Flooring continuity/priorities

[Susie]

We have a 1985 side hall colonial that currently has 3 major flooring types on the first floor:

1.  Laminate that looks (sort of) like tile in the kitchen & foyer (blue diagonal)
2.  Neutral berber carpet in the living room/dining room (red diagonal)
3.  A slightly different neutral berber carpet in the family room (red horizontal)




There's also a 4th type of flooring, a 13x13 format porcelain tile in the 1/2 bath, but I'm not too worried about that being different since it's behind a closed door.

In an ideal world, we'd probably rip out at least the diagonal line flooring that's all on one level and replace with continuous hardwood floors (foyer, kitchen, LR, and DR).  But we don't live in an ideal world, so I'm trying to decide what makes the most sense.

Replacing the carpet in the LR & DR is high priority.  Now that we are a family of 4, we eat in the dining room any time even one other person is joining us, because we max out the kitchen table on our own.  Especially with frequent use and small kids (messy eaters), wall to wall carpet in the DR doesn't make sense.  Our dog has also had a couple accidents in the LR, and you can never really get that out.  

I dislike the laminate in the kitchen & foyer, mostly the feel under foot, but it's holding up fairly ok.  I had been hoping to ride it into the ground until we would eventually reno the kitchen (including layout change), and then we'd redo it then.  This hypothetical kitchen reno is a long ways off.  Our priority "big" project is to add a master suite over the garage, turning our 4 bed/1.5 bath house into 5 bed/2.5.  Having all of us home so much during covid has really underscored the need for a little more space. Unfortunately, having all of us (including a crawling baby) home has also made the floor situation harder to ignore.

I need to decide what flooring to put in the LR/DR, and how far to take it through the house.  Here are some of the considerations:
- when we someday reno the kitchen, we're considering opening it up to the DR, so it's desirable for them to eventually match, whether we put something cheap in now and replace later, or buy extra of what we do now, or just hope it's still available. 
- we're trying to limit spending now, because we're trying to save up for the big upstairs reno (which will also require re-siding the house).
- should the foyer match the kitchen or the LR, if we have to choose?
- we live in a cold, northeast climate, so wood look tile isn't appealing in the LR (which currently serves as my office).  Radiant heat under tile isn't in the short term budget.

I am considering LVP... HW... engineered HW... and other materials anyone might suggest.  I've thought of a few scenarios:

1) New flooring in just the LR & DR, leave kitchen & foyer alone for now.

2) New flooring in the LR (to get rid of the dog issue) and foyer.  Leave the DR carpet, which doesn't currently have an issue, and eventually do it together with kitchen.

3) New flooring in the LR, DR, and foyer, leave the kitchen alone.

4) Something cheap/not as permanent as tile in the whole house, knowing it'll come up when we do the kitchen (and change the cabinet layout).

5) Something I haven't thought of?

WWYD?

ETA: here are some pics of the actual existing floors if that helps prioritize:

Blue diagonal - kitchen & foyer



Red horizontal - stairs match the family room (and the whole upstairs except the bathroom).

Red diagonal - LR & DR

[TR]

My disparate thoughts:

The foyer should match the kitchen since it looks pretty continuous from your photo. So since you don't want to do everything, I'd do the LR & DR in the same now since you want them to match down the road. I'd probably choose a hardwood/engineer hw based on my own style preferences. I think if you do the kitchen later (and with it, the foyer) you could either use the same if available, or if it's not, choose a tile and it won't look weird that it's different from the living room/dining room, IMO.

[hbomdiggity]

I’d choose option 1.

I agree that I think foyer and kitchen should match. Ideally the DR would match as well, but I think you can achieve that with the kitchen reno. For now, I like the idea of just doing what needs to get done with materials you may still rip out later.

[Deleted]

Will you be DIY or hiring out? That makes a difference to me. I live in the same house as you, our layouts are identical mirror images except I don’t have a family room and my new pantry/half bath is in that location. We are also planning a kitchen reno, but it won’t be for several years because we also want to add a master suite over our garage. We decided to redo the entire main floor with wood-look laminate flooring. The one we choose is only $2/ft and we’ll be DIY and expect the entire project to be less than $2k (including underpayment and all new baseboards throughout). So that’s my vote for you too

[Susie]

Sept 14, 2020 16:44:22 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

Will you be DIY or hiring out? That makes a difference to me. I live in the same house as you, our layouts are identical mirror images except I don’t have a family room and my new pantry/half bath is in that location. We are also planning a kitchen reno, but it won’t be for several years because we also want to add a master suite over our garage. We decided to redo the entire main floor with wood-look laminate flooring. The one we choose is only $2/ft and we’ll be DIY and expect the entire project to be less than $2k (including underpayment and all new baseboards throughout). So that’s my vote for you too

Definitely going to hire out.  With everyone home so much, and with two little kids, we can't drag this out as long as it would take us to DIY.

