Good morning. Thank you so much for all of the sweet comments about our kitchen sink organization. I think we can all relate to those little hot spots that drives us nuts. I will try to share more of those quick updates. The questions poured in about our floors so I wanted to not only tell you what we chose but why we did and hopefully offer a few tips on things to consider when choosing new floors.
After so many questions about our floors, I wanted to get this post up right away so I searched my phone for photos I already had. I always use the Studio McGee presets when I edit my pictures (they are amazing). But they do lighten things quite a bit so I wanted to share some that are more true to the color.
WHY DID WE INSTALL NEW FLOORS?
There’s nothing better than pretty hardwood floors. I love them. Unfortunately we inherited flooring that was flawed. It had never been sealed and there were dents and scratches everywhere. One of the things I love about our home is all of the natural light that pours in. But with that came a huge spotlight on all of the scratches and dents. It was not in our budget to replace them when we moved in but looking back that would have been the time to do it.
LVP – LUXURY VINYL PLANKS
chandelier | chairs | table | pendants
After four years of going back and forth with how to change our floors, we finally decided that LVP was the right choice for our family. We looked into sanding the original flooring (still costly) but they said they could not get rid of the deep dents and scratches which covered 90% of our floors. That was a big disappointment as we thought that might be the way to go. Having just gone through an entire house repipe (for leaks) and experiencing dust and demo for months, we were not up for ripping the floors out. LVP can be placed on top of existing wood or tile. Be sure to ask your installer, though, because that can negate a warranty. Always do your due diligence on big decision like that.
WHY LVP FOR US?
For us, having the floors installed directly over our existing floors in less than a week was a dream come true. Not only that, the LVP fit our budget and gave us beautiful, durable floors. Something we always wanted. If we even slid our chair out from the table on our previous wood floors, it left a huge scratch. Knowing these are waterproof and virtually indestructible is fantastic. The affordability of the LVP option is a huge selling point as well.
I love they way the look in our new powder bathroom. They compliment the dark vanity so well.
COLOR CHOICE
No matter if you choose real hardwood or LVP, the following tips may help.
The good news is that there are a million options. The bad news is that there are a million options. You really need to think about what you are looking for. Without question, the trend has swung towards extremely light floors. While I absolutely love that look, I knew it wasn’t right for our home. Part of why I loved our previous floors was because of the warmth they added. We’ve chosen light walls and a great deal of white millwork so a medium tone warm color was what I was looking for. I also think they have staying power. Once you decide if you want light, medium or dark you can begin to narrow things down.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
After you know the color family you are looking for, consider how much movement you would like. You can install floors that are very uniform or go with the opposite. My advice would be to look at your own home rather than anyone else’s. It’s too easy to swoon over other’s photos and let that sway you. Your unique space will lead you to the right decision. Do you have a ton of movement in your kitchen countertops? Should you keep your floors more mellow? We chose countertops without a lot of movement and we were drawn to the floors that had more color variation and knots. That is such a personal choice. Go with your gut. When you bring samples home, you will know what you like. I must have brought 15 samples home and I kept coming back to this one.
MOVE THE SAMPLES AROUND
Another piece of advice I have is to really move those samples around. Sometimes I thought I liked a lighter one and then I placed it next to some of my furniture and I didn’t care for it at all. In our home, many of the lighter options read very yellow. My point is you don’t want to choose a floor and then have to start changing up your decor. Take your time and gather the samples. You’ll know. Or call in a friend or two an have them give you their thoughts.
STRESS FREE
I think the last thing I will add is that the stress-free living with these is AMAZING. We live hard in this house and my son and his friends can tear through here and I don’t worry. He has be known to sneak in with his roller blades on and grab a snack when he thought I wasn’t looking. Our previous floors would have left a track. We don’t worry at all about these floors and that is a gift.
Our specific floors are LVP by Republic Flooring. It’s the Great Oregon Oak collection and our color is Sessile Oak. Our neighbor had installed them and that was how I was introduced to them.
I hope this has been helpful in your own search and I am sorry it has taken me so long to blog about the details. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or leave a comment below. Enjoy your day!
These are beautiful! I am hoping to do something similar. Are you willing to share some ballpark budget estimates? I have had hard woods installed on a previous home so I know what that costs but I have been curious what to expect for something more affordable like this.
Hi Kim. Thank you so much. I would say that, depending on which brand you go with, LVP will run you between $6-$8/square foot (installed). It is definitely much more affordable than hardwood. I hope that gives you some idea when you are planning your own project.
Love your floors – thanks for all the info on them. How do you clean them; what products do you use on them? Thanks for your advice!
You are so welcome. My daughter vacuums every night with our Dyson (after dinner) and I swiffer every couple of days. When I mop them I just use warm water. If there is a spill I use warm water with a touch of dish soap.
Hi! Beautifully decorated and matched house. Do the LVP looks shiny or matte? How it’s to take care of?
Definitely matte. They are a dream to take care of. They vacuum and swiffer beautifully and I use warm water to mop them. Bona also makes a cleaner you can use. I use that in the powder room. Hope that helps.
And thank you for the kind compliment.
Hi, I am thinking of putting LVP in our master bathroom and appreciate what you’ve been sharing about your flooring. I’ve been checking out the Republic Flooring website and like what they have to offer and their high standards.
One question I have about the flooring is if you have found that it dents at all from heavy furniture? Also I love the look and color of yours and am tending in that color direction. Don’t like the greys or darker colors…….tend more toward a warmer look and think it will go well in our craftsman style house with white moldings. Would you mind sharing what other samples colors you got, because I think we’re on the same page as far as color?
