Laying it diagonal will involve more cuts and more work for the install, but ABSOLUTELY it will give you the best floor for your narrow kitchen! I spent quite a bit of time pondering the VERY same question only about a month and a half ago. My galley kitchen is a bit wider than yours (It's 9' wide). I assume you are including the width of the whole room in your 7' figure and not just the "aisle" between cabinets...? I have only a 5' strip between the cabinets on both sides and I used a 20" tile. I measured carefully and lay down tile in three patterns before choosing. The ONLY one that looked any good because of the narrow space was the diagonal. Based on my experience, the EXACT OPPOSITE is true from what your installer is saying. When I lay the tile in a straight or brickwork pattern you could only see two tiles in the center. It looked funny and not good at all. When I lay the tile diagonally it created the optical illusion of being 4 tiles across between the cabinets. If your have any doubt, lay down some of the tile in the center and mark 2' in from the walls to simulate cabinets with yardsticks, yarn, strips of paper, cardboard boxes, whatever. You will see for yourself how much better it looks. A narrow kitchen and larger tile cries out for diagonal. Do a search with the words diagonal and tile here and in the flooring forum. This issue has come up a lot. I still wasn't convinced until I tried it and then it was pretty obvious. You will see!

- Jim

The room is exactly 7' wide (may come out a bit narrower depending on framing). I've got 24" deep cabinets on one side, and 19" deep on the other side. I'm figuring this leaves about 40" (or a little less) of floor showing down the center. That would be room for about two diagonal tiles across.

Good suggestion to dry lay out the tiles - couldn't do it last night since he'd just laid the mud floor. I think I'm going to insist on the diagonal floor, though - I've always thought that would look the best to contrast with the shape of the room, and everyone's comments here are confirming that.

I have no problem paying another dollar per square foot to lay it on the diagonal - it's only 70 square feet! $70 is the least of my problems in this renovation!!! :-(

Thanks, everyone!

I've done a very small bathroom with 13 inch diagonal tile (I have it going up the walls too, but it's a small room) and it looks great. Just do it.

Here are my small kitchen and floyer floors, both done with 18" tile on the diag.

Diagonal! I have a small part of my backyard/sideyard I call the bowling alley. I had them (when I finally put cement in the "mud pit") put the lines (whatever they are called--too tired to think of the name this morning) on the diagonal. I think the area is about 5 feet wide. It makes it look much larger and more inviting. Everyone else likes it too. Glad you made the choice to do it.

Hope you have enough tile. I considered doing this with the flooring in my kitchen and dining room/living room. It would run me about 10% to 15% more in materials/cost of labor due to the cuts. Just couldn't swing the price of it.

Can't wait to see pictures of your kitchen when they finish. Hope you post them.

Assumed I would be doing diagonal, so I did buy extra tile for it.

I'll definitely be posting pictures when it's done - however difficult it is to take photos of such a small space!!! (Anyone ever posted kitchen photos using a fisheye lens? ;-))

Meanwhile, I'll be fighting with my contractor over the framing of the bathroom, but that's a subject for another thread...

My vote is for diagonal (although some sort of staggered/stepped pattern could be cool, too--just not straight lines of tile).

Sorry to read about your wall woes. I hope they will correct it to your satisfaction without giving you too much grief.

I was told you have to have room to place 3 tiles side by side in order for a diag. floor to look right. If you can do this, then you're good to go. Am I saying this correctly Bill?

Brutuses-- I've never heard anything even similar until about a week ago, when someone in here tried to tell another poster that you have to be able to put TWO tiles across in order to use a diagonal layout. Whoever told you that, let them know they're blowing smoke. There's no rule of thumb, whatsoever. The only rule of thumb is if it looks good to you, then USE IT!! :-)

Hi
In order to lay the tiles at a 45 degree angle you will need more tiles than if you
put them square.

Susan

I think the guy was saying it as a rule in order for it to look good and actually make the floor look larger and not have too many little halves of tile showing all over.

Okay, doing diagonal!!! I even made the tile guy figure out the center of the exposed walkway because I've got 24" deep cabinets on one side and 19" on the other. He was just going to calculate the center of the room, which would have been wrong!

