Same everywhere including the stairs

The issue with what you're proposing OP is not just the different colors. You're basically striving for two separate styles. You want darker wide planks on the main level, which tends to tread more rustic. Then you want light, narrow planks on the second floor which is more traditional. Ideally you want all the rooms in a home to feel like they belong together. With what you're proposing its going to feel like two homes smashed together.

For hardwood theres three things to consider basically: stain color, species, and plank width. For a home two out of these of these should be the same if you want a consistent space that flows together. If you want to do different hardwood colors on different levels then fine, but the species and width should be the same. Time to edit the design.

Choose the flooring that is best for your main level, and use it everywhere. You get your "comfy" feeling in the bedrooms from the addition of area rugs. It makes no sense whatsoever to put in new hardwoods on both floors that are different from each other.

Due to some design requirements, the complete 3 stacks of open stairs were ordered separately and will be done from a solid wood which is limited to the only woods they make stairs from (hard maple or red oak). Matching stairs wood and floors wood will be impossible and we are not going even to try; instead we plan to do hickory floors. I am not sure I still understand why floor should be same everywhere. Did you even had different wood in different rooms? Was choosing same wood everywhere a conscious choice, or just because it is how it was and you used to it? I have had a *very strong* preference to have different wood in each room entirely, so that everyone could personalize their area. So to this moment I still do not understand from the comments above why the same is preferred. Did you use as result narrow plank for open areas or wide plank for small rooms? How tit you choose the size and color of plank, to fit what?

Using the same hardwood throughout a home creates flow. It also makes a home feel cohesive, well designed, and larger. Yes, I have lived in a home with different floors in each room. It felt choppy and small You know what I did? Ripped it all up and put in one continuous floor.

At this point everyone has given you the same advice- use the same hardwood. Now it's up to you whether you listen or not. IMO this is one of those instances where going with your "very strong preference" really will impact the resale value of your home.

Good luck

Yeah. Well, I just only started to consider to have the same floor on each floor, and even this did not come easy. Having the same on both floors kind of really hard, and yes it removed the idea of having different atmosphere on the two floors (and I think it should be different, first floor is more formal, and second is more homy... why people want to have same atmosphere on both floors? Does not one want to be more relaxed on the floor where guests are not coming?). No, I am not thinking about resale value. This home was any way designed to be too specialized to make me and my family happy till I will have to go to a nursery house or so, not some arbitrary buyer in a future, and since we can not find any home that would have same features or floor plan in several years and built exactly because of that, if we would ever need to sell it, the home will have problems on the market from its personality more than from two types of floors....

I had the same flooring in all rooms of our previous house, on two floors. I found a wood species I loved, medium width, midtone with a lot of variation. Having the same flooring gives continuity and stylistic consistency. We did have to have a different wood on the stairs - we chose a non variegated wood that picked up one of the tones in the main flooring.

Unless you choose an ebony type wood, the flooring will have a warm look, regardless of where it is. Just add area rugs. If that isn't warm enough for you, maybe you should skip wood entirely on the upper floor and just carpet it.

I am always amazed at people who post a question here and then argue with the input. One floor is best and “your atmosphere” in each space is established with color, texture and furnishings selection. Think hard about Hickory. It has wide variations in color and might be too busy for your pleasure. It is also limiting from a decor point of view. White oak or walnut would be very nice background for any decor. Done many homes and consistent wood is most lovely and timeless. Hope your mind is open to this input. Hope things come out well.

So you posted the question hoping we'd all agree with you and now that not one person agrees with you, you will still do what you want and muddle up your house. It's your house and you're free to do whatever you want but that doesn't mean it's going to look good.

My upstairs is not as formal as my downstairs and I have the same 5" wide plank everywhere. But if the house is as bad as you say, maybe you need to rethink it anyway. Just because you plan to live out your life in the house doesn't mean it will happen. And what happens if you need the money for the nursing home?

