Dark cabinets, light floor, thoughts?

[Fat Elvis]

Our kitchen cabinets will be lyptus with a dark stain. We can't really decide on what type of floor to get; I like Austrailian Cypress, and the Ms. Fat E is a bit partial to Gunstock Oak. The cabinets will be fairly traditional with raised panel doors and moldings at the top. Ms Fat E is worried that the Austrailian Cypress will look too rustic for the cabinets, but I am worried that the Gunstock Oak floors will look too similar to the cabinets and will wind up looking like a poorly matched cabinet and floor (kind of like when someone wears two different black clothes). As a prospective homebuyer, would you prefer an exotic wood that contrasts and compliments nicely with the cabinets or would you prefer floors with a more traditional wood that are close to the same color as your cabinets?

Thoughts please

Fat E

[Katipan]

Good lord those 2 choices are about as different as night and day. AC is rustic. Do you like rustic? Gunstock oak is pretty and boring. Do you like pretty and boring? The color is almost a moot point, since the styles are so different.

[Fat Elvis]

Good lord those 2 choices are about as different as night and day. AC is rustic. Do you like rustic? Gunstock oak is pretty and boring. Do you like pretty and boring? The color is almost a moot point, since the styles are so different.

I think the contrast looks nice. Not only do I like the contrasting colors, but I also like the contrasting styles. The contrasting styles is what is worrying the Mrs. We also have a ton of antiques, many of which are oak; I just think that too much oak and the antiques lose some of thier appeal and warmth.

[tommykat]

Just me but I like things that make it look like a good contrast......meaning that it matches but not to the point of looking ALL the same.....a little eclectic works in my home:thumb: Good luck...........

[Phobia]

I'm with you, FE. I like the contrast. I really hate it when floors, cabs, trim, and sometimes ceiling match perfectly. That's too much. It's even kinda trendy these days - I see it all the time in prominent trade rags. I do not like it that way - in fact, I prefer not to have a wood floor in a kitchen at all.

[alanm]

Just me but I like things that make it look like a good contrast......meaning that it matches but not to the point of looking ALL the same.....a little eclectic works in my home:thumb: Good luck...........
Who are you... And what have you done with Kathy?? :hmmm: :)

[tommykat]

Who are you... And what have you done with Kathy?? :hmmm: :)

Hee Hee........didn't think I knew anything huh? :harumph: Got ya ROFL

[alanm]

I'm with you, FE. I like the contrast. I really hate it when floors, cabs, trim, and sometimes ceiling match perfectly. That's too much. It's even kinda trendy these days - I see it all the time in prominent trade rags. I do not like it that way - in fact, I prefer not to have a wood floor in a kitchen at all.
That's the rage now Phil. Especially the snap together flooring. A friend of mine does carpet and tile work and he's been doing alot of the wood flooring for people lately. Say's it pays well doing the wood flooring and is pretty easy. Likes it better than lugging carpet. :thumb:

[alanm]

Hee Hee........didn't think I knew anything huh? :harumph: Got ya ROFL
Especially when you worked in the word eclectic. Tha's SO not like you Kath. :p

[Phobia]

Yeah - I've done several of those laminate floors. Even did a snap together a couple of weeks ago that was real wood - it would even take 2 sandings.... That kinda blew me away. It was a nice product. For the money, that real wood product was worth it, IMO. Lumber Liquidators is a great place to get your floors.

[tommykat]

Especially when you worked in the word eclectic. Tha's SO not like you Kath. :p

But I know it and have it in my home :p

[alanm]

Yeah - I've done several of those laminate floors. Even did a snap together a couple of weeks ago that was real wood - it would even take 2 sandings.... That kinda blew me away. It was a nice product. For the money, that real wood product was worth it, IMO. Lumber Liquidators is a great place to get your floors.I've helped my friend out on a few of his jobs now that I have the time. The cheaper laminate flooring is shit. But alot of it has been real wood. That's not cheap to buy. He just finished a Cherry wood floor in a kitchen and attached dining room. Looked really nice but expensive. Like $15 a square yard or maybe it was a square foot. I don't recall. But it was expensive. If you have kids I wouldn't advise putting a floor like that in. I'd go with a cheap composite laminate.

[Phobia]

If you have kids I wouldn't advise putting a floor like that in. I'd go with a cheap composite laminate.

I gotta disagree there. It's a helluva lot cheaper to patch/refinish a sandable floor than tear out and reinstall laminate - no matter how cheap the material. A cheap laminate can look like hell in a year if you have kids tearing through it. I'm not fond of cheap laminates. Not at all.

[alanm]

I gotta disagree there. It's a helluva lot cheaper to patch/refinish a sandable floor than tear out and reinstall laminate - no matter how cheap the material. A cheap laminate can look like hell in a year if you have kids tearing through it. I'm not fond of cheap laminates. Not at all.Yeah.. You're probably right there. I wouldn't put anything in a kitchen other than ceramic tile. But if you're not messy the wood flooring looks great.
:thumb:

[Phobia]

Yeah.. You're probably right there. I wouldn't put anything in a kitchen other than ceramic tile. But if you're not messy the wood flooring looks great.
:thumb:

You know what I hear most often about tile vs. wood in a kitchen?

"What if I drop a glass?"

Me: Uh - it's gonna break.

"Yeah, but on wood it might not."

Wow - what a stupid argument. Heh. Don't drop your glasses and plates. If you do, they're gonna break 9 out of 10 times on wood and 10 out of 10 on tile. The REAL reason you put tile in a kitchen is because of moisture. You spring a leak on a harwood floor and there's hell to pay down the road.

[Frazod]

I personally prefer light oak myself. All the cabinets, trim and most of the furniture are this color. Looks much better than dark, IMO.

[svuba]

Our kitchen cabinets will be lyptus with a dark stain. We can't really decide on what type of floor to get; .................................................................................................... .........................

Thoughts please

Fat E

Contrast is important.

I would vote for a Tile floor to contrast the cabinets.

I think kitchens with wood floors look best with High quality White cabinets.