Flooring Update! What Not to Do!

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When I bought my house seven years ago, it had had a lot of renovations – some good, some not so good. The previous owners had done all of the flooring and they did a very good job with the installation. However some of the selected materials were not so good. Individually they were fine – the ceramic tiles, the hardwood and the laminates used. Collectively, they were a hodgepodge. The tiles in the high traffic areas – the entrance, the bathroom, the kitchen and the laundry room were fine. The different laminates and hardwood side by side were not. I realize that this was probably due to budget constraints. Doing an entire floor at the same time is expensive and the same materials for the adjoining rooms and hallways may not have been available.

Selecting hardwood flooring...

Originally, I had planned on putting a nice, dark-finished hardwood throughout the main floor. (Not including the entrance hall or laundry room tiles.) I am so glad now that I couldn’t afford to do it and was forced to wait. After living here for the first winter I realized that it didn’t get a lot of light. That’s also why I chose to stay with white cabinets for my new kitchen. This year I got several samples of medium-tone, similar to what I had, and darker flooring. Guess what? They were all too dark. Someone else also pointed out to me that if I ever get a dog (like I want to do someday) all the hair and scratches will show. I didn’t want anything that was too precious that normal wear and tear would detract from it. Because we all know – life happens!

As luck would have it, I came across this in-store special at Home Depot. I brought home a box to try it out in the space, and I actually liked it! At an average of $2 less a square foot than the others I was looking at, it was a steal. (Who doesn’t love a good deal?)

The new hardwood floor goes down...

My (amazing) contractor carefully removed the laminate and hardwood. The laminate in the living-room, which I actually like, is the same as my guest bedroom. My hope is that I can source a little more of it and re-use this for my bedroom and the upper hall. Yes, the upper level also has a hodgepodge of flooring.

Before the new flooring went down, many screws were added to the sub-floor to try and get rid of the squeaks. Alas, there are still a few. If you are wondering why the little table is in the middle of the room, it’s so people don’t walk into the chandelier. Ouch!