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All about The New Wood Flooring throughout Our House!

March 17, 2020

One of the biggest "Phase 1" improvements we made was updating the floors throughout the house. The girls' bedrooms were recarpetted; the dining room was tiled (the most beautiful checkerboard - still so in love); and everywhere else we installed Stuga's Ingrid flooring, a wide-plank, matte-finish, engineered white oak hard wood.

The entry used to be tiled, but we decided to carry the wood floors through here as this is actually not our main point of entry and we wanted everything to flow better. We also added the same wood to the stairs and stair noses.

Stuga has matching stair noses for all of their flooring, and we love this squared-off profile. It feels so clean but still classic. You can see we added it to both staircases in the images above and below, and it turned out amazing. And with the white risers, wrapping the edge and face of each stair - it makes my heart flutter every time I see it.

You can still see a peek of the kitchen tile above. We carried the flooring through the breakfast nook since the footprint there will stay the same. But the entire kitchen will be redone this year, and at that time we'll remove this tile and carry the wood through the kitchen as well.

Even though we did tile in the dining room, we still wanted to make it as seamless as we could. Our contractors nailed 1/4in plywood underneath the flooring on the entire first floor, topped by the underlayment from Stuga, and then nailed down the flooring (it can also be glued or floated, which is what we did at the cabin). All of this brought it nearly perfectly level with the top of the finished tile.

So why did we tear up our previous floors in the first place? Though it was very high-quality flooring, there were aspects of it that just weren't ideal for the plan for our house. Firstly, they don't make that specific floor anymore so getting new stuff to match for other spaces in the home would be tough. Secondly, it was laid out in odd ways - diagonally in the living room, and varied directions from room to room.

The color of the flooring also varied from downstairs to upstairs. Fortunately, our flooring installers said they would take it out for free if they could have it, so it didn't end up in a landfill and we know it will find a good home elsewhere.

Another question we are getting a lot is why we didn't go with faux wood tile like we did in our last house. There are a couple reasons for that. Firstly, though we loved the tile, this home is nearly double the square footage, and that's just far too much tile to take on. The installation is at least double the cost of wood floor installation, and takes probably 3 times longer. Another reason is because of how much we love Stuga. This flooring is perfect for families, and even though it looks like it's unsealed and natural (ie, potential nightmare for stains and spills), it actually has a brand new type of finish on it that repels liquid, stains, and cleans up like a dream. We have been so impressed by it.

And even though we transformed quite a bit in our bedroom, if we had made every change and left the floors as they were, it all would have fallen flat. Flooring is arguably the most important element in a room, because it is the hardest thing to change. So we're glad we did it before Christmas, and before having any real furniture to speak of in the house.

So here we are. Nearly every room in our house is now ready for us to work on. We are so excited to take what we've spent the past 9 months planning and creating and really make it ours. And on that note, I'll leave you with this picture of sweet Polly, just as excited as we are about our next project - our Master Closet.

Plans coming soon... :)

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  1. You’re floors are gorgeous. I love the color of these floors. I’ve been to the Stuga website but the Ingrid floors in their photos look so much darker. I’ve got a beach condo and I want to keep it light and bright. Are these floors white oak or darker?

  2. These floors are beautiful! Where do you purchase
    This brand?? That are exactly what I have been looking for.
    Do you think we could install them ourselves??

  3. I LOVE those floors. I looked them on on Stuga's site and it is bizarre, the sample images for Ingrid look so much darker than yours. I want to order them but I am afraid they will be more like their website images, than your beautiful home!

  4. Great looking floors! Love the matte finish and the squared off steps. Very classy. Much better than faux wood tiles. Do you know if this is a hardwax oil finish or a water-based finish? Just wondering as they don't mention the type of finish on their website. Wondering if the warranty or cleaning instructions let you know.

    **Sorry Julia, I posted twice but you can delete the other comment and this part :)

  5. That flooring is so pretty! I think we might do it at our cottage. Could you tell me where the lamp, in the great room with the black shade is from? Thank you!

  6. How does the floor handle Willows nails? Are there scratches, or have there been scratches on the other Stuga floors you’ve used?

    1. I took a fork and did my best to scratch up the Ingrid sample sent to me by Stuga. I had to press really hard in one place to make a small groove, and even then it blended right in. Lighter scratching such as a dog would do produced no scratches. The floor is white oak and quite hard. Order a sample and try for yourself!

  7. Love these floors! Do you have to replace your base boards if you’re doing your floors? I’m wondering if I can keep my existing baseboards if I want to redo my hardwood floors. I have like 4
    Different floors in my house from previous owners and I’d love all the floors to match!

    1. You don't have to replace them! But you might need to remove them if you're applying hardwood since these require an expansion gap of 1/2 inch along the surrounding walls.

  8. How is your dog doing on the floor? I’m SO torn on tile vs engineered! My husband is insisting on wood tile but the thought of grout and cold, hard floors is worrying me.

