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Would wood (hehe) flooring work in this layout?

S

sdilley14

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
1,242
201
Mesa, AZ
I just bought another house (closing December 29th).

Here are a few pictures of the living room/kitchen area. As you can see, the living room is "sunken in" a few inches, which I really like! My question is this - would it look "off" or disrupt the flow of the living space if I were to lay down vinyl wood flooring in the sunken down living room area? I really love wood flooring - I like the way it looks and I like the way it "warms up" a living space. I wouldn't want to replace the flooring in the whole house though. And I do like the tile, at least for the kitchen area - it's clean, easy to maintain, and stays cool in the summer (this house is in AZ).

Thoughts? Any other suggestions on how to customize and warm up this living space a bit? I know a nice area rug would look nice on that floor, but I'm avoiding any type of rugs/carpeting (I have a dog and he SHEDS, a lot).

FYI - the "stuff" in the pictures are all staging items - will be gone when I move into the house.

house1.jpg
house2.jpg
house3.jpg
 
that definitely needs differend colours (it is literally beige!) some has loved the idea of living in a beige spa... if it is possible i would paint the whole fireplace to different colour including "that table area" in front of it. atleast it would reduce beige tiles conguering the whole house... walls need another colour, and nothing similar like beige...

im not sure about separating the living area from the kitchen by a different floor material. that is a one huge area so i would keep the floor the same.

you also need to use floor trims with the vinyl floor, so consider what it looks like having a trim against those tiles: vinyl floor, wood trims and tiles. alot of stuff on the same area...

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1449994880.542304.jpg


i have a dog too and have carpets. i only buy easily vacuumed/washed carpets (flat, no fuzzy...) that i can wash them often (like this one). Few years ago I bought a hoover that can wash carpets / furnitures so it is easy to keep them clean - well atleast "to look like clean"...
 
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I think it would look good.

Regarding manufactured flooring you can put down simulated wood vinyl or real wood laminate. Whichever you choose, pick a rich deep red wood stain. What you don't want is an abundance of beige and brown, but contrast instead. However, you'd have to decide if you want floor to match your island or contrast with it. My inclination would be to go with contrast. The other visual improvement would be to change out the baseboard to something more substantial and keep the white finish which shows off the wood tones.

Oh, and a watch your step sign. :)
 
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i agree with mrex. look for a good rug.

i refuse to take vinyl wood serious - and is it really 'warm' in winter as you say? but anyway: make sure the wood finish works together with your kitchen area as well, not saying you need the same dark reddish colour but make sure to give it a thought since it can look quite cheap having two different finishes of (fake or not) wood next to each other, with a lot of beige tiles inbetween.

edit: I don't think I'd like it either way (same finish or something different) so another reason to opt for a rug.
 
The only thing that might make that look a little odd is that the new flooring will cover up, or partially cover up the grout joint between the vertical tile on the step and the current lower tile floor. Also, when putting down that type of flooring, the edges are usually not straight/tight to the wall, or in this case, the step. going with an angle as mentioned above, would be most challenging at the edge. Most of the time a trim piece such as a base or a quarter-round is used to cover up that jagged edge. This would certainly cover the grout joint.
 
Your only real solution is to rip up the tile floor and lay hardwood. I would also get rid of those wood cabinets and replace those. Ok just gut the whole room and start over. Being serious, that room is dated.
 
MacNut said:
Your only real solution is to rip up the tile floor and lay hardwood. I would also get rid of those wood cabinets and replace those. Ok just gut the whole room and start over. Being serious, that room is dated.
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Actually I like the kitchen, diningroom, and family room very much...except the level change but I'd get used to that. If I were to change anything (other than the floor), I might replace the appliances with stainless. But then I like to spend the op's money. Nice place, op.

Wood flooring, large rug, and some nice Hue color lighting, even the bloom lamp to throw some effect onto the walls might be nice.
 
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Gutwrench said:
Actually I like the kitchen, diningroom, and family room very much...except the level change but I'd get used to that. If I were to change anything (other than the floor), I might replace the appliances with stainless. But then I like to spend the op's money. Nice place, op.
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That is not a functional kitchen, and I assume that room will get really noisy when there is a crowd. You need a bigger better designed kitchen and a partition wall.
 
The black appliances are the first thing I'd have a look at, but if you could find flooring that matches the wood in the kitchen I think it'd look nice.
 
MacNut said:
Your only real solution is to rip up the tile floor and lay hardwood. I would also get rid of those wood cabinets and replace those. Ok just gut the whole room and start over. Being serious, that room is dated.
Click to expand...

I'm aware that this living area isn't exactly hip, contemporary, or modern. I don't really care. It's nice enough for me, it's clean and simple, and this house was in my price range.

lowendlinux said:
The black appliances are the first thing I'd have a look at, but if you could find flooring that matches the wood in the kitchen I think it'd look nice.
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I definitely want to upgrade to stainless appliances. I'd also like to replace the counter tops with granite at some point.
 
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Mr. Buzzcut said:
Leave the tile alone unless you are ready to do all of it. Paint the walls and put down couple area rugs. No vinyl flooring, especially against ceramic tile.
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Good advice - maybe I'll just go this route. It's a lot cheaper and easier anyways. I'll get a rug that's easy to vaccum/clean, paint the walls, and get some artwork and accent decorations to place around the living room and kitchen.
 
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Mr. Buzzcut said:
Leave the tile alone unless you are ready to do all of it. Paint the walls and put down couple area rugs. No vinyl flooring, especially against ceramic tile.
Click to expand...

Good advice; agree especially with both @twietee and @Mr. Buzzcut on the idea of not adding vinyl flooring to a ceramic tile and - for that matter - not touching the tile at all unless you are ready to do all of it. Get a few nice rugs to break up the space, and paint the walls for now.
 
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Suggestions for colors on the walls? I'd prefer to go with something subtle and neutral. What sort of colors would work with these floors and cabinets? Would it make sense to paint the tiles above the fireplace? Not sure if it's even possible to paint tiles like that?
 
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