I want that! But I should get this.

When you buy a fixer upper like we did, you get to gut the home and make it something completely new. But here is the reality, everyone makes mistakes and you want to make sure you don't make any big ones when it comes to the finishing work. Because let's face it, you could select floors that are too soft for your lifestyle and look like the hardwoods at the Crystal in Athens in 10 years when you re-sell, or let's say you pick something "chic" at the time like my father's shiny white cabinets....very cool in the 90's....can look really cool in super modern homes today....but he hates them every day he walks into that kitchen. So in a nutshell the theme of this article is to take your time and choose wisely. I say this because I just returned laminates to lumber liquidators one day after purchase and I will explain why but thank goodness I did not install something I would hate later. Finishing work like flooring/trim is not an easy change like the paint color.

As we refinish this home we have to keep a few things in mind:

1. Budget
2. Buyer
3. Lifestyle

We figured out our budget by researching the homes sold recently in our development, sitting down with our Realtor Jennifer Burke (HIGHLY Recommend) and finding a price range she felt would be realistic. Once we reached a price for future resale she gave us examples of homes in the area that fall into that category. What I learned is to get in or around that resale price we would have to go all out with the bells and whistles. Hardwoods, granite counter tops, granite vanities, manicured lawn with patio and the list goes on. We have now figured out who our buyer will be one day and they like the good stuff, and the detail :) Sounds expensive and it can be but that is why we do things ourselves AND I will eventually post all the great places to get granite, cabinets, carpets etc. Basically you cut out the middle man and go straight to the factory but more on that in time.

Ok so we have our budget and future buyer now this is what I struggled with...lifestyle. You may like something in your idea book for example, custom stained (almost black) high gloss finish hardwoods. I know it sounds weird but they look so sharp to me...

Contemporary Living Room by Minneapolis Interior Designer Martha O'Hara Interiors

well the reality is a custom stain is a pain in the ass because you have to polyurethane ..I have seen it done before it smells, you have to make sure there is little to no dust in the air and with flooring you have to do multiple coats. High gloss finish is unforgiving when it comes to scuffs and dirt, I would be cleaning ALL the time...and future french bull dog would be no more as I would not want to risk claw marks on my floors. So for our lifestyle I need something that will be tough, and hide scuffs/scrapes, but I still want dark wood....SO I will get a rumba and there you have it COMPROMISE. My wants meet my needs. 

It seems simple to buy things that fit your lifestyle, but I ALWAYS seem to forget when it comes to anything in my life. I buy dry clean only when I know I won't be going to the dry cleaners, I buy glass furniture when I know it is a pain in the ass, I pick up a litter of foster kittens from the APL when I know my fat cat will probably eat them and the list goes on. With flooring take your time and know your options, choose wisely and remember your opinion is important but if you have a future buyer in mind try to pick options that would appeal to many people. 

Another quick example, we wanted tile in the kitchen as it it is a high traffic area and can withstand a lot longer than hardwoods. However while some people would love tile in the kitchen, most feel that hardwoods are "homier" and tile is cold. 

And to wrap up I will explain why I took the laminates back. As you will recall from previous posts we have a couple rooms on concrete slabs but the majority of the house has a plywood base. Well with concrete you can do laminates/solid engineered flooring and with the plywood you want to do the hardwoods. I picked up laminates thinking "It's just one room, who cares, it's like 800 bucks more to do the engineered and it's not a high traffic area" well 24 hours of anxiety turned into a credit at lumber and we are picking out engineered floors this weekend. We decided at the beginning we WILL NOT SKIMP ON THE FINISHING. And we will have to stick to it. Even the 1/2 bath in your home should get full effort :) And that is what we will do.

Laminates are awesome btw we installed them in the condo, but that is for a different buyer.