Mixing Multiple Floor Coverings in Your Home

Dear Rob:

Is it acceptable to mix flooring types in the same home?

-Brenda in New Hampshire

Dear Brenda:

In short, absolutely!

Below are some guidelines to help you plan your flooring project. Keep in mind that these are guidelines and not set rules because each house and personal taste varies so much.

Mixing Hardwood

As a general rule, it is best to keep the hardwood on one floor of your home the same species and color. However, certain circumstances make it acceptable to change the species and color if the room is completely separated by a door.  It is also best to keep the hardwood in a home running the same direction unless a different room is completely separated by a door.

Keep in mind that if you use multiple woods on multiple levels or multiple woods on the same level you may lose some flow and continuity as well as any bulk purchasing discounts offered from the retailer.

Mixing Tile

Tile is the easiest product to mix in a home. You can have a common area tile that is the same while changing the tile in each bathroom. You can use the same tile in a common area and change sizes, styles or colors within that common area. You can also use one common tile throughout the areas with tile in the home mixing in different accents within those areas to define each room. With floor plans being more open and hard surfaces being used more throughout the home, more opportunities are available to mix tiles. All you need is a transition point or door to change tiles (style, direction or color).

Using different tiles in each area can give each room its own personality. If the tiles are intended to be more restful or a serve as a background than a focal point that is perfectly acceptable as well! A circumstance where you may want to consider using all of the same tile is if you have rooms with patterned wallpaper.

Mixing Carpet

Let’s say you have hardwood or tile in the common areas of your home. A great place to break up and change the flooring is by using carpet in the bedrooms. Because each bedroom has a door, you can choose different styles and colors for each bedroom to suit the décor of that room.

Another reason to mix carpet in a home is if the main carpet color chosen does not coordinate well with all of the other wall colors in the home.

Tile, carpet and hardwood all mix well with each other as well. From room to room each of these products can transition well to each other.

An idea to help you determine if you are mixing the right amount of floor coverings is to go back to kindergarten – and color. Create a drawing or make a copy of your floor plan and use different colors to outline each type of flooring. When coloring rooms with hardwood, draw lines indicating the direction the hardwood will be installed. When drawing tile, draw squares indicating the direction the tile will be installed. Also, use different colors for each different tile used. For carpet, color the rooms solid. This will help you determine the degree that your floors are either being used for a background or if they are going to be more of a focal point.

-Rob

Choosing a Grout Color

Dear Rob:

My wife and recently ordered some tile to use when we remodel our bathroom, but we can’t seem to agree on what color grout to use. We are concerned about the grout getting dirty, but we’d also like to choose something that will look nice with our tile. Do you have any pointers for choosing grout color?

Tim from Texas

Dear Tim:

Choosing a grout color can be tough, because you have so many choices these days. To keep it basic though, you can either choose a color that is the same as the tile, one that contrasts with the tile, or you can choose a neutral color.

• Matching – By matching your grout color as closely as possible to your tile color, you make the grout lines less obvious. This accentuates the tiles them selves, and not the pattern of the layout. This choice is generally best when you choose a beautiful tile in a simple layout.
• Contrasting – Choosing a contrasting grout color draws attention to the layout of the tile. This is often desirable if you choose a mosaic tile in an interesting geometric design or if you use a more complicated or decorative tile layout.
• Neutral – When all else fails a neutral color like tan, beige or light gray can work in most applications. Keep in mind the white grout often yellows over time, so it probably won’t be a low maintenance choice.

Darker grouts are less apt to stain, so if you are tiling a counter top or a high traffic floor, keep that in mind. On the other hand, lighter grouts are less likely to fade with sunlight or strong cleaners. You can always re-stain your grout if it becomes faded or discolored, or if you are just ready for a change.

Hope this helps you make your decision.

-Rob

Ceramic Tile Installation for Beginners

Dear Rob:

I want to install ceramic tile in my kitchen, how hard would it be for me to do it myself?

-Patti (With An I)

Dear Patti (With An I):

That is a great question. The answer depends on a few things: How handy are you? Do you own tools? Are you comfortable with power tools? Are you under a tight deadline to complete your project? What is your budget?

While installing tile in an empty, square room is relatively simple, installing tile can become much more complicated if your room is unusually shaped, or you have plumbing, cabinets, columns or other items you need to work around. Proper tile installation involves several steps, including prepping the sub floor, marking the layout, laying down a mortar bed, installing underlayment (Backerboard), taping and filling the seams, cutting and laying tile, grouting, cleaning, caulking (for transitions) and sealing.

While tile is a project many homeowners tackle with good success, if you are in a real big hurry or are not that confident with using power tools, I would recommend hiring a reputable professional. Most anybody can do tile work if they are patient, willing to a take a lot of time learning how to do the job right, and use the right tools. For reference, the following is a list of tools that you will probably need to buy, rent or borrow to do your job:

1. Electric Tile Saw
2. Bucket
3. Mortar Mixer (looks like an oversized egg beater)
4. Drill with underlayment bits
5. Spiral Saw (to cut holes for plumbing)
6. Chalk Line
7. Trowels
8. Spacers
9. Level
10. T-Square

-Rob