Welcome to the Before & After series! This is where I share real changes from my two home renovations—what worked, what didn't, and what I'd do differently. Each post focuses on one element so you can learn from my wins (and mistakes) without the overwhelm. In both of my new homes, the original floor was ceramic. They were in good condition, but made both apartments look dated and cold. We wanted our home to feel warm, but didn't want to remove the existing floors, at least in the main areas. So our go-to option for the living room, dining room, bedroom, and offices was SPC floors. I'll talk about bathroom floors in another post. SPC floors (Stone Plastic Composite) are a type of premium rigid core vinyl flooring known for being 100% waterproof and exceptionally durable. You can also get a special trim to cover the old one, so you don't need to remove anything before installing the new floor. In Colombia, we chose a nice, warm oak that would work as a great canvas for the rest of the home design. The change was instant! The apartment looked more modern, but still cozy. The wood color worked beautifully with the greenery outside. And the whole place got a calm, chilled vibe. However, after a couple of months… I realized the kitchen area between the sink and stove was getting darker. Grease was slowly sticking to the veins of the SPC floor. It was easy to clean but very annoying. Lesson learned: SPC is amazing for living spaces, but skip it near the stove. Grease sticks to the textured surface, and it's annoying to clean. So after this lesson, when we moved to Panama, we opted for ceramic floors in the kitchen and laundry area. There was a clear line dividing both areas, so it wasn't a big issue to have two different floors. We again chose a warm wood color, but with greyish undertones to match the cement tile on the kitchen floor. If I had to pick one change that transforms a home instantly...it's the floors.