Is hardwood flooring an option? Prefinished hardwood floors can start at around $3/sq. foot, so it doesn't have to break the bank, and is a better investment in the long run

An attractive, eclectic, collected, look is a far different animal than the cheap incoherent undesigned chaos that so many homes seem to default to these days. You cannot pick something form Column A, Something from Column B, and something from Column C and call it Transitional. Willynilly as a design style is never a thing. Making up a design style and a design label doesn't make it actually physically work. That model home makes my eyes hurt from all of the cheap, poor quality, choices, and overuse of Prison Gray.

If you want to chase ephemera and visual chaos, then put in the gray laminate. As I said, at least it will be relatively cheap to change when that fad is over and the next fad is blonde maple and you flutter over to wanting that instead. Chasing fads always puts you behind in decorating, and always costs you money to attempt to keep up.

No, hardwood is not an option, nor is it something we are interested in. Hardwood requires maintenance and we don't like the look of traditional hardwood. Hardwood has gone out of style here. Here, the trend is towards maintenance free laminate wood flooring. Laminate has come so far in terms of looks and durability that builder's don't even offer hardwood.

The second flooring is a lot less busy to me and goes better with the feel of your home's architectural elements.

The first flooring goes better with a sleek ultra modern minimalistic design in which you wish the floor to be the focal point.

Hardwood is ALWAYS in style, has been for hundreds of years. In any event, the gray, busy looking floor is awful IMO, cheap looking, the second option better. Just my thoughts ....

Builders build the cheapest option not the best option. Here in Indy the builders are showing 'luxury' vinyl plank and not laminate anymore. Both are hideous IMO. At least the LVP will last longer in a kitchen. Do you cook a lot? Do you have pets and kids? Laminate is not the way to go. If someone held a gun to my head the second option would be my choice.

Between your two choices, I prefer the second. That will allow your furnishings to take the stage instead of the floor. But I live in a home with 100 year old oak floors!

It's interesting that people on here still think that laminate isn't durable. Hardwood may last longer but only with regular maintenance. Laminate is an excellent choice for kitchens and in homes with children and pets. It's very durable and low maintenance. And most people can't tell the difference between hardwood and high-end laminate. For those of you who commented about how the busy floors will affect our decorating style, thank you! For everyone else, obviously your personal likes and dislikes don't matter. Every region has a different decorating style and trends. What you think is ugly and awful is actually trendy and "in" in other regions. Don't comment about your personal preference unless someone asks you what you like. I asked about the business of the flooring and it's place in current trends. This is obviously not the place to ask with so many people from different walks of life. To everyone else, thanks again!

You asked about the"busyness " of the floors & our personal opinions (what else is there anyway?) were given. Sounds like you just were looking for people to validate your choice. This forum is best suited for those seeking advice & honest opinions, not for validating one's preconceived decisions. In any event good luck with your new house, go with what you like, that's always the best route.

Jessica, I think the first choice is too busy. I think you will be more satisfied in the long run with something simpler.

In my opinion, if you are planning to live in this home more than two years, go with what you like. If there is any chance of resale in the near future, go with the more neutral.

Laminate more ''durable'' than hardwood? Seriously? That's your actual position? Based on what? Your many many years of home ownership, or living in a cheap apartment for 6 months? Talk to me after 45 hears of home ownership, and the choice you made is still as great as the day it was installed. No maintenance? Those floors don't exist. Everything needs dust mopping and the occasional damp mop. In 15-20 years, wood might need refinishing. After the kids are out of the house.

There is so much ludicrous misinformation in your statements that you must be the victim of a sleazy salesperson selling you the sizzle and not the steak. No rational human being who has done even minimal research would buy into that kind of carp. That is ignorance or sales pressure speaking.

But, if you want to live the 5 year gut and redo it again cycle, no one here will stop you. They will just bemoan the filling of the land fills and the continual emptying of your pocketbook as you chase the unobtainable.

If you want to live better than that, and make better choices, we can help. You just have to jettison the incorrect assumptions that you have somehow swallowed whole. and be open to something other than trend chasing.

Remember these trends? Of course not. You're much much too young. Obviously. But, the all gray house will look equally horrid to your eyes to the future you, I promise.

