Our Warm-Toned Engineered Hardwood Floors (And How We Matched the Old Ones)
Of all the rooms I’ve shared here since we moved- the kitchen, the dining room, and the sunroom, you know what I’ve somehow never talked about? The engineered hardwood floors.
Which is funny, because this was one of the biggest design decisions for me. During construction, choosing the right flooring was one of my top priorities. Because once it’s down, it’s down.
Today I wanted to give the flooring its moment, and share the exact engineered hardwood flooring we chose, why we picked it, and how we made it work with the original flooring in the rest of the house.
The house had original hardwood flooring in the living room, bedroom, and hallway. We needed to buy hardwood floors for the dining room, kitchen, and bedroom.
I was open to replacing the existing living room and hallway floors so they would match the rest and flow seamlessly, but my husband was absolutely not open to that extra expense. My only issue with the existing hardwoods was the skinny planks. I prefer wider flooring planks, the wider the better.
Since my husband was not open to replacing any of the original hardwoods, I had to figure out a way to make them flow together.
Our Beautiful New Engineered Hardwood Floors
When searching for flooring, we did not set out to buy engineered hardwood floors specifically. What I knew I wanted was larger planks in a warm wood tone. Those two elements were crucial for me to set the tone for the rest of the design. I could not compromise on either.
We shopped many stores and looked at many floors, and could not agree on anything. My husband wanted to buy more skinny plank flooring for the rest of the house (it’s much cheaper), but I would not compromise on that point. We had a lot of disagreement in this area.
Finally, we went into a local Allure flooring store, and I found just what I had envisioned. Once I found these, nothing else compared. The color is called Provincetown.
Of course, they were a few dollars more per square foot than average. After a few more weeks of disagreement, my husband finally agreed to these. That was a total relief to me!
The Challenge: Matching Old Hardwood Floors to new
As I mentioned, we had to match these to the old hardwood flooring. The only place the two floors would meet would be in the small front hallway leading to the dining room. It’s not an obvious spot, so that was helpful.
The original hardwoods in the living room had to be refinished, as they were under carpeting for many years. I brought home the flooring sample for them to match stain colors. The floor guys did a great job and got the color very close.
Here is the only spot where the two floors meet up, and how that looks now.
The stain color (which was a custom mix) on the old floors closely resembles the new flooring. The transition isn’t obvious unless youre looking for it.
Doing the floors this way may not be for everyone. For me, I was willing to sacrifice not having a perfect match to get my perfect flooring in the new rooms. Had the two floors been connected somewhere more obvious, such as the open kitchen and dining room, I may not have done it this way.
Tips for a Seamless Look
Matching new flooring to old hardwood isn’t easy, but it can be done. Here are the most important tips to help the old and new floors blend together happily.
match the tone
Instead of chasing an exact color match, focus on whether your existing floors lean warm, neutral, or cool. A slightly lighter or darker floor in the same tone family will look intentional, while an exact color match in the wrong tone will look off immediately.
Example: honey + honey, not honey + gray.
Pay attention to plank width and length
Even if the color is close, mismatched plank sizes can give away the transition instantly. Try to match the plank width as closely as possible. Choose similar plank lengths (long, random-length boards help everything blend better).
When widths are close, your eye focuses on the flow—not the difference.
I chose not get hung up on this one for our house because I really wanted the wider planks in the newer areas. And as mentioned, the transition was in a subtle area and not as noticeable.
Choose a similar finish level
Another must for me was to have matte flooring, no shine. I like raw wood whenever possible, whether for floors or furniture. That is a big reason engineered hardwoods were a great option for us; they have a more natural, raw wood look.
Gloss level matters more than you think. A satin floor next to a matte or semi-gloss floor will highlight the difference right away, especially in natural light. If possible, stick with either all matte or all satin. This alone can make floors look far more cohesive.
Use natural breaks for transitions
The above photo shows our bedroom and how the flooring transitions into the bathroom tile floor. This photo is one example of creative ways to transition flooring from one space to the next.
If the floors won’t meet perfectly, let architecture help you. Doorways, stairways, and hallways are ideal places to have the transition. These natural transitional areas make a subtle difference feel intentional instead of like a compromise.
A “seamless” floor match doesn’t mean identical—it means harmonious. When the tone, scale, and finish feel right, your eye reads the floors as one continuous story… even if they were installed years apart.
And honestly? Only you will ever notice the tiny differences—everyone else will just see a home that feels warm, finished, and thoughtfully put together.
Before & After: Our Floor Transformation
We could not find any photos of the flooring after the carpeting was removed. We were in a very busy phase of renovations at that time. I do, however, have a before photo of the living room when it was still carpeted.
And while our living room isn’t fully finished (as far as decor), here is how it looks now with the original hardwood floors after refinishing.
During construction, we did not change much in this room other than the windows and adding crown molding. And obviously removing the carpeting. Even with minimal changes in here, you can see it made a major difference.
refinishing hardwood flooring
Refinishing hardwood flooring is a doable DIY project, for the most part. I helped a friend refinish her flooring once, and I loved the results. The only downside to this is that the machine that sands the floors is very heavy! If you need to get it inside and up any stairs, you’ll need some muscle.
wood flooring ideas for kitchen
Wood floors in the kitchen tend to spark opinions—usually followed by a dramatic warning about spills, dogs, kids, or that one time someone dropped an entire pot of pasta on the floor. And yes, kitchens are hardworking spaces. But in our experience, wood floors can absolutely work here when you choose the right material and go in with realistic expectations.
One of the reasons we felt comfortable using engineered hardwood in the kitchen is that it’s designed to handle more movement and moisture than traditional solid hardwood. Between cooking, foot traffic, and doors opening and closing, our kitchen sees a lot of action, and the floors have held up beautifully. We’re mindful about wiping up spills and using rugs in high-traffic areas, but we’re not tiptoeing around the room either.
hardwood flooring vs engineered hardwood
One con of the engineered hardwood flooring to note is that it cannot be refinished like regular hardwood floors. That is because they are made up of layers, with only a thin top layer being solid hardwood. You may be able to refinish them one time, at most.
One con I’ve noticed with the refinished solid hardwood floors is that they are much more slippery than the engineered ones. I’m not sure why that is, but it’s worth noting.
Whichever you choose, no other flooring warms up a space as hardwood flooring does.
From a design standpoint, wood floors bring so much warmth to a kitchen, especially in an open floor plan where you want the space to feel connected to the rest of the house. Tile can be practical, but wood creates continuity and that lived-in, welcoming feel that makes a kitchen feel less like a workspace and more like the heart of the home.
Are wood floors perfect? Probably not. But no floor is. For us, the character, warmth, and seamless flow they bring to the kitchen far outweigh any negatives.
wood flooring design ideas
Above is our living room entry. I don’t think I’ve shared that here on the blog yet. While we kept the layout of our wood flooring in the house traditional, don’t be afraid to mix it up! I love the old inlaid wood floors in older homes that you rarely, if ever, see in newer homes.
Here is a great post for inspiration on different types of hardwood flooring designs and layouts.
What Works in Your House Is What Matters Most
At the end of the day, there’s no one “right” answer when it comes to flooring, or any design decision, really.
Every house has its own quirks, history, and personality, and what works beautifully in one home might not make sense in another. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s choosing what works for your space and the way you actually live day to day.
When your floors support what feels right to you, everything else falls into place. And that’s what truly makes a home feel finished.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE BUDGET FLOORING IDEAS:
