SFGate

the essentials inside Hi beth826! Hope you are having a great Monday!

Could you take a picture standing with your back to the shirts hanging in the 3rd picture looking out so we can see how the kitchen and living room flow?

Thanks!

Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com

beth826 of course i can; the picture shows the kitchen island, and then looks into the breakfast room. the family room flows into the kitchen, and i just don't know what to do about the floors...to have wood throughout or tile, or a combination!

Consynigy Renovations So is your plan to install new flooring in the entire level? It looks like that to me. What is under the tile right now? is there a wood subfloor or is it a concrete slab? I personally like tile in kitchens because it is easy to clean. However, I also like the look of wood throughout a house. If you put wood in the kitchen, be prepared to spend more time taking care of it. If the subfloor is wood, then I think I would go with wood throughout the level including the kitchen. If the subfloor is a slab, I'd go with tile but I'd make it big tiles - 20x20 or bigger and put them on the diagonal.

beth826 cement under the tile; i was told that wood can be placed over tile, if that is what we choose and tile placement will have to be ripping up old tile

beth826 are the wood looking tiles nice in a home? haven't seen many, just wood. my question was, will it break up the look if i put wood everywhere, but somehow tile the kitchen?

M.A.S. Construction I would not install wood flooring over tile, layering materials in construction is never a good idea. Remodeling involves removing the old and installing new. Nature of the beast.

Consynigy Renovations Agreed, never put wood over tile. If you want to install hardwood over a concrete slab you would need to do a floating floor (I am not a fan of at all) or a glue down installation (also not a fan but others may not agree).

Because wood and concrete do not get along (they need to be separated, like your kids when they act up), I think the right choice for the floor would be tile. it is a messy ugly job pulling up the old tile but will be worth it in the end. And yes, the wood looking tiles are AMAZING. They are a little pricy and can be picky to install but you get the look of wood with the maintenance and durability of tile.

If you decide to go with a glue down wood floor make sure you have a reputable flooring company do it. There are specific methods and installation materials needed to keep the floor from buckling from the moisture in the concrete.

Susan Jablon Mosaics Hi beth826!
It sounds to me like you're thinking of redoing the flooring in your family room too? Just because the kitchen is open to the family room, doesn't mean you have to have the same flooring throughout. I personally don't think that doing tile only in the kitchen would break the room up, especially if the tile and wood color coordinate nicely. Wood floors in kitchen can be really beautiful, too, my only concern would be all the messes that a kitchen floor has to deal with. Are you planning on redoing any other aspects of your kitchen?

beth826 yes, doing the entire kitchen...but i need good ideas from professional people, that know what they are doing...the only thing holding me back is deciding what to do with the floors...wood or tile and the mess

Consynigy Renovations To do it right, you wil have a mess either way. When we do large areas, like entire levels, we usually start in the kitchen/living room and demo the floor there. that way you still have a place to put your stuff. then go ahead and lay the tile in the demoed area. Once it is set and grouted, move all your stuff onto it and continue on. This plan applies to hardwood or tile although hardwood is a little different because you have to work in one direction only.

the essentials inside Such great advice Consynigy. Sounds like you really know your stuff.

beth826 - so glad you are getting great advice. Thanks so much for the additional picture!
The wood tiles sound great. Hope this is helping you make a decision!

Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com

beth826 this is great help, but makes me more confused until someone comes into my house with the ideas and knowledge that i need!

Consynigy Renovations The process that works best for me and my clients is first go to a good tile store. Visit a few until you find one that has what you want and has a knowledgeable staff. Pick out some tiles you like and bring home samples (even if they are out of your price range). Once you know what you like, then you can price shop different manf. and suppl.

