The Property Brothers Reveal a Beautiful Wood Floor Upgrade

In the Season 6 episode “Finding a Positive Balance,” the brothers meet Denise and Bob, a Calgary, Alberta, couple struggling with their home’s style. Their house looks like an early 2000s time capsule, with a choppy layout, old furnishings, and a ton of dated oak. Plus, Denise’s love of bling clashes with Bob’s clean, sparse style. The brothers have a $180,000 budget to find a style compromise that’s modern, clean—and just a little bit wild.

Read on to find out how the brothers pull off this challenging makeover, with plenty of before-and-after pictures and tips for refreshing an outdated home. 

Replace oak with lighter wood colors

When Denise and Bob bought their house 14 years ago, they loved the entryway. It’s a large space with a high ceiling and a grand staircase, but now, the oak railing is looking quite dated.

“They’re getting oranger by the day,” Bob says.

Oak wood tones definitely date the space, Jonathan says. “These colors were very much in style 15, 20 years ago, but now we’ve moved on. We’ve lightened up,” he says.

Jonathan decides to revamp the stairs with paler wood tones plus thin, black spindles to give the feature a more modern look. The staircase makeover costs $9,500, but it’s worth it for a great first impression.

Vinyl flooring is beautiful and budget-friendly

Denise and Bob’s wood worries don’t end in the entryway. The Scott brothers also notice dark, dated wood floors in addition to carpet and tile.

Drew and Jonathan decide to upgrade the flooring, installing luxury vinyl throughout the house.

“I have a rule: You should never see more than two types of flooring from any one place in your home,” Jonathan says. “So we’re laying the luxury vinyl flooring throughout the entire main living areas.”

The new flooring costs only $6,500, but it gives the home much better flow from room to room.

While many homeowners gravitate toward real wood floors, the Scott brothers are big fans of vinyl flooring, and are surprised more homeowners haven’t hopped on board.

“It looks identical to hardwood,” Jonathan points out. “It’s beautiful, and it’s basically indestructible.”

A sparkly countertop can liven up a kitchen

In the kitchen, Drew and Jonathan find yet another dated area filled with out-of-style colors and materials. The brothers decide to start over with this space, opening up the wall, replacing the cabinets, and even rotating the island.

Still, Drew wants to make sure he adds some fun touches to the design to satisfy Denise’s wild side.

“What if we go really bold with the countertop and then take it right up the back?” Drew says during the brothers’ design meeting.

“If we did something like this, it has all the different tones in here,” he adds, pointing to a sparkly beige-vein counter.

Jonathan loves the idea because he knows it’ll add that “wow” factor for Denise.

“It’s a really unique look that we’re using for the slab and the backsplash as well,” Jonathan says. “And when it’s all put together with the light cabinets and wood accents, it’s going to be a work of art.”

The new backsplash and counters cost $6,500, but the result is priceless. With the new white cabinets and simple hardware, the counters warm up the room while also adding a touch of sparkle.

Venetian plaster can feel like a vacation

Drew and Jonathan want to give the fireplace a clean and simple upgrade. When Drew mentions the possibility of covering the fireplace wall in Venetian plaster, Denise and Bob approve, mentioning that it reminds them of traveling.

“I love the idea of the plaster because it makes me think of Santorini,” Denise says. “It makes me think of the Mediterranean.”

The plaster costs only $2,750, but it looks timeless and makes a dramatic difference to the room.

Place a breakfast nook near windows

Between the kitchen and the living room, there’s a little corner that’s used for storage. However, Denise and Bob know that this space is underused. With the big windows and light flowing in, the brothers see a lot of opportunity here.

Jonathan and Drew turn this space into a breakfast nook with a built-in banquette and a small drink fridge.

“We found purpose for your space at the window over there,” Jonathan says proudly when showing off the results. “This is the most well-lit part of the house. This is the perfect niche.”