I've learned such amazing details on this forum!!!

Definitely diagonal! I love the look! I laid my 12" tiles diagonally in my tiny, tiny laundry room (only 6-1/2'x3') and it looks fabulous. Everyone loves it. My contractor had no problem installing it although it definitely involved a lot more cutting.

Hey, we have a diagonal kitchen floor!

{{!gwi}}

(I even get a bonus half-bottle of Gatorade on the window sill!)

Charlikin, I am so happy you posted a completed picture! It is so pretty! I LOVE the colors in your tile. They are gorgeous! There are so many different colors in there that they will go with anything. Gosh, the half bottle of Gatorade is such a bonus! Who could ask for more?

Congrats again and thanks for posting. It is just perfect! Can't wait to see it all completed! Won't be long now!

I just feel bad for the guy that tiled himself out of a bottle of Gatorade. He must have been very thirsty after all that hard work!!

charlikin, I love the diagonal tiles on your floor and it was just what I needed to see, a darker rich tile on the diagonal since I am choosing tile for my foyer areas and kitchen. Thank you for sharing. Please share pictures of the completed kitchen when you are finished.

bump

Tile guy started early this morning - he grouted the kitchen floor! It's funny, having seen it ungrouted first, I'm kind of wishing I'd chosen a darker color for the grout!

Will post grouted photo later...

Charlikin, we can't wait to see pics!

I actually have ceramic brick tile. This probably will not be much of a help since your tiles are 12" x 12", but I will show you our's anyway. Please excuse the dust, etc. we are in the middle of remodeling our cabinets.

{{!gwi}}

Jane

Those are what's known as ironspot brick pavers. The wirecut version is a big favorite down south on patios, outdoor walkways, and such because they offer such positive traction with a nice decorative look.

Here's a photo of my diagonal 9" ceramic tiles in my tiny galley kitchen....

When I took this photo the grout hadn't been all cleaned off.

Hi Mara - looks nice! Hey, your kitchen looks like it might be even smaller than mine - how big is it? Are you putting cabinets on both sides? Isn't doing renovation projects in NYC fun??! ;-)

Hi charlikin - Thanks a lot. My kitchen measures less than 5 feet by a drop more than seven feet. Do I win the smallest prize? ;-) My cabinets are along the back wall where the column and wooden strips are and along the side where you see the pipes sticking out. So there's less than a yard left across after they've been installed. I live in a coop and the paperwork I had to do was crazy plus my contractors were all separate so I had to submit five sets of insurance, worker's comp, etc...Also they complain that it's so hard to park....well, it is NYC - where is it easy to park?

Oops, forgot to post the grouted photo! Kind of a bad picture since it's got the sun shining in and reflecting off the grout haze... :-)

In retrospect, I wish I'd chosen a darker grout color. I was trying to have the grout blend in with the tile, but I think it came out too light (and maybe I'm influenced by seeing the darker lines from the ungrouted tile).

{{!gwi}}

I just lost my long post when I clicked Charlikin's pic to see the pic bigger.

I will make this shorter since I am tired and must go to bed.

I love both Mara's and Charlikin's diagonal tiles. The colors are unique and look great and look like they will not show dirt too easily. The grout lines are very thin and both of you have picked out perfect grout colors in my opinion that look wonderful with your tiles. I can't wait to see both of your finished kitchens.

Janepa, I love your tile! I would love to see the room the tile is in. The color is perfect and looks just like bricks and is unique and very nice. Thanks for sharing.

I think the diagonal floor looks beautiful. Do you have any pictures of the final grouted floor that don't have that reflection in the middle. I can't really see what it looks like.

- Jim

Mara, I think you *do* get the prize for smallest kitchen! But I love how your cabinets and counter will form a right angle - very efficient, work-wise, and I love having corners! What kind of cabinets are you getting? What appliances? Your tile is so rich-looking!

And yes, my workers are all complaining about the parking, too! The foreman spends 20 minutes sometimes circling for a spot. The other morning I had to go out and sit with him in his double-parked car to talk... I understand that one of the reasons contractors are so expensive in NYC is that they have to factor in the cost of parking tickets!

