Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Flooring rooms over time

I apologize if this has been discussed before. I tried searching but couldn't come up with anything.

After doing some painting and trimwork, my wife and I have decided that some type of wood flooring would look really nice in the first floor of our house. I would think about trying to do a laminate floor myself. The problem is that to do the whole first floor (approx. 1200 sq. ft.) would be cost prohibitive. At least for us anyways. Ultimately, we would want to do all the rooms - family room/kitchen, dining room, living room, and foyer. Possibly we would do the kitchen in tile. Currently there is carpet everywhere but the kitchen and foyer, which have vinyl.

So my question is whether we could do a room or two at a time. Barring the problem of getting materials from multiple batches that may not match over a couple of years or so, could this even be done? I would lean towards a floating floor for the ease of installation. Could I leave off in one room at a doorway, only to come back at a later date and tie into it? I realize that it wouldn't look the greatest until it's completely finished.

Or suppose we just decided to do the foyer and one other room, then decide we like the look so much that we want to do the rest. Could we do that? I understand the aesthetic reasons not to do this, but could it be done and not have the floor move around until everything is done completely?

Thanks for any comments.

Not all areas in a house need or even want the same type floor. Different areas have different requirements and decors. It makes no sense to have the same type floor thoughout the whole house. Laminates are less expensive that real wood, but not nearly as warm looking. But in some places, laminates make more sense that real wood. Vinyl certainly has its' place, as does ceramic tile. In the end, you have to be the judge,..........balls back in your court, sorry.

Basically, yes.

Just go room by room, picking logical places to break the flooring up. Doorways, archways, stairs, etc. Don't plan on attaching new flooring to the old. Just plan on changing your transition pieces. From say laminate-to-carpet to laminate-to-laminate.

You can only have a floating floor so big anyways.
1200 sqft of solid laminate floor through doorways and around corners and such is just asking for trouble.

Have fun!

Basically, yes.

Just go room by room, picking logical places to break the flooring up. Doorways, archways, stairs, etc. Don't plan on attaching new flooring to the old. Just plan on changing your transition pieces. From say laminate-to-carpet to laminate-to-laminate.

You can only have a floating floor so big anyways.
1200 sqft of solid laminate floor through doorways and around corners and such is just asking for trouble.

Have fun!

I figure the doorways that are parallel to the direction of the floor would probably be ok. The ones that are perpendicular would be the problems. But maybe that's what the transitions are for. I assumed that if you were doing two rooms, and the doorway between them is perpendicular to the direction of the flooring, that you wouldn't put a transition in the doorway. You'd just run the flooring through the doorway into the other room. Is that wrong? Should there always be a transition in every doorway regardless of direction?

I agree with both previous replies. It is perfectly acceptable to break the job into sections and not trying to attach the new to the old is good advice. Just make sure you do use transition pieces. In all my years doing floors, I've only had two who wanted the same thing throughout the whole house. One was a little old lady with a gazillian house pets and one was an asthmatic with allergies. I have been noticing a recent trend to hard surfaces through out and throw or area rugs. For instance, tiled entry, kitchen, baths, and utility, and wood the rest.

Keep in mind, too, that doing a job over time that some flooring products get dropped, so you may not be able to finish the flooring in the same laminate or engineered wood product. While not everyone has the same type of floor covering in every room, many prefer to run the same color carpet, the same wood flooring product in adjacent rooms for the sake of continuity. Kitchens and bathrooms, because of water issues, are often done in ceramic tile or vinyl.

I'm glad this was posted. We are looking to do the same thing except the kitchen and bathrooms have ceramic tile. I do prefer the same flooring throughout the house other than those areas. I like the idea of durability of the laminates. I don't care for carpet because of allergies. We are wondering also if quality laminate can be purchased at different times due to the cost. We also would like some input about the best brands. I have been reading articles about the ratings, but have found few consumer ratings. We are looking to purchase something with a 20 to 25 year warranty hoping it will be the last floor we put into our home.

Laminates are not a good idea where ever there's water such as bathrooms and utility rooms. Kitchens are not quite as bad because spills are normally dealt with right away, but something other than laminate is still a better choice. As I've mentioned in other threads, I put a laminate in a restaurant a few years ago and it's still holding up fine. My guess is, you won't have near that amount of traffic. There are laminates on the market now that look very realistic and can hardly be distinguished from real wood. Quickstep, Shaw, and Wilsonart are just a few of the available brands that offer higher quality and longer warranty materials. Laminates are not dye lotted so a given make and model, purchased at different times, should match from run to run. The issue with buying piecemeal is drops. If the material you want is discontinued mid project, you may have a problem. I would suggest avoiding the big box stores. Their main claim to fame is price and you get what you pay for.