Thank you, your home is beautiful and I really enjoy your blog.
Helen
Hi Helen. The only other Republic Flooring color I brought home was the same collection but “Water Oak.” All of the others were from different brands and I never made note of them. I tested out as many of the warmer and light woods as I could. I think once you bring them into your bathroom, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can narrow it down. Work on eliminating first. Good luck and reach out anytime if you have more questions. Thank you for such a nice compliment, too. I really appreciate that.
Oh, and no, we have not experienced any dents at all.
Courtney, I was so happy to hear you installed LVP. We did too about 1.5 yrs ago. Oh how I love it! We went right over our hardwood too. I love that it is waterproof. We even installed it in our bathrooms. We don’t have one scratch yet. We bought Cortec. Your is beautiful. Good choice!!
Well I am happy to hear you still love it!! We are thrilled. I literally would say, “I love our floors!” every morning when I woke up. Cheers to a great solution. Have a wonderful week.
Hi Courtney,
I just love your blog and live stories! Thank you so much for always sharing such wonderful ideas, thoughts and tips!
We are hoping to replace our wood floors and love the look of yours and the durability of LVP. I assume. a local flooring company handled the purchase and of course installation of the flooring for you? 😉
Thank you!
Michelle
You are so sweet, Michelle. Thank you for those kinds words. I really appreciate it. Yes. Contact a local flooring company and have them come out to measure and give you an estimate. You can shop around for quotes, too. Once you choose a local flooring company (and the product) they will supply it and install it. They will also handle the baseboards. Hope that helps.
Thank you!
Do you know if you could instal it over tile? We have an ugly tile in our master I’d love to not rip up but put something over!
Yes, it is absolutely possible but every situation is different. The installer can come out and take measurements, tell if they can and give you a quote. That is where I would start.
Every time I see your posts I fall more in love with your house. The floor you installed is the exact same flooring we have in our new house in CO. I’ve actually used you as our inspiration. So glad you bought our house. You’ve made it so very beautiful.
Awe, Shannon, this made my day. Such a kind thing to say. I keep thinking of the time I spent in CO with my family and how lucky you are to live there. I love that you have the same floors. Happy to hear you’re doing well and thank you for the sweet words. Enjoy the holiday weekend.
Did they have to remove and then reinstall your baseboards when they put in the LVP?
Yes, I too wondering this?..or did they just add shoe moulding (aka quarter round )?
You really can do whatever you want. I absolutely prefer to not have quarter round but in our case it was the only way to go because of some of our built in situations. The installer can walk you through that based on your unique situation. Removing and replacing baseboards is a nice option especially if they could use an update.
Hi Wendy. Fantastic question. You can definitely go that route which I would have done but some of our built ins an millwork prevented us from doing that so we added quarter round instead.
How does it feel? The only LVP I e seen installed was in a model and it felt so fake and plastic. Your floors are exactly the color I’ve been looking for, enough brown for warmth but lighter than what we have and I love the knots and movement. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome. There is no question that nothing replaces hardwood floors. So does it feel like hardwood? I would say no. But you will get a great idea of how it compares if you lay down samples of both in your space. I hope that helps.
We have had LVP in our home for over 10 years! We love them, and they are a breeze to maintain and hold up so well (except when you drop a knife and it lands point side into your plank…. we have a small slit from that, but it’s barely noticeable). No dents, no scratches – even with lots of kids and dogs running through here. Your color choice is beautiful in your home. They look fantastic!
I LOVE hearing this. And thanks for the “tip” on the knife (LOL). See what I did there. But seriously, I love hearing that after 10 years you still love them. And thank you for the nice compliment. Enjoy the holiday weekend with your family, Nicole.
😀
Love these floors!!! So pretty!!!! What type of wood floor did you have before?
Thank you so much, Carrie. There is one photo above. They were hardwoods. More of a reddish, brown French bleed style that are no longer sold. They were pretty but it very rough shape.
Hello! Love this blog. We’re replacing the awful old carpet that came in our master with LVP flooring. What do you think about that in a master? We have kids and dogs as well. (big dog)
Our house is pretty mid-century, not traditional at all. What do you think of LVP in a mid-century home? I don’t want carpet for sure.
Thanks for your thoughts.
I think it’s a great idea. I would just look for something that is very uniform in color (not a lot of variation or knots which look more traditional). You could even go with a very, very light color. I think it could be beautiful. Good luck with your decision.
Hi I discovered your blog about 2 years ago and as I am now preparing for a major home remodel it has become one of my go too’s . I really get overwhelmed and looking at how you have put your beautiful, serene home together has really being an inspiration! I literally was stuck trying to figure out how to get my old wood floors (in the living room and dining only ) to match my eventual flooring choice for the kitchen, family room and lobby without the expense of tearing them out ..Well problem solved!
Thanks.
Beautiful floors and home. Do you notice water spots? We’re thinking of putting this in our kitchen and bathrooms.
Your floors are beautiful! We had wood in our last house and just moved and installed LVT. We love them! so pretty and so easy to care for.
Where is the rug inyour dining room from? Do you have a link to share?
Thank you so much. Sadly that is from HomeGoods many moons ago and I have never been able to track it down.
Gorgeous flooring!
Getting ready to purchase water oak this week.
Can I ask what color you used on your walls in the entry? Love the lighter colors.
Thank you!
Oh fun! Enjoy the new floors. We used Pale Oak by Benjamin Moore and get a ton of natural light. Seapearl is one more down on the paint card with pale oak and a bit lighter.