I asked the question and agreed to the input from that, looks like we will be going with same floor at least at each level. But people went with advises beyond that and I was not ready for that nor I had a question: about having the same floor on *both* levels. This was not in my question and I am still in a bit of a shock as unprepared as it is against the concept I had in my head. Some terms people say do not make yet sense to me. I do not understand what is meant about having a flow or why it is important. Can one explain what they mean under that? My house is not bad, my house is unique, and this will be the way we will love it. We designed rooms size and orders there (a workflow) in accordance to our lifestyle. And we want to enjoy our life in there the way we wanted, without thinking about its resale value for an average buyer. I understand flow as applicable to how you live, move, cook, come home, leave home, do daily routines etc. I am not sure I understand what flow means for the color of floors.

Who designed your house?

Different colors interrupt the visual space as the eye locks on the differences. So without "changes" the eye takes in the whole. That makes rooms look bigger, feel bigger, and flow together better. Your biggest problem with changing between floors are the stairs, because you will have a patchwork look hence reduce the number of species of flooring and colors. Different species woods take stain and poly differently, so you can't get a consistent look. Only one wood would help alleviate that issue.

Your eye flows from room to room and the flooring becomes a piece of the background and not something that stops your eyes at the threshold (doorway) of every room.

Usually houses with many different floor types are due to it being old and being remodeled at different times and people not being able to find and/or afford to match the existing floors. At some point someone will buy the house and rip out all the old different floors and put in the same floor type throughout the house.

It is just what the majority of people consider pleasing to look at and live with.

If you prefer a different look, you are free to do that in your own house, but your resale will suffer if you ever do need to sell.

Use both, mix the two sizes throughout the entire home.

Thank you for explaining about a flow. I understand about floor to become a piece of background if room to room means rooms within the open space (our open space will stretch 49' in longest direction one way and 33' in longest direction another way/about 5' in its narrowest place in a short hallway, so presumably there is no shortage of background, and that area is all the same floor). But usually the doors are closed to the rooms with doors, at least in our house. Doors leading to the office of to the bedrooms, or to bathrooms or mudrooms, laundry etc. One should not see behind the doors. Do you mean it continues to flow when you open the door and step in the room? But when you open the door, you can not see the floor behind you. It has been my best understanding before that even within an open space, if one has enough money, one makes separate floors for each area in a mosaic way, and it looks spectacular whenever I encounter it in real life (no, we are not there yet in terms of money... bit this is what I considered to be ideal and would do if we would have enough). In that concept a hallway is done with one tile/hardwood with one theme, a spacious living room could have a hardwood with an ornament to accent one or two place for sitting or similar. Look up italian floor designs. Each room/area is unique even within open continuous space, each room/space is beautiful in its own way that was specific to that room. So I came from another position, where I was sure that aesthetic strongly dictates to have different floors in different rooms, and floor should depend on room's purpose. Yes, may be our house is not yet larger enough to get diffident floors to different rooms without sacrificing the eye flow. Speaking of stairs, in our house, it will be not possible to see from one floor another floor, so in worst case one can see stairs and one floor, two kinds of wood. We talked to several designers, and at very least they told us not to try to match solid wood stairs with any hardwood, as it will never get stained the same way, and that especially strongly this will be seen if we would use the same wood, as then it will be clear that the attempt was done, and failed. So this is one of the reasons we decided to use hickory. But the main reason of hickory hardwood is that I just love it. If I see it, I cant' take my eyes of it. I may grow tired of it, but as of now I think it is the most beautiful hardwood (and great that we all are different and love different wood species).

OP - you asked for opinions so I'm not sure why you're upset about getting them.

I know that I personally would not aspire to different rooms having different flooring and decor: I think that might look spectacular in an English manor house or a French chateau, but not in an ordinary urban home. I like open concept , a sense of continuity throughout the house, and consistency in the decor (my taste runs to a combination of contemporary and tribal - eclectic if you will - and every part of my house reflects that). I don't want my home to be a series of stylistic vignettes unrelated to each other: that might be fine in a traditional home with plenty of walls, but seems to me to run counter to the entire point of open concept living.

if one has enough money, one makes separate floors for each area in a mosaic way

I guess not everyone has gotten the message. Witness these rooms from the same home with owners apparently not quite at that level of affluence.

10250 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles 17 bedrooms, 22 bathrooms. L. $88 million. arch. Paul Revere Williams

I am a bit upset as the idea of what I thought would be beautiful and comfy was killed today... But writing my messages I was not upset, I rather desperately tried to get from you all *why* it should be so, and until the description of what people mean as a flow was given, I could not understand why, I only saw the brief orders "be as everyone, we tell you so, hence be as everyone".