[aprilsails]

When we had the same dilemma at the last house we bought enough engineered hardwood to do the entire space, and stored what we didn’t use (until we sold the house! We gave it to the next owner since we never got around to doing the second floor in hardwood). Now, we had to buy all at once in order to get the flooring to match since we sourced it from a local commercial flooring company that sells their overstock and leftovers from commercial projects for pennies on the dollar. You are limited to what they currently have in stock, and they generally have a limited quantity since it is leftovers. However the colour selections were generally great and they also had extremely thick underlay and thicker than normal hardwood and laminate since they had to meet commercial design specifications.

Maybe see if there is something similar near you? In my case the company was located in an industrial park. We found out they sell this way through word of mouth.

[dr.girlfriend]

We had a similar issue...we replaced the ugly carpet in our one living room, even knowing we would be redoing our kitchen soon. In the end it was five or six years -- we had bought extra and stored it in our garage. The guys who redid our kitchen said it had turned brittle and the click-lock parts just kept breaking off. I don't know if that was just an excuse or what, because they weren't professional floor guys, but it ended up looking terrible, with big gaps. For better or worse, it was only a few years more before we redid the whole bottom level when we did the addition, and replaced the floor throughout. I feel bad about the wasted money and materials, but we did enjoy the living room floor for a good 10 years or so before replacing it.

That said, with a baby and a peeing dog, I would think about maybe if you want to just do a big Ruggable rug in some of these areas for now. I've really liked them, and you can throw them in the washer. That might be a good solution for the dining room and living room, and then replace with good floors when you redo the kitchen.

[Susie]

So sounds like consensus that the foyer should match the kitchen rather than the LR - excellent!  That is probably easiest right now anyway.  I admit if I had posted a pic from a different angle it might have looked more continuous from the foyer to LR, but I figure that there is a reason that the flooring has always been divided up LR/DR and kitchen/foyer.  Keeping that divide should be fine.

dr.girlfriend , unfortunately we really need to rip up the carpet in the LR at least, because of a pet odor issue.

I'm interested in the Ruggable rugs for after we replace the flooring though. Can you really put them in a standard size washer? Up to about how large of a rug? I like the idea of being able to wash, just like I wash my bath mats, but I was skeptical that it would fit.

As far as flooring materials, I am hesitant on HW floors because I'm not sure, during covid, where we would go to get out of the house while they're finished.  But I don't want to discount the option either.  I need to do some research on flooring materials and maybe see some in person.  I'm going to want something really durable for dog toenails, kids, scraping chairs, etc.

[hamster]

What about doing the living room only? It doesn't solve the dining room, but I feel like a mismatched living room would be least irritating.

An expensive alternative would be to do it all, and buy extra flooring to accommodate any layout changes to the kitchen. Fwiw this is our plan. We don't have a cohesive stopping point, and our contractor doesn't think it's a huge deal. We have no idea when or even if the kitchen project will happen.

[ssmjlm]

Honestly I would just do the whole area except the family room in LVP and call it good for the next 5ish years.

If you want to spend some money, then do it on bigger rugs over the floor.

I wouldn't play a guessing game of reno, floor type, wall configuration, etc with no actual start date in the future.

[runnergirl]

Sept 15, 2020 9:18:50 GMT -5 Susie said:

So sounds like consensus that the foyer should match the kitchen rather than the LR - excellent!  That is probably easiest right now anyway.  I admit if I had posted a pic from a different angle it might have looked more continuous from the foyer to LR, but I figure that there is a reason that the flooring has always been divided up LR/DR and kitchen/foyer.  Keeping that divide should be fine.

dr.girlfriend , unfortunately we really need to rip up the carpet in the LR at least, because of a pet odor issue.

I'm interested in the Ruggable rugs for after we replace the flooring though. Can you really put them in a standard size washer? Up to about how large of a rug? I like the idea of being able to wash, just like I wash my bath mats, but I was skeptical that it would fit.

As far as flooring materials, I am hesitant on HW floors because I'm not sure, during covid, where we would go to get out of the house while they're finished.  But I don't want to discount the option either.  I need to do some research on flooring materials and maybe see some in person.  I'm going to want something really durable for dog toenails, kids, scraping chairs, etc.

If durability is a big priority, I’d highly recommend LVP.  I really wanted solid hardwood, but with a toddler, a baby and a big dog, I just knew I’d regret it.  Floors would scratch or I’d be so concerned about it getting scratched I wouldn’t “live life”.  So, we went with a high end LVP. It should last 15-20 years and then we’ll replace with solid hardwood.  LVP has really come a long way, and is very reasonably priced.

[Deleted]

Sept 15, 2020 13:42:56 GMT -5 runnergirl said:

Sept 15, 2020 9:18:50 GMT -5 Susie said:

So sounds like consensus that the foyer should match the kitchen rather than the LR - excellent!  That is probably easiest right now anyway.  I admit if I had posted a pic from a different angle it might have looked more continuous from the foyer to LR, but I figure that there is a reason that the flooring has always been divided up LR/DR and kitchen/foyer.  Keeping that divide should be fine.

dr.girlfriend , unfortunately we really need to rip up the carpet in the LR at least, because of a pet odor issue.

I'm interested in the Ruggable rugs for after we replace the flooring though. Can you really put them in a standard size washer? Up to about how large of a rug? I like the idea of being able to wash, just like I wash my bath mats, but I was skeptical that it would fit.

