We have a sunken living room and I am stumped. We were going to put carpet, but we live in a very warm climate and are outdoor people, so I thought easy care would be better. Wanted slate but we are thinking of selling and tile store said lighter is better. What do you think of the big box store slate - has anyone used it - what did you think? I actually saw daltile slate at one of the big box stores? Our entry and hallway and family room are cherry laminate and the dark color of the slate seems to look better with the slate than a light colored tile. Also what is the difference to laying slate as opposed to tile - do you use a different thinset and grout. When I opened a box of slate I notice the thicknesses vary - how do you compensate for that difference - with the thinset? Also wondering why I seem to see light grout lines with slate in most pictures showing slate floors. I am thinking that a dark grout would be better to minimize the seams. What size should the grout lines be for slate? A friend has a rough surface tile and she says she never feels like she can get the floor clean - would this be the same with slate? (not that I am a clean freak or anything - a little dust doesn't bother me - but maybe it will stick in the cracks or rough surfaces of the slate?) Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Buy seasoned used lumber for joists and have tile installer bridge between different floors with urathane caulk. Tape is applied bridging gap then urathane applied over tape. The idea is tape come's loose to slide to and fro while urathane adheare's only to sides of tile and stretche's x contract's with movements. Urathane come's in colors close enough to basic tile colors. To view example of urathane,look for parking garage expansion joints,filled gap between commercial buildings and sidewalk,brick/stone wall expansion joints and other masonary work. Even if the low room were filled with concrete the joint will have uneven movement and never be fit for normal tile. Think about required expansion joints in concrete mentioned above. Many wood floors snap togeather and float,have a look at those.

It's too crowded, but if it functions as the man cave, I wouldn't worry about it. Find a quiet room somewhere else for your lady lounge and focus your efforts on some serenity. What would I do? I would eliminate so many big openings, especially the one into the kitchen. I would also replace the big sectional with a 3-seat sofa for more flexibility in arranging.

In that location I wouldn't mess with the trim. Check for the right durabond product at a local hardware store and use that to fill the gap. Then use mud to finish it.