Lynn, my tile store was great. I walked in with my cabinet door and countertop samples and said I wanted a medium brown colorbody porcelain that won't show dirt. One saleswoman started making a speech about how I didn't need colorbody, that glazed porcelain was plenty hard and durable enough for my needs. Meanwhile, the other saleswoman went off and came back with "the" tile. Colorbody, the perfect *warm* shade of brown, flat with no ridges so it's easy to take care of, yet looks like it was all sorts of ridges and texture from even a few inches away. One of the only choices in the reno that was EASY. :-)

Jim, couldn't get any more photos of the grouted floor before they started putting cardboard down on it to protect it while they worked on the ceiling.

I think the next floor picture might include a few cabinets. :-)

Charlikin, I can't wait to see another pic of the floor with a few cabinets. I am excited for you. That one salesperson sounds like she knew that the customer is always right and brought you what you were asking for. The floor color is very nice and I love it on the diagonal. Thanks again for sharing.

It's not a kitchen, but this is my former 6'X 8' hall bathroom using 13'' tiles on the diagonal. It made a dramatic difference in the beauty of the room, and made it look larger. It cost more to have it laid this way, and there was more tile waste due to the cuts, but was definitely worth it. Sounds like you need a different tile guy.

Sarschlos_remodeler, Thank you for posting the picture of the beautiful tile floor on the diagonal which really enhances the bathroom. I also like the color of the floor which is very helpful to me.

Charlikin,
Your tile looks great on the diagonal. I actually chose to go with straight for my galley kitchen because it would look more uniform. The floor got installed last week and the cabinets yesterday. I was so afraid the walkway would be too narrow since I chose to go with 24" on both sides but it looks great. Can't wait to see how your 19" cabs look.

charlikin - I knew this is OT but in answer to your question, I have Yorkville Contours cabinets (installed) and am waiting for a Zodiaq counter top, only have a combo micro-convection OTC oven, two-burner cooktop, Blanco small sink and a Hansgrohe facuet, backsplash will be subway tiles. Right now I have a glitch - I tried my micro and it had a mini explosion so it will have to be replaced - this will delay my project for a bit...I will post photos when it is done.

Explosions are not good!

No dishwasher? One of my favorite things about my new kitchen will be finally having a dishwasher, even if it's only an 18" one. I'm really bad at keeping up with the dishes - they just stack up in the sink till I can't put anymore there, then I wash them. Not a great system.

I'm getting Zodiaq too - Smokey Topaz (brown with big particles in it). I thought Zodiaq had the nicest colors of the various quartz families, at least for the very "stoney" type of look I wanted.

They're going to start putting up the cabinets tomorrow.

charlikin - There was a dishwasher in the kitchen when I moved in - I think I used it less than 25 times in 25 years. ;-) Since my space is so small I decided to do without.

Smokey Topaz looks nice - I'm getting Copper Sunset.

Good luck with your cabinet installation!

Copper Sunset! Oh, that's perfect. That was my second favorite color after Smokey Topaz! And it's going to be perfect with your floors!

Can't wait to see the cabinets. :-)

I have a few friends with dishwashers that never use theirs. I always use mine and love it. My last apartment of three years had a dishwasher. Before that I had to live without for many years and I missed having a dishwasher since I grew up with it. I still rinse all the dishes so they look clean (but do not use soap in this rinsing stage since I really need a new dishwasher that is 18 years old and on its last legs) and then I use the dishwasher to sterilize them and at least it keeps them out of the sink and this is my system. I know my friends would have chosen no dishwasher.

Bumping up this thread for a chance to see updated pics. I can't wait. Hope things are going well with the renovations of the kitchen and bathroom.

Hi lynn2006 - hitting all sorts of problems with both the kitchen and bathroom - hopefully nothing my contractor can't (or will be unwilling to) fix. I'm just exhausted from this whole process.

