feedback on flooring strategy

8 years ago

I’m in the process of buying a Co-op in New York City. The current owner removed the kitchen wall making it open concept but did not unify the flooring and make it all wood, for example. All of the floors are wood parquet except the kitchen (rustic ceramic) and bathroom (small mosaic). I’m fine with the bathroom floor as is. For the rest of the place, I would rather have wood running throughout or, failing that, a more complementary kitchen floor tile. Here are some options I’ve been kicking around (and around and around...):

1. Leave the floor alone and bring in a Kitchen counter (such as Golden Beach) that would marry the kitchen floor and the cabinets. (Current kitchen counter is wood and 5-7 years old.)
2. Change the kitchen floor only to a slate or slate look tile with grey and warm brown tones and a format/size that mirrors the parquet floor squares. Update backsplash to a complementary tile or remove the mosaics and paint the backsplash wall.
3. Remove the kitchen floor and laydown a subfloor level with the parquet and then nail down hardwood 3 1/2 or 5 planks over the parquet and kitchen subfloor.
4.Leave all floors, place underpayment to smooth out levels, float white oak engineered floor on top. (Almost prefer the parquet to this option as I have visions of a very bouncy floor in the kitchen.)
4. Other options?

Some background details:
- Floor glue does not have asbestos compounds
- Floor does not have radiant heat
- Floor is above grade on the 5th floor of a high rIse

Thanks in advance for your help with this!!!!!

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Comments (5)

millworkman
8 years ago
Live it the co-op for six months to a year before you decide. You may end up hating the entire magilla and then you end up changing twice.
zolatopaz thanked millworkman
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Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
8 years ago
Live in it for a bit to get the feel before doing changes. Personally, I loath parquet and it doesn't match the more modern style of your cabinets (nor does the color really) at all so I would replace all of the flooring.
zolatopaz thanked Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
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SJ McCarthy
8 years ago
This is a stunning kitchen. I would hate to disturb it if you don't have to. The backsplash is BEAUTIFULLY married to the flooring! The cabinets are well coupled with the cabinets and the cabinets are very happily coordinated with the parquet.

My fear is this: if you disturb ONE ELEMENT you then must disturb its counterpart. That means the backsplash will need updating to match the flooring you are looking to use.

If you change the countertops you will disturb the harmony between the cabinets and the counter top. And you will also disturb the backsplash when the counters are taken out (this always happens).

If you run new hardwood in the rest of the condo, you will be disturbing the balance between the cabinets and the flooring of the living room/living space. Whew.

That's A LOT of changes because of one little concern (the kitchen flooring). Personally that little bit of tile that is peeking out beyond the island does NOT bother me. Not in the slightest. I would HATE to see you disrupt this ENTIRE space just because of a few inches of "peek-a-boo" tile that is visible from the living room.

Please be aware that a change of one element can and will disturb the other 6 elements that go into a kitchen (total of 7 elements exist in a kitchen). And because this is open concept with coordinating cabinets to the parquet flooring in the living space, this could turn into the BIGGEST FULL GUT RENOVATION you could imagine.

Your condo is STUNNING. It shows how HIGH END it is just the way it is. I would live with it for at least 6 months before doing anything to it.
houssaon
8 years ago
As other have said, I think your condo is stunning!
zolatopaz thanked houssaon
zolatopaz
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks to all for the kind feedback. Because I have cats and furniture to contend with and I don’t love the parquet, I’m feeling pretty committed to changing the floors before I move in, since I’ll still have my rental apartment to accommodate me and the fur babies. Floor guys I’m speaking with say to rip up all the flooring (except bathroom), level the concrete slab, and then glue or float engineered. I’m leaning towards gluing down rift and quarter sawn white oak 5” planks from Mirage. Does that sound like the right approach?