Originally I wanted to preserve the original hardwood in the living and dining room and have it refinished a slightly darker shade since it was in such phenomenal condition. However, we are tearing down walls to create an open concept main floor, and flooring consistency is so key in creating this seamless look. Sourcing and replacing a small area where the walls once were was one thing, but since the entryway and kitchen both had old tile we decided it was best to install all new hardwood throughout.
Luckily Ty & I had the same idea of what we were looking for. We preferred oak for the variety and contrast of the grain, and we liked 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 inch wide planks. In terms of colour, we were looking for something in between what was there now and what we have at our current house. We prefer the modern look of the very dark wood floors, but from experience we know this shows every spec of dust, paw print and imperfection. It drove me crazy how "smudgy" looking the dark hardwood got as soon as anyone (pets included) walked across it. It is a never ending battle.
Luckily Ty & I had the same idea of what we were looking for. We preferred oak for the variety and contrast of the grain, and we liked 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 inch wide planks. In terms of colour, we were looking for something in between what was there now and what we have at our current house. We prefer the modern look of the very dark wood floors, but from experience we know this shows every spec of dust, paw print and imperfection. It drove me crazy how "smudgy" looking the dark hardwood got as soon as anyone (pets included) walked across it. It is a never ending battle.
Apparently deciding on what we wanted was far easier than finding what we wanted. We spent days and day browsing through hardwood flooring stores in and out of town. I felt like Goldilocks and the 300 floors. Too wide, too thin, too light, too dark, too shiny, too dull, too red, too yellow, too gray...
Finally we found a hardwood warehouse that had FOUR hardwood colours we really liked.
Finally we found a hardwood warehouse that had FOUR hardwood colours we really liked.
After much deliberation we were able to narrow down the choices to the two middle samples, but we couldn't make a decision past that point.
Since we were buying almost 1400 sq ft of this flooring, we wanted to be absolutely certain it was going to compliment our kitchen selections so we brought the two flooring samples over to Hampton Kitchens. Seeing the two hardwood samples up against our cabinet colours made our decision much easier.
Since we were buying almost 1400 sq ft of this flooring, we wanted to be absolutely certain it was going to compliment our kitchen selections so we brought the two flooring samples over to Hampton Kitchens. Seeing the two hardwood samples up against our cabinet colours made our decision much easier.
And the winning hardwood is Red Oak in "caramel".
As I mentioned in my post Kitchen Design (Part 2), we decided on "Antique White" for the upper and lower cabinets in the kitchen and "Cocoa" for the island. You can see in the picture below the grain of the "Caramel" hardwood works perfectly with the "Cocoa" colour. I think the light cabinetry and medium dark hardwood will provide beautiful contrast.
What do you think of our final flooring choice?