Today, a friend of Carpet Wagon is going to come a little bit of the woodwork, so to speak, and share some of her personal experiences about being a first time homeowner.

As I told you last week, my husband and I are new, first time homeowners.   It’s a cute little bungalow, with three bedrooms and two baths.   Our “new” home was built in 1908, so it’s over 100 years old!    Our home is in an up and coming neighborhood, and it’s a perfect starter home.

The three bedrooms have carpet in them, with wood floors underneath.   We’re going to rip up the carpet in the bedrooms, and after some help, we’ll have beautiful wood floors there.

The main areas of the house are another story though.  The floors of the hallways, living room, dining room, and kitchen areas are covered with large white ceramic tiling.  Now don’t get me wrong, tile is a great option for floor coverings, especially high traffic areas like hallways and kitchens, however this particular tile has a distinct hospital feeling to it.  The house was previously used as a rental property – so I can see why the last owners put in the tile – it’s extremely hard-wearing and durable. But not very cozy or warm.  Not really appropriate in a small family home.

Even if we replace the tile with other tile, we could put in a stone floor, with a great warm color.  Stone also is extremely durable and versatile, just like tile.

Or maybe we’ll go with a laminate flooring.  It’s not the laminate flooring of your grandparents age – laminate has gone high tech!   Plus with high res imaging, you can choose exactly what you want your flooring to look like – stone, wood, tile, you name it!

What are some of your favorite flooring looks?

[photo by Diana Parkhouse]