Wednesday, November 10, 2010

HELP!!!!!

I have been in the process of deciding on what type of wood floors to get for almost a year! That is so sad!
I can't decide!!!!!!!
I have 2 kids....a small dog.....and a large dog......and I absolutely can't stand tile or carpet!

I LOVE the idea of having real wood floor because it is amazingly beautiful and since I have mainly white furniture in my home...I think it will add a nice natural element into my home.

BUT......like I said....I have two dogs and I know that I might just freak out if it gets ruined (my large dog, Kali, has made herself known by eating the bottom lining of TWO cages and eating the carpet under her cage.....IN TWO ROOMS!)

I can't decide what style and color that I want!

Here is what is bugging me...
-my home is pretty dark for the most part and I am worried that the dark floors will make it feel so much darker.
-I WANT real wood floors.....but I just am not sure that they are a great idea with kids, dogs, and in my kitchen.
-I am not really a fan of light wood floors....but they might brighten up my house.

See....these are the things that keep me up at night. (sad, I know)



I LOVE this color! This is my top choice....but nervous it is too dark.

Love how this looks so natural and this makes me think that it will be okay if my dogs have paw marks on the floors.

LOVE the large planks here! But I don't want my house to feel too rustic.

These might be a little too thin......but I feel like it would lighten up my house a bit.

These floors are TOO light for my taste.....but this is my favorite picture of all....and so I am somehow drawn to it.

HELP!!!!!!

ANY IDEAS?!

XOXO

9 comments:

jenna ♥ a little blue said...

hmm i'm a fan of dark wide planks... but i don't know much about how well they hold up :)

Amy said...

I had the same concerns. We chose a combination of 3"-5" widths with a dark finish. We live on wooded acreage with creeks, kids and a big dog. The floors are usually difficult to keep clean with all the traffic but even still, they look okay. I like the dark finish because most of our furniture is neutral and light, so the contrast of light and dark is very dramatic. I was worried about it being too dark but most of the pictures I was drawn to were the ones with darker floors - kinda a West Indies look. That's my 2¢. Love all the reference picts!

Ash said...

Hi Katie! I think your best bet is a mid tone wood color. I have dark floors and with my dogs and Cole they show everything. My Mom has the medium tone wide planks and I am soo jealous. Good luck!

Elizabeth said...

I loooooooove the first dark one..but my favorite is the rustic one! We are going to do those in our dining room. I looooove them. I feel I will worry less with those too...as per kids, etc....

###### said...

i better pass on this post...still having the same problem.

Anna Elder said...

you would be surprised at how tough wood floors are. Esp. the newer ones. We have wood floors and dogs plus our own banging around (dropping things..yikes) and i have yet to see a scratch. i'm not sure on the wood...but they are wide planks with a darker almond finish. girl, i say go for it. if you hate it, you can always carpet on top, right?

Anna Elder said...

p.s. i could totally take a picture for you so you could see. our house is a little more modern but the floors look a little rustic like your top pick. and i think your drawn to the light in the last picture. at least i am...

Anonymous said...

I have real ash wood floors-5" planks. We only put polyurethene on them. (No stain). They have mellowed to a golden color, and look good with dark and light furniture. They do NOT show dust and even dog hair isn't noticeable. I have friends with dark wood floors and they hate that they show EVERYTHING.

I have always loved mine, and if I had it to do again, I would get exactly the same thing! We have had them down for sixteen years

Tracy ~Seeking Refinement~ said...

Katie!!! Let me tell you - I went through this a few years ago when we refinished our floors. In fact, that color wood you love is just about the same color as our floors in our house.

We painted all of our walls white, and went as dark as we could go (ok, as my husband would let me .... I wanted it so much darker!) - and in my opinion - because the floors are so dark, and the walls are white - it made the whites whiter....

....does that even make sense?

I say go with what you love. You can't go wrong with what you love - because you'll always see pictures and regret it - and will be constantly unsatisfied!

Go with your heart, Katie girl!

Can't wait to hear what you choose~
Tracy.