Thread: Kitchen ReDo-Floors

Goomba <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input
> Goomba

I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV would
cringe if you suggested it! If you like wood you might consider bamboo.

Jill

"Goomba" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]..
> I've mentioned here that we're updating/improving our kitchen. We've
> ordered the cabinets and granite, and just purchased the new range (the
> top rated gas model listed in Consumer's Reports recently) and over the
> range microwave oven/hood. I'm looking for a bottom freezer refrigerator
> but we can live with the old one until I find the perfect appliance at the
> best price. Lighting changes and flooring are still undecided.
>
> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting older
> now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically poor
> choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended periods.
> I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood and impact
> absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more jarring to your
> body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens, are they?? I'm
> also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it might be fairly
> "green" as well as good cost.
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input
> Goomba

I have been blaming "the day after" backaches on my age, but lately I have
been hearing much younger peiople claim it is the tile or stone floors we
all have. Mind you, I don't experience it unless I have spent a 10 or 12
hour day working, so who knows?

If I were sure, then next kitchen I would use solid runner flooring, such as
is used in airports. I'd consider bamboo, but my cutting board seems as
hard as tile.

Goomba wrote:

> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting older
> now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically poor
> choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended periods.
> I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood and impact
> absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more jarring to your
> body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens, are they?? I'm
> also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it might be fairly
> "green" as well as good cost.
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input


I recently wrote here that I'm looking into getting eucalyptus or cork
flooring for my kitchen. Both are quite comfortable for long stretches of
standing, and don't need a huge amount of maintenance. However, tile or
linoleum would be much better for a mud room. Maybe you could have a hard
floor in your kitchen and put down rubber mats to stand on when you're
cooking; that's what many professional kitchens do.

As I see it, the problem is that a breakfast room and guest bathroom are
more "presentation" spaces, where the kitchen, mud room, and laundry room
are more "industrial" spaces. If it were *me*, I'd have the same hardwood in
the breakfast room as in the rest of the house, I'd have soft wood in the
kitchen, I'd have tile in the guest bedroom, and I'd have painted concrete
in the mud room and laundry room.

Bob

Goomba wrote:
>
> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it?

I have tile flooring in the kitchen (and most of the house). I like it. It
looks good, is pretty hard wearing and if you spill something on it it's
easy to clean up in two ticks. I haven't found it any harder on my
back/legs than vinyl or hard wood in the kitchen (and I think I'm a tad
older than you <grin>). But... if you don't have under-floor heating it can
be a bit cold in winter.

Another thing I will point out about tile floors tho' - be aware that if you
drop any heavy cook-ware etc. on it in the kitchen the tiles may crack

For instance, I have a marble mortar and pestle. I put the pestle down on
the counter a bit too close to the edge when I was using it one day and I
managed to 'bump' it, somehow. It subsequently "rolled off" the counter
onto the tiles before I could catch it... I now have a (hairline) crack in
two tiles, and I don't have any spares (the previous owners put the
flooring in and didn't leave any 'extras')... It's not *that* noticeable,
you have to look pretty closely - but *I* know it's there, and it annoys
the heck outta me. However, it will mean replacing the whole
kitchen/laundry floor to fix it because I cannot get the same
design/pattern anymore, I've looked - sigh. I'm just not up for that at the
moment. It's not just the expense, it's the inconvenience of having the
kitchen 'out of action' while it's being re-done. So, if you do go for
tile, may I suggest you get a few extras and keep them - just in case?
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Egg tastes better when it's not on your face...

On Jul 6, 4:37�am, Goomba <Goomb...@comcast.net> wrote:
> I've mentioned here that we're updating/improving our kitchen. We've
> ordered the cabinets and granite, and just purchased the new range (the
> top rated gas model listed in Consumer's Reports recently) and over the
> range microwave oven/hood. I'm looking for a bottom freezer refrigerator
> but we can live with the old one until I find the perfect appliance at
> the best price. Lighting changes and flooring are still undecided.
>
> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting
> older now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically
> poor choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended
> periods. I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood
> and impact absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more
> jarring to your body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens,
> are they?? �I'm also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it
> might be fairly "green" as well as good cost.
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input
> Goomba

I love my hardwood (Brazilian cherry) kitchen floor... I have the same
floor in a half bath and my laundry room too.. with the new space age
sealers and cleaning systems moisture is not a problem. Whichever
material make sure to have the floor installed full room/wall to wall,
*before* cabinets/appliances go in, most especially if you choose
tile.

jmcquown wrote:
> Goomba <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen,
>> breakfast room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest
>> of the downstairs is hardwood.

> I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV
> would cringe if you suggested it!

