Take a tour through our home with our new laminate flooring – and then never underestimate the difference your floors can make!
*This post is sponsored by Floor & Decor. All opinions, images, and words are my own.
Let me tell you – never ever ever, in the 4 year history of living in our home, have I had someone walk into my house and compliment our floors. They would usually mention the open shelving, or the dining table, or walk into the living room and mention how light and bright it feels.
All good things, but never ever anything about the flooring.
In the past two weeks, since we installed our new laminate flooring from Floor & Decor, I’ve had 3 new visitors to our home – for one reason or another.
And every time, can you guess what they mentioned?
Yep. They would look down at the flooring and begin conversations such as “What type of flooring is this?” or “Oooo, I love how light the flooring is”, and there was even a “where did you get your flooring?” with tales of how they needed new flooring too.
I’m not even joking. My husband and I have been amazed at the reactions. I mean, we knew what a difference the flooring made in our home, but it is also very evident how impactful it has been, even for new guests.
This all makes me breathe a big sigh of relief . . . and makes me look forward to mopping 😉
(How I clean my laminate floors coming up soon!)
Now, let’s just take a minute to make a few “before” comparisons, and then you can feel free to let me know what you think of the new look. Be sure to also check out my post on shopping for the new flooring and how to install laminate flooring.
THE DINING AREA
I rarely showed this space on the blog. I just couldn’t stand how the orange floors looked with the walls and hubby-built table. I tried to make due with using a neutral jute rug, but this rug was a pain for all of us.
The kids would trip on it all the time, jute rugs leave lots of extra fuzzies and dust, and it stuck too far out into the walk-way. (It did hide crumbs for days though. One good thing).
Needless to say, I was thrilled to ditch the dining table rug, and allow this space to feel much much lighter.
You just might get to see more tablescape ideas from me now!
The difference the flooring made in this particular area has been the most substantial, in my book.
THE ENTRY WAY
I have always kept a rug in the entry way, but now I am having a really hard time wanting to cover up the flooring!
Come Winter we’ll have to, but for now I am truly enjoying the lighter and brighter look.
THE KITCHEN
The kitchen area was the other shocker. Even during the installation process, I knew this space was going to finally feel cohesive.
The lighter floors match the Coastal Farmhouse vibe much better, don’t you think?
THE LIVING ROOM
At first glance, the “before” living room won’t feel much different. But if you haven’t already heard our sanding tales and woes, and seen the awkward transition we had for so long, then you won’t truly appreciate the difference.
It mostly feels so nice to finally have finished floors that look cohesive and flow well together.
If anything, sanding down the previous engineered hardwood floors gave me a good idea of the color and tones that would really look well in the space, and I was able to select the “Rustic Timber Whitewash Laminate” flooring with confidence.
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing this small tour of our new flooring. It’s sure to be the highlight and topic of conversation in our home, for years to come.
If you are also looking for new flooring, I HIGHLY recommend taking a look at Floor & Decor for a wide variety of options, great pricing and excellent customer service.
Oh! Much, much better! I mean, I’m all for wood floors but yours definitely did not do your home any favors. The color of it really clashed! The new floor is so pretty and is perfect! I bet you are thrilled beyond everything! It’s amazing how much it transforms your spaces. ?
Hugs,
Cecilia
Glad I’m not the only one that thoughts so about our old floors! It’s so good to have that confirmation 😉 . I’ll be sure to mention it to my hubs a few times!
Your floors are gorgeous, and set the tone for your fresh, light, and casual decorating style! You can’t go wrong with laminate if you have children, pets, live an indoor/outdoor lifestyle, and want easy care for years to come. I have both hardwood and laminate in my home, and the laminate has never disappointed.
I love hearing this Sharon! That’s what they told us at Floor & Decor, and it definitely needs to hold up to kids! So great to hear your experience, thank you!
Love the floors, what make and color are they?
Thank you Sue! I left the exact link to the product in the post. That should help answer your questions.
Hi: I can’t find the link u said u left in the post to yr light laminate floor. Can u let me know what exact laminate u installed inner home in August 2017? Thank you!
Found it. Sorry. Rustic timber whitewash
I guess it’s just a color preference. I didn’t see anything wrong with the before. I don’t like the way laminate sounds clickety click ?
