As Sophie said - sheet flooring is another option, and there are some really amazingly stone-like options out there. Check out Armstrong's line, for instance. You should be able to find something that will work with the existing wood floor, and, I'm hoping, the new countertops. (I'm assuming that the countertop choice can't be altered now?) But you need to bring samples home and compare carefully, at different times of day. Find a friend whose taste and colour sense you trust, to help pick something, if you can't afford a consult from an interior designer.

And find a good local flooring company - not only will they have a much bigger range of products than HD/Lowes, they're also much more likely to have experienced staff who may have good design sense. Not promising this, of course, but I've found it's far more likely that you'll get good help at a specialty store.

One other thought - is your hardwood finished in place or prefinished? You can tell by looking at the joints - if there are "micro grooves" - tiny 45 degree angles on the plank edges - then it's pre-finished. No grooves - finished in place (or refinished pre-finished, which is still fairly unlikely - and wouldn't matter because then it's like matching finished in place). If you have prefinished hardwood it is quite possible that you can match it, depending on what was used and how long ago it was done. We managed to match flooring that was 8 or 9 years old a few years ago - they still made the colour for that maple flooring, though the finish had changed slightly. You only notice the slight difference in the gloss if you know about it and see it in a particular light, at a particular angle. Just another possibility to consider...

well - any ideas for tile color? My counter tops are Mountain mist silestone and my backsplash is a neutral stone. Man seriously next time - designer all the way

Hi Missy,

Can you please post a few pics of your current kitchen? So that we can have a better sense of continuity?

Also, can you post a few of your inspirational pics, so that we have a better sense of what you were aiming for?

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/silestone-mountain-mist-phbr0lbl-bl~l_47025[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/silestone-mountain-mist-phbr0lbl-bl~l_47025)

I would try for a tile that is similar in color and tone to your red-toned natural wood floor. If you get a larger-format tile (12"X24" or around there) that is rectified, you can have thin little grout lines meaning that sweeping and cleaning is easier. I would match the grout to the tile as closely as possible. In any case, think "warm" colors and not "cool" colors. If you post your choices here, you will get some useful and helpful opinions, though without seeing your choices within the lighting and context of inside your house, there is a bit of guesswork involved.

Hi Sherry_7bAL, Thank you for your suggestions - what is a Parkay look sorry not sure!! thanks!!

ohhh I see! hmm... that's a thought - the hard thing is that most of these tiles are online and I have to order samples - which I can do just takes some time I guess. I am going to check out the tiles you liked in the houzz pics

Missy,

Look at this link and see if any of the pictures inspires you.

I would strongly recommend that when you go to HD, tell them exactly what you DO want them to do, not just what you do not like. If HD says "what do you want us to do?" you can't just say something like "I don't know, but not this"..or something to that tune.

Be very specific in telling them what you want them to do, as a former hospitality professional I dealt with complaints daily. I'm not kidding, I've seen entire weddings get comped, when done correctly.

Sherry, I saw the same white ceramic tiles and liked it too, it went beautifully with the Mountain Mist.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/333547916132547324/?lp=true

Can you get a wider shot of the flooring transition to include the cabinets? Might not be as terrible as I was thinking once the cabinets, furniture and differnt colored walls are factored in.

Janie that link you shared, that goes to Pinterest? LOVE some of the transition pictures. Maybe you can take out a 2-3 foot section and just replace that section with a tile of some sort. I'm surprised at how good those tile transitions look!

It visually breaks up the two. Might be something to try before getting a whole new floor.

Um, respectfully, I disagree on parquet as being an option. It will look like a fix that missed (especially if you use gunstock!) Your best options are NOT wood unless you match your existing hardwood exactly. As Sophie and others have said, you can do a tile or stone look-alike in vinyl that will look pretty darn good until such time as you want to replace the entire floor or continue the hardwood into the kitchen. The Pinterest page that Janie linked to has some good inspiration pics - the 5th one in particular. Your challenge is to find something that goes well with the countertops (which look to be a warmish gray, though depends on which sample pic you look at!) and the red tones in your hardwood.) Armstrong (for instance) have some sheet flooring options that have both those colours, though the correct shade of gray is impossible to determine without putting the samples together. Please visit a real flooring store - they will have samples you can check out and take home - no need to try to decide what to try based on what you see online, which is NEVER completely accurate.

It might help if you go to an actual local flooring store and see what they suggest. They can show you a variety of fixes to this problem and sometimes they have in stock material that is budget friendly. I'm so sorry that your space turned out this way because your other work looks nice! Using the flooring department at Home Depot can be dicey. Some people are very knowledgeable and others are not. (I'm impressed that a Home Depot sub contractor actually leveled the new LVP to the existing wood!) My local flooring shop was very helpful when I needed to replace a couple different types of flooring after a pope burst in part of my basement and I had a utility room with sheet vinyl next to an excercise room with carpet that was adjacent to the main family room with different carpet and they had great suggestions for the transitions.