As far as flooring materials, I am hesitant on HW floors because I'm not sure, during covid, where we would go to get out of the house while they're finished.  But I don't want to discount the option either.  I need to do some research on flooring materials and maybe see some in person.  I'm going to want something really durable for dog toenails, kids, scraping chairs, etc.

If durability is a big priority, I’d highly recommend LVP.  I really wanted solid hardwood, but with a toddler, a baby and a big dog, I just knew I’d regret it.  Floors would scratch or I’d be so concerned about it getting scratched I wouldn’t “live life”.  So, we went with a high end LVP. It should last 15-20 years and then we’ll replace with solid hardwood.  LVP has really come a long way, and is very reasonably priced.

You can get very durable Laminate flooring as well. The flooring we are looking at is waterproof and commercial grade and comes with a lifetime residential warranty and is only $2/sq ft to boot. 

[dr.girlfriend]

Sept 15, 2020 9:18:50 GMT -5 Susie said:

So sounds like consensus that the foyer should match the kitchen rather than the LR - excellent!  That is probably easiest right now anyway.  I admit if I had posted a pic from a different angle it might have looked more continuous from the foyer to LR, but I figure that there is a reason that the flooring has always been divided up LR/DR and kitchen/foyer.  Keeping that divide should be fine.

dr.girlfriend , unfortunately we really need to rip up the carpet in the LR at least, because of a pet odor issue.

I'm interested in the Ruggable rugs for after we replace the flooring though. Can you really put them in a standard size washer? Up to about how large of a rug? I like the idea of being able to wash, just like I wash my bath mats, but I was skeptical that it would fit.

As far as flooring materials, I am hesitant on HW floors because I'm not sure, during covid, where we would go to get out of the house while they're finished.  But I don't want to discount the option either.  I need to do some research on flooring materials and maybe see some in person.  I'm going to want something really durable for dog toenails, kids, scraping chairs, etc.

Yeah, unfortunately I only have the smaller ones.  They have videos of people balling up the bigger ones and putting them in a washer if that helps?  I have three of the runners -- one in the bathroom, one in our master closet, and one in our laundry room -- and then a 3x5 as our interior front door mat.  No complaints so far.  I'm going to get another 3x5 for the office area in our bedroom probably.

[simpsongal]

Personally, I'd go w/hardwoods, I think it will be the easiest to match if you decide to do the kitchen/foyer later. FWIW, we're in a center hall colonial and the single flooring throughout really helps reduce the 'choppy' vibe of different rooms (our hardwoods need refinishing though....one day).

You could live in the kitchen areas and cord off the rooms you're finishing. It's not great but we did it growing it (even took a ladder up to our 2nd floor balcony to access that level).

[Susie]

Sept 16, 2020 9:30:07 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Personally, I'd go w/hardwoods, I think it will be the easiest to match if you decide to do the kitchen/foyer later. FWIW, we're in a center hall colonial and the single flooring throughout really helps reduce the 'choppy' vibe of different rooms (our hardwoods need refinishing though....one day).

You could live in the kitchen areas and cord off the rooms you're finishing. It's not great but we did it growing it (even took a ladder up to our 2nd floor balcony to access that level).

I hear you, but I'm also not ready to compare 2020 to anything we might have done as kids!  Right now I've got a 1 year old, a 4 year old, and staying in daycare/school feels like walking a tightrope.  Every week we have a scare from somewhere that we're all going to end up back home together in quarantine, trying to do zoom kinder + daycare + 2 careers in one shared space.  How long are we talking about two rooms being out of commission with HW install and finishing?  I like the idea of HWs but I'm reallllly nervous about committing to that.  Losing 2 rooms - and having to empty the furniture from those two rooms into the rest of the house - becomes a way bigger deal than normal when we have really limited options for other places to spend our time.  

[simpsongal]

Susie, I hear ya - make the right choice for your family right now
Our addition starts soon....unloading our garage contents to other areas of the house has been painful.

[larzhope]

I absolutely would not do hardwoods with large dogs. I've had several homes with various types of hardwood and they all look like garbage after awhile and my dog is only 50 lbs. yes, you can refinish, but the floors can also only be refinished so many times. I would do luxury vinyl plank (we have it in our whole house and it has held up incredible. It also looks like wood - no one believes that it is not. Install in your whole space would likely only take 2-3 days. I agree with others that said to just do it all if you can swing it; it will help the flow and if you do an engineered product like LVP, it will be cheaper to install/finish than true hardwoods.

[libbygrl109]

Hardwoods are tough because if you only do part now, you run the risk of them not matching when you do the rest (or have to deal with refinishing everything when you do the other areas).

We are dealing with this now in our kitchen. The way the house is laid out, in order to run hardwoods into our kitchen (about 100 sq. ft), we would need to refinish our entire house to make them match. Not budget friendly or practical at this point, so we are considering taking up the hardwood in our dining area and putting LVP there and the kitchen. It would be much more dog/kid friendly. I hate the idea of losing hardwoods, but would make more sense in the long run.