I just put down a wood look tile throughout my main living areas; kitchen, living room, foyer, hallway. And put hardwood in the adjacent bedrooms. I can tell you that I'm thrilled with my decision. We are a hard on our floors and that's exactly what drove our decision to put down tile. It looks beautiful, and we don't have to worry about spills, scratches, or dents. Both the tile and the hardwood was installed over existing oak flooring. It was much easier to go over it than to rip it up only to reinforce the subfloor with plywood. Anyways, I'll stop rambling. Here are some pictures, first one is just the tile, second shows the transition from tile to wood. Kitchen isn't up yet, but we will also have white cabinets.

twn85, I can see why you are thrilled! I would be too - it is absolutely lovely and the transition picture . not the glaring difference I was picturing in my mind. Do you know what wood look tile you used? I really liked the Florida Tile in Walnut. I need to get some samples and lay them in the dining rm doorway. Thanks for taking the time to answer and post pictures!

Thank you Catlover! It's an Italian porcelain. ABK Woodway, color Noce. I think the reason it's not a glaring difference in the transition is because I went with a matte finish on the oak. I also did not try to match the color of the tile. I chose what I liked and decided it didn't matter if it was different.

You mentioned that if not a wood look that you wouldn't know what to put down. There are so many beautiful tile options out there. A slate look would also look beautiful with the dove white cabinets, or even a rustic travertine look.

Thanks remodelfla. DH liked the lighter color similar to yours. The tile is very beautiful especially in the closeup. I was just reading on a tile web site - the installation instructions state not to walk on the floor after grouting for at least 7 days? Did anyone experience this? This is the only way into the yard and our 11 year puppy dog will not be happy going out the front door with steps! And he's a bit too large to carry . . .

Seven days??? I see absolutel NO reason for that. Ceramic tile can be walked on 24 hours after setting. Grout may not totally "cure" for several days, but will dry sufficiently to walk on in a matter of 5-6 hours.

Lazarususa, I was wondering if that was a typo on their web site. Thank you.

twn85, that looks great. What kind of store did it come from?

The floor I have now is in perfectly fine shape; however, it has very wide grout lines that I believe PO did not seal as it changes color when wet and the grout has lifted next to the dining room sill which I assume can be repaired. We are changing the layout and these tiles are discontinued but I found them online . . I would only need 2 or 3 boxes but they want a lot of shipping $$$ (I know they are heavy) and to spend $300 doesn't seem right especially since most of the "repair" work will be under the new cabs once they are installed as we believe PO put down the tiles after the existing cabs were installed. The kitchen is 110x101 inches and it will be an L shaped layout.

Would you redo this floor? I call my remodel a budget remodel as I am not buying $3,000 appliances or $500 light fixtures and am scouring sales, clearance sections and watching the pennies, etc. but I am going to get granite eventually (some unexpected vet bills have set us back a bit), a Silgranit sink and new faucet in addition to my painted white maple cabs.

Going for a cottagey look kitchen and am considering NVG or Giallo Ornamental/Veneziano or Pavao butterfly granite.

When I walked through several shops over the weekend, no tiles were grabbing me like the wood and it seems silly to put down yet another neutral tile floor. I like the floor, I love hardwood and really like the wood look tiles. Here is the view from the dining room which you have to walk through to get to the kitchen . . we are not really sure what we are going to find when we lift up those tiles which seem a bit raised from the dining rm floor. The kitchen is the only place over a crawl space where the rest of the house has a full basement and the rest of the house has the existing 1940 hardwood in good shape.

We were going to put in radiant heat but that has been scrapped.

And, I really like the wood look tiles that I saw but am not sure about the flow from the dining room to the kitchen.

{{!gwi}}

Thanks Marti8a! The tile came from our family business here in NJ. But you can find the same one in many tile stores across the US.

Have you considered cork? It would have a coordinating color if you pick the right shade, yet not be trying to match the grain or look of wood floors. I think it looks nice next to hardwood floors and is easier on the back, feet and joints. It is not as cold to the touch and is a quieter surface as well.