Well, actually, "Parkay" is a type of margarine. ;) "Parquet" is a type of wood flooring made from small strips of wood. It was quite popular until the 1960s and on into the 70s in some locales, but you rarely see it installed in new builds or renos now - or certainly not in the style of the early part of the century. It's less than half the thickness of hardwood flooring (5/16" vs 3/4"). We removed it, and a lot of carpet, from a house in Oregon in 1993 or so, and installed hardwood. It wasn't good quality parquet and made the house look very dated. For a time there, parquet was a cheap alternative to hardwood - and much of it was poorly made and didn't stand up well over the long haul.

Anyway - I'd be rather cautious recommending it to anyone thinking of resale any time soon, as most people still consider it dated, and I also don't think it's the best option in a kitchen which gets a lot of wear and tear, though there are some (likely expensive) less traditional versions of parquet that are quite spectacular, and as with anything else, there is a range of quality. Problems with parquet include the difficulty of sanding it, since the grain runs in more than one direction, and possible susceptibility to damage from spills; but again, that would depend a bit on the quality.

But bottom line - you'd be mixing woods - and I think you probably want to avoid that if you can.

Paddy,,,you beat me to it!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0PnxGqFNz8

*snickering at Parkay, picturing a floor spread with, well, spread."

WOW.....you are in a predicament! I would suggest that you get a floor refinisher in there ASAP and have your floors stained all one color.....at least it will be consistent and feel like it is one large room. How did this happen in the first place? Who approved this?

I'm sorry but faux wood up against real wood (in two clashing colours) is not an option. The only way this would have worked (and you still would have colour clashes) would be if the vinyl was STONE look...not "wood look".

If you can't afford tile, then don't use tile. Look at the Luxury Vinyl Tiles that have a STONE or porcelain tile look. The Silestone Mount Mist is giving your situation "fits".

It reads greenish cool brown with grays. Exactly the wrong tones for your STRONG ORANGE flooring. Because of the counter top colour, you are going to be at a huge disadvantage trying to find SOMETHING that works with greenish/liver/gray tones AND a strong orange.

Personally I would match the CABINETS (yep...almost white) and go home. Find a very light (almost white) vinyl in a stone or tile look and be done with it. You can't get the blazing orange to work with muddy green/liver colour. Even the best designers in the world would have difficulties tying these together.

Stay away from "wood look" and stay away from LAMINATE!!!!! Kitchens and laminate floors don't mix. Vinyl in some incarnation will be awesome....just go white or almost black (think gray/black soap stone/slate or off-white to match the cabinets).

so this is the mountain mist?

this flooring matches the tones of the counter, but it's either a tile or a sheet vinyl.

Change - For budget reasons and other reasons ( we are redoing our family room too) we are going to make do with what is now. Some people have given me really good ideas for transitioning etc. but please even though I really truly appreciate the criticism- for those who think it's just awful and horrible ( I know that) and have had strong criticism - first thank u - but at this point I just want to hear any ideas to make it work at least for now. Thanks so much.

What about a long, narrow runner over the transition? Something the same as a color in your LR rug maybe.

The comment by bosna about half way down this post is what I was talking about. There is a border piece inserted between the light floor and the darker floor. You run wood piece between the two floors to separate them. It goes in a different direction than the two you have. You just have to have a small section cut out and an insert added.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2564024/wood-floor-in-kitchen-not-matching-adjacent-wood-floors?n=16

Kathy R also has the insert between her wood floor and cork floor in the same post.

ETA: I deleted my posts about changing the floor since you are keeping it.

Here are a bunch of ideas on Pinterest.

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=transition%20between%20different%20wood%20floors&eq=transition%20between&etslf=14860&term_meta[]=transition%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined&term_meta[]=between%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined&term_meta[]=different%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined&term_meta[]=wood%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined&term_meta[]=floors%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined

great link Sherry. This hexagon would work great!

You guys are awesome thanks!!!!!

I agree with moving your furniture to try to conceal as much of the transition as possible. Can you move the large sofa to the opposite side of the room, then use a rug, runner to conceal the rest? When shopping for floor coverings, paints, curtains, etc. for your home always ask 'do you have a sample I can take home'. Even though you think you have no design ability placing samples where they are to go helps even us mere mortals. You yourself saw that it didn't work, though unfortunately it was after it was installed. Have more confidence in your instincts and never be rushed into making a decision. I virtually never buy on the first visit to a store but do a 'reconnaissance mission' (as my husband calls it) to see what is available and have a think about it. It takes more time but can avoid costly mistakes. Leave the floor for now and move onto something else - you will think of a permanent solution in time.