Everyone here is trying to be helpful, but you are making it much harder than it should be. Obviously, you have a "vision" and are determined to go in this direction no matter what input you get, so be happy and just do it and quit asking others for opinions or help. We all give of our time and effort here "freely", and that is the bargain of the century. Yes, in Europe and other countries rooms tend to be more separate and individual. But they have some continuity. I lived in Brussels Belgium and have traveled the world over including spending many a day in Paris in many homes and settings. Yes, there are some beautiful floors there. Would I do it here, no. If you are in the U.S., this advise is from an American perspective. So, perhaps yours is vastly different. OK, take the input and value it at least to some degree. It is given with care and consideration.

I am not a pro.

I understand that you like different floor appearances in different areas and / or floors. Perhaps you can get the same type of effect with area rugs showcasing different areas of your home instead of different types and colors of wood flooring?

If you post some pictures, it may be easier to give you advice. Good luck with your search.

Amen sista. I will be going with continuous throughout. My question that i need help with is in a small house, would it make the areas roomier to have a wide plank or a not so wide plank? And, lol, how do i choose the direction of the planks? Is that crazy or what? Kitchen and dining are somewhat separate (not real open plan)and then bedroom and bathroom in other half. Yes, this is Alice working on my mom’s cottage guest house. Still plugging along. Got quotes for plumbing and electrician over next week. Moving slow, but still excited about my project. If we are all still on HOUZZ in a year or so, i can’t wait to show pics of what all of you have graciously help me with.

Thus far....my own design, will probably learn some changes along the way. Attempted to duplicate her condo to avoid confusion when moving about..any ideas?

Picture of my layout

Oh front entrance will be located at bottom of picture at that front coat closet.

Already bought this tile combo for accent backsplash and may go with a light gray plank flooring, probably white cabinets.

I’m confused.....

Well, above is not me :) I am still not sure if I am allowed to post our blueprints. Even if it is my design and it is almost exactly after my revit model, formally blueprints is the property of the builder/engeneer who confirmed it.

Oh, sorry, i get excited, what’s the confusion?

I am not a pro, i am just a HOUZZ fan that chimed in. That’s just my own drawing.

Alice I was not sure if you were the same person as the original poster or what was happening...if you are helping her or have your own question.

Oh i am not original poster for the continuous vs breaking up of the flooring design. I came in with my own comment that i am going continuous and had a question of wide planks vs not so wide planks to make an area feel larger? And how does one know which direction to run the planks?

As a compromise, I cut out something from my one of my last revit model from almost an year ego, this is what existed before the engineer etc stepped in, and tried to remove most of comments w/o erasing the plan itself. A few things have changed but the final result is not much different and specifically for the purpose of understanding which floor is where. First is the 1st floor. Originally, the office/library was though to have a very different [dark and heavy] type of wood, not the same as the overall open area. I understood from the above that the common opinion that the floors should be same. Oh well, here goes the dark office. Second picture is the 2nd floor. Originally we thought to make the same wood in the open area of the 2nd floor as in the open area of 1st floor, so the open areas on both floors look the same (and doors are kept close, as it is usually is). And make bedrooms whatever whoever likes. Now I understand that everyone thinks all floors should be same... I understood the concept about an eye flow. But. Our 2nd floor is a maze of hallways and bedrooms with space been optimized for kids bedroom sizes, with kids' half of the house, and our half of the house, I am not sure it is even possible to create an eye flow, even if wood would be same everywhere...

Alice - it would be best if you started your own "design dilemma" so there isn't confusion. You will get better input.

Looking at your design:

You will make the upstairs landing, halls, etc. all the same as downstairs wood. Then, for the bedrooms and bathrooms you want something different, or each room unique?

Not being a designer myself, my personal preference would be to make all of the bedrooms either the same carpet, or hard surface flooring, and then do whatever you want in the bathrooms.

An issue with different flooring materials in different rooms is also having transition pieces and different flooring thickness. Also - the doorways will need to be undercut to allow for thicker flooring or the opposite for thinner flooring.

