Mix and (don't) Match!

When you're looking at your kitchen cabinets and floor, don't be afraid to <strong><em>mix it up!</em></strong><br/><br/>I think a lot of people want to match the cabinet wood to the wood floor.  But if you look at yesterdays post about laminate floors,  you'll see two different colors of laminate, and if you put them together, they bring out the texture and beauty in one another.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0003-2.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-191" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0003-2-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0003 (2)" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00042.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-195" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00042-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0004" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>That was how I chose my kitchen cabinets and laminate floor.  I love the contrast of  the light and dark.  The light colors of the cabinets, are pretty, and blend in with the lighter walls, which draw your eyes to the dark island.  (I loved that island, so I wanted it to stand out.)<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0001.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-196" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0001-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0001" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>The contrast of the three woods warm up the large kitchen:  light cabinets, dark floor, and distressed black island.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0003.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-197" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0003-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0003" width="199" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

Mix and (don't) Match!

When you're looking at your kitchen cabinets and floor, don't be afraid to mix it up! I think a lot of people want to match the cabi...

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Laminate Floors

I love laminate flooring.  I’m not even going to try to give you any “cons” in the pros and cons department, cuz i just <em>looove</em> it!  Laminate flooring is a hybrid. It looks uncannily like wood or stone but it's not. Yet it's not vinyl tiling and it's not engineered flooring. It's a little bit of all of those things!  It’s easy to clean, and wont damage like real wood, even with dog nails, high heels and scooters!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0004.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-186" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0004-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0004" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>Laminate flooring is  often referred to as Pergo, which is a brand name.  But there are plenty of other manufacturers: Dupont, Mannington, Armstrong.  And they all have lots of delicious looking samples!<br/><br/>Now, look very closely at laminate (or click on my pictures to enlarge), and get right up close to laminate flooring--looks exactly like real wood, doesn't it?  <em>WOW!</em> That's because the surface layer is a <em><strong>photograph</strong></em> of wood grain, and is covered by a hard transparent layer.  It's the same with the laminates of marble or tile.  Just photos!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0005-2.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-188" height="221" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0005-2-e1338642380678-300x221.jpg" title="DSC_0005 (2)" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>Laminate flooring planks, depending on the type you buy, are either snapped together or glued together.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0001-2.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-187" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0001-2-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0001 (2)" width="199" /></a>They just  come in planks and you fit them together like a puzzle.<br/><br/>When we were choosing our modular home, one of the big discussions was about our flooring choices.  We wanted a laminate flooring in the kitchen, living room, dining room and hallway.<br/><br/>Okay, so, maybe laminate does have a little bit of a "con".  It can be a little pricey.  It was a lot more expensive than carpet anyway.  So I had to settle for laminate in the kitchen, and take carpet for the hall, dining room and living room.  No amount of sulking or stomping my feet was going to sprout a money tree in our new yard, so carpet it is!  We set our sights on eventually changing one room at a time to laminate...<br/><br/>But, here we are one year later, and I’m not sure I'm going to want to change to laminate throughout.  I love my kitchen and the laminate in there.  <em>BUT</em> carpet feels sooooo good on your feet.  It’s such a good feeling to get out of bed and walk your bare feet on nice warm soft carpet.<br/><br/> 

Laminate Floors

I love laminate flooring.  I’m not even going to try to give you any “cons” in the pros and cons department, cuz i just looove it!  Laminat...

Read more »