They put down vinyl tile often.

nancy

Nancy Young <[email protected]> wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
> > Goomba <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >
> > > The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen,
> > > breakfast room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The
> > > rest of the downstairs is hardwood.
>
> > I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV
> > would cringe if you suggested it!
>
> They put down vinyl tile often.
>
> nancy

I only see them rip it up and put down slate or something similar. I must
be watching the wrong shows! And stainless appliances, UGH. As in, UGLY.
Sorry, I just don't see the appeal.

Jill

"Goomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> I've mentioned here that we're updating/improving our kitchen. We've
> ordered the cabinets and granite, and just purchased the new range (the
> top rated gas model listed in Consumer's Reports recently)

What brand/model would that be?



> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting older
> now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically poor
> choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended periods.
> I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood and impact
> absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more jarring to your
> body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens, are they?? I'm
> also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it might be fairly
> "green" as well as good cost.

We put sheet vinyl in our kitchen about 10 years ago. Cleans easily, no
seams, still looks good. It was the best bang for the buck at the time
since is was a "spruce up" rather than a re-do.

If cost was not a big consideration, I'd go with ceramic tile. We put down
Italian quarry tile in our last kitchen and loved it. Never used more than
a wet sponge mop to clean it and it always looked elegant. . It was a small
kitchen so it was affordable.

There are some wood products that may be worth checking out. It certainly
looks good. I'm not up on the latest so it may be good to visit the
flooring store for more information.

jmcquown wrote:
> Nancy Young <[email protected]> wrote:
>> jmcquown wrote:
>>> Goomba <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen,
>>>> breakfast room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The
>>>> rest of the downstairs is hardwood.
>>
>>> I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV
>>> would cringe if you suggested it!
>>
>> They put down vinyl tile often.

> I only see them rip it up and put down slate or something similar. I
> must be watching the wrong shows! And stainless appliances, UGH. As
> in, UGLY. Sorry, I just don't see the appeal.

I don't know what they think of it, they are putting in what sells.
People like it. It's not for me.

nancy

Goomba <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how
> they love or hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had
> heated tile in the past. I was younger then so might have
> been less aware of problems, but am concerned with the
> "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting older now
> (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are
> ergodynamically poor choices down the road after standing
> in the kitchen for extended periods. I recall my mother
> explaining how good dance floors are wood and impact
> absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more
> jarring to your body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical
> in kitchens, are they?? I'm also interested in linoleum as
> I keep reading that it might be fairly "green" as well as
> good cost.
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the
> kitchen, breakfast room, mud room, laundry room and guest
> bathroom. The rest of the downstairs is hardwood.

i have ceramic tile. i HATE it! it's hard. it's ugly (ceramic
scratches fairly easily. we have a farm, & the side door
enters into the kitchen, so mud & sand are constantly tracked
in). it's noisy. it's freaking *cold*! it's really hard to
clean, which surprised me. i figured it'd be tougher than
vinyl & just sweep clean. wrong! it's almost as easy to
scratch as vinyl & the grout joints collect dirt & stain
really easily. i'm not sure exactly how old my ceramic floor
is, but the grout is cracking &/or falling out in a lot of
places (granted it's laid right over a wide pine floor with no
underlayment or levelling). did i say i HATE it? it's going to
be a pain in the butt to get rid of it too.
when i redo the kitchen i'll put in real linoleum. it's
comfortable, way warmer than tile, & easier to clean (no
joints, no cracks, no grout). then i'll get a Scooba

BTW, if you find a bottom freezer fridge that *doesn't* have
a drawer freezer, let me know. those drawers are just plain
useless.
lee

--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 04:51:35a, ChattyCathy told us...

> Goomba wrote:
>>
>> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
>> hate it?
>
> I have tile flooring in the kitchen (and most of the house). I like it.
> It looks good, is pretty hard wearing and if you spill something on it
> it's easy to clean up in two ticks. I haven't found it any harder on my
> back/legs than vinyl or hard wood in the kitchen (and I think I'm a tad
> older than you <grin>). But... if you don't have under-floor heating it
> can be a bit cold in winter.
>
> Another thing I will point out about tile floors tho' - be aware that if
> you drop any heavy cook-ware etc. on it in the kitchen the tiles may
> crack
>
> For instance, I have a marble mortar and pestle. I put the pestle down
> on the counter a bit too close to the edge when I was using it one day
> and I managed to 'bump' it, somehow. It subsequently "rolled off" the
> counter onto the tiles before I could catch it... I now have a
> (hairline) crack in two tiles, and I don't have any spares (the previous
> owners put the flooring in and didn't leave any 'extras')... It's not
> *that* noticeable, you have to look pretty closely - but *I* know it's
> there, and it annoys the heck outta me. However, it will mean replacing
> the whole kitchen/laundry floor to fix it because I cannot get the same
> design/pattern anymore, I've looked - sigh. I'm just not up for that at
> the moment. It's not just the expense, it's the inconvenience of having
> the kitchen 'out of action' while it's being re-done. So, if you do go
> for tile, may I suggest you get a few extras and keep them - just in
> case?