You are obviously a very imaginative, artistic person and are encouraging your children to create their own spaces (that’s great!). I still believe that a good way for show artistic expression to is by keeping the base a uniform “color” and then adding a beautiful rug to add interest, soften sounds, comfort the feet, and play off of whatever art and treasures are in the room.

In the end, this is your home, and you will need to make the choice, and pay the bill, yourself, so do what will make you happy every time you look at your floors.

So far all three bathrooms are very different and each is unique, each with its own set of countertop color, matching one of the color hues cabinets, and faux marble tiles that has at main hue from countertops and cabinets. Ensuite is dark emeprador/maple cabinets in a hue that it same as lightest brown and faux cacalatta orro that has same brown hint. Kids bath is more in a white/grey hue, with faux statuario tiles, statuario type countertop and matching grey cabinets, the main floor bath is accented with black with white veins (black floor, floating black cabinets, and the countertop that is exactly opposite color to the floor). Kitchen has dark bottom and light top cabinets, with side countertops been white with black veins and the island been black with white veins. We did not yet think about fireplace wall. So far making up tiles/kitchen design was a joy (the price was really not). But then we got stuck with hardwood. We do like hickory, to the end of it :) But for the main open area we wanted something like http://timelesswoodfloors.ca/project/silverado/ while for the enclosed bedroom I really like very light, almost pale colors, while still very close to natural like appalachian poeisia https://www.appalachianflooring.com/collection/verita, or http://timelesswoodfloors.ca/project/monticello/ On the other hand, for the office, very dark hikocry https://lauzonflooring.com/hardwood-flooring/cedar-rail-hickory-flooring-designer-homestead/ (we are in Canada and hardwood brands provided via builder are not as wide as for the tiles, as it appeared...) Well, yes, there were plans for different woods for our bedroom and for kids ones. I had it so deep in my head, that I almost cry thinking that the wood must apparently be the same. In principle, kids will have the entire studio for them to decorate if the idea of making their bedrooms very individual in terms of floors will die out. We have a third floor too, which takes up the place directly above kids bedrooms and laundry etc, the whole half of the house, with a huge window, as their art studio, they both love to paint and are very good at it. We get this space from the builder as unfinished, so the kids can finish it any way the want it.

Hi Flo, yes, you are so right, sorry ‘guys and dolls’ i’ll do just that! I think that was a movie?

Please do forgive, Broadway

Alice great, might to post the link here. I'm sure we would all love to jump over to help you. More fun that way too!

If you use the same flooring throughout, you can still decorate completely differently in each area to give you the feel you want. For example, in your bedroom, instead of using a completely different light wood, you use the same darker wood floor you have everywhere else, and use a large, light rug and pale wall color. Or put different colors of carpet in each bedroom. For a darker, more masculine office space, you use the same wood floor you have everywhere and paint the walls in a deep moody color and build in dark bookcases. Your kids bedrooms can all be completely individual even with the same flooring! You do that through paint choices, wallpaper choices, bedding, rugs, artwork,, etc. You are thinking about your floors in the wrong way.

Yeah, it indeed seems that I "overthought" the value of floor in each room design. From the colors that I posted above, which one do you think could do best is used everywhere?

Your choice should be based on your personal preference and the style of your home in terms of light and dark. I would try to avoid anything too extreme, and keep it fairly neutral, so you can decorate each room however you like. For example, any wood that has a lot of gold, red, or gray would be harder to decorate around. Try to find a mid tone neutral brown. You may want to look at your options again thinking of it throughout your space to help you decide.

I understand wanting/needing different flooring for different areas. I have 4 different flooring types in my home area floor plan on my first floor and I hare it. Hardwood in the foyer, carpet in the family room and living room (they connect) and the dining room (the other ride of the foyer and off the kitchen), linoleum in the kitchen and tile in the powder room.

I was going to run hardwood (maple or white oak) but have tile in the powder room and kitchen and an onset of tile at the front door so the wood floors don’t get damaged from snow/rain.

I decided against that and I am going to have hardwoods everywhere except the powder room.

I am doing this for all the reasons the previous posters stated. It is easier on the eye, less busy, better resale value...

You can always define a space with area rugs, properly placed they pull a room together. I am also putting the same flooring on my second floor But keeping the carpet in my finished basement.