Exactly. I asked if the floors were too busy and if the trend is here to stay or not. None of your comments answered that. All you had to say was how you hated the floor. That doesn't say anything about the busy trend at all. And no, I wasn't looking for validation. Based on other responses, the busy flooring will be a focal point which I don't want. I will be going with the second option.

Wow Sophie. How incredibly insulting. It depends on your definition of durable. Hardwood flooring takes more work to properly maintain and you can't clean it with everyday cleaners. Forget having pets or children with those hardwood floors. Laminate is a fantastic option for younger families with busy households and will stand up to the spills, scratching pet nails, and can be easily cleaned and maintained. Will it last 100 years? No. Is it easy to replace in 10 years with hardwood if we want to? Yup. Are buyer's here looking for hardwood? Nope. There are a lot of young families here who have no interest in hardwood floors. We have them in our current home and I hate them. But I won't insult anyone who loves them. Goodness. You are a piece of work.

Hmmm so is there a look a that has remained in trend over the past 100 years? Probably not. Of course I don't remember those trends and yes, the current trends will change. Who doesn't know that? I would appreciate it if you would stop treating me like a 10 year old child. I'm not looking for a trend to last me a lifetime. Does such a trend even exist? I wouldn't think do.

Boggle. SMH.

If you don't have the money to do it right the first time, do you have the money to do it right the second time around? Or third?

Of course that is your assumption. Continue to insult me based on your assumption that I can't afford hardwood. I can. I choose not to. I don't like it and don't want it. So sleezy.

I wish Cancork Floors (Flooring professional) would weigh in and set you straight. I am a kid raising, pet owner, designer of 30 years, owner of hardwood. And I worked in a flooring store part time. Do more research and not at your builders flooring store. They are there to hype the cheap stuff. Sophie has no bed side manner but is a truth teller.

Jessica, Sophie thrives on this sort of thing. She often makes good points, but insults everyone and their brother in the process. Look past her offensive insults, and see if there is even a grain of truth you can find. If not, move on.

I feel like the first floor is busy and will fight with other elements in the design. The second will compliment design elements but will not try to fight with them and steal the show.

THANK YOU! Such a wonderful and well-stated answer to such a simple question.

Wow. This is an amazing thread. Why so many people see fit to argue and insult and talk down to people is totally beyond me.

Jessica your home will be beautiful. Very few design choices are eternally attractive. Personally I think a mid tone brown wood floor with no red yellow or orange in it is about as eternal as it's going to get and in my experience, with the right finish it is low maintenance for both kids and pets.

HOWEVER you don't like it and that's what matters. I think you are making the right choice for the right reasons - the first one is too busy and detracts from everything else in the model. So go for the second option, ignore the haters, and enjoy your beautiful new home.

Honesty and rudeness do NOT have to be one and the same. Being insulting to someone is unacceptable. And calling it frankness is just a transparent excuse for bad manners.

Yikes snappy - you asked the general public! Did you expect to love every perfectly crafted response and each would give you clear educated guidance? People are genuinely trying to help but the statement that hardwood is out has launched your taste to another level - planet temporary.

Real wood is timeless. Faux wood has a short lifespan, especially gray faux wood. The photo you posted shows flooring in total contradiction with the traditional stairs....... blotchy gray-and-almost beige. Faux wood may be fine in a basement, but real wood looks better and lasts forever.

The floors are too busy in my opinion. I love grey I'm on the grey bandwagon with my reno but we are choosing a medium Brown tone to help "warm" the space up a bit.

Check out some bloggers homes like thriftydecorchick or younghouselove they have beautiful homes with nice brown floors but still very up to date :-)

There is nothing wrong with laminate flooring, many are attractive. Just to give a different perspective re maintenance of hardwood, I've had mine since 2000, live at the beach with two dogs & three children ( including a surfer son, who surfs EVERYDAY), my hardwood still looks fabulous. I just want to clear up any misperceptions for others about hardwood floors. Not here to convince anyone, just provide my experience.

You can guarantee that gray weathered wood flooring is a trend that will soon look dated, just like 90% of the features in new build and renovation projects we see posted every day here on Houzz.

Beveled subway tile backsplashes, gray cabinets, brass/gold kitchen hardware, large square glass hanging lights over a kitchen island, sliding barn doors, etc. ... all these will look dated in a few years.

