I just left Home Depot and the "slate" looking laminate was beautiful. Cost of Pergola and the look of tile or slate. Check it out.

I'd go slate or slate-like tiles on the floor. Another option would be concrete with an etched/stained pattern to look like natural stone. Wood floors would be too much wood.

Slate in the largest tiles you can get or large random slate pieces with a dark grey grout. I agree wood floors would be to much.

I'm a little biased... but I know one thing for sure... we supply an awful lot of hardwood flooring to the Lake Tahoe area. And most of those houses are mountain cabin décor.
Wood is a much better insulator and a lot more forgiving than stone if you drop something on it.
Easier on the "hoofs" as well.
I wouldn't let the other wood dissuade me. There's plenty available in species that will coexist with your knotty cedar. Hickory is a definite option... light, creamy tans & soft browns in natural hickory.
Maybe just a touch of color to accent your other accessories.

I'm a woodworker and love wood but think about white pickled finish on the walls. And you would not have to be some picky on the floor.

Fred makes an excellent suggestion (that I was thinking, but was too cowardly to voice...lol)... bravo Fredm51 !!!
That would really open a LOT of doors to numerous options.

Oil the walls to add a soft glow and use either random width square cut pine and paint it, or Marmoleum tiles which can resemble the old linoleum floors and give you color. Tile floors are cold and noisy. Think about painting the wall with the clock to give a color punch.

Marmoleum Click is a eco-friendly, vintage-style, floating floor that you might love for your cabin. We're using it in our 30's kitchen; I blogged about it here: http://redbirdv.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/i-want-a-retro-tile-floor/.

I have white painted wood look laminate flooring in my home and love it. It is a a bit cold underfoot in winter but i dare say less cold than tiles would be. your cabin would look great with a white floor.

Okay final, final comment...
I'm not an Interior Designer (but I've played one on TV... not really).
However, we have the good fortune to work with some of the finest... and thus SEE the results of great ideas.

Lighten the walls... the space would look SOoo much bigger!
Whitewash, (or off-white if you "washed" over the existing)...
Not talking about paint, but that's an option as well.
Added benefit of opening many doors to flooring options

We just finished a vacation lake house last year and installed a Shaw wood-look laminate product. It's been great in terms of the look and low maintenance at an affordable price. I agree you would probably want to select something other than wood with all the pine, so what about using a slate-look laminate like the photos below? I'm sure there are lots of other selections that might suit your needs as well.

Cork flooring may be a good option-variety of colors, patterns, etc. Tile or plank. Warm, easy on legs for standing long period of time, hypoallergenic, resists mold and mildew, shock absorbing, insulating.

Tile or slate sounds a bit too "grand" and modern, or a rustic cabin by the lake. Grey painted wood would soften the look beautifully, it is a cheap option, and it ages well. We have left our cabin by the lake with the old pine panelling which just gets more buttery with age., and the floors are the traditional fir I think. To break up the monotony of wood, area rugs do the trick and keep it cosy in the shoulder seasons.

We too have a lakeside cabin needing a flooring upgrade. Most lake cabins here are built off the ground on blocks or on a crawlspace. The cabins tend to move...that is expand and contract with seasonal temperatures. Tile , slate and concrete are problematic because of weight and movement resulting in cracking. We are exploring wood plank laminates with a moisture/insulation underlayment. If moisture is an issue for you consider vinyl wood look laminates. Good luck and post your completed project......Oh and keep the cabin look with the stained cedar walls and beams....Wadco Wood Oils are a good enhancer for dry looking wood walls.......just check for compatible base first.

I would go with reclaimed wood. I would leave the wood that you have and try to match the width of what you have for the rest of the cabin. Strip it down and leave it the natural lighter color. For interest in certain areas, you could stain "carpet" looks before adding a top finish. The taping off part is the hardest part of the job, but once done it is beautiful. I have done this with my deck and it looks incredible. I wish I could show you but I don't know how to download pics. Take the color from the wood walls and make that one of the colors in the floor carpet pattern and that will pull it all together. I wish I had a place like this. Good luck!

Wow, folks have plenty of great suggestions. Despite the fact we sell flooring from reclaimed antique structures, I would install new #2 (selection grade) white oak flooring, in wide planks of up to 7.50". White oak is my preferred species, but other hardwoods would be perfectly acceptable. New pine flooring can be way too soft for my tastes The new oak will be very hard/durable and have much the same appearance of character seen in antique flooring, but at roughly 1/2 the price. My recommendation for max widths of 7.5" is limit the possibility of cupping or movement.
Regardless of what wood flooring you may choose, MAKE SURE the producer kiln dries the wood to at least 160 degrees and for a minimum of 4 hours. I underand this is the approved method of the USDA. This is THE ONLY method to ensure there will be zero live infestation. Powder post beetles eggs can remain dormant for up to a year. When they hatch..... suffice to say nothing good occurs. Don't let them try to convince you that there dehumidifiers and a little heat accomplish the same goal.