Anyway, here are some updated photos. This is a better picture of the diagonal floor with a few cabinets unpacked onto it so you can see how the colors will work:

{{!gwi}}

And here's a closeup of the floor:

{{!gwi}}

Enjoy it now because most of it will be covered up when the cabinets are installed! (Assuming they're ever installed *correctly*, but that's the subject of another thread...)

Charlikin, I love the color and tones of your tile, as well as the size, the diagonal layout and the grout color. I feel the tiles look very nice with the cabinet wood grain and the color of them. it is going to be very beautiful when the kitchen is done. I am so sorry that you are hitting all sorts of problems with the renovation project. We are all here for you and routing for you that the contractor can and is willing to fix everything to make it right for you. Please keep us updated.

charlikin - your floor looks great - I'm glad you took everyone's advice on diagonal. I wanted to mention that based on my experience the grout does darken over time so I wouldn't worry about doing anything because you think it's lighter than you'd prefer. That will probably take care of itself in time.

I feel the grout looks great and the floors look so warm with their coloring. I can't wait to see the finished kitchen. I just feel bad for Charlikin to have to go through such stress with her renovation due to living in NYC.

Okay, we're getting there!! Many thanks to all on this thread who encouraged me to stick to my guns with the diagonal floor - my tile guy was SO wrong about this. The kitchen's plenty wide enough to show off the beautiful diagonal, and it *does* make the kitchen look bigger!!! (Wonder if that trick would work with my 16" backsplash???)

The cabinets are almost all in - here are some really grungy work photos. First view from the doorway so you can see that diagonal floor!

{{!gwi}}
(That cabinet in the far right corner on the floor is an upper that still has to be mounted.)

Now the left side of the kitchen, which will be fridge-dishwasher-sink-stove:

{{!gwi}}

And the right side, which is all cabinets. I made this reduced depth 19" so I'd still have plenty of center aisle... (my old cabinets were 17"). In retrospect, I think I could have gone to 21", which would have made the drawers much longer. (Kraftmaid has fixed cutoff points for the drawers - I just missed one, so I've got lots of lost space in the back...)

{{!gwi}}

Your cabs look beautiful, as does your diagonal floor (so there, tile guy!)!!!

Thanks, cat_mom!!

I'm actually really groovin' on my crown molding right now. When I saw him putting it up this morning, I thought it would be too traditional-looking, but now that I see it with the doors in place, I love it! It's so architectural... so what that it throws my not-yet-made choices of backsplash tile and door pulls into question!

{{!gwi}}

My post is not showing up. So I will retype it but I am tired so I will make this shorter. :)

I wanted to tell you that I just love your crown molding and cabinet color and style that look great with the coloring and diagonal design of your kitchen tiles. Your kitchen is turning out so well and the end result is going to be beautiful. Thanks for sharing and allowing all of us to ease some of the stress of this major renovation.

Here's a pic of our serving kitchen with 18" tiles installed (well, almost installed!) on the diagonal:

WOW! I remember the door you brought to lunch. The color reminded me of caramel. It has turned out beautifully ! Really really nice with the floor and I LOVE that crown. It is all coming together so well. c

Vineyard, those 18" tiles are beautiful! Wow, you were brave putting such large tiles in such a small space - but it absolutely works. Great color with the cabinets, too, and I *love* the mosaic going into the room!

Caroline, I'm so relieved about the cabinet color. I was originally looking at much lighter-colored cabinets, and when I ordered these, I was afraid they'd be too dark and make the whole kitchen dark. But in looking at them - they're not dark at all! Very happy with them.

I *am* a little puzzled in how the carpenter put up the crown molding. He has a (fairly well-done) seam partly along one wall, but he also has a long piece of crown molding left over. I wonder if he was a little too frugal with the stuff and was supposed to attach the long piece so there wouldn't be any seams. Not sure this is worth a do-over - I'd prefer no seams, but this one isn't bad, and I'm not sure I like the way the finish was done on the leftover piece.

OMG, these details. They can kill you.

Anyway, have to run to the apartment and re-organize. The appliances are being delivered between 7:15am and 10:15am and the carpenter left his tools all over the living room floor where the appliances are supposed to go... Sigh.