You would do hardwood even in foyer? We lived for 10 years, in our snowy climate, with the previous owners installing hardwood literally everywhere (including bathroom and foyer). Bath and foyer did not hold it up well, to say the least, and it was hard o keep it in proper, with wiping immediately. In our snowy climate (snow can be brought in the house during 6 months of the year easily). So at least these areas (bathrooms/powder room/foyer) are never again for us. So may be it is that over-installement of hardwood truly everywhere except where we would want it (the bedrooms were carpet and we ripped it of immediately to change to hardwood) was what moved me strongly in the other direction, with each area be specialized...

sondo13 of the woods you are considering, I like the third one (monticello). I love the dark one (Louzan), but I would not use that unless you have both a lot of natural light in your house and light walls (otherwise the overall effect would be too dark).

You have been a good sport receiving feedback that you did not expect, and I think your house will be more beautiful now than you imagined (but if you disagree, do whatever you please -- it is your house).

I think the Louzan Country would be best. Avoid the first 2. Too golden/yellow. Consider a porcelain tile for entry and bathrooms in neutral tones. Then you can decorate with whatever colors and styles in each area. That meets both goals.

Based on your floor plan, I would put tile in your mudroom, and keep the hardwoods in your foyer. You can put down a large rug at the front door. But if you feel that's not practical for you, you could use tile in both the foyer and mudroom. No one was saying you had to use hardwood floors everywhere in your house. They were saying not to use different hardwoods in the house. I would use tiles in all your bathrooms, the mudroom, and the laundry room. You can use different tiles in those areas as long as your style stays consistent.

Sondo13 I would keep hardwoods in the foyer... I have a 6ft overhang right outside my front door and I live in VA so we don’t get much snow here... a lot of rain in the spring but not too much snow.

The wood floors in the foyer are in great condition, I bought this house a little over 4 yrs ago and the floors were installed several years before that. I know that I haven’t had any moisture problems. Honestly my only concern is that the foyer is open to the formal living room on the right and the dining room on the left. The formal living room is open opens up to the family room and that wraps around open to the kitchen. The only wall in my first level that separates a room is between the dining room and the kitchen but I am having that removed so everything is going to be open so that is why I don’t want different flooring in the kitchen and foyer. I did consider something like the pictures I attached. Maybe you can use them for inspiration, perhaps You can make it work in your space

To be honest, we have tried to convince out tiles installer (the one the builder works with) to do something like it was on the first figure. And he just said that blending tiles with wood will cost that much that we will not be able to afford it. He never said how much. Unfortunately we do not have a possibility to use another installer.... But we plan to use these tiles: https://www.juliantile.com/approach hex mixed between decor and solid color. It will be simply cut as on the last picture you posted.

People with much more knowledge than I have, have given you good advice.

I’m sure your home will be beautiful and full of life and color for you and your family. I look forward to seeing your pictures as you move forward.

The "why" of uniform wood flooring in a typical American house is definitely not for mindless conformity. It is to allow the floor to be a canvas for the major decorative elements - furniture, rugs, and art - without calling attention to transitions from room to room, which can tend to chop up the space visually and make it look smaller and cluttered.

A small number of houses can have varied floor surfaces and have it look good, e.g. if all of the following is true:

* The house is much larger in square footage than typical

* The house has high ceilings (10 ft+)

* Rooms are well delineated with walls and doors such that each different flooring is well closed off from the others

* Each flooring is coordinated with its neighbors as to scale, color (warm vs. cool), mood (formal vs. rustic vs. ??), texture, etc.

* Each flooring change is made with a clear purpose based on a logical factor (this is why tile entryways in a wood floor house look fine - it's logical to have a water-resistance material at the front door, or in a bathroom)

If the ground floor flooring materials are very grand as to formality and large scale - say polished marble slabs - you're right, they should not be used in smaller- scale rooms upstairs. But a beautiful pale oak 5" or 6" plank would look awesome on both floors. The unity of flooring would provide a calm continuity. You can then layer furnishings, rugs, accessories and art of the correct level of coziness or grandeur in various rooms as appropriate.

And that's why we are all giving the same, overwhelmingly good advice.