If that's a deal breaker, look for something that's been around for a couple of decades or more like regular hardwood floors. These have not gone out of style. Even in Utah. Otherwise, go with what you like and be prepared to live with it or change it after it goes out of fashion in a few years.

Will you have stairs? The reason the model home has the two different stains isn't because the builder is being trendy. Stairs have to be real hardwood unless you are doing carpeted stairs, we learned that after we choose engineered hardwood floors. This was also very difficult to match the stain, even though the design center told is it was not going to be an issue. The main issue with design centers is what they promise and what the trades people can do are two different things. It took our painter (yes, painter because the stair people would not adjust the stain) three times to get it right.

Just wanted you to be aware of the headaches that could arise just from the flooring choices.

From a family with kids, I would choose hardwood. I feel like our 110 year old hard wood is still desirable! And it feels incredible, there is no way anyone could confuse laminate and hardwood. There is no comparison. We did put commercial and basement approved laminate in our basement playroom, we even tried to copy our real wood floors. But I will definitely put hardwood above grade.

Put what ever you love in your own house. It is your house. But believe me, no one will think it's hardwood.

Watch for how slippery the laminate can be with sock feet, ours is so slippery! And I worry about it more than the wood for water and scratches. But we don't have dogs, they can be very bad on hardwood.

Jessica I do think gray is a trend and that someday you will want something different. However, having said that if I were to chose between the first busy floor and the second gray floor I would select the second. It will stand the test of time more favorably and look better from the start. Good luck!

Jessica - I don't care for the first sample; primarily because I don't like short pieces of wood. Additionally it looks too busy and somewhat "artificial". And your intuition is correct about it looking dated in a few years. (Usually I don't worry about "dated", but in the case of something this big, I would.) So.....if those are your two choices, I'd go with #2.

I don't think either choice would be suitable for someone concerned about the short life of a fad. Faddish is exactly what they both are. A medium wood that is not too dark, would really warm things up. It would give a natural element that is badly missing from the colder and more artificial look of the model home. That model home just is not welcoming at all!

Laminate has never been a trend except in a trailer park. I at one time had both real hardwood in the living areas and laminate in a family room and I would never ever put it in again. It has a hollow clicky sound, it warps, and looks cheap and then there are the toxic fumes it puts off.. So my comment is laminate has never been a trend in Utah or anywhere else in the U.S. And pre finished hardwoods are not difficult to keep clean. You've been sold a bill of goods but do what you want but understand it will kill you at resale.

Truly not a fan of either floor. The second is not as busy as the first, but they're both pretty "in your face." If you're set on laminate, I'd be looking for something a bit more restrained.

I admit I'm on the hardwood side of the equation, though. Had genuine hardwood for ten years in our last house. I don't understand why you think it's so hard to maintain - a microfiber dry mop fairly regularly, and an occasional damp mop with a generic wood floor cleaner was all we ever needed - pretty much what you'd do with laminate.

I love hardwood, but it is not for everybody. One reason I love it is that even with some scratches and wear it still looks good - but some cannot stand the scratches and wear look. If someone is of that personality, then they should avoid hardwood.

Hardwood is not out of style because it is classic. It exist in homes over 100 years old, many of them very elegant, and is still installed in homes today. However, a certain set of brothers on HGTV have made some people feel they are dated by saying so on their show. This is because they often tear down walls and it would be cost prohibitive to patch the floors and stay on budget. So they have to find a reason to tear them out and replace with what often looks like engineered. Tom and Norm on This Old House almost always patch and save classic wood floors. But, you do not like them and that is fine.

Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) is replacing laminate in the faux wood look flooring because it is supposed to be more durable and more water resistant. Time will tell if this proves to be true. At the recent Parade Homes, LVP was every where, but I did not see any laminate.

I am old enough to have seen lots of trends go by. Gray will always be a neutral that will work for some surfaces, but it has been greatly overused and gray flooring is not a natural look unless you are in the hayloft of an old barn. So yes, at some point weathered grays will be to this decade what harvest gold was to the 70's. It is marketing - the need to declare some things "dated" so you will buy new stuff. What you will want to do is either find a look that you will love, even when the next generation is hating it on HGTV, or do expensive surfaces in less trendy but more classic looks, which are more flexible to style changes.

