Carlisle walnut downstairs, what wood floor upstairs? (pictures)
I've gained a lot from this community over the past couple of years and this is my first post. We're almost two years into our fixer upper remodel and just recently covered up the plywood subfloor downstairs with wide plank walnut. (Finally!)
I've been going back and forth over what floor to put upstairs and for several reasons will not be using the same Carlisle walnut. First is the cost. Second, I would like to use a lighter wood to brighten the narrow upstairs hall and bedrooms.
Right now I'm leaning towards using 3" and 5" #1 quartersawn white oak from Hurst with a tung oil finish. But I'm not sold on the idea of having such different floors. The other option is the 3" walnut from Hurst. It wouldn't exactly match the Carlisle floor, but at least it's the same species.
I almost feel like mixing woods works better when they're on the same level in adjacent rooms, so it appears as a design accent.
We're also thinking of putting wool carpet on the stairs, rather than wood treads which would involve more time in rebuilding each step, higher cost, and would then require an expensive runner. Our stairs aren't showcase stairs, they're somewhat private and tucked off, so I'm not too inclined to splurge here.
Would the QS oak, wool carpet, and walnut be too much?
I can't make a decision anymore. Any and all opinions are welcome!
Comments (12)
gmnolen
12 years agopps7
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Carlisle Wood Floors - PICS
Comments (33)tuesday - I'll pick up a Swiffer today. I used to have one but it broke a few months ago and I haven't replaced it. I'll probably go through a lot of refills though! awm - are you using glue? If so, our biggest mistake for the first few runs was not immediately cleaning any glue splatters off of the wood. Once the mastic dries, it's almost impossible to get off without sanding, and the glue won't take stain. I had to sand quite a few boards, which made them darker, but since we have a rustic floor with a lot of movement it wasn't an issue. Another thing is there were a few areas on some long boards where the wood was splintered. We didn't want to lose the length by cutting around the damage so I first tried to use wood filler and sanding to repair it. That didn't work nearly as well as actually cutting the piece of wood out and sanding - creating a little divet as shown in a few of the pictures above. Again, this worked for us because the floor is rustic. For the finish, don't use a faux lambswool applicator! We had little fuzzies everywhere after the first few coats of tung oil, so my husband had to lightly sand before coats. I've seen videos that show an application with a sponge type mop, but I'm still not sure how to best apply the tung oil. Don't be worried if every space between each board isn't exactly the same. Because our boards were very long, some fit together tighter than others. In the end, after the stain and tung oil, you can't even tell. If you can, I think it just adds to the character of the floor. Don't use nails unless you're very, very patient. Since our floor is a glue down, we had to individually cut each square cut nail shorter. I spent several nights with a bolt cutter cutting hundreds of nails! Then, DH spent a lot of time measuring and hammering them in....See Morestaircase -transition different flooring upstairs and down?
Comments (5)In 1800s-early 1900s houses, it was common to have different woods on floors ... with the degree of expensiveness declining as you went away from public areas. I lived near one house where the flooring changed from rare hardwoods (inlaid, of course) in the areas visitors would see, to good oak in the family's bedrooms and private areas, to pine planks in the servants quarters. The moldings going up the staircases declined in ornateness with each floor, too. Carved walnut became less ornate oak became plain poplar painted wainscoting as you went up. Often the lower floor's flooring was continued up a staircase, with the change taking place as you stepped onto the next floor. Or at least until the wood was out of sight of the guests ... I have seen staircases where the switch happened at the landing because the upper part of the stairs was out of sight. "The stairs go halfway up to a landing, then 180 degree turn to go up the rest of the way, if that matters. " Take some photos and spend time with an editing software: maybe light wood on the stairs would be a nice contrast, maybe not. Maybe painting the risers to match the moldings and having dark tread would look best. Or match the risers to the lower floor color and the treads to the upper floor Lots of choices and none of them are "wrong"....See MoreFloor room flow advice needed: downstairs upstairs
Comments (14)I agree i could make my life easier if i find a wood similar to the tile (pic1) for upstairs but it doesn't feel right for the bedroom... i kind of regret picking it but it's too late. just wondering if there's a way to make the light coloured wood work upstairs without too much disconnect between the stairs... I'll most likely shop for the same wood as seen in the tiles to make the flow smoother if what i want to do is too disjointed. is black treads still the best option now the kitchen panel is clearer? appreciate your advice! I'm kind of stressing about my dumb decisions thus far. Thanks in advance. my only concern is changing the treads to the same look as the tiles will be too challenging or expensive- that's why i considered painting. A few weeks ago i was trying to get the stairs company to use different wood that we select but they only use theirs and charge 3k more which i found excessive and their product range was awful. Have to use that stairs company because of the building contract:/...See Morematching stairs to hardwood both upstairs and downstairs
Comments (15)First of all, using the same flooring upstairs and in the basement greatly simplifies and unifies the interior of your house. And it allows you to select one of the colors in this flooring to use on your stairs. This, of course, raises the question of your choice of flooring for the first floor, which you have not discussed. As for using your preconception of a dark flooring for your office only in the basement, of course you could do this. Keep in mind, however, that in the photos you posted above the hue bias for the Syndey Silver Maple is yellow, while the hue bias for the dark flooring sample is either orange or red. That's just a way of saying that the two samples in the photo aren't really harmonious together. If you want a dark valued floor in your office you really need to pick a flooring much closer to the hue bias of Syndey Silver Maple. That shouldn't be hard to do. Good luck on your project....See More
Olychick
12 years agolotsatrees
12 years agoThanks everyone for your feedback. I appreciate your comments and I hadn't thought about the style of the walnut and the qs oak clashing, but it's a valid point. I'm a little sad because I like them both so much, but I know you can't throw everything into one house. That said, would using the other walnut in 3" boards look like we "ran out of money" to really match the one downstairs? Also, I'm not really going for an ultra modern, updated in 2011 look. More of a cozy, comfortable and above all, CLEAN feel. This is what we started withâ¦
Here is a link that might be useful: Downstairs progress
lotsatrees
12 years agopowermuffin
12 years agolotsatrees
12 years agokiki_thinking
12 years agolotsatrees
12 years ago
jlsch
12 years agokiki_thinking
12 years ago
kiki_thinking