Dianlo,

I really wanted cork for our kitchen but DH says it is not durable and will be worn out soon. The kitchen is the highest traffic area as it "serves" as a hallway to the master bedroom, the laundry room, and the garage as well.

Are cork floors made differently now than a few years ago? I had to drop all remodeling in summer of 2007 and have not kept up.

Thanks!

Yes yes - they are. I was about to close this thread but saw your note there. Cork floors are different from, say, 10 years ago. Not sure 5.

They are supposedly finished differently now and are more durable. Still not the hardest stuff out there and maybe not ideal for high dog- and high-maintenance-kid areas, or so I'm told (though I think I'd be OK with it). The tiles are thicker and are mostly all click-lock or whatever they're called now, and not glued.

I know this because my mom had the old stuff which was just 1/4" thick and glued and we went to great lengths to replace it exactly. We did find the original stuff still being manufactured, specifically for this purpose as far as I can tell; no one recommends installing it from scratch. Even this new-old stuff is supposedly better-finished than its predecessor.

If you need more info I can try and get you some; might need to contact me offlist because I probably won't check back here.

Thank you, aliris!

I'll stop by our local flooring store to check it out. I'll PAN you if I still have questions after that.

Thanks again!

I thought of cork but did not see any on my shopping trip. I have 4 cats all with claws and a very large dog who has paws the size of baseballs with very thick long black claws. . . I don't think cork is the right material for us although I do love the "softness" of it.

Wow, that looks great. I thought the first pic was the actual wood. Since the planks are so long. 4ft porcelain planks!!!! Did you have any cupping/warping issues... it doesn't look like it

Some people don't care for the grooves or bevels between the wood-look tiles, I know. Are they difficult to clean? I can imagine crumbs and all kinds of other things landing in there.

While cork may not be your best choice for your cats (or stiletto lovers), I have to make a clarification about eleena's husband's comment about cork not being durable. I had hardwood and tile in my last house, and cork (and other materials) in our new house. I cannot rave enough about how much I LOVE the cork. It's soft, it's quiet, it's warm, we can (and have) dropped dishes, legos (I have a 3 year old), trains, books, from our counter to the floor, and they just bounce. No scratches or gouges. It stays cleaner longer (unless I dump oatmeal on the floor!), but it doesn't dust up nearly as much as my old hardwood floor. It looks beautiful and everyone who's come over says they had no idea cork was this nice.

So, catlover may not want it with kitty claws. I'm a dog girl myself, so I know that trimmed puppy claws are no issue, but I don't know about cats. But, I would venture to say that it's one of the most durable flooring options out there, which is why it's in many public buildings, including the Library of Congress. And that building has been around a few years. :-)

{{!gwi}}

Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

{{!gwi}}

Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

For catlover, I think those hardwood-look tile are really pretty, though I'd probably invest in soft pads where I'd be standing for long periods.

That cork is very pretty. Maybe I will get a sample and lay it down and see how the kitties respond but if it's what I'm thinking it is going to be a magnet for scratching. They love my wool area rugs.

I wanted to try and get hardwood to match the rest of the house but EVERYONE in path says wood is a mistake in the kitchen with the water . . . and I don't want to be re-doing anything so that is why I was looking at the wood look tiles which brings to my next question . . the room is only 9'2 by 8'5 . . and I think the 48 inch long tiles won't work. I basically will only need 2 of them in each run. I'll have to check out the 36 inch and 24 inch lengths.

Thanks everyone for your comments! I'll be hitting the pavement again this weekend in search of flooring materials. Wish me luck.

A nice cork floor is extremely handsome and something wonderful to walk on too, and, as said, quiet. Houses are so noisy and clanky these days compared to the old w-t-w and drapes days. I ran pine boards through our kitchen and everywhere else because the view down the house seemed to require it, but I would have loved to have cork. Another house maybe.

