Pretty room! Is the tile real stone or porcelain? I don't think it's horrible with your new floors but it's not my favorite either. And if you aren't in love with it, now is the time to replace it -- redoing floors is majorly inconvenient and messy once you've moved in. We had our kitchen tile redone recently; it was on a slab and wasn't too bad to take up. (I mean, I didn't do the work, but from what I saw and the speed they took it up, I don't think it was bad.) You're on your way to Nancy Myers movie house!

There's a step there? Normally I like all one floor but if there's a step I would want some sort of visual demarcation to cue people to step down - they will likely be looking out ahead to the gorgeous doors and might miss it (not saying to keep the tile just to think about the step)

I think if it’s a step down, you could keep it. Maybe add an appropriate area rug, and it could look really nice!

There is a step. And my mother in law already fell off it. That is a good point about the visual cue.

I think it is real stone - not tile.

In the picture you posted, the stone flooring doesn't look like it goes with the wood you've chosen. So unless the lighting in the picture is deceptive, I think you need to either choose a different wood or replace the stone. I do think the stone looks Tuscan from the 2000's, but since it's a Spanish style house you have a lot more leeway to keep it. However, it sounds like you don't really care for it, so I would replace it while you're doing the wood flooring. Maybe run the wood oriented as it is now, and put a transition strip running the other direction on the step to call attention to it to help mitigate the tripping hazard.

I like the stone but IMO the ceiling wood needs to be sandblasted.

I would get rid of the tile while I was doing other work in the house. We took out a few thousand sq.ft of saltillo tile on a slab in CA. Yes, it is messy, but worth it in the end.

The step down will always be a trip hazard, even with different materials ... as shown by your MIL already taking a fall.

It looks good now.

I agree with above ^

I would not change out your wood floors or the tile. Add a beautiful area rug to the wood floor.

I don't mind the stone. works w/the style of the home. BUT....

what I would recommend you do is get it professionally steam cleaned. call in someone that does marble. (Yours is limestone (travertine) yes?) a good steam cleaning will remove all that dark grime build up and lighten it up a bit. then have them apply a good sealer.

If that's an Ivory travertine, it should look like this

or if the classic beige travertine, it should be like this

As you can see, it will be a huge diff once it's thoroughly cleaned and then sealed.

You have no idea what that stone can look like after getting it cleaned. The grout, all the grime within the parts of the tile will all lighten up quite a bit. Do that first before picking a floor tile.

I have a similar style in my home only w/the silver travertine.

I did the Calif Classics Mediterranean wood floor. I think that's what you have samples of ?

(i don't have a pic of my 2 floors side by side. Silver travertine has more gray/charcoal than yours)

this is the one I have.

and I did the Kerrew on my master bath ceiling (I love this brand of wood flooring)

we found leftover boxes on craigslist first and did the ceiling.

I think that stone fits the style of the home. (Once it's cleaned and lightened it will look 100X better. trust me) Do you plan on replacing all of the dark baseboard too? I would. the the baseboard and casing in my kitchen photo. I'd use that w/your new flooring.

What you want to do is pick a wood floor that compliments the travertine. so, nothing overly yellow. travertine is usually pink/taupe undertone. Just pick a wood floor that doesn't have yellow to it. or you can go a little darker (not as dark as what you ahve now) just darker than the blonde tones.

I photoshopped what I think your stone should look like when cleaned next to your samples.

the left one has too much yellow. the dark one is fine, so is the right (based on this pic)

I can tell you that demoing that stone will run you about 3K, maybe more if there is more I can't see.

I had tile and old wood floors like yours removed from my living area, also on a slab. it's a nightmare.

took them about 2-3 days to do these two rooms, the entry and hallway

tried to find a pic next to french oak flooring. once cleaned, yours should resemble this (get the grout dyed over if cleaning doesn't do it enough). notice the oak treads on the stairs and how well it works w/the stone.

It doesn't blend well with the flooring you've chosen. I'd remove it to get a complete update.

If you are in love with that specific color for engineered floors, then the stone should be removed. Just use the new floor everywhere. One floor throughout a house looks great.

Do SOMETHING to reduce the confusion around the unfortunate step. Maybe have a dark strip at the edge of the step? And increase your house insurance.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I really appreciate it! Beth I think you are spot on and it IS that engineered hardwood company. Good call. After discussing, my husband and I are leaning towards replacing it. Now we are considering ways to mitigate the step.

Beth, I love the California Classics flooring in your home. Which floor color did you use?

Beth I also loved the way your last photo turned out and the floor with the darker wood looks great. If the stone could be cleaned and lightened I would like it more; however my husband likes the dirtier look, which I do not.

The pictures that Beth shows are amazing. If your cleaned stone could look like that, then I'd keep it. And it's hard to tell from the picture, but your furniture placement and a rug in that room could also help with noticing the step down. Lots of people have steps in their home and it's not a deathtrap like people are acting. We have a sunken living room because we bought a house in the hills. We have hardwood on both levels and it has not been an issue. I read that your MIL missed it, but hopefully that was a one-time occurrence in a new, empty house. Yes, do what you can to mark it but I don't think you need caution tape. :) I hope you'll post pictures as you make changes to this gorgeous house!

If DH is not open to getting the floor cleaned because he likes the mottled look but not the lighter stone then I would just rip it up.

I wouldn't want to move into a new-to-me house with a potentially grimy floor.

There is a huge design difference between stone floors (clean as a whistle or not) and engineered hardwood. That is the main choice here. If you loved the stone floors, then paying to get them professionally cleaned would be a good idea, but not if you don’t absolutely love them.

Just an FYI - I have a hard-to-see step down in our upstairs guest apartment. I have put blue painters tape on it as a precaution, but it definitely looks cheesy. There needs to be a classier way to indicate the step.

Whether to keep the stone floor depends on your taste and the home's style. The stone does have a classic, earthy vibe that can work with Spanish architecture. But if it's not your thing, and you're going for a cohesive look with the mid-tone oak, changing it could be worth it.

I would clean the stone first and see how it looks. Albeit my comment is a tad late. I’m curious about what you decided to do!

@trueshadow - Can you update us?