I discussed kitchen flooring with a coworker who built and they did tile. They said if they re-did things, they would never do tile again because it's cold, hard to stand on, and if you drop something, it shatters. They do have wood elsewhere in the house and said they wish they had done that instead.

Thanks, goosie8360.

I got tile envy when visiting my in-laws in Florida. Their home is tile in all main areas, and of course