seeing it in model homes again which means it's coming back. So is wallpaper, BTW.

2. With a low, dense pile like the picture it reads more as a floor than as a carpet.

3. It has a mid-century vibe that will work with your stuff but the fact it's tiles makes it feel more modern.

4. Even inexpensive low-pile carpet tiles will last nearly forever in a house.

5. Generally stain proof and if you buy a couple of extra you can swap out a tile if something happens.

6. It's very easy to install - easier than plank flooring.

Just a thought.

Yep. Commercial grade carpet tile is very easy to install and wears like iron.

Note: it might also be a softer transition than wood look against different wood look.

Oh - and:

7. Once you lay a rug on top of it, as you intended with the floor, you aren't going to see a lot of it. It's main function will to be eliminate the clashing of woods at the doorways.

Steve, re carpet tile, I actually like the way that one looks. Hmmm

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Once you lay a rug on top of it, as you intended with the floor, you aren't going to see a lot of it. It's main function will to be eliminate the clashing of woods at the doorways.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this... and I can’t decide if the problem with carpet is that it’s wall to wall, or not...

BTW re your comment that wallpaper is coming back: