Expert: Chris - 11/1/2009

Question
I have carpet in bedrooms and in great room and ceramic tiles in hallway, foyer dining %26 kitchen.  I live in Southern Florida and would like to know if I can put engineered wood throughout the whole house and can it go over the ceramic tile or should I have the tiles removed.  Would it be too much wood? The whole house under air is 1896 sq ft and has an open plan. Also, can you mix engineered wood and porcelain tiles; i.e., engineered wood in 3 bedrooms and porcelain tiles in rest of house. you can see the bedrooms from the main area of the house as they have double doors and very open floor plan.  Thanks for your help

Answer
Terri,

It sounds like a re model is about to take place...Forgive me for assuming.If this is about design and aesthetics I would like to see you use a flooring statement that is timeless and classic and rich to the senses.

You can indeed mix wood and porcelain tile/stone...it can be stunning as well as very functional. I normally like to see stone , but many porcelain tiles now emulate the appearance of stone. In addition , porcelain is a stronger product. I am very fond of the Versailles pattern with a battered/chiseled edge and I love the end result. The colors are warm and earthy which blend well with various wood species.

Since wood is the softer product I recommend it where traffic is diminished. Bedrooms and such ..but maybe your thoughts are opposite of that ...You just need to care for the wood properly to have it last a long time ...that means throw rugs / entry rugs at doorways where foot traffic can track in debris.

Southern Florida , humidity may be an issue ....make sure you are dealing with competent folks who will do moisture tests where ever wood might be glued down..other methods of installation such as floating and nailing don't require this test unless you have moisture issues that I am not aware of.Basically if you are installing wood over concrete moisture tests need to be performed.

I don't like the idea of installing wood over tile unless you have all the pieces falling into place just so ...it is rare that it make for easy transitions and low costs labor wise. Many adjustments need to be made at doorways and at baseboards and even doors themselves may need to be cut throughout the house. With a large open plan and double doors costs go up ...accidents happen, delays occur. It would be wise to remove the tile first and keep all things on an equal plane.

Well that's my 2 cents...let me know if I can help with any details.


Chris