My suggestion of the new, versus antique flooring, is based on seeing this type flooring installed in local homes. If I had not known beforehand, I would have assumed they were indeed antique.


Color is a matter of personal preference. In this project, I would be inclined to apply something close to a white-washed finish or a light pickling. You are welcome to contact me directly for further suggestions on finishes and without being subjected to sales spiel, just assistance.
Shalom, Fletcher Horn (Fletcher@ABMWOOD.com )

I live in a cabin also. Don't paint the floors - leave that wood alone. Why spend money to change a wood floor to another wood floor. Just sand and stain this one in a color you like.

Your color should come from the furniture, area rugs, and art work. A nice bright rug would change everything. A great painting hung where that clock is would add color too. I find that reds and blues look great against the wood. Black and white looks great too.

I would stain the floors darker and paint the interior wooden walls either gray or off white. The ceiling and the floors would keep the cabin look and the walls would have a more cottage feel to it.

I haven't read all comments, but if I were you, I would go to Lumber Liquidators and get some really wide wood planks for the floor, then put some wonderful colorful rugs on top.

I have white vinyl floors in the kitchen at the lake and they show every bit of grass and sand that gets drug in. When we have a crowd there it's a matter of minutes before it looks dirty. So, with that said, I think I would go lighter on your floor color but not necessarily white something a little more forgiving. Maybe you should live with what you have for a while and add light color furnishings and rugs to lighten the room up a bit.

Check out this link to a norwegian cabin. Maybe the pictures can give you some inspiration. :)

http://m.finn.no/realestate/leisuresale/ad.html?finnkode=40495400&price_from=6600000&no_of_bedrooms=4&situation=1&m2min=130

To me this cabin lacks some rugs, but otherwise it is fantastic.

I would opt for wood floors with large area rugs. A cabin should feel warm and snug! Stone floors or even tile would be harsh and cold IMO. I love your cabin. It is a real jewel!

Distressed white cork flooring would probably look awesome and preserve the rustic feel of your cabin while lightening up the interior. Warm and soft underfoot and easy maintenance...

Good luck with your project! Great space!

Check out our website for great ideas: www.vancitytiles.com

You might be able to paint over the flooring that you have now (vinyl and laminate?) as a inexpensive, shorter-term solution. Talk to a good paint store to find out about it. If you decide to replace it, and you want a very inexpensive solution, you can install plywood (or similar) and paint it. It would give you at least the same insulation value as hardwood, I would think (fewer seams), it's inexpensive, it's easy to install, and you could stain it (although I think that would be too much more wood), paint it or paint it in a pattern. We used this on the porch at our cottage, painted, and it looks great. Otherwise, I would install a utility grade oak and stain it white or paint it. I think that stone in your climate would be too cold, plus it would probably be too heavy for your structure.

This has clear-coated plywood walls, but it looks like the floors are, too (and stained in a white?)


If you use a deck paint it will wear like iron


This one says plywood floors with concrete paint (???) - might be worth investigating!


This could be an interesting idea in your cabin: create a pattern which would have both natural stained, color stained and painted portions. That way, the wood tones would be brought into the floor but in a smaller way.


In this house, they removed the flooring down to the subfloor, stained the plywood and dark color and then polyurethaned. This dark color would certainly be too dark for your house, but the same concept could be used with a color stain. Maybe you wouldn't have to do anything more than remove the flooring that is there and use the existing subfloor.

Even OSB can work

wood for sure. much cozier. add an area rug like a berber or sisal in a neutral colour. add cushions and accessories in colours you love.sage green, tan and dark red would look awesome and keep the rustic feel.

I like the floors just add area rugs. If you want stone go slate 14" tile.

We've owned a cabin for 20 plus years. We love warm and cozy, but at some point, it can just be too dark. Over time, we've added more windows, put a light-color vinyl floor in the kitchen and bath, and raised the flat living room celling to a vaulted ceiling with adjustable can lights to augment floor and table lamps and our ceiling fan light. It has made a huge difference for the better. With all of your pine/wood walls and ceilings (like ours), I would highly recommend going light on the flooring. As an aside, we have nice plaid sofas (medium plus light blue, with cream and touches of gold ) in the living room and a large oval braided rug. I just added a wall quilt and I couldn't be happier with the rustic cabin look and feel. Go for more light. You'll be pleased in the end.

Darling cabin. We just bought one and didn't change a thing. I'm attaching a photo of the painted kitchen floor, and some of our bleached white oak flooring that had been sanded and refinished. I'd stick with narrow oak which is very true to the style. see if you can find someone who will slightly bevel the edges to give an older look. There's also a shot of our master bathroom with white painted pine floor. Do remember though, knots show through naturally with any paint. Chrysteen

Lovely cabin Whims. Thanks for sharing the pretty pics. Makes me want to buy a cabin!