You sound exactly like my husband 😉 . Haha! Actually, the underlinement they recommended we install under the flooring really takes care of the clickety click problem. It hasn’t bothered me once! I sure appreciate you coming by and I absolutely love to hear my readers opinions. I’m actually thrilled to hear the old flooring wasn’t THAT bad 😉
The floors look amazing. I would be curious to know how well they hold up after many years of kids, and traffic. We want to build a new house in a few years and certainly want wood floors.
PS – I LOVE the dining table! Did you purchase or build it?
I’ll let you know if a few years 😉 . That was one of my main questions at Floor & Decor. They told me if you watch for water and wipe it up immediately if possible, use rugs at entry ways when possible, and be sure to lift not slide furniture, then they should hold up great. Lots of commenters are saying how well their laminate has held up, so that is very reassuring.
Oh, the dining table. My husband built that from old old wood that was buried deep in my grandpas junk yard. A true treasure for us.
It does look different and know you are smiling a lot.
Lots and lots of smiles! Thanks so much!
Hi. I’m looking at this flooring for our house. What do you think of it after all this time? Thanks!!
Gorgeous choice! I’ve been looking into new flooring for our home and go back and forth with the laminate. With 2 teenagers and a big labrador I am unsure if the laminate would hold up. Anyone have a similar combination of people/pets/laminate????
I’ve not experienced pets in my home, but if your pets tend to scratch around a lot, I might be worried. They could potentially wear down that top printed layer over time. But with real wood floors I could see a dent and scratch problem as well. Goodness, I’m not sure what the best option is for pets! Tile?? But as far as kids, I’ve heard many a testimonial about laminate and kids, for sure. Seems to be a great option. Best of luck! Let me know what you decide or learn!
Thank you for your reply! Yes, tile has been recommended but the price tag is much higher than laminate. Oy vey you can’t have everything.
Enjoy your floors!
I don’t normally veer towards the lighter “woodish” floors, but you may have swung me over. 4 time homeowner here. When we bought this house some 13 yrs ago, we knew we’d replace the builder grade carpeting. With just the two of us & small dogs, it’s taken awhile to get to that place. Stainless steel appliances, black granite countertops, dark floors in either slate or dark wood was all the rage. On the latter, I see a trend more towards the lighter, as you’ve done with your own house. Pets & flooring. Tile/concrete will always be the best choice as it will be impervious to scratching & sitting urine. From there it gets dodgey. If you don’t want nail scratches, wood flooring is out as it’s softer than laminate, unless you don’t mind the worn in, aged look wood can take. Same with sitting urine.
Over the years I’ve tested laminate & I think it’s the best choice for pets. Get a sample first & see how it holds up to being scratched with a metal nail, soak it in water overnight, heck, try to burn it. Laminate has come a long way since it’s introduction & I found most held up well to how I tested them. The only thing that might be better would be the new luxury vinyl planks out there, but they’re still new.
Cleaning laminate. Whatever you do, DON”T use a steamer!! These things get hot, hot! ‘Nuff said. My DIL had light laminate & she just used a spray bottle of general purpose cleaner & went over the spots daily with a light mop over. BTW, I came here from your “disaster” countertops. It appears you’ve solved the problem! Enjoy your beautiful home!
hey girl- I just love your house! And those floors look so good to! We have laminate flooring in our kitchen, breakfast room and mudroom. It’s a little darker than yours but we really like it! Can’t wait to hear how you clean yours.
I’m so pleased to hear Laminate has worked well for you! Those are high traffic areas and I love to hear that they are holding up well for others. Thanks for coming by!
Gorgeous!! What paint color is on your living room walls??
Thank you Natalie! I have all my house paint colors listed here: https://www.tidbits-cami.com/2017/08/light-and-bright-cottage-paint-colors.html . Hope you find what you are looking for!
I love your new floors!! That was the perfect choice.
They make your beautiful home complete.
Thank you so very much!
Hello! I just discovered your blog last night and am embarrassed/not embarrassed to say that I’m in love! The colors and textures you have in your home are perfect! These floors, too (pinned them for later), are the same look I hope we can get when it’s time to replace the floors in our home. May I ask you a question? These turkish towels (you have one in the last photo of this post) are growing on me, but I can’t find anything smaller than bath size. Would you mind sharing where you got yours? Thanks so much!
This is one of the best articles I have come across. Keep up the good work.
Sis they install the laminate directly over the hardwood? Did you have to pull off baseboards and toe kicks and re-install?
I did not know that wood can be stained with almost any color! I am considering getting the wood floor and I’d love to have it in cherry color. Thanks for the information!