What type of floor should replace this carpet?

8 years ago

Our house is 17 years old and we’ve recently moved in. They had carpet in the dining/living room and we’ve been using it for our baby’s play area. We’d now like to replace the carpet but the hard wood is quite old and it won’t be a perfect match.

So so do we:

1. Replace it with wood thats as close as possible

2. Replace with something entirely new (I have no idea what this would be or look like)

We don’t have a huge budget to refinish the floors Plus get new flooring so that’s not an option. Any kid/pet friendly options? This is not our forever home. Thanks!

Featured Answer

jhmarie

8 years ago

I would not replace hardwood with something of less quality like LVP or laminate. It does not look good to put faux wood next to real wood. I know a lot of people here do not like carpet, but you could put down new carpet. Lots of people I know have carpet.

Another thought would be to run new site finished hardwood and refinish the older hardwood at the same time. That may be outside your budget but that hardwood (2&1/4" oak - probably red oak) is readily available. The beveled edges tell me it is pre-finished which may be more expensive to refinish because it requires a lot of sanding to get the factory finish off. I have seen people on the forum refinish similar floors and they can come out really pretty.

You may be able to match it - not sure how new would look next to old. It is hard to tell on a computer, but it looks like the Bruce 2 1/4 solid oak in gunstock that is sold at Lowe's. It is a reasonably priced floor, but it shows scratches more than I like - I have it on my second floor - works fine because it is just bedrooms but I have natural, site finished oak on the main level and it hides the scratches better.

If you do go with hardwood, look into the indoor/ outdoor area rugs. They come in some pretty styles and can be hosed off if needed. They are not cushy - feel like a cotton rug, but they will help protect the floors - I have 2 dogs and 3 kids at home.

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Comments (8)

Peter Roehrich
8 years ago
I concur that it looks like Bruce in gunstock, or a very similar product. A flooring that matches the existing oak will give the best aesthetic outcome as it will make for better flow between the spaces. Being off the foyer, it'll give a great first impression.

Will this be the only room in the floor (other than the foyer) that had hardwoods? If you cannot match perfectly, and if it is the only room, consider a boarder of contrasting wood around the room, then laying the slight mismatched flooring inside that; this will break up the transition allowing you to hide the mismatch.

What ever you do, make it look intentional. A slight mismatch in if adjacent boards will look accidental. As well as pairing lower quality flooring with the existing wood.
Cris Hayter thanked Peter Roehrich
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Angel 18432
8 years ago
I would just put new carpet down for now. It's going to be a baby play area, so you want clean carpet for baby to play on, and not white as it will show every little spill.
Cris Hayter thanked Angel 18432
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
8 years ago
IMO the only option is to get new unfinished wood floor and have the old floor stripped and sanded then all of it refinished to match. Wait until you can do it properly .
Cris Hayter thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
PRO
Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
8 years ago
If you can't do more hardwood and refinishing the old stuff, just replace with new carpet.
Cris Hayter thanked Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
Cris Hayter
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks everyone. Just to clarify, the original hardwood goes into the family room which isn't show in the picture. So there is a lot of existing hard wood. That's why the refinishing budget isn't there.

We were wanting to replace the carpet as even though it's baby's play room, he's walking and not in that room that often (he's running around). Since we're not staying long term, we were just trying to think of the cleanest surface as carpet can get dirty, plus resale value. It's good to hear that you think it's a common hardwood as we had no idea. We have no problem laying down new hardwood if it matches the existing. The existing is a bit scratched after 17 years, so I just didn't want it to look tacky. We had one company quote $13+ a sq feet to lay hardwood, and I just think that sounded high for what I am assuming is builder grade hardwood (possibly engineered?).

I'll check a few more companies and compare laying hardwood vs carpet.

Thanks!
Angel 18432
8 years ago
The wood doesn't look that bad from the picture. Can you not just leave it be - your not planning on staying that long.
Cris Hayter
Original Author
8 years ago
Angel, we're trying to change the carpet next to the wood. We didn't want to do anything with the wood. I'm glad it still looks ok though :)