wood vinyl/laminate floor with lots of interest or more plain

4 years ago

I've had a heck of a time picking a floor that will go throughout our whole house. I liked the Pergo Wheaton Oak from the beginning when I saw it at Lowes but when I bought a box and was taking it out with a friend who thought the knots made it look like it belonged in a cabin I thought I didn't like it and that i didn't like knots. I've gone to many floor stores and finally back to Lowes and Home Depot since they encouraged me to buy boxes so I could get a better sense. I got the bedroom walls smoothed and painted and then I bought a box of Burlap Vinyl Plank and placed it in the bedroom for a better place to test it out than I had been in the other parts of the house which will dramatically change. I immediately thought the color was just right and was surprised that i liked the saw cuts and the "interest" in the floor including some minor knots and different colors on each plank which I never thought I liked, I think cuz my friend has a more modern style and says "no floor can be too plain." I've never done a remodel before our bathroom last year so I feel like I'm still learning what my style is and since the flooring goes through the whole house I've had a hard time picking something, especially off of a small board sample. I like to look at it this floor and I'm back to thinking the Pergo looks pretty good, too but then I worry that they'll look too "busy" when I have the whole house put back together, adding rugs, and with having a butcher block top on my island, I thought the island countertop and the floor might fight each other.

I'm nervous to ask for help because maybe if I would've gone with my initial instincts I wouldn't have been so confused but at the same time I'm wondering about my worries about the floor being too busy and if anyone's been through this before and realized in the end they liked or regretted some interest in the floor... This idea I have about the floor perhaps being too busy, is that maybe true or maybe not so much?

I'm not sure how to ask what I'm asking, maybe. :) thanku!

Featured Answer

PRO

Elizabeth Minish Design

4 years ago

Whole house flooring is a big commitment so you are in no way unusual in making sure you're thinking it through properly so as to avoid regret when it's all done.

If you add photos of your house and your proposed flooring, you will get even more help on this forum.

It is definitely a good idea to buy a box of flooring once you narrow down your choices, but before you do that, I would try looking up the flooring on line. Most manufacturers show pictures of any product in question installed in a room so you can get a sense of the variation and number of knots (if any).

