Declaration - I am a rug business owner. The pros for having a rug - subfloor protection, noise suppression and atmosphere outweigh the cons - scratched floors (we all have a friend who comes for dinner and tips on their chair) noise (my kids constantly scrape the chairs) and cold bare atmosphere. Rugs complete rooms. Maybe the issue with young kids who are messy eaters could be the only reason you hold back. The issue relating to timber fading is another matter - timber floors darken with UV exposure, so your rug should always be moved around to make sure the fade lines are not obvious. Even if it just 10cm here and there to mix up the exposed area.

Go with pine, either some recycled Baltic preferably or the newer one. If it looks 'orange' it may be Cypress Pine. This, if refinished properly looks like a light honey colour. It looks superb if done correctly. Refinishing it all with an oil (we used some European manufactured oil) rather than polyurethane. Poly looks good initially but is difficult to touch up if needed where as the repair using oil can be hidden easier. The poly also essentially 'glues' the boards together rather than allowing some movement. Spotted Gum is very nice indeed, as is Iron Bark but the difference of red brown to the lighter pine will be too much. The two different Pines will be ok.

Unsure how to cover this utility hall floor. previously carpeted, and ripped up due to washing machine leaks, heavy wear and tear, i did put new grey carpet in bedrooms 1 and 3 and formal lounge. the door shown is bedroom 2, needing to replace its carpet hoping for some sort of flow, but if its different oh well its guest room anyway. i cannot match the existing grey tiles. what can i do, it needs to not look odd with the flooring in family room kitchen and hall leading to portico front entry. I do not like the reddish laminate and its worn in some areas. do i replace all or some or is there another idea? walls will be painted grey with white trim. not a fan of existing beige . original thought was chocolate brown main hall, was told my house too dark. and doesnt solve problem of not wanting laminate near laundry, other thoughts - some sort of large white tlle? too clinical? terrazo with a greyish fleck to match wet area grey tiles- too modern industral? my style is perhaps Hampton without the beach (lol) family, pet, guest, grandchildren friendly, overstuffed sofa, lots of photos and fresh flowers. perhaps will replace wooden blinds with long flowy airy white. other pics show the new carpet -i love its texture, and the nasty reddish laminate. maybe i can leaver some and cover with rug? any ideas gratefully accepted.

If you are going to annoyingly persist in posting on this site at least provide information as no one really believes you want us to answer your question. It just makes me convinced never to go to your web site if you need us to answer the question.