i did see the thread on the novalis and i did see the product at lowes yesterday and my husband just has his mind made up that vinyl is going to be a junk product so i guess that is out. i just am confused. i did notice at lowes they have some prety good brand names such as armstrong//bruce etc but does this automatically mean it is a cheaper version of what you would find in a flooring store because it is at lowes? (like for instance) a line they made specifically to be sold only at lowes? the flooring i saw was from 3-9 dollars a sq foot. my sister in law bought her hardwood flooring at menards and they have had it for years with no issues but i just am confused about which products a person should feel okay with taking the plunge with and which are actually going to be a horrible product. i found an ad with a pergo floor that i absolutely loved then i looked up reviews and everyone hated it. i am tired of reading reviews, but i have a huge room to put flooring in, and it will cost alot of money so i was just hoping to hear from many people which floor they used that has been just wonderful or horrible. thanks

It would be helpful if you would draw out your room layout and then provide a link to it. It would be easier for all of us to envision. Keep in mind that every laminate flooring has a maximum run length, around 25' or so. You cannot exceed that w/o putting in a transition which is unsightly. I put in 1300 sq feet of flooring last year and had to figure this out so I'd love to help if I could get some visual assistance.

If your flooring is indeed solid hardwood it most definitely can be matched with new solid hardwood. The photo below is the doorway between the dining room and the new kitchen. There is 95+ year old oak flooring above the saddle, and 6 year old white oak flooring below the saddle. (Saddle is also 6 years old.) Both stained Special Walnut. I think they are a good match.

OK...so first rule of flooring design is you do NOT want to mix-and-match wood-look finishes. You will want to go with ONE option or the OTHER in the areas you want. Sigh....yah. I know. It seems like such a waste to remove a 'good floor' just to replace it with something that is ALMOST identical. The problem with having BOTH in the same room 'touching' each other is the 'ALMOST IDENTICAL' will scream out (to a visitor) "I couldn't afford to do it 'right' so I went with 'almost'". I know. That's flooring snobbery at its worst. I must admit I am a flooring snob. I will 'see' a magnificent floor (ahem...Sistine Chapel at the Vatican) BEFORE I see a magnificent piece of art (like the CEILING in the Sistine Chapel). The 'ideal' situation is to remove what you already have and replace it with your 'new' dark wood. That's ideal. Because you have a kitchen update coming soon, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you stop with the flooring. Get your kitchen organized and your flooring deal with later. Remember: Floors are done LAST. Work from the TOP down (ceiling, walls/cabinets, counter tops, appliances AND THEN flooring). Gravity works. Which means ANY dings that are GOING to happen will happen on an OLD FLOOR that is going to be replaced. I know you want the updated floors because it seems easy, but trust me, it is NOT.