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

mamaandsage
Original Author
4 years ago
thanku. i've tried to attach a snippit of rendering but i'm not successful. I think my issue is that i'm trying to decide if the flooring is too busy and if anyone has an particular thoughts about busy versus plain floors in general. I like to look at the floor on the floor but then when i lift my eyes up and try to look at the whole room with the floor I worry that it looks too busy but I'm new at this. I worry the butcher block with the floor will look too busy but I worried about other things too much, too, so maybe i'm overthinking this, too. i'll see if i can post a pic of the links of the floors. thx!
Related Discussions
Flooring Questions: Laminate? Luxury Vinyl like Karndean?
Q
Comments (45)
Magg5412 that's lovely! wow. It's been 3 years already since I posted my question and finally went with wood laminate that was less expensive than the luxury vinyl I wanted. We went with Pioneer laminate from Flooring Liquidators (sweetwater) my husband installed himself starting the day we got keys. The 18" tile floor the builder put in kitchen & baths looked so nice that my DH just wouldn't agree to ripping it up for my 'vision' of uninterrupted wood floors. (I just paid a service to steam clean all my ceramic tile where grout got too dirty for me to get it really clean--well worth it!) im in the middle of repainting inside of my house so no good pix. but the 3 years of wear on the laminate only shows where water got spilled near a plant and no one saw. Sweep. Mop. Done.
...See More
Choosing between laminate and vinyl plank flooring
Q
Comments (8)
We recently were faced with the same decision for our new build. I was almost completely sold on going with Coretec LVP, but after doing more research on both Coretec and the higher end laminates (12mm that are water-resistant), we ended up selecting laminate. Both were identical in price for us so pricing wasn't a factor for us. For me, the biggest pros of LVP: Better traction in socks, perhaps slightly more water-resistant (but they are NOT waterproof), softest underfoot. LVP Cons: Many have a slight vinyl-like sheen to them that bothered me (Coretec included). Installation guide/warranties always mention not allowing direct sunlight through a window hit your floors because it's vinyl afterall and will expand and contract -- major issue for me. Even Coretec which I consider one of the best visuals for LVP in terms of mimicking real wood doesn't hold a torch to the high end laminates. Laminate pros: It's been around for a very long time and the higher end ones are durable, water-resistant (able to be damp mopped -- but neither laminate nor LVP should be steam mopped). The particular brand we bought has a core similar to Coretec (hence the water-resistance) and also has a 2mm pad attached. It is rated safe to use in bathrooms and kitchens. Coretec has a cork backing which is also good. Laminate looked a little more realistic to me in terms of the sheen it has (more matte) and the particular laminate we compared to Coretec sounded less clicky when walked on believe it or not. Coretec sounded a bit more plastic-like which surprised me. Laminate cons: Many are not water-resistant so it depends on what you buy. You get what you pay for. It's a little more slippery in socks than LVP. I'm not sure if there are any other big cons. Ultimately, you get what you pay for with both types of flooring. They both can and will scratch. Our laminate did not mention keeping direct sunlight away from it whereas most (if not all) LVPs do so that was a factor for us. I think we would have been happy with either floor, but ultimately the laminate won for us because of the sunlight issue as well as it looking more realistic. Also, just something to consider, several local flooring companies talked about the LVP floors denting from very heavy objects (bookcases, dining table, sofa legs, etc and not being able to recover where laminate doesn't have that issue as often. I knew it could dent but was surprised to hear the LVP floors didn't slowly recover over time. Oh, and also pay attention to the installation span distance for each brand of flooring you consider. Some laminates can only span a distance of 33ft or so before needing a transition strip (ours can go 66ft so we will not need transition strips). I believe Coretec can go 60+ft as well. I'm not sure about other LVP flooring brands.
...See More
“wood look” tile vs. vinyl/laminate/PVC which is better?
Q
Comments (13)
Tile worked better for my home. I tried some vinyl in a couple of rooms, a few years ago, but my old, large dogs had trouble getting purchase to rise. If you're on a slab do the moisture tests to determine if glue down or floating is the way to go. You don't want mold growing underneath or installation failure. If you choose tile, make sure they leave an expansion gap around the perimeter and don't grout up to the baseboards. Every person I interviewed did it that way as a matter of course. I removed the baseboards and reinstalled them, to ensure I had the gap and a nicer finish than shoe mould. I also told him where I wanted the movement joint where the flooring ran longer than 20-25 feet. I'm extending this tile into other areas, with the current reno, and have indicated where the expansion joints will go, because they never use them. For the kitchen, watch the clearances for any under-counter appliances. They might not fit! Tile raises the height of the floor more than LVP will. My project manager wanted to install my flooring after the cabinets, which wouldn't have worked out well for the tall tub dishwasher. I think he rolls his eyes over my requests, a lot. A helpful link about tile movement. The tile I chose is Mohawk Stage Pointe and has high texture and shading variation. The grout color is the darkest of the shades and hides any staining that might occur. The close-up pic is how it looks IRL. Second is of the room right after install. I love wool area rugs and they dampen sound nicely, as well as providing softness underfoot. Most of the floor in the second pic was covered by an 11x14.
...See More
Flooring Help! wood vs vinyl vs laminate
Q
Comments (6)
We have gone back and forth on this as well- we are doing a major dining, living, kitchen remodel. We have decided to go with a beautiful wide plank engineered hardwood (French oak) from Bella cera called “Monza” bivio. It’s just light and natural and I think will look beautiful with our white cabinets. It’s a wire brushed engineered hardwood which I like more than the rustic hand scraped ones. It was very affordable at less than $4/SF. We have had a few people try to discourage real wood in the kitchen but my parents have had knotty pine floors for 30 year and they’ve held up fairly well and have been refinished twice. The only thing with engineered wood is the top layer is fairly thin with plywood underneath, so you can’t really refinish them but most wont need to be since they have a 25-50 yr residential warranty. I chose one that had some knots and grains and looked like it’d be forgiving. Some of the new lvt is more expensive but really pretty, I can just tell it’s not real wood and it feels a little plasticky and I just like natural materials. My friend has it in her yoga studio and for that application I think it’s great. The only thing I am nervous about is not being able to steam mop my kitchen and having to use wood cleaner with a microfiber mop. But I like rustic and genuine surfaces- we went with granite and are refinishing Saltillo. It’s not perfect but I’m just a natural materials person. You really can’t go wrong! But I think wood floors are always better for resale personally. The new vinyl is great though, and I would def do it in a bathroom, playroom, mud room, but don’t love it throughout the main house. Laminate is ok, but I don’t like the clickety clack sound when you walk on it, and I can almost always immediately tell something is laminate vs wood.
...See More
PRO
JAN MOYER
4 years ago
You must wait for a photo to clarify before you hit the submit button.