BTW, Catlover, regarding baseboard heater vents, you do know your cats are going to find them even more desirable than you do, right? :)

Hi Rosie . . yes since we moved the cast iron rad from in front of the patio door and placed a chair there, they have a new vantage point to look out into the backyard . . it's a whole new world but it got cold again and they are looking for the warm spot.

Sold!

Thank you, ICFgreen!

That is exactly what I wanted to hear.

We have stained concrete floors throughout the house (except for MB and bathrooms) and I absolutely hate them. But b/c of the house layout, I need the same flooring in the LR, DR, office, and kitchen. I have been "lusting" after cork for years. I guess I can have it after all. :-)

Catlover, if you do look at cork, find a plank like mine (US Floors Marcas Areia planks) that would hit scratches well. Our floors have some natural pitting to them to give them texture, in the same way as hand scraped wood planks do. I attached a link with some of the varieties from US Floors (there are many other cork suppliers as well). I think the Galacia might be a fun choice as it kind of reminds me of wood.

I don't think there's any problem with wood or cork in the kitchen. Some people think that it's not a good idea because of the water, but really, if you spill a little water, you clean it up right away. If your dishwasher explodes, you'll likely be replacing any floor you have because the subfloor will be ruined. So get what you love.

Eleena, oh my, concrete floors to cork? You will LOVE them!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cork colors and designs.

Xposted in Floor and continued here. So during demo, we found the original unfinished pine floor beneath the sink cab so DH broke his back and scraped up the ceramic tile, wonderboard, peel and stick tile and all the adhesive on the floor. He also pulled out all the screws and loose nails. It's so great when he's on board but I digress. So I'm thriled because I may get my wood floor after all if we can refinish this floor.

So . . . one guy came yesterday, said the floor could be saved then tried to sell me a new floor. I don't want that.

Someone else came today highly recommended and a gentleman. Everything was great until I asked about the color when he was leaving . . he said he can't really stain the floor because it won't take but it will be a lighter color than it is now and then bloom over the next 6 months to a year . . . I wanted a dark stained floor. He said because the wood has been covered for so long (since 1940) the oils have been dried up (I think). Utter disappointment came over me and I lost my focus.

Your thoughts/comments please?

Lucky you! Congratulate yourself on having a fine original floor and embrace the natural wood color. Dark stained wood flooring is a 2000's thing; natural wood is timeless, meaning it fits your house's age. Besides, dark shows dust more easily. I don't know about oils drying up (?) but from what I have always been given to understand, pine is indeed difficult to stain successfully. However, pine is beautiful all on its own and has a lot of character -- especially heart pine, which yours might be given its age. If it's heart pine it's also much harder than other types of pinewood (it is from the heartwood of big pine trees).

If you have been making your plans for finishes based on a dark floor, you might have to change a few things if you stick with the natural wood. But in my view a natural wood floor is a fairly neutral backdrop so you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Have fun and congratulations on not having to buy a floor! I suspect that what you have is better quality than many new floors you could buy anyway.

While I know staining the kitchen floor would never match the dining room oak floor, I wanted something comparable in color but I understand that to stain an older pine floor may result in a blotchy mess so it may be worth it in the end to just refinish it and let the unique natural beauty show as you mention. Thank you NorthCarolina for taking the time to post.

I have my white painted maple cabs already and was considering a dark green granite or creamy beige so we will see where we go from here. Advice given to me recently on this site was to be flexible throughout the process and not pick out everything on day one . . .

Just wanted to share our pine story. We ripped up the oak floorboards in a room that we were changing into a family bath to reuse them in our kitchen for flow with the rest of the house. Had planned to tile with two younger children, but as the first boards came up, the beautiful pine floors were revealed. Ugh, all that gorgeous pine covered with oak, albeit nice oak from the 50's, but still!!! Couldn't swing uncovering all the floors in the house, but have left the pine in the bath. No stain, just tung oil and IMHO they are gorgeous.

I think NC said it about as well as it could be said. I am happy for your find, and it sounds like you may be able to embrace this surprise (and the others that are sure to come!).

I just don't want "blonde" wood . . . but I would be thrilled that we were able to keep something original to the house.