    1. Willow might not be the best judge — she loves the snow! She's always outside, laying on an "iceberg." But I CAN tell you that this is the third time we've installed Stuga floors. They're just so perfect for families — they clean up like a dream!

  9. Are you going to carry the same floor into the kitchen? How is it holding up with your dog, can you see any scratching?

    1. We haven't decided! We hope to get to "phase 2" of the kitchen later this year or early next. And the stuga floors are actually scratch proof and urine proof! Great for pets!

  10. These floors are gorgeous. Cannot wait for the best couple stages of your renovation! Have you shared a source for the beautiful floor lamp in you living room? I’ve been searching for something exactly like that.
    Thank you!

  11. Progress! Wondering if you will pull your living room couches into more of a conversation area with a coffee table? As set up it looks like it feels like it is just some sort of odd walk thru area...

  12. I love the wood flooring, but have a weird question! I have a large breed dog like Willow. Do the wood floors sound 'hollow' when she walks on them? So many flooring types that I've seen in the homes of friends and family do and I've been searching for options and hesitant to replace my flooring because of the sound.

  13. I mean. There is nothing to say about those floors but HUBBA HUBBA. I would pinch myself daily if I were you. ENJOY!!!

  14. Learned about Stuga after seeing your install and quickly fell in love!! After months of trying to find a floor we liked, this company and the choice of floor was so easy to commit to! We have Moonlight and I’m so in love with it!! It’s the softest most beautiful floor and I’m so thankful I saw this through you!!

  15. i love these floors! question, we live in western washington, and we live in a secluded area (muddy & wet) with two young children. how do these floors ware to children and weather? we wear slippers in our home anyways (because we have horrifically installed wood look tile). but our kids can be rough, would this floor hold up?

    thank you! — we aren’t looking to redo our floor until after our new addition is over (next year?

    i love your floor!

  16. Your floors are beautiful (wood and dining room tile both)!
    I have to ask...are you as crazed about putting rubber or felt pads under every piece of furniture as I am? I grew up in a home with real wood floors, and my parents were SUPER fastidious about ensuring nothing scratched or dented the floors. I just had my original floors (1903 house) refinished and have turned into my parents. Ha! But what is your approach to this? Let scratches happen/add character? Selectively add felt pads for certain items? Or are you as crazy as my family with protecting everything?

  17. Was there a plan to put a door off the living room to the patio at one point? I seem to remember that being part of the design.

  18. I know you've said in previous posts that you've always had/will always have a ceiling fan in your bedroom. Is that still possible with the bed you chose?

  19. Beautiful floors!!! We are at a standstill with our wood floors. I’m interested in the durability of the floors from Stuga. We have two kids and a dog who runs and skitters around corners, so it’s hard on our hardwood floors. When we get new floors, I’m torn between refinishing existing hardwoods/feathering in new, marching hardwoods where there’s carpet OR ripping it all out and replacing it with...???... Any suggestions? THANK YOU! Love your show!

  20. I would love to hear your thoughts on matte vs satin or semi gloss floors. I know matte is so IN right now and it hides scratches, but I can’t help but feel like a little bit of sheen makes floors look clean...and thus, matte floors look inherently dusty. But I’ve never actually seen matte wood floors in person, so maybe I’m totally wrong. Talk me down, I want to go with matte floors for the durability but my brain says floors have to gleam and shine. Do you know what I mean? Would love your thoughts on this...

    1. A satin is a great in between for sure. There are times, ONLY IN PHOTOS, where I wish there was a tiny bit of a sheen. But in real life, they really are so warm and forgiving.

      1. That is great information to have that you wish there was a bit of sheen only in photos - maybe that's what I'm experiencing too. Okay, I'm gonna go for it! Thank you!

      2. Julia - how did they turn out? I'm having this same debate...matte or satin!?

  21. Beautiful!! I remember you mentioned adding an exterior door to living area. Why did you decide against that and how will you get to back area without it?

    1. The adjacent dining room just a few steps away has 6 doors leading to the backyard so for now, it felt like overkill. I also really wanted that wall for art/storage since there is no other blank wall in the living room.

  22. So beautiful!! We’re redoing our floors and I’ve chosen white oak as well. This confirms my decision! Love the look so much! We’ll be putting wood throughout the great room, dining & kitchen. Currently our entryway is tiled...do you think I rip it out & replace w/wood or keep the tile for the entry?

  23. Besides the fact that I absolutely love the floor choice, I just wanted to mention that I was watching kaley cuoco's stories on Instagram last night & for a minute I thought it was your house. Except for the concrete fire balls your fireplace interiors looks identical!

    Can't wait for the rest of the dining room story!

  24. If I had to pick one designer I follow to point and say YES I love it all, it would be you guys. I have your den from your last house pinned as one of my main design inspirations, when I am finally able to make some changes in my own home. Everything you touch is beautiful - I never would have thought such light flooring could feel warm and "rustic modern" (how I describe your style haha) but you nailed it!

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