That said? You are over thinking . Pick a nice oak in a slightly wider plank. A medium dark toasty color. Not gray, not orange. You can be sure it will "go" with everything. A lot of flooring will "go" with everything. Rooms do not remain empty. Rugs get laid down, Furniture is placed Art is hung, Windows get shades or curtains. The only time you will see JUST the floor is the day you move out. Rather than the approach you have taken? Look at entire rooms that please you. THEN look at the flooring. Are they modern, traditional, or a little in between? Light , or deeper and cozy?

A floor should last "forever". This isn't the paint on the walls....."Oh, I think I'll paint the bedroom blue this weekend" Sand on site hardwoods, oak especially, have lived in homes for a hundred years and more .........and there might be a reason for that : )
mamaandsage thanked JAN MOYER
PRO
JAN MOYER
4 years ago
No to PERGO. No. Just trust me on that one.
mamaandsage thanked JAN MOYER
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
No Pergo in the kitchen. Laminate in general should not be installed in a kitchen. Vinyl planks are fine in kitchens but not laminates. And yes they are two different products. Even though they LOOK the same (visually) they are completely different products (physically).

I like a floor with a bit of interest. That's what makes it a 'good' floor. A floor that is too plain jane (to me) screams out 'fake'. And that will happen with any man-made fake wood product. A bit of interest is what you are going for. If your friend has a STRONG opinion and his/her opinion are DIFFERENT than yours, then it is best to leave that person at home.
mamaandsage thanked SJ McCarthy
mamaandsage
Original Author
4 years ago
thx! I called Pergo and the Pergo laminate is their top of the line that is "waterproof" (for 24 hrs). I tested it and it didn't go through but I did prefer the idea of vinyl due to our remodel due to a dishwasher flood. What i'm told is in that case any vinyl would've also have to be thrown out cuz it's not typically in tact enough to click back into place.

I got busy last night with a kiddo with allergies so i'll try to post the pics now.
mamaandsage
Original Author
4 years ago
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Naturesort-Burlap-7-in-x-48-in-Floating-Vinyl-Plank-Flooring-24-30-sq-ft-case-N4-526/309322224
mamaandsage
Original Author
4 years ago
https://na.pergo.com/laminate/detail/29002-265075/wheaton-oak?tab=overview

I love the color of both floors. I'm always trying to look at if they look real and if too busy. The other pic is the one I've been leaning towards, after months of looking at many stores. I just like to look at it but like I said, it has so much more character than I thought I'd want
mamaandsage
Original Author
4 years ago
I don't think cutting and pasting will work here and I'm still limited with snippit. I'm a bit nervous someone will tell me they don't like my floor choices and it'll throw me off again. :l It took me a long time to find these! In pics of kitchens and houses I like there happen to be no commonalities with the flooring. They have all kinds of flooring and before choosing flooring I don't think I ever looked at the floor (unless walking into someone's house and there was a lot of flooring I didn't love). thx!
b sparks
3 years ago
I am curious what brand and color you went with. You sound just like me. I do not like busy! I am looking for a medium brown, smooth, little variation and cant find it anywhere!
Sherrie Toth
2 years ago
Im suffering from the same thing. Have to get vinyl or laminate. I like the texture, beveled edges but not too busy. What did you all decide on? Do you have pictures? tia @bsparks @mamaandsage

wood vinyl/laminate floor with lots of interest or more plain

Elizabeth Minish Design

Comments (11)

mamaandsage
Original Author

Related Discussions

JAN MOYER

JAN MOYER

SJ McCarthy

mamaandsage
Original Author

mamaandsage
Original Author

mamaandsage
Original Author

mamaandsage
Original Author

b sparks

Sherrie Toth

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

wood vinyl/laminate floor with lots of interest or more plain

Elizabeth Minish Design

Comments (11)

mamaandsageOriginal Author

Related Discussions

JAN MOYER

JAN MOYER

SJ McCarthy

mamaandsageOriginal Author

mamaandsageOriginal Author

mamaandsageOriginal Author

mamaandsageOriginal Author

b sparks

Sherrie Toth

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

mamaandsage
Original Author

mamaandsage
Original Author

mamaandsage
Original Author

mamaandsage
Original Author

mamaandsage
Original Author