What color is your tile, Cathy? In a previous home in Ohio, we had an
almond color ceramic tile put down by the previous owner, with no spares on
hand. There were a couple of tiles that had hairline cracks and a couple
that had tiny chips in them which revealed the darker color below the
almond glaze. I bought a bottle of almond colored appliance touch up
paint. Working very quickly I used a tiny brush to force the paint into
the cracks and chips, quickly wiping all excess off the surface. They
damages were virtually invisible unless you were down on your knees looking
for them. Something to consider.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Cats must drag dirty socks up from the
basement in the middle of the night.
-------------------------------------------

"Goomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> I've mentioned here that we're updating/improving our kitchen. We've
> ordered the cabinets and granite, and just purchased the new range (the
> top rated gas model listed in Consumer's Reports recently) and over the
> range microwave oven/hood. I'm looking for a bottom freezer refrigerator
> but we can live with the old one until I find the perfect appliance at the
> best price. Lighting changes and flooring are still undecided.
>
> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting older
> now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically poor
> choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended periods.
> I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood and impact
> absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more jarring to your
> body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens, are they?? I'm
> also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it might be fairly
> "green" as well as good cost.
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input
> Goomba

Goomba, if your stood on hard floors all day in a hospital you may not find
any difference or real problems when at home.
On the other hand, all day at work on hard floors, then having them at home
as well could be the straw that broke the camels back!
If I were you I'd go for tiles, and wear crocs when I felt the floor was
taking its tole!


Sarah

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 05:37:30a, Nancy Young told us...

> jmcquown wrote:
>> Nancy Young <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> jmcquown wrote:
>>>> Goomba <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen,
>>>>> breakfast room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest
>>>>> of the downstairs is hardwood.
>>>
>>>> I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV
>>>> would cringe if you suggested it!
>>>
>>> They put down vinyl tile often.
>
>> I only see them rip it up and put down slate or something similar. I
>> must be watching the wrong shows! And stainless appliances, UGH. As
>> in, UGLY. Sorry, I just don't see the appeal.
>
> I don't know what they think of it, they are putting in what sells.
> People like it. It's not for me.
>
> nancy
>

Nor me. I have black appliances. SS seems cold and industrial, not to
mention a bitch to keep in pristine condition.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
'We're not making this up just so we
can take over the world!' - Brain
-------------------------------------------

On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:09:21 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I have black appliances.

So..what's your secret to keeping them spotless?
I have two black dishwashers on either side of the sink and they
always need maintainence.

Wayne Boatwright <[email protected]>
news:[email protected] 6.120: in
rec.food.cooking

> On Sun 06 Jul 2008 04:51:35a, ChattyCathy told us...
>
>> Goomba wrote:
>>>
>>> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love
>>> or hate it?
>>
>> I have tile flooring in the kitchen (and most of the house). I like
>> it. It looks good, is pretty hard wearing and if you spill something
>> on it it's easy to clean up in two ticks. I haven't found it any
>> harder on my back/legs than vinyl or hard wood in the kitchen (and I
>> think I'm a tad older than you <grin>). But... if you don't have
>> under-floor heating it can be a bit cold in winter.
>>
>> Another thing I will point out about tile floors tho' - be aware that
>> if you drop any heavy cook-ware etc. on it in the kitchen the tiles
>> may crack

<snip for space>

Our porcelain is so patterned (dark) that I don't think you could tell if
there was a crack in it or not. We'll see. This is my first experience
with a tile floor. We have a couple of boxes of "extras" if we need to
make repairs. Our old floor was linoleum and the kitchen floors in the
condos were parquet. It'll be interesting to see what happens as time
wears on.

>
> What color is your tile, Cathy? In a previous home in Ohio, we had an
> almond color ceramic tile put down by the previous owner, with no
> spares on hand. There were a couple of tiles that had hairline cracks
> and a couple that had tiny chips in them which revealed the darker
> color below the almond glaze. I bought a bottle of almond colored
> appliance touch up paint. Working very quickly I used a tiny brush to
> force the paint into the cracks and chips, quickly wiping all excess
> off the surface. They damages were virtually invisible unless you
> were down on your knees looking for them. Something to consider.

I am "told" that the porcelain we bought is harder than traditional
ceramic tile. My brother also has porcelain in his kitchen. He loves
it. He did say that anything you drop on the floor will most likely get
broken.

