I need ideas on adding to existing hardwood floors?

Question

I have an open floor plan with hardwood in my foyer, hall area and around a carpet inlay in my dining room. I want to remove the carpet and put hardwood but need ideas on what design, etc. to use. The existing design straight planks with a "frame" design around the carpet.

Answer 1

It would be really difficult to match the aged wood at the edges, so use a darker wood to make a new edge. Make it two boards wide. Then use a lighter wood for a foot, then back to the darker until you reach the center. If you don't like the "X" pattern or box pattern that this creates use the same color wood all the way to the center.

Have fun.

Answer 2

Here are three options:

1. Remove the flooring that makes up the frame around the carpet, then to patch onto the remaining existing flooring so that the end result will be a continuous wood floor with all boards running in the same direction (hopefully perpendicular to the floor joists).  If the new installation allows you to simply add more rows of flooring, then this is the easiest solution (and probably the only method that may not need to be contracted to a professional). However, if the new installation requires "fingering in" the new flooring, then you have a much tougher job.  

There are a couple of options that allow the frame around the carpet to largely remain.  You will need to perform very precise cutting and fitting of floor boards, and to use a router to recreate grooves on cut off board ends.  Note: If the innermost row of the frame has a rounded edge where it meets the carpet, then that row must be removed.  

2. Continue with the frame pattern as far as you can toward the center of the dining room.  If the frame is not a perfect square, the middle of the pattern will be one or two long boards, which probably will need to be surface nailed and may need to be ripped.  It is easier to install a "log cabin" pattern than one that has 45 degree mitered corners that require new grooves and spline.  Note:  A good sanding job is more difficult to accomplish on a frame pattern, because of the increased likelihood of cross-grain sanding scratches.

3. Replace the carpeted area with flooring that runs perpendicular to the joists and that is bordered on the outside by the existing frame pattern.  Again the last row may need to be surface nailed and ripped.