It is indeed a shot in the dark, however, you clearly told them
you did not have an eye for design. IMO, that put at least SOME (if not
all) of the onus back on them, even if you did pick it. They were
the ones to say yay or nay as to what would or would not match. I say
go for it, you have absolutely nothing to lose at this point. And I too
am really sorry this happened.

This is nonsense. You can't say something to a HD salesman and expect that to place liability on the store. "We'll I told the guy I had never used a table saw before, he never said to use a push stick, and now I'm missing a thumb, time to sue" See how dumb that sounds.

barnaclebob, it may sound dumb to you, but I've lived long enough to know that some shots in the dark (which I clearly said it was) actually hit their target. ;)

Just because a company pays to shut you up doesn't mean it was ethical to ask.

So if you need to keep it for now, don't spend any money trying to make it work. None of the transitions examples are going to solve your problem. Adding tile between the two floors will cost more money and you'll still have the same issue. Good luck!

Of course it was ethical. Your example is nothing the same. And yes, the stores promote their people as designers.

Just because a company pays to shut you up doesn't mean it was ethical to ask.

As Sherry said, yes, it would be entirely ethical to ask. What's not ethical, is to hire people (read: some are truly flunkies, but not all) who have absolutely no training, or desire to know what's best in any given situation, or incentive to learn their department. Which in turn brings forth a situation like the one we have here. THAT, is unethical.

I'm done jacking this thread up, I will not respond again. And I apologize to the OP.

I haven't read all of the posts, but the big problem I have with this is how the transition was installed. There is none. That's an important part of the job and it was totally neglected. I'd go to the manager of the store and say you're not happy with that and with the color. Ask him to split the cost of new material and offer to pay for the labor. They want you to be happy because they want you to recommend them to your friends. If you take part of the responsibility on yourself, they usually respond well. Pitch it to the mgr as a problem that you're looking for a solution for, not as something that's totally their fault.

I think it's ethical to approach it that way and you get more flies with honey.

what you could do is take about about two feet and have someone make you a design incorporating the two colors. Something similar to this. This is tile, but use the two different woods; same concept.

1 product is wood, the other is laminate or vinyl plank. Unable to mix the 2 to create a pattern.

I would take the LVT all the way over your existing floor. Is the existing wood hardwood? Can you get it refinished to coordinate with your new floor?

I was going to suggest a transitioning strip like Melissa did.....something that looks good with the two floors and it will look intentional. With the table and chairs there, I think it would look good with a strip of something different, use tile if you want.

mark_rachel, I would never, ever, ever refinish a hardwood floor to match laminate.

AnnKH Why not? They are obviously going for a new look in their home. It wouldn't be to match the LVT it would be to match the new style/look they are going for.

I totally feel your pain! Remodels aren't cheap and it's not easy for everyone to picture what something will look like before its done.

I had a similar situation - I just didn't feel that I could afford to redo the tile in the entire house - so I only did part of it. Huge mistake.

I "solved" the problem with carpet squares. You can buy just what you need, get pretty creative and install them yourself. I'm sure there are many companies, I used Flor. I recommend getting samples - as it's impossible to accurately assess color from the computer monitor. (Samples are free during promotions and sales are frequent.)

I would also suggest that moving the sofa to face away from the kitchen will not only cover up some of the transition, but also define the space in a way to enhance the separation of the rooms.

It wouldn't look that bad if you make a transition between both floors. Look at this example from a project we recently did.

Hope it works!

Good Luck!

mark_rachel, laminate floors (like carpet) are temporary compared to hardwood. The OP has not indicated that the wood floor is in poor condition, or in need of refinishing. To do so is an extra expense, and to do so before it is needed reduces the life of the floor, since hardwood can only be refinished a finite number of times.

Secondly, even if one got really, really lucky and happened to get the color to match perfectly, the transition would look odd, because there are two different materials butted up together at a straight line. They would incur the cost and hassle of refinishing the wood floor, and it still wouldn't look right.

Finally, it just strikes me as completely wrong to try to match real wood to a product that is trying to look like wood (but never quite gets there).

The problem is that with laminate you can not interlock the boards in opposite directions.
OP, if you want to create a border between the two floors you will need to cut back one of the products and most likely install a tiled border to help create a transition between the two. You will still need a T molding (or you might be able to find a low profile schluter trim) between the laminate and border.

What is OP? Thanks

Original Poster. Took me a long time to figure that out!

I want to get rid of this carpet what should I replace it with I have existing darker brown wood vinyl that has to stay.

try and find more of the vinyl, or get a different type of carpet.

I think the largest problem is you tried to mix 2 wood patterns. If you wanted to keep that vinyl floor and not just flat out replace it, then I would have a good floor guy come over and cut a transition to piece matching the wood floor to make it appear framed out.

Another option (you might not like as much) is a thin half wall on the other side of your door area behind the chair. You might even anchor it with a floor-to-ceiling pole. I think this is an option because you would just be backing it into the chair, but not closing the room off. Then you would just need a small piece of transition trim.