Different Hardwood Floor in Living Room From "Wood" Tile in Hallway?
Seak and Sparrow
4 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (15)
Related Discussions
engineered hardwood floor over old hardwood floor
Comments (14)You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood....See Morewill changing hardwood flooring colors in different rooms look ok?
Comments (7)Ask your husband if he's happy with replacing the bedroom hardwood (engineered) in 7-10 years. Ask him if he wants to change the EXISTING wood colour (full sand and refinish) in 5-7 years (well before they 'need' it). Because a poorly thought out install (as suggested in your original post) is going to cause ONE of them to 'go'. For that reason my #1 preference = same site finished wood as elsewhere. The cost difference will be a few hundred dollars (cost of materials + labour) for a small rooms like a bedrooms. My SECOND preference is SOLID hardwood in a factory finish that is CLOSE to the original floor's colour. That way you have TWO solid wood floors that CAN BE site finished in the future. If your husband INSISTS on the installation part, then push for my #2 option. Solid Red Oak in a factory finish that is close to the same colour (or natural). That way you can deal with BOTH floors at a later date. And BTW: carpets hide the WORST subfloors possible. Let hubby know he may have to do some SERIOUS work on those subfloors before throwing down a hardwood floor. Rarely are you able to rip out carpet and lay hardwood the same day. The amount of work that is needed to get carpeted subfloors up to snuff can be $2-$4/sf for labour alone (if you hired out the job). And that's when you ask hubby AGAIN how much he will like a floor he laid if it is bouncy and squeaky and has no one to call but the guy looking back at him in the mirror. Remember: it is CHEAPER to get a professional to do it right the FIRST time than it is to call the professional to fix the mess you made. But then again, flooring professionals make a TON of money dealing with DIY oopsas. If you like your professional and want to send him MORE WORK, you can always let hubby deal with this first and then call your professional SECOND. S/He might be happy for the extra work (ahem....extra money)....See MoreTransition form dark hallway hardwood to lighter bedroom hardwood
Comments (11)OK...the solid hardwood is factory finished. That's fine. It means that you can choose a solid factory finish so that EVENTUALLY you can get all of this refinished at the same time AND STILL end up with the same floor throughout. What you do is find the SPECIES of the hardwood and the width (and the thickness)...and if you can find the same grade/cut. Sure you can run it perpendicular to the hallway...so long as you are NOT on wood joists. If you have wooden subfloors the direction of the joists will dictate the direction of install. Regardless. So long as you get the same species in solid, you can always sand/refinish everything at once = same floor throughout the home. You do not have to do it today...but it gives you the BEST option to do it later if you want...or just before you put the house up for sale....See MoreShaw hardwood flooring samples vastly different from online photos?
Comments (2)The 'variability' is not the floor itself (there is going to be a slight variation because wood changes in colour after 6 months = fading or darkening...depending on the species). The LIGHTING is the issue. If each level of 'light' is a variable, then you have 4-5 DIFFERENT variables BEFORE your eye looks at the picture. 1. The LIGHTING of the photo studio 2. The light FILTER on the camera (aka the lense) 3. The LIGHT FILTER used ON the computer that the WEB TECH has set to do the 'cut and paste' to create a room shot 4. The type of SCREEN you have on your device 5. The LIGHT FILTER on your screen (the way you have set the screen settings) 6. Your own eye....some people are unable to see all colours (colour blindness can be VERY subtle). Wow. Those are MASSIVE variables. Each one will DISTORT the actual look of the product. Imagine having 5 distortions BEFORE you see the colour. Some of these floors can look REALLY different from the 'live' sample. The live sample will have ONE distortion = your eye. And that's the same eye you would use to view the online pics. Trust the live sample over the online photos. It just makes sense....See MorePatricia Colwell Consulting
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoSeak and Sparrow thanked Patricia Colwell ConsultingSeak and Sparrow
4 years agodecoenthusiaste
4 years agoChessie
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoSJ McCarthy
4 years agoOlychick
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agocat_ky
4 years agojmm1837
4 years agoSeak and Sparrow
4 years ago
Related Stories
LIVING ROOMSLay Out Your Living Room: Floor Plan Ideas for Rooms Small to Large
Take the guesswork — and backbreaking experimenting — out of furniture arranging with these living room layout concepts
Full StoryLIVING ROOMSRoom of the Day: A Minneapolis Living Room Goes From Dim to Delightful
A Craftsman-style living room gets lightened up, giving a family some space to gather and play
Full StoryTRENDING NOW4 Great Ideas From Popular Living Rooms and Family Rooms
These trending photos show how designers create living spaces with style, storage and comfortable seating
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDES9 Tasteful Ideas for Traditional Living Room Floors
From a crisply styled area rug to beautifully bare hardwood, these flooring ideas will keep your living room clean and classic
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESTransition Time: How to Connect Tile and Hardwood Floors
Plan ahead to prevent unsightly or unsafe transitions between floor surfaces. Here's what you need to know
Full StoryTILETop Tile Trends From the Coverings 2013 Show — the Wood Look
Get the beauty of wood while waving off potential splinters, rotting and long searches, thanks to eye-fooling ceramic and porcelain tiles
Full StoryLIVING ROOMSTrending Now: 5 Foolproof Living Room Ideas From Popular Houzz Photos
A look at recent popular Houzz photos reveals some clever design maneuvers you may want to use in your space
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESMantel Makeover: From Builder's Grade to Live-Edge Wood
See how an all-wrong mantel became a gorgeous fireplace focal point at the hands of an interior designer and her carpenter
Full StoryROOM OF THE DAYRoom of the Day: More Fun for a Los Angeles Living Room
Bright furnishings and a newly open floor plan give a 1964 living room suffering from an identity crisis a new look
Full StoryLIVING ROOMSA Living Room Miracle With $1,000 and a Little Help From Houzzers
Frustrated with competing focal points, Kimberlee Dray took her dilemma to the people and got her problem solved
Full Story
JAN MOYER