I LOVE checkerboard floors. I have them in my sunroom - I'd post a pic but it was pre-renovation (ongoing) and it's a total mess LOL. And it's wood, not tile. Did you mean tile floors?

If you do a google image search on "kitchen checkerboard floor" lots of pics come up. :-)

The impact will definitely depend on the colors used. Black and white is a strong personality and a strong contrast some love and others can't take. If that's what she wants and her dh is objecting, maybe he could get along better with gray and white or more of a tone on tone. We had 2 shades of brown in our last house, and I loved it. I couldn't have done something with high contrast like black and white...it's just not me.

Very subjective and I have seen some fantastic B&W ones in various period kitchens (gorgeous 20's one on pg 14 and a Victorian on on pg 76 of Distinctive Kitchen Solutions - issue that is supposed to be on display until this month). I tend to agree with rhome410 about softening it with less contrast or larger squares might be a good compromise. I want to do a two tone floor in the new kitchen I am working on and have convinced the home owner to go with this pattern:

These are the leading colour contenders:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Someone here did a cork one (again not B&W) DIY and it looked fantastic (I think that the cork like the CVT is not a solid colour really helps to soften the checkerboard pattern).

Had them. Hated them. They were here when we moved in and remained here until 2 years ago (14 yrs). They showed every speck of dust, dirt, and grime. They were a bear to clean too. I was all too happy to get rid of them. While we received tons of complements, "they" didn't have to clean them.

I wouldn't recommend them unless the color was not as stark and B/W like we had.

Good luck.

What color/material checkerboard? I've seen some really pretty wood ones. I suppose it would really be a type of parquet in that case?

Here is a tile (NOT my kitchen) photo I saved because it's so pretty and would be a different sort of floor.

I strongly dislike checkerboard, but you guys have posted such pretty pictures that I imagine there is a good chance the DH in question will be swayed toward checkerboard after seeing these!

Caryscott, can I hijack long enough to ask you a question you may not even have the answer to - and then get back to business at hand? Do you know what the backsplash is the in the photo you posted. I love it, but didn't want to hijack, but when my DH said he loves it, I just had to ask.

Sadly not a clue pic is from an ad for Marmoleum from Forbo. This reno kas recently turned more rustic and I was just noticing it myself - if you have any luck let me know.

You asked, so I have to agree with debi_2006. DW would state it rather more strongly than that. Something like, "Are you nuts?! Don't even think it!"

We had black and white linoleum checkerboard floors in our kitchen before the reno. Terrible choice! They always looked dirty. Plus, the high contrast drew the eye right to them (and away from everything else--in that case, actually a bit of a plus).

Now, some of these others with less contrast look OK to me, in pictures at least...yet I still won't show them to DW. ;-)

Is it too late to rip up my floor and put in checkerboard? Maybe I should forward this link to my DH. While I agree that stark black & white might be a problem to clean, some of these tiles look much easier to care for than hardwood. I love my new wood floors, but honestly, if I'd seen Rhome's floor first . . well let's not even go there.

Thanks for taking the time to share your opinions and images. I think SIL was thinking blue & something else for her checkerboard. I love the checkerboards in the less common color combos. Don't know if I would of thought of using two colors like grey & white, or tan & brown.

I remember a kitchen on this site that had a B&W checkerboard floor. It was a very vintage kitchen and the floor just added to its charm. I was hoping that kitchen might pop-up here. I don't think it's in the finished kitchen gallery.

Emphasizing the downside of B&W floors is helping our argument here, so I'm gonna need more ammunition on this one. Anyone else got a floor to share????

Here's one. I thought I had a diagonal one on my photobucket account, as well, but couldn't find it, and right now I'm not on my computer, so I can't upload the pics. I will if this thread is still around next week when i get it back:

I had to throw this one in, too-- it's for my ex-brother in law's winter storage for his bike:

Bill, now I wouldn't dare show this thread to my dh. ;-)
He would stop working on the inside of our house and start on the garage addition. He would be thinking that would be a great place to park the dirt bikes, and time to get another motor cycle, too... :-)

Well, let me a REAL stinker! Here's the centerpiece:

:-)

Hi
I found few pics of checkboard floors.
I don't have this kind of floor but came
across these. Maybe they can help.
I sure wish I had a sister in law like you.
She is lucky.
~Boxerpups

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{{!gwi}}