Michael


--
Best license plate seen in a long time.

~ S CARGO ~

To email - michael at lonergan dot us dot com

Wayne Boatwright <[email protected]>
news:[email protected] 6.120: in
rec.food.cooking

> Nor me. I have black appliances. SS seems cold and industrial, not to
> mention a bitch to keep in pristine condition.

A lot of people like SS appliances. I don't think it's for us either. We
chose white. We might have made a mistake with the refrigerator. It's a
pretty tight squeeze in the space we have it in.

Michael



--
Best license plate seen in a long time.

~ S CARGO ~

To email - michael at lonergan dot us dot com

Goomba wrote:
>
> I've mentioned here that we're updating/improving our kitchen. We've
> ordered the cabinets and granite, and just purchased the new range (the
> top rated gas model listed in Consumer's Reports recently) and over the
> range microwave oven/hood. I'm looking for a bottom freezer refrigerator
> but we can live with the old one until I find the perfect appliance at
> the best price. Lighting changes and flooring are still undecided.
>
> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting
> older now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically
> poor choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended
> periods. I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood
> and impact absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more
> jarring to your body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens,
> are they?? I'm also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it
> might be fairly "green" as well as good cost.
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input
> Goomba

Very simply, pick whatever looks best to you. Pretty much all materials
are just fine in kitchens these days, including wood.

When wood floors were finished with waxes and whatnot they didn't do
well in kitchens, but with modern polyurethane finishes they do fine
unless you are in the habit of keeping an inch of standing water in your
kitchen.

I have tile in my current kitchen, had vinyl in a previous one and
linoleum in one before that and all of them have been just fine.

As for "green", most everything buy vinyl is pretty "green". Wood and
bamboo are renewable, tile is natural materials, and linoleum is mostly
sawdust and linseed oil.

The message <[email protected]>
from Goomba <[email protected]> contains these words:

> I've mentioned here that we're updating/improving our kitchen. We've
> ordered the cabinets and granite, and just purchased the new range (the
> top rated gas model listed in Consumer's Reports recently) and over the
> range microwave oven/hood. I'm looking for a bottom freezer refrigerator
> but we can live with the old one until I find the perfect appliance at
> the best price. Lighting changes and flooring are still undecided.

> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting
> older now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically
> poor choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended
> periods. I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood
> and impact absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more
> jarring to your body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens,
> are they?? I'm also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it
> might be fairly "green" as well as good cost.

> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.

I had quarry tile in the last kitchen. Hard underfoot, cool in
summer, anything you drop will break, Great to clean; they will
withstand any amount of boiling water and scrubbing and respond very
well to a quick wet mop. . Tiring to stand on for hours, but hey, a
small cheap washable rug is okay. Can be slippery when wet.

The current kitchen has very beautiful (original) sanded stained
sealed wooden floors. I know from experience several houses ago that
one day I will have to resand and reseal the surface. Warm and comfy
underfoot, easy to clean, marks and wounds but look characterful.

Linoleum IS green AND warm AND clean AND very comfy underfoot AND
totally waterproof but not slippy AND kind to dropped dishes and you
can get a huge range of colours, patterns etc. It's very. very
hardwearing, far superior to vinyl. We laid and fitted sheet linoleum
in a bathroom and as a pretty skilled DIY pair, I can tell you we will
never DIY that job again., at least, not unless I want grounds for
divorce . If a large pot of money comes my way, I would love to get the
entire kitchen laid with linoleum..by someone else.

Janet

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>
> What color is your tile, Cathy? In a previous home in Ohio, we had an
> almond color ceramic tile put down by the previous owner, with no spares
> on
> hand. There were a couple of tiles that had hairline cracks and a couple
> that had tiny chips in them which revealed the darker color below the
> almond glaze. I bought a bottle of almond colored appliance touch up
> paint. Working very quickly I used a tiny brush to force the paint into
> the cracks and chips, quickly wiping all excess off the surface. They
> damages were virtually invisible unless you were down on your knees
> looking
> for them. Something to consider.
>

Wayne,

Our tiles in the kitchen/laundry have a sort of very light 'peachy'
background color with patches/swirls(?) of various shades of brown in them.
We did fill in the crack with some grouting (if that's what it's called?)
that we tried to make the same color as the main part of the tile with some
coloring - but like I said it still shows if you look closely. Irritates
the cr*p outta me, because the previous owners left a whole bunch of other
useless stuff behind in the yard and they only picked up some of it - sigh.
A couple of spare tiles would have been a god-send, but I never thought to
ask if they had any before they left... silly me.
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Egg tastes better when it's not on your face...