Should I use the same wood flooring throughout the whole house?

Question

I want to use a different, lighter color wood floor in the bedrooms because they get less natural light and the floor I might use in the dining room is darker than I was thinking of getting but it's such a fantastic price I think I might go with it.

Also I'm thinking of staining the stairs with a different color for each step and using tile for the risers. This would lead to the downstairs hall and bedrooms so there would already be a difference. But maybe that's not a good idea either?

Any interior designers out there?

Answer 1

Talk to your floor man.......I don't think it's wrong by any standards to change colors or styles......you just need good breaking points.....like under the center of doors.....I think every step a different color might be a bit off center.......but the rest sounds good.........have a nice evening.

Answer 2

Using the same wood (or color) throughout the whole house will give it a more spacious feel.  If you use different colors, think about the transitions first.  Talk to a flooring guy/gal, they will know what to do.

Answer 3

my personal opinion if that if you tile the riser of the stairs, that the top of the stair tread also get tiled.  the reason i say this is that there will be a raw edge type gap where the tile is to the top of the wood step.  (i hope that made sense) there isn't a good transition to hide this gap without a piece of tile to the stop of each step.  i think the idea of a different color stain per step is an interesting idea, but i have never heard of such a thing and have never seen a picture of it, so i don't know how that would look.  either tile the steps completely, or stain them completely.

as for the wood, i've heard interior decorators say to use the same wood throughout the entire house, but i personally believe you should go with what you like.  make sure you use a wood transition strip in the doorways of all wood floor rooms.  good luck!

Answer 4

Yes. to create a nice visual balance. You dont want the eyes to be shocked when they go from one room to another. A smoother transition would be perfect.

Answer 5

You might want to think about using carpeting for the bedrooms, or for the upstairs. In my opinion it gives a cozier, more relaxing feel. It also gives more privacy since it blocks some noise. You could also use a runner going down the middle of the stairs.

Answer 6

All floors should be the same wood.  It would be terribly incongruous to choose different woods.  Breaking up the continuity of the house is not an appropriate design style.  It would be the same if you chose a multiple of different colors of carpet throughout your home.  It just isn't done.  Staining your stairs different stains would have the same effect....more annoying and distracting than a good architectural design.  Think putting a different carpet color one each step.  Wouldn't that just take on more of a circus look than congruity in design?  Wood choices are no different.  If you want to change your light flow, choose beautiful rugs for your rooms and for your stairways, add a rug runner or carpet runner down the center of your stairs..  But keep your colors similar through your downstairs area.  You can have more leeway through your bedrooms with color choices.  That is allowed.