The Flooring Error Erin Napier Wants You To Avoid

When doing home renovations, there are some things that come up that need to be dealt with. In older homes, that might be finding out that the hardwood floor doesn't extend as far as expected. This is something that Ben and Erin Napier have had to deal with on HGTV's "Home Town." In season 5, episode 11, they ripped up the tile flooring that was in the kitchen, hoping to find the original hardwood floors underneath. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and instead, new flooring had to be chosen for the room.

Although Napier had to replace the flooring in the kitchen, she shared a rule that she has to make picking the right material a bit easier. Instead of trying to match the wood that's there with new flooring, the designer explained that, "You have to choose something completely different from what it's touching. So if you've got this original heart pine in here, this wouldn't need to look like a wood floor because they would never match. And I like that it's so contrasting," (as per Realtor). This led to her choosing a vinyl flooring option in a dark shade of gray. The vinyl gave the look of slate without the added price tag. And this basic idea is something that anyone can do to avoid making a design mistake when redoing their floors.

Since it would be impossible to perfectly match hardwood flooring that's already installed, going in a different direction with flooring that will sit alongside what's already there makes sense. To follow Erin Napier's flooring solution of not trying to perfectly match what's already installed, but instead pick a contrasting material, you may want to focus on the color of your existing flooring first. When matching the undertone of your current flooring, knowing what you already have is important. 

Once you determine whether your current flooring has cool or warm undertones, look for a different material that adds contrast without clashing with what you have. Cherry and hickory woods have warm undertones, which would work well with earthy colors. With cooler undertones associated with whitewashed or gray hues, you might go with bright whites or light blues. You want the flooring that you pick to be able to create an obvious separation between the original floor and the new addition, while still creating a visual flow. 

Depending on which room needs the replacement floor, you'll also want to think about what materials will work best for the space. In a kitchen or bathroom, you need something like tiles that can handle the moisture that is often found in these rooms. Outside of classic tiles, you can also pair hardwood with vinyl flooring in the same space. Carpeting is another option that can work alongside both tile and hardwood, as long as you're picking the correct style of carpet. It's all about picking the right colors with these different flooring options to make sure that you're bringing the contrast to what's already in place.