What type of floor for the kitchen?
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Anonymous
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I like porcelain 12x12 inch tile, but yes, the subfloor has to be level or cracks are more likely.
and i agree with the pp about a rough surface being practical. In our previous house, I put a durable textured darker-colored porcelain tile in the powder room. It looked like slate - very attractive, and it didn't show dirt. (which is helpful for the room right next to the front door.) I prefer tile to hardwood in a kitchen unless you have an open floor plan and can do the whole level in the same surface. |
Anonymous
When we were getting out last house ready to sell, we did some updates to our kitchen and replaced the old yellowed linoleum floor with vinyl tiles that looked and felt like slate. It was textured and had "grout" lines. And it felt like slate underfoot. You had to get down close to see the seems between the vinyl tile to know that it was actually vinyl tiles. We got these at Lowe's. If you aren't going for the upscale flooring, this is a great option. The buyers loved it too (one of the features they loved and commented on). |
Anonymous
I love my vinyl floor and it looks great! and it is easy on the back when standing. |
Anonymous
sorry vinyl flooring is this 
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Anonymous
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We have wood-"looking" laminate in our kitchen. We didn't attempt to match the hardwoods in the rest of the downstairs, we did a totally different color (light wood instead of dark), with the "boards" running the opposite direction. People disparage laminate on these boards, but it is PERFECT for young children. I hate tile or other very hard floors in the kitchen, they are hard to clean and they cause backaches, and can cause head injuries if little ones fall on them. My kids drag their toys around in there and they do not scratch at all -- and we are hard on our floors. Nor have we had any issues whatsoever with water damage, but if we did, you can replace a small section of the laminate without redoing the whole thing.
Full disclosure: Once the kids are older, my first choice is definitely hardwood, and we will likely replace the entire downstairs so everything matches. But what we have now looks really beautiful, in my opinion, it is extremely durable, and soft on the feet. I very highly recommend laminate -- the Wilsonart brand in particular. |
Anonymous
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Thanks for the replies! I went to the local Home depot and looked at some samples of ceramic and porcelain tiles. So many choices, it seems like you can find anything from wood color to natural stone color.
After browsing tons of kitchen photos on houzz.com I definitely noticed the prevalence of hardwood floors vs. any other type of floor. It's about 90% of photos! I am still not sold on putting wood in my kitchen, but what about wood color tiles? had anyone tried it? My only concern with tile remains the grout, the spacing between the ceramic tiles should be larger than marble tiles and this is definitely more grout and the look is not as nice. We have grout falling out on our kitchen floor and the counter, not to mention the stains... ugh.. |
Anonymous
Oh, is that your home? No, vinyl flooring is this (many more options, but this is just a few): 
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Anonymous
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I'm also trying to decide what kind of floor covering to put in. We've put in laminate as a temporary replacement for old vinyl, an excellent option when you have little kids. But I like the look of tile better. Though tile will be really cold in the winter for bare little feet running around the house.
Ellen rockvillemom.com |
Anonymous
And very expppppensive at the high end. Also if it were to get damage such a sharp object falling and cutting, it's hard to fix. Easy to clean, looks go, no grout to scrub. Big downsided; it's not a job for the DIY and must be professionally installed. Luan also aint cheap for prepping... |