What's On Your Floor??

Lounge By sunlover00 Updated 2 May 2009 , 2:02pm by sunlover00

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sunlover00 Posted 27 Apr 2009 , 11:37pm
post #1 of 14

I'm meeting with a contractor tomorrow to discuss the new flooring for my kitchen. He is really pushing ceramic tile with a brown grout.

What do you all have? Is ceramic too cold and too hard for the legs/feet? Is the grout an issue even though the new stuff is dirt resistant and sealed? Is it slippery when wet? Too expensive? Crack easily?

OMG - I just don't know what to do!!
I thought that the stuff called Travertine is nice but they say if it gets wet (like a water line break) it will trash the whole floor.....

Help!

13 replies
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paulstonia Posted 28 Apr 2009 , 2:01am
post #2 of 14

The way I drop things, I would never put ceramic tiles in my kitchen.I hate the tiles and grout on my counter! I have plain old lenolium, however you spell it. If I could have afforded it at the time I would have put cork flooring, it's beautiful, from a renewable source and easier on the feet and legs. Or if I were dreaming, reclaimed wood, just because I love the look. I wouldn't let him talk you into ceramic tile.

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dldbrou Posted 28 Apr 2009 , 2:44am
post #3 of 14

I have white ceramic tile and I hate it. Not only does every speck of dirt show, my tiles are uneven so it is very hard to clean. I too would love to replace them with cork floors. I believe it is cushioned and easy on the feet. I have the travertine tiles in my bathroom upstairs and I love them there. I have underfloor heat matts that keep the tile comfortable.

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funcakes Posted 28 Apr 2009 , 2:45am
post #4 of 14

A lot of people call floor covering by the wrong name. right now you probably have sheet vinyl unless your floor is really, really old-like from the 50's. Linoleum is a great surface, but it is not made in the US anymore. It has to be imported from, I think, Sweden.
The best by far is a rubber floor, but that is expensive and not a typical look, so some people are not happy with the look. You say you are being talked into ceramic. Ceramic is a clay tile that has a surface that has pigment in it, and is glazed. It can be slippery. If it is chipped the underlying color will show. porceline (sorry about the spelling) is a tile also, but the color goes all the way through the tile. If it is chipped it doesn't show as much. It usually is not glazed and does not get slippery when wet. With tiles you can replace any one or more if they are damaged, and do not have to replace the whole floor. That's what I have now, but glass will shatter if dropped. It does not stain like vinyls and wood sometimes do, and you can really scrub it when you need to.
My husband put bamboo flooring in my son's home including the kitchen. It is very attractive, seems to stand up well and is considered "green." I have had a wood floor in my kitchen. It can be rather high maintenance and can be damaged by water spills.
There are pros and cons to every floor covering. Laminates like Pergo are popular around here. Attractive and easy to clean. My husband, who has been in floor covering for nearly 50 years, refused to even discuss it when we replaced our kitchen floor. Plastic on cardboard is what he calls it. I on the other hand like it, but guess I'll never have it. (until the divorce I guess)only kidding-

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redpanda Posted 28 Apr 2009 , 3:08am
post #5 of 14

For the last 10 years, we have had laminate flooring, a type specifically warranted against water damage. When we had a water pipe in our foundation break about 4 years ago, the flooring was fine.

It has, over the past 10 years, begun to show some small cracks and one small dent where DH dropped a wall oven on it. (Long story)

We're planning a remodel which will require redoing the kitchen and dining room flooring, because the footprint of the cabinets will be changing significantly. We plan to use either another water-resistant laminate or bamboo.

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cakes22 Posted 28 Apr 2009 , 12:07pm
post #6 of 14

We have laminate flooring as well. The kind that is put together like hard wood. It looks like ceramic but its nicer and has more give. In our dining room we have laminate hard wood and then carpet in the family room & thru out the rest of the house (in the process of replacing).

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cakesbycathy Posted 28 Apr 2009 , 2:15pm
post #7 of 14

I read the subject line and immediately thought "Cheerios. I really need to sweep." lol

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redpanda Posted 28 Apr 2009 , 4:40pm
post #8 of 14

LOL! Cakesbycathy, I had a very similar reaction to the title. I was thinking, "boy, I don't have time to list everything!" Most of it is cat toys, though. That and little pieces of folded paper that DS uses to make origami constructions but can't seem to keep in his room.

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dailey Posted 29 Apr 2009 , 2:41pm
post #9 of 14

we have porcelain tiles. i *love* them! we picked a brownish color with darker grout. i never walk around the house without my crocs on so i don't have an issue with them being cold.

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rcs Posted 29 Apr 2009 , 3:01pm
post #10 of 14

Ditto to the porcelain tiles! I have them in my kitchen and family room. I had my husband put in as small of a grout line as he could because I hate scrubbing grout! I've been very pleased. Yes, they are cold, but I usually have shoes on!

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mkolmar Posted 29 Apr 2009 , 3:32pm
post #11 of 14

I have a light cream tile with brown grout that's in my kitchen and part of the living room. I HATE IT!!!!!! I spend most of my time in the kitchen and my legs are shot at the end of the day. I bought these foam type of mats for me to stand on, which help, but the tile has usually already taken it's toll at the end of the day. If you drop something you can pretty much bet it will break on the tile.
The tile stays really cold too. My MIL and mom bring slippers over whenever they come because they can't handle the cold on their feet.
My kids walk through the house with just socks on and they wear through a lot faster because of it too.

If you still want the tile, I would highly recommend having the wires/cable put in to heat it up from underneath the tile.

If I had the choice and the $ I would rip mine up and put down that nice cork flooring, but I'm stuck with this.

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dldbrou Posted 29 Apr 2009 , 5:35pm
post #12 of 14

mkolmar, I totally agree with you. Just the other day I was taking a metal pan out of my hot breadmaker and dropped the pan. The floor did not break, but dented my pan beyond repair. Had to order a new one. I put the heating element in my bathroom and love it. If my husband wasn't so hard headed, that floor in my kitchen would be history. I would rip it out myself. I really would prefer cork for the comfort it gives.

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ladyellam Posted 2 May 2009 , 7:15am
post #13 of 14

If you have tile and want some extra cushion, there are anti-fatigue mats sold at restaurant supply stores that really work. Before I put my hardwood floor in, I had a mat at my oven (in case anything fell), my island and my sink. They are a bit pricey, but my feet and back were better off.

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sunlover00 Posted 2 May 2009 , 2:02pm
post #14 of 14

Well, the verdict is in. While it seems that most people say no to tile, and I'm totally on the fence about it, the contractor has talked me into it. I sure hope it will work out. I have no doubt it will be beautiful...I'll have to be sure to get some mats and now I'll have a good excuse to buy some really expensive new tennis shoes I've been wanting! icon_smile.gif

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