How Do You Blend Two Hardwood Floors?
When you have a new build, flooring can be installed to flow from one room to the next, blending well and looking its best.
However, few homeowners get the chance to add a new palette to start fresh and make flooring match. As time and budgets prevail, most of us live with the ebb and flow of renovation, doing a room here and another one there.
And that’s where the problems begin. You have hardwood in the living room or dining room. Now you want to add in the hallway or the kitchen.
It’s logical to think that you want it to flow and blend, as if it was all installed together.
Is that possible? And if not, how can you create a unified look for your home?
The first question … Do you care?
There seems to be a designer appeal of having every room in your home match. Having one solid hardwood floor run throughout your home creates a sense of unified space with appeal.
That may be a commonly held belief, but that doesn’t make it the right choice for you.
This is about your personality, your decorating choices, and the way you view your aesthetics.
Do you care if the same hardwood flooring exists from room to room?
Do variations bother you as you piece two separate rooms together?
For some, uniformity is a must. Without a flow-through from room to room, they will hate the ambiance it creates.
For others, they simply don’t care. They enjoy design and functionality on a room by room basis. If that means changing the flooring in each space, so be it.
What makes two different hardwood choices flow well together are transitions
Can you place two different hardwood choices together inside your home? Of course. Homeowners do it all the time.
Just head out to Google and start searching for images. Or visit Pinterest and explore your favorite decor sites. You’ll quickly find homeowners that have used hardwood flooring transitions and do them quite well.
But what you’ll quickly notice is that the key to making different flooring choices work well is the transitions. You can’t install two different sizes or color choices next to each other and expect them to work well together. You have to think about the presentation, and how it will look when finalized.
This transition needs to be planned, not happen by accident.
Flooring transitions are used anytime two different floors come together. It can be used if the flooring is of other materials, has different heights, or has different thicknesses. It creates a smooth boundary as you move from one area to the next.
There are several ways to transition from one material to another. What works best for you depends on the look you’re trying to create.
T-Molding – this is the easiest method, and is a great tool for blending different wood materials. You’ll often find these in natural transition areas, such as a doorway. They work best on floors at the same height.
Seam binder or transition strip – it’s a thin piece of wood material you can nail down across a wood flooring to bind two flooring types together. It’s a simple solution, but often looks rougher than other transitions because it can look tacked into place.
Metal transitions – a thin straight line of metal can provide an attractive, modern look to your floors. Just 1/8th of an inch wide, they can blend two separate wood colors nicely, and give you a contemporary look.
Threshold – a flat, rectangular block that looks and blends with hardwood flooring. It may look like hardwood, or resemble other materials such as stone or marble. They can be installed to blend in, or make a statement and stand out. They’re easy to install and can be cut to any size.
If both floors are the same thickness and height, you’ll have many options to transition between the two floors. However, sometimes you end up with floors of varying sizes. If that is the case, you’ll have to be more careful with the transition you install.
If it’s significant, you may need to look at rounded edge transitions used for flooring. This provides a buffer between the two heights and creates a smooth surface without becoming a tripping hazard.
The same … or different
If you won’t be using the same hardwood flooring from room to room, there are many ways of blending two separate flooring choices together.
It’s often better to choose two contrasting colors rather than trying to match them together. Two separate wood types with the same tonal qualities will blend well without looking like they were installed by mistake. One material will be darker than the other, complementary and in the same tone range. If you want them to match, you can work with a professional who will match the original wood and stain it for you.
If you cannot find the same material, it might be time to think about other flooring. This is often where homeowners select a natural tile, luxury vinyl planks, or other flooring choice for the kitchen and bath, while using hardwood throughout the rest of the main living space. When it becomes difficult to match or have it look pleasing to the eye, it might be better to move to an entirely different selection.
You can also use the structure of your room as a guide. If you have an open concept living space where each room blends into one another, transitioning can be a little trickier than if you have distinct rooms.
We often recommend selecting the right flooring for every room in your home. A dining space has different needs than a family room or a kitchen. Some questions you can ask include:
- Is my room big or small?
- How much light flows in during the day?
- What ambiance am I trying to create?
- Do I want noticeable transitions or do I want everything to blend?
- Do I like dark floors, or is lighter better?
Blending two hardwood floors together
Whether you’re considering adding new flooring to every room in your home, or will be installing it one room at a time, you’ll have to decide on how to transition your choices as they flor throughout your home.
Need help in making the perfect selection? Stop by today. We can help you make the right decision to suit your needs.