The big question is, should flooring be the same throughout the house? The quick answer is YES! Using the same flooring throughout ties rooms together, improves flow, makes the home seem larger, simplifies cleaning and maintenance, and is often easier on the budget.
There is absolutely no need to change flooring from room to room. We often work with homeowners who feel the urge to pick a different flooring for every room of their home, but there is absolutely no need to do this. Your home will look best if you create one consistent look that travels from room to room.
There's nothing wrong with using the same flooring throughout your home. There's nothing wrong with using different floorings. But what you don't want to do is use two that are almost the same, but not quite.
Put simply, the answer to the question do wood floors have to match room to room, is entirely one of personal choice. You can choose to have different flooring in each room if that works for you, but synergy and flow from selecting one central flooring material can look wonderful too.
Can you mix two different hardwood floors side by side? Yes, you can mix two different wood floors side by side. However, whenever homeowners have two different hardwood floors adjoining each other, they often try to match the colors for continuity in visual aesthetics.
When it comes down to finding the best flooring to increase home value, it all boils down to your market. Hardwood will likely give you the highest return, but laminate and luxury vinyl plank flooring also offer plenty of perks to buyers.
Transitioning to a Different Laminate Floor
You simply change the boards in the middle of the doorway and continue the installation in the other room with the new flooring. The transition line looks best when it's under the closed door or lined up with the front edge.
The Rule of Three
The flooring “Rule of Three” states that from any point in the home, you should see three different types of flooring, or less.
It is perfectly acceptable to use multiple styles of flooring throughout your home from room to room. Typically, living rooms and bedrooms are carpeted from wall to wall. But, you can successfully enjoy bedrooms with floors that are different from common areas and other rooms.
If you are trying to decorate your home in a manner that appears clean, spacious and uniform, you should have the same carpet throughout your house. It's convenient and quite affordable without requiring special treatment when cleaning.
Different bathrooms can match throughout the house, but this isn't necessary either. As a general rule, your bathrooms should have the same relationship with each other that they have with the kitchen. So long as they agree with the style of your home, you can distinguish larger bathrooms from smaller ones.
If you are only installing vinyl planks in a single room, you will want to install transitions at the doorways. Transition pieces give a clean appearance where one kind of flooring meets with another.
You could install a thin threshold between each room. That would cover the overlap in finish between the rooms. If the planks run parallel to the doors, you could cut out one board between the two rooms. That would give a clean line between finishes (and place the one board back at the end.
Use a Seam Binder or Transition Strip
It's one of the simplest options, but it has the potential to look tacked-on. It's good in a pinch because it will still blend the two flooring materials more smoothly than a natural joint, but it's not the best.
In high-traffic areas it can show wear and tear, and laminate can't be sanded or refinished for an updated appearance. Because of its lower price point, laminate also won't do much for your home's resale value.
Even though it's not true hardwood, buyers will still appreciate the aesthetics and feel of these durable floors. This is what buyers really care about at the end of the day. So yes, installing new vinyl flooring in your home will raise your property value.
New flooring can add a ton of perceived value, encourage higher offers, and even make a home sell faster, but it may not add dollars to your appraisal. Buyers may like the updated flooring and offer more as a result, but don't expect a higher appraised value.
Furniture should be removed if all floors in a house must be refinished. Moving the furniture from room to room is difficult and time-consuming. Instead, removing the furniture from the house requires only two moves, instead of constant shifting throughout the refinishing process.
Matching your kitchen floor with the rest of the house can create a nice consistency, but laying a different floor can make the kitchen a unique area with better durability. You have to consider both the floor's color and the material. It is generally best to use flooring that can withstand the kitchen's environment.
If the room is narrow, such as a hallway, a corridor or a long kitchen, planks should run the length of the room. In the same vein, it's typically recommended that planks are installed parallel to the longest wall of the room.
Generally speaking, you can install any type of vinyl plank flooring backward. Some manufacturers are going to be easier to install than others, but all of them can be installed in reverse. The real key is to work slowly and avoid as much waste as possible.
Heat and cold are the primary reasons for separation. The vinyl plank flooring can expand and retract depending on how hot or cold the room is. When it is incredibly warm outside, and the room is hotter, you will notice the flooring will be a tighter fit because of expansion.
No Matches at All
Kitchens and bathrooms are two separate rooms, and, as such, it's perfectly fine to design them as such. There is nothing that requires you to coordinate and match the counter designs for either rooms. But if you wish to do so, it's also okay.
There's no rule that every bathroom in your home has to be the same color or be decorated in the same style. However, if you like a similar style throughout, it's probably a classic style that will be beautiful in any bathroom.