Flooring....which do you like better? Information in 3rd post

[Tap]

Edited March 12, 2020 by Tap

[Tap]

2nd set of images:

[Tap]

3rd post. I am replacing all of the old flooring on the lower floor of my house. It is about 1000sq ft downstairs and has a living room, dining room, entry, 1/2 bath, kitchen, family room. It has 3 entries: front door from covered porch, back patio (also covered) and garage. The floor plan is a large L-shape. Living/dining together. Kitchen/family together. My kitchen/bath are both golden oak (gag) but will be replaced/painted as I can afford to once the flooring is done. Other woods are a mix of dark black-brown (Ikea) and golden oaks.  Everything will be repainted to go with flooring, so that is not a problem. 

The upstairs will remain carpeted due to noise. The house is about 2200sqft total.

The covered porch and patio make the house a bit darker than I like. There are 2 windows on South Side, 3 windows and slider on Northside (none on East/West walls). We  live in PNW, so it isn't a super sunny area. Light is adequate, but not in excess.

Our existing entry way is laminate and in a color that is closer to the lighter color. It will be replaced, but I am used to living with a lighter color. Our carpet (in 3 of the rooms) is more mid-range. I can see going either way, but just need to make a decision and go with it. LOL  There will be large print area rugs placed in the living room and family room for interest and sound dampening. 

Existing trim and doors are mid-range fake wood. Flooring trim will be replaced at install, but the doors may take me a while longer to pay for (have to pay for install, not just the doors and there are 10 regular doors and 5 sets of bi-folds. Window trim will likely be replaced along with doors, so it will be about a year until I can save that amount of money.  You can see upstairs doors from downstairs, so it is all or nothing on the doors. (flat panel so can't be painted and look decent). 

I don't have little kids. Youngest is 13.  Kitchen appliances are white. 

What do you think???

Edited March 12, 2020 by Tap

[Lady Florida.]

I like the darker one but both are nice.

[Terabith]

Both are nice, but I prefer the first one (lighter).  But in general, I'm in favor of light colors and shades, so may just be my bias.  They both are beautiful.  I don't think there's a wrong choice.  ETA:  But I like the white paint in the lower one.  

Edited March 12, 2020 by Terabith

[HS Mom in NC]

There's no bad choice, they're both very nice, but I prefer the second set. I think the wider range of colors in it will work better with different shades of wood furniture.  I think that would increase a wider range of buyers if you ever chose to sell.

[Carol in Cal.]

I like the lighter colored one better.

Think about whether you have a lot of grainy wood in the areas you are putting it in.  Sometimes that clashes.

For instance, hickory has a lot of grain, and would look terrible in a room with a lot of birds eye maple or knotty pine, but very striking in a room with painted walls and more solid colored  wooden furniture.

[SounderChick]

The second one.

[popmom]

If you have a lot of natural light, and your cabinets or furniture are not very dark, I'd got with an even darker flooring. Think walnut. It's always a balance. If you have any intentions of selling your house in the near future, I highly recommend hiring a decorator to help you pick colors, etc. If you think you will live in this house forever...pick what you love. 🙂

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[Another Lynn]

I like the lighter one.  We did flooring similar to your first picture in our basement re-model in spite of the fact that gray was all the rage and I'm thrilled with it.  I love how light the whole room is even though it only has one small window.  The second one feels too busy and jarring to me.   

[Ottakee]

I always go mid tones as too light or too dark shows dust and dirt and streaks so much more.  Then again, I am not an interior designer at all.  I just hate to clean.

[Carrie12345]

We went from light laminate to darker LVP.  I am a HUGE fan of the darker tones.  I think they look prettier, “richer”, and further away from 90s style.  

BUT, I also have to admit that the darker tones show dust and crumbs a *lot more.  My 9 and 12 year olds are certainly not the neatest kids, but we had five kids 12 and under at one point, and my lighter floors NEVER looked dirty on the daily unless there was a big spill or whatever.  Now we notice flecks on the floor constantly, even when we’re pretty sure that no one has walked through since the last sweep or vacuum.

I still love the darker, but I spend a lot more time dealing with it, even with a robot vacuum doing daily rounds. I might have chosen differently if I had known, but I can’t say for certain.

[wintermom]

19 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

We went from light laminate to darker LVP.  I am a HUGE fan of the darker tones.  I think they look prettier, “richer”, and further away from 90s style.  

BUT, I also have to admit that the darker tones show dust and crumbs a *lot more.  My 9 and 12 year olds are certainly not the neatest kids, but we had five kids 12 and under at one point, and my lighter floors NEVER looked dirty on the daily unless there was a big spill or whatever.  Now we notice flecks on the floor constantly, even when we’re pretty sure that no one has walked through since the last sweep or vacuum.

I still love the darker, but I spend a lot more time dealing with it, even with a robot vacuum doing daily rounds. I might have chosen differently if I had known, but I can’t say for certain.

This. Definitely. I have dark flooring in my bedroom and lighter flooring everywhere else.  I wish I'd never done the dark. The lighter flooring is so much easier to live with - even with a black lab that shed a ton. You could see the hairs and scoop them up. Seeing almost every little speck is a lot harder to deal with.

[Hadley]

I voted for the second, but I don’t think you could go wrong with either.  They are both beautiful.

I agree with everyone above about darker finishes being nightmares to live with.  We fell in love with the beautiful dark hardwood floors a year ago when we bought our house.  My mother warned me that we would hate them.  Mothers are always right.  I absolutely hate taking care of these floors!  I have a bit of OCD, and can’t stand it if things are not pretty and clean. Please be smart and get the middle shade.  You don’t want too light or too dark...trust me.  Think of this as a public service announcement 🤣

[May]

I like the lighter one. We have a north facing house so light and bright is important to me. 

[Lady Florida.]

6 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

 

BUT, I also have to admit that the darker tones show dust and crumbs a *lot more.  My 9 and 12 year olds are certainly not the neatest kids, but we had five kids 12 and under at one point, and my lighter floors NEVER looked dirty on the daily unless there was a big spill or whatever.  Now we notice flecks on the floor constantly, even when we’re pretty sure that no one has walked through since the last sweep or vacuum.

I still love the darker, but I spend a lot more time dealing with it, even with a robot vacuum doing daily rounds. I might have chosen differently if I had known, but I can’t say for certain.

Our new house will have wood floors similar to Tap's second option, maybe slightly darker. I've already thought about how the cat hairs will show more easily than they do on my bone colored ceramic tile in our current house (also very 90s since we bought this house and changed the flooring in early 2000). I guess the Roomba will be getting a lot of use. 

Edited March 12, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[Harriet Vane]

My first floor is dark due to shaded porches as well. I would absolutely go with the lighter one to brighten up the rooms as much as possible.