I love your cabin! I had seen Sarah Richardson's cabin and they too had a lot of wood, only she white washed her ceiling and walls. And left the floor a natural wood color. But you could do the reverse and white wash the flooring, here are some pictures of her cabin, I always thought it was a really beautiful design. The idea with the light cream colored cabinets in the kitchen is a great idea in fact that's what she did so there would be too much wood competing. Either way maybe you could pick up some decorating ideas from her cottage. They're very similar. :) There are video's on HGTV of the decorating process to. Good Luck!

We have a camp and we also have the wood on the ceilings (although our walls are painted. It's very natural and so when we remodeled we wanted to go with something that would be easy maintenance (lots of coming in and out from the lake and 4 pugs) and also look really good. hardwoods are not so good if they are going to constantly be getting wet. In the upstairs we did a Berber carpet and all in the downstairs we did this thick linoleum that looks like stone. Honestly everyone who comes is asks what kind of stone it is lol and it is so much softer on your bare feet!!

I know you said you wouldn't paint the walls or ceiling because you want to keep the rustic feel, but maybe you should reconsider? I think the feel of the cabin could remain rustic if you keep the floors wood with a stain and paint the wood walls and ceiling a white (Dove White) or match kitchen with creamy white. A mix of modern and antique furnishings and kitchen/fixtures would be beautiful in your space! Use of simple whites, grays, and slate colors would also be beautiful fabric choices.

" Cabinetry in the kitchen will be creamy white, as will sofas, rugs, linens, etc."

If you are going creamy white then I would leave the floor and walls as is. When you start adding area rugs and a creamy white kitchen, sofa, etc. You will see a big difference in the place. It will definitely open up. Keep the windows treatment free to bring in light. Add light or cream colored area rugs, accessories, large light colored pictures on the walls, white wash some of your accent tables etc. It will transform before your eyes.

Love your place!

Maybe you would want to remove the divider with the clock on it for a more open area

Good eye, Dar! We are demo-ing the divider (it's a pantry!) ASAP!

If you want cost-effective slate, buy the prepackaged kits, which come with a variety of sizes, shapes and colors to make a pattern. Then, as I did, throw out all the red pieces. Worked beautifully for me and cost very little.
But if it were my cabin, I would look for big, rustic stones, and then seal and polish.

Glad to hear you are removing wall. I like slate in cabins. Area rugs will room it up. Love Tahoe, lucky you.

Some simple white oak floors would look very nice. Our client finished these floor with Cabot's Bittersweet stain. These are 10" planks with average length of about 8'. Let me know if you have any plank flooring questions. joel@eutree.com

I love the idea of painting the floors. I stayed in an old house in Conn. where all the floors were painted almost black. They were gorgeous...rustic but finished. Of course the more coats of paint you put on it the better it will look.

I wouldn't touch the floors, they 're beautiful and a much better wood than the walls, you mijght want to lighten the walls, aren't they pine? Youcould see if you could lighten the wooden walls, we finished our 17 th century pine ceiling with a clear finish with alittle white in it, looked like yoghurt. The walls will only get darker with time....

Lake Barcroft, Falls Church,VA a porch room was destroyed by a fallen tree from a windstorm. Charlie and crew did a great job in restoring and improving the room. they were very easy to work with . They had good suggestions and the end result is a beautiful glass enclosed room with a cathedral ceiling. We love it, ..

I'm late to the party but here is my 2 cents. I have a chestnut cabin built around 1950. The family room where the fireplace is we have a 4 ft wide hearth done in slate in a herringbone pattern. The floor (was covered in an awful rug) we sanded and stained English Chestnut and it looks amazing. The kitchen, eating area and entrance way all tie in together and we did a natural stone travertine which really looks great as a contrast against the darker stained interior logs. You also have to think about foot traffic coming in from outside. We felt that in those areas the wood finish would get chewed up pretty quick with three kids and lots of friends. We didn't touch the walls or ceilings. Also, for the loft and bedrooms we did wall to wall carpeting as I think most would.

Gorgeous cabin Victor. You did a wonderful job on the floor! Wish we all had such a beautiful retreat.

Thanks Kroze but I can't take too much credit. I know what my limitations are so the floor was out of my wheelhouse lol. I did do the demo on it though which was brutal because of the barf colored 1960 tile they had put down.

Go for a beautiful rug with jewel tones. Perhaps a good antique design or even an abstract modern. Use that to create a foundation and the rest of the room will fall into place.

Cork!!! Goes with everything, easy on the feet, comes in many colors and is very hip now.

We had oak cabinets that were solid but just too much wood with the cedar panels and oak floors, so we painted them with the Benjamin Moore product to mix it up. It takes some effort but well worth it.

Floors are next so this post has been very helpful. The floors have deep grooves between the boards so don't think we will keep them. No one has mentioned bamboo but may look at that.

Nice cabinets Paul. Good choice.

I would be careful about pursuing bamboo flooring. I think it is too soft to hold up over the years. JMHO.