Any good tile shop will have a list of installers they like to work with. get at least 2 and have them come to your house and look at your project. if they know what you want and how you want it installed they can give the most accurate price. If you are in the Annapolis, MD area I'd come look at your project but I don't think you are. Good luck.

beth826 good answer, but i'm in south florida!

beth826 i may be leaning towards tile! i love the wood idea, but my kitchen and family room are heavily used and it would be constant eating and drinking; now i have a walking one year old grandson dropping food under the high chair! i must get started!! have to get the kitchen brought up to date

Consynigy Renovations Look at wood tile, best of both worlds! BTW - Wish I was down in south Florida, it's cold up here in Maryland.

svdiva Porcelain tile.

beth826 that is pretty! nice coloring too...

beth826 what brand tile is that? and, are the plank tiles better looking than the square?

awonkeydonkey Have you thought about cork in the kitchen? Getting a color that compliments the wood tones you are using maybe another option. I have had wood in my kitchen and hated it. If anything leaks and you don't notice right away, like a fridge. You are suddenly are redoing your wood floors.

beth826 that is what i have been hearing

tea77 We have hardwood in our kitchen and I really do not like it. Easily water damaged as stated above. I find it hard to keep clean (our hardwood is from an 80s remodel, so has many dings and such to collect dirt quickly)

Ruth Ann Chaplik-Secreto Newer Appliances , new doors or paint them , change counters & light fixture ... I don't dislike the tile ... Use the color & enhance it.

Alison Guerriere Oh dear, please start with the removal of magnets! Wood floors flowing into kitchen- great. Then get new cabinet hardware, new granite countertops, backsplash, bi-folds, and appliances.

awonkeydonkey The reason I prefer cork over tile is for the cushion factor. I cook a lot and stand while I cook. I need a soft surface under foot or I start to hurt and sitting in the kitchen just looks silly to me. Besides the cork has the texture an interest most tiles just don't give you.

Consynigy Renovations I have cork in my kitchen. I am counting down the days till I have time to tear it out and put in tile. It looks great for about 3 months then it gets wet and buckles. I would not put it in a wet area.

awonkeydonkey I don't have it in my kitchen now. I have only seen and worked on it when it was fairly new. Thanks for that comment. I have wondered about the long term durability.

margarethus I am in the same quandary. Have tile floors now and so cold and hard to stand on when cooking. Two sides of my kitchen face outside walls. Have shot gun type house with red oak hardwood in living room and dining room then right into kitchen has tile. Thinking of hardwood in there too.

Consynigy Renovations I do a lot of tile work and those are the two main (possibly only) complaints I hear. To deal with the cold aspect I like underfloor heat. I used to just put it in bathrooms but now kitchens and sun rooms. Underfloor heat is amazing and can work well with existing HVAC systems or as the primary heat source. As for the hard working surface, a good mat or rug in front of the sink and stove works well. It softens the work area and dresses up the floor at the same time.

beth826 i live in south florida, so no worries about cold tile...enjoy it! but i'm trying to find someone who has the wood look tile, so i can see it in person...don't want it to look cheap, since i have to do the kitchen over too

Susan Flowers I have cork in the kitchen and love it but would not place it throughout the area because it does need yearly coats of poly....and you can't walk on it for 24-48 hours....I would worry about wood tile being "busy" in such a large area and would not want that much grout...I would use a 12x24 or larger tile...or might look at one of the new ceramic based based composite tiles you can lay without grout.

Consynigy Renovations I guess the cool tile is inviting if SF. The wood grained tile is usually porcelain and any good tile shop will at least have a sample or two for you to look at. Susan brings up a good point about and busy patterns. I like the wood tile with q toothpick (1/16" or less) joint and the color as close a match to make it disappear. Also, a lot of the tiles come in at least two different widths. This helps randomize the look to be more like a wood floor. I went looking through my photos to see if I can find one that shows what I mean but I could not find one, ill keep looking though.

If you cant find a wood you love (yes, I said LOVE), a safe choice would be a large square or rectangle tile set running bond (brick stack) or diagonal (my favorite). If you do choose a wood style tile, make sure you find an installer who has experience with this type of tile since the install can make or break the entire design.

Norm Walters Construction Inc. This porcelain "wood look" tile is from the Panaria Planks collection

Consynigy Renovations looks real nice!

beth826 i think it looks nice too! i'm going to the kitchen/tile place and ask the decorator to come to my house with these ideas....because i need advice from an expert!

beth826 is it possible to have wood everywhere, and put tile in the kitchen that would meld into the style and color of the wood? if it is one room flowing into another, how do you cut it off without being choppy?