If you’re planning on installing hardwood flooring in multiple rooms of your house there are a few questions you want to ask yourself before you get started. Your home’s flooring is one of the most expensive investments you’ll make when redesigning your home. So that means you’ll want to get it right.
The most important questions here are, what type of flooring will I be installing in each room and should the flooring in each of these rooms match?
The Basics
While using the same flooring throughout your house will create a sense of space and congruity, you may be underutilizing the potential to bring out the individuality of each room. For instance, dark woods, such as mahogany and walnut, work well in larger and south-facing rooms- while smaller rooms benefit from lighter woods such white oak, ash, or maple. You should also factor in the furniture and cabinets in each room to find the perfect match.
Color Scheme
The rules of good interior design demand that your color scheme has some basic continuity throughout your house. Your choices in color should depend on the location of rooms and number of levels in the house. Start in the foyer and work your way inward, blending colors and type of flooring. If your house is smaller, laying down the same type and color of flooring will expand the space.
Contrast
The nuance between types of wood can be the difference between selecting woods that are too similar, thus giving off the impression that a mistake has been made and selecting woods that are too starkly contrasted. You want to find a nice balance and selecting certain types of woods for certain rooms will help you do this. For instance if you want to lay a darker wood in a room off the hallway, aim to match the color with a darker wood in the hallway. Maintaining a sense of cohesion throughout the house should be the main goal here.
Room Size
It’s important to factor in the size of each room when deciding on the proper flooring to install. Certain room sizes work better with certain types of wood. For instance, a larger room that receives more natural light, will work better with a darker tone. Smaller rooms work well with lighter woods – such as maple or hickory. Highly polished woods also help reflect light and create a sense of space.
Transition
Ensuring that the transition between two adjoining rooms is also an important factor. You want to make sure that this is formed at the center of the room in a straight line. T-molding is an easy way to create a clean transition. You can do this by drawing a straight line to mark the center threshold and then leave a gap between the two floors to slot the molding.
Layering
If you’re installing flooring in a long, narrow area, avoid layering the flooring so it runs parallel to the length of the space. Doing this will reinforce the sense of length and lack of width. Layering the floor so it does not run parallel with the length of the space makes it appear wider and takes the emphasis away from the length. If the two adjoin rooms don’t have a door in between, maintain the direction the floor runs in throughout both spaces. However, if the two adjoining rooms are separated by a door, mix things up by changing the direction the floor runs in.
Family Areas
Your family room should maintain some continuity with your kitchen’s flooring, whether that be in color or texture. For any rooms that receive high foot traffic you’ll want to choose wood, tile or stone and darker colors to avoid stains, marks and scuffing. Tile, slate, stone or cork are all optimal choices for your kitchen and again you’ll want to make sure it maintains continuity with your family room and other adjoining rooms.
Bedrooms
Choosing the proper flooring for your bedrooms will allow you to be a bit more creative and individualistic. Children will call for something a bit lighter in tonality and preferably a harder surface in order to make them easier to clean up. Master bedrooms may call for something darker that you can accentuate with area rugs. Be sure to keep the bathroom flooring in mind to find the proper contrast.
