What Kind of Flooring Should Be Laid Next to Hardwood?

Open Floor Plans

• An open plan living room with hardwood floors can abut a kitchen floor laid with tile or slate and still maintain its unity. The key is to keep the hues of the floor consistent with those in the kitchen. A red oak living room floor running into a Mexican tile kitchen floor brings with it a splash of orange. Paint the walls in both rooms the same color to create visual continuity and add a touch of the Mexican tile color to the decor of the living room. Adhere to the “rule of three” and do not use more than three flooring types that can be seen from one position in the home.

Hallways

• An entry hallway laid with tile can seamlessly run into a living room with hardwood flooring. Use a plank divider running perpendicular to the wood to create a threshold. Interior hallways with carpeting also run off the hardwood flooring in the main rooms without creating a visual distraction. Keep the hues of the carpeting, tiles and hardwood in the same color family.

Split Plans

• When homes are designed with closed off rooms as seen in the older, split plan layouts, the threshold creates the division between one type of flooring and another. Two types of hardwood can be laid, one a more formal parquet and the other a continuous plank. In between the rooms, carpeting, tile, stone and even vinyl in coordinating colors are effective.

Bedrooms

• Carpeting is popular in bedrooms and when hardwood runs throughout the rest of the house, selecting a coordinating carpet color is important. Take a plank of the wood with you when selecting the carpeting color. Be sure the hues blend. Be especially careful when matching a carpeting color with a hardwood that is heavily colored such as Brazilian cherry. Ash wood flooring is attractive when it runs into cream or white carpeting.

Tiles that Look Like Wood

• If you are cautious about blending flooring types, look at flooring tiles in wood patterns. These porcelain tiles come in herringbone and wide plank patterns and at a quick glance look like wood floors. Create a continuous look between the main living areas and the kitchen and bathrooms by laying the tiles off the hardwood.