Well said. I see younger homeowners wanting a huge house and then cheapen it will inferior products. Get a smaller house or do what we had to do - buy a smaller starter home.

A lot of good comments here with regard to trends and the mistake of buying a too big home and cheapening it with a mis-matched collection of inferior products or clinging to the trend of the moment.

As for materials, laminate is not growing in use or popularity, not even in Utah, and it is actually less durable and has a shorter lifespan than real wood or stone. It wears out quicker and is hard or impossible to repair if damaged, and it damages easier.

Jessica might be mistaking tile that looks like wood or pre-finished distressed wood or some kind of manufactured non-laminate product for laminate, or maybe her particular builder is trying to get her into a big expensive house by cutting corners with cheap flooring and selling it as a popular choice.

I know, for myself, that just asking the question means I have doubts. Of late, I have been trying to listen to that inner voice of doubt. You might need to look at more options.

Most people in America buy more house then they need it's insanity. I lived in England for 3 years and it changed my entire perception on what's really needed in a home. We as a country are so wrapped up into consumption and it's destroying us. Rant over

The model home looks beautiful. I think the second choice for flooring would look better with the big windows and open layout. Although the first flooring option you showed seems more interesting if you were presented with those two options in a vacuum not dependent on anything else, there is something that strikes me as off about it in the photos both from the manufacturer's site and the model home.

Love them both! Go with what you look at and enjoy. I see mountains in the background on pics of the model home so I am going to assume you get winter in your part of Utah. I would go with the one with more color variance so in the winter it doesn't go too dark and plays with the winter sunlight. My over a hundred year old home has some of the original hardwood and new laminate in other areas. I love the "busier" laminate because of lighting and upkeep with big dogs.

Your first choice is too busy and the second one is okay but I think you can do better. I've loved gray since the 80's but I'd never choose it as a floor option.

Although I prefer light coloured wood floors, I much prefer the second choice over the first. The first is pretty busy and calls for a different style of decor. You might get duck of it quickly. The second will be easier to match. Since the second floor is darker, you can brighten up the space with lighter decor/furnishings, wall paint....

Jessica- A lot of people are very opinionated (good thing- you will get varied opinions) and sometimes downright rude here. Like someone else said, honesty and rudeness are not the same. You should put what you like in your house.

But in this case- I do not like either choices. But then I am solidly in a wood floor camp. I am a young (er) but I dont like anything trendy. I like to think I go for timeless rather than trendy.

1. I can safely say 7 out of 10 people will say that wood is a timeless choice. Out of the remaining three, if cost were not a factor, 9 out of 10 will opt for wood floors. Good wood floors are expensive (reclaimed even more ) but nothing can match the beauty of wood floors. The reason there are so many wood look alike choices are because wood is the most desirable flooring choice but expensive hence the market for cheaper look alike alternatives.

2. In my previous house (my first home), we had hardwood floors in the entire house. I loved the floors. I have a large dog and I never babied the floors and it looked perfect to me. I never understand most people's obsession to have things pristine as the day it was installed. Nothing stays pristine but good wood floors ( not lookalikes or even engineered wood- imo also looks plasticy) gets better with age. We will grow old as will our possessions. The important thing is to take the wear and tear as natural part of life.

3. If all that does not convince you, take a look at any quality project here on Houzz. You will see real wood floors in almost every single one of them. I sometimes see in Qn A people asking if the floor is laminate and almost indignant/ offended (or comes across that way) response from architects/ builders/ designers that it is real wood.

Having said all that, it is your home. Make a choice that fits your needs. Good luck on your new home.

I have hardwood and laminate in my house and I would pick laminate any day. The hardwood is scratched and chipped and the laminate is way easier to keep clean.

Some of these comments are so rude, even from the pros.

I'd be interested in hearing comments about the staircases hardwood stain color in relation to floors on first level (weather wood on floor is real or not).

Do I have to match stain colors on my floor to that which is already on the staircase or not? What options do I have with the dark stain on staircase? Paint it? or lime wash it? or?

Currently we just have carpet on the main floor and wanting to replace it, but I'm afraid everything will be too dark if I match it to the staircase as it is.