"Hardwood / laminate / tiles combined !?!," in the Hardwood and Laminates Q&A forum, begins: "Hello, everyone!
I just bought my first apartment and I have to renovate it completely. I am a big fan ..."
Hello, everyone!
I just bought my first apartment and I have to renovate it completely. I am a big fan of hardwood floors, but the budget might not allow me to put them everywhere, so I need to make some choices.
I will attach a plan of the apt for you to understand better (the measurements are in meters since I live in Europe).
The kitchen and living room are separated by a big sliding door and there is no door from the living room to the hallway, just an opening.
I wanted to put hardwood floors in the living room but I am scared of putting them also in the kitchen (what happens if a pipe will leak?). So the kitchen should have tiles.
Now if we move to the hallway, it's either tiles or hardwood. I am afraid that the combo tiles(hallway)-wood(living room)-tiles again(kitchen) might not be very visually appealing. In the bedrooms, because wood is pretty expensive here, I was thinking of some kind of laminate.
I think 3 kinds of floors will make the apt look weird. Does some one have any ideas on what I should do? Since it will be an extensive renovation and I'll spend a lot of money, I want to do something that it will look good.
Personally I would go for tile in the kitchen and bathroom...the only two high moisture areas. I don't see a reason not to have hardwood in the hallway and I think it would flow better with the rest of the house.
You can do whatever pleases you. I have seen a lot of jobs where people change flooring from one room to another here, I dont know how it is where you live though. But usually it looks ok, the only concern I could really see is any height differences you might have in these transition areas but that is something your installer/dealer can help you with when you pick product.
My contractor recommended putting tiles in kitchen, living room and hallway cause it will make it look like an unified space. I wouldn't like the look and feel of tiles in the living room. He also said that there will be no height difference between the floors, no matter what materials we use.
Has anyone ever seen both hardwood and laminate used in the same house? Cause if it's gonna look really bad, I might look into ways of extending my budget for wood in all the bedrooms. On the other hand, if it looks fine, I'd rather keep down the costs.
Another question : wood in the kitchen - yay or nay?
I'm not a fan of wood floors in the kitchen. You have to be on your toes all the time to make sure spills are cleaned up promptly.
I understand what you mean by changing floors from one room to another. I had the same issue in my house, wanted tile in the entry, but didn't want the flooring to change back and forth as a person walked through the house...too many transitions for me.
So basically you have to decide one way or the other and stick with it. I'd go with the wood in the living room and hallway, tile in the kitchen and bath.
As far as the bedrooms, what do you really want for flooring in these rooms? If you really want wood floors and can afford it, you should do it now as opposed to investing money in laminate that you end up changing out a few years later. If it doesn't matter one way or the other, then find a laminate for you bedrooms that matches pretty close to your hardwood in the LR/hall.
I agree w/ Kyle and Kman, with one exception....Kmans last statement. I think you should not get laminate in a pattern and color that may look like you tried to match the hardwood and missed the match. Many/most times a more contrasting color looks better.
Kman, what did you end up doing?
I'd like to put everywhere wood, so I'll try to see if I can save any money from some place else. But when the house needs to have everything redone, it's hard to know where it's ok to spend less money (new windows & interior doors, new kitchen cabinets and appliances, new toilet, A/C, heating...only the entrance door is ok and even there I need to change the lock).
Barry, that was a great idea! I was thinking just like the other guys to try to match the hardwood and probably the chances of that happening are very slim. Maybe putting a contrasting color is the solution.
What color should the tiles in the kitchen be? Something close to the wood (or at least from the same family) or I can choose whatever I want? Sorry if I sound like I have no personal taste, but it is my first time renovating a house and I am extremely anxious.
Tile in the kitchen and bath, wood in the LR, hallway, dining, and entry. The entry was the only place I really wanted tile, but I settled for wood there for the sake of continuity. People coming in the house with wet shoes was my concern.
I don't think you'll find anything that matches exactly, I'd be surprised if you did. The width of the planks is going to be different, and there's going to be some type of threshold to break up the different types of flooring, not to mention there will be a door at each break. The finish of the flooring will be different, and (at least to me) laminate and flooring look nothing alike. I just wouldn't go with something so starkly different that it looks like you "cheaped out" on the bedrooms.
But again, I'd go with the wood in the bedrooms if at all possible. Years down the road you'll be glad you did. After all, it's only money, right?
I also can tell the difference between laminate and hardwood although my contractor tries to tell me he has "the best laminate" and no one will ever know... I have to see it to believe it. he actually was trying to talk me out of wood saying that it causes too many troubles. He also recommended I get some factory finished wood, not to have it done on site.I had no idea what that means so I did some research online and it seemed to me like the prefinished wood is not actually solid wood. Am I wrong? He also said this type of wood is more resistant and cheaper.
Kman, did you have any moisture problems in the hallway? Did you have a mat or a mop close by to wipe every drop of water?
If you financially must go with laminate, you might pick the laminate first and then have your hardwood people match the stain color to the laminate. He can show you samples so you can see if you life the match.
it seemed to me like the prefinished wood is not actually solid wood. Am I wrong? He also said this type of wood is more resistant and cheaper.
There are factory-finished hardwoods. They are real wood. There are also real wood floors called "engineered wood", which has real wood surface on top of layers of plywood. The engineered wood flooring can be stronger than traditional wood flooring, I was told; it was said to be more suitable for basements and other situations.
I have 3/4 in. factory-finished Muskoka maple in my living room/dining room/kitchen/powder room. I don't know about prefinished being more resistant than finished-in-place floors. My floor is 3 or 4 years old and has some small areas of damage to the finish from pet accidents, minor nail scratches, and a few dings from things being dropped... the patina of life.
BTW, I am not a flooring professional - just another confused consumer.
