Would you go with a totally different floor color in the basement?

[Anonymous]

We remodeled the main and top floors in the early 2010's when very dark wood floors were all the rage. Our basement is carpeted and we now would like to replace the carpet with hardwood floors. I am not too crazy about dark floors now and light colored floors are in.
Would you go with a light brown color for the basement floor if the rest of the home has dark brown flooring?

[Anonymous]

I would do vinyl plank in basement given likelihood of water. Maple or toasted wheat color is nice, or light gray.

[Anonymous]

I think it's fine to have something different in the basement.

Is there a likelihood that you'll ever refinish upstairs with a lighter color?

[Anonymous]

I don’t think it matters for a basement unless the stairwell is open and you really see it from upstairs

[Anonymous]

OP, your mistake is following trends without determining your authentic personal style.

One way to do this is to check out a bunch of huge decorator books out of the library. Choose books with images from 10-50 years ago. Everything should look super dated. Look at each picture with an eye for what you *do* like. I don’t live 80s kitchens, but I do love the terracotta tile they were using then. I might look at a picture from the 70s and find a pattern here, or a funky chair there.

When I did this, I found that I liked English country interiors no matter what decade they were from. Did I like every detail? No. 90s bouillion fringe aged terribly, as did gathered drapery and crocheted doilies. On the other hand, woven rugs, leather, velvet, brown wood, classic tile, oil paintings, and books always make a room look fantastic, so i did put those in my home. When we redid our floors, we chose a medium brown because that’s what looks good with English country. Gray floors were trending at the time, but we knew not to fall into the trap of trends. I knew what I liked then, and it still looks great to me now.

You might end up liking modern interiors, eclectic interiors, traditional, coastal, or something else entirely. Once you know what YOU like, you can invest once without the regret 5 years later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your mistake is following trends without determining your authentic personal style.

One way to do this is to check out a bunch of huge decorator books out of the library. Choose books with images from 10-50 years ago. Everything should look super dated. Look at each picture with an eye for what you *do* like. I don’t live 80s kitchens, but I do love the terracotta tile they were using then. I might look at a picture from the 70s and find a pattern here, or a funky chair there.

When I did this, I found that I liked English country interiors no matter what decade they were from. Did I like every detail? No. 90s bouillion fringe aged terribly, as did gathered drapery and crocheted doilies. On the other hand, woven rugs, leather, velvet, brown wood, classic tile, oil paintings, and books always make a room look fantastic, so i did put those in my home. When we redid our floors, we chose a medium brown because that’s what looks good with English country. Gray floors were trending at the time, but we knew not to fall into the trap of trends. I knew what I liked then, and it still looks great to me now.

You might end up liking modern interiors, eclectic interiors, traditional, coastal, or something else entirely. Once you know what YOU like, you can invest once without the regret 5 years later.

OP here. Thank you so much for your perspective! I am laughing at the bouillon fringe and crocheted doilies
I wish I knew what my personal authentic style is. It changes with time. I loved dark wood floors at the time and felt they give this modern sleek look especially when contrasted with white walls. Now I feel they look heavy and I like the look of lighter floors, hence why I am conflicted with what to do for the basement.

[Anonymous]

Basements are dark, so lighter floors are my choice. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t match the wood on the other levels.

Having been through a terrible flood thanks to torrential rains plus sump pump dying on a weekend, I agree with the PP who suggested alternative material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would do vinyl plank in basement given likelihood of water. Maple or toasted wheat color is nice, or light gray.

I would do the ceramic tile that looks like wood and put area rugs on top if anyone has a "cold feet" issue.

I have been through basement floods at two houses. I would never want a basement floor that can't be wet mopped.

[Anonymous]

Slate gray goes with dark brown wood. But is still lighter in color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Slate gray goes with dark brown wood. But is still lighter in color.

Slate gray does NOT go with dark brown wood--I would stay away from that combo for sure.

[Anonymous]

What are the stairs? Carpet? So you'll go from dark wood to light wood on the stairs? Is there a door at the top of their stairs? basically, how much of the lighter wood do you see when you walk by the stairs to the basement?

But first, I would never do hardwood in the basement. Why waste the money, not to mention potential water issues. We stayed in a temp place during renovations with vinyl flooring and I was surprised how much I liked it. I would not do upper floors with it, but for a basement, definitely. SO easy to deal with, and no worries about scratches.

If you don't want to do that, then the faux wood ceramic planks. Also very easy to keep clean. But you do have to be careful for chips.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Agree with everyone's recommendation for no hardwood in the basement.
We do have carpet on the stairs, so basically, we'll transition from dark wood to carpet to light wood. Would that be odd? or stick with dark color in the basement as well? It's a walkout basement so it gets a good amount of light.

[Anonymous]

If you can't see it, it's fine to choose whatever you prefer. I can't believe people are recommending gray, please don't do gray. I hated it even when it was trendy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slate gray goes with dark brown wood. But is still lighter in color.

Slate gray does NOT go with dark brown wood--I would stay away from that combo for sure.

Been working for English country houses for a 1,000 years, but heck what do I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Agree with everyone's recommendation for no hardwood in the basement.
We do have carpet on the stairs, so basically, we'll transition from dark wood to carpet to light wood. Would that be odd? or stick with dark color in the basement as well? It's a walkout basement so it gets a good amount of light.

I would keep the house consistent. Sorry.

The person who likes your upstairs would like the house consistent.

A lighter basement look will not make people think they want to redo the upstairs to match.

If you get a person who doesn't care, none of your choices will matter.