Let’s talk more about flooring! Specifically, how to choose wood flooring. You may be thinking, “wood flooring is wood flooring, how hard can it be?” But with the thousands of options available, it can get a bit tricky. But here are some tips that will help get you the perfect wood floor for your space.
So far in the series, we have talked about Where To Start and the different Types of Flooring you can choose from.
Now it’s time to narrow our focus a little. So, you know you want wood flooring, great. Now you have a starting point, but where do you go from there? Don’t stress! That’s what this next How to Choose Flooring post is all about. And I’m pretty excited to talk through it with you, because wood flooring happens to be my personal favorite!
Which is Right?
Rather than tell you the right or wrong way to go about it, because when it comes to interior design it has a lot to do with personal preference, I’m going to walk you through my design decision process.
It just so happens that our family recently purchased a new home with a pretty extensive project list. Actually, the previous owner had already started the updating process but only got so far as “DEMO DAY”(- Chip Gaines) before deciding to sell. So there were several areas of the house that required new flooring.
Which means, I was already in the head space for this post. It also means I was able to get a little hands on and headed to the home improvement store so I could talk through my actual thoughts and process with you.
The Best Place to Start
I would always suggest starting with a price range or budget goal when it comes to narrowing down your options. But I also know that budgets look different for every family as well as every project.
In our house, we try to keep the budget as low as possible while also achieving the look we want. But a small bathroom floor renovation would cost less than a large kitchen or living room, so you can get flexible with the price per square foot depending on the space you’re working with.
Definitely decide for yourself what your budget looks like for your specific project, and go from there. For the purposes of this post, I decided to focus only on the aspects of the wood flooring itself, regardless of the prices (just for fun!)
I have to say guys, I had so much fun with this little shopping expedition. Maybe it’s cause I love wood flooring so much, or maybe it’s cause I didn’t have to worry about a budget…..we may never know haha! But, here are some of the things I noticed and the thought process I worked through.
Time to Shop!
First off, let’s talk about stores. There are many different home improvement stores to choose from, but everything we talk about today will apply to the products in any store. However, every store will carry different products or brands so you may want to shop around rather than just stop at one. For this post, I went to two different locations: Lowe’s and Menards.
During my trips, I discovered that I preferred the wood flooring at Lowe’s over those at Menards. But different locations stock different products so don’t eliminate them entirely!
And as a side note, I found that I liked the selection of laminate “stone” flooring better at Mendards. But that’s a thought for another day!
Alright, so before you even start looking at the wood flooring options, you’ll want to determine what will work best for your space. Here’s a little review from the previous post. The three main types of wood flooring are: HARDWOOD, LAMINATE, and VINYL. If you’re a little fuzzy on the differences between them, pop back over to Types of Flooring and check out the comparison charts there.
Once you know what type of wood flooring you’re looking for, let’s get into the details. When it comes to wood flooring, there are a few things I look for (in addition to the criteria shown in the previous post).
Color or Shade
You can eliminate a considerable amount of options just by deciding what color or shade of wood flooring you want. For those of you who thought wood only came in a few colors, you’re mistaken. Thanks to man’s modern marvels, the options are overwhelming!
You can find any “kind” of wood you can think of: hickory, oak, pine, eucalyptus (yes, you read that right. I just picked up some samples!), cherry, birch, hackberry, chestnut, acacia, maple, willow, bamboo, teak, etc. And each of those “kinds” have different hues or tones. Guys, I’m not even kidding, those are just the ones I pulled from my sample stash, this is no joke!
Other Considerations
Maybe you’re not sure what color you want or what would work best with your design? Well, here are some of the things I consider to help me decide.
- How natural does it look?
- Are there any subtle undertones in the wood color?
- Does it have any other effects (i.e. sheen, white wash)
- What size is the “plank”
A Natural Look
Obviously, the more real it looks, the more expensive it can get. But there are some affordable wood flooring options out there that can look very realistic. One of the most important factors (for me) when it comes to a realistic look are grain patterns.
I love wood flooring that has texture and dimension. When you can run your hand over it and its not just a flat surface. However, a more textured wood does tend to have a more rustic look to it. If you prefer a more polished look, even real wood floors can get pretty smooth. But it’s all about making sure that grain shows through!
Another thing I always check for are knots, yes knots! I love a floor with character and a giant knot in the middle of the floor is perfect.
Subtle Undertones
This falls a little bit under the color category. But basically, if you pulled every “maple” wood flooring sample from a single store and lined them up next to each other, it’s very likely that they will not all match. Each style has different hues or undertones in the stain or finish.
When it comes to my own space, the colors I’m least likely to incorporate are red, yellow, or orange. For inexplicable reasons, they just don’t sit well with me. So, obviously, I tend to avoid them in design choices for my own home. The same is true when I am looking at wood flooring. If the wood has an undertone of red, yellow, or orange; it usually doesn’t make the cut.
The reason I avoid these undertones are because I know they wouldn’t coordinate with any of the decor in my home. I don’t use those colors in my other design choices, so they would look mismatched or disjointed from the design.
A great way to know what undertones you want in your flooring is to decide on a color palette for your design and work from that. Not sure how to choose a color palette? Here’s a post I have to help! How to Choose a Color Palette
Other Effects
Because wood flooring is manufactured, the manufacturers can get pretty creative with different effects. They give us plenty of options to choose from. Some of the effects I prefer to avoid are a high sheen. If it’s so glossy that you can see your reflection in it, it’s not for me. I prefer as matte as it gets!
Another effect I shy away from is a whitewash effect. Which is when they put a white finish over the wood. Typically it gets into the grain of the wood and is most white there. Often, this is done to make the wood look aged or worn. But for whatever reason, it usually just looks dusty to me. And I have enough cleaning to do without a floor that constantly looks dusty but will never be “clean.”
I will say though, that I have found a few weathered grey wood flooring options where the wood itself is grey or white rather than appearing to have a painted over finish, and they are a beautiful weathered option.
Plank Size
Design is all about the details! And the last little detail I would encourage you to take notice of, is the size of the plank. They vary in width from a couple inches to ten to twelve inches. There are no real design rules about this, so it’s really just personal preference. My personal preference happens to be as wide a plank as possible.
What will you choose?
That’s as much insight as I can offer for deciding on a wood floor. Hopefully, my thoughts were helpful for you while you try to decide on which wood floor you want for your design. If you have any questions, definitely reach out and let’s talk more!
Or you can find me on social media at: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter
Feel free to pin this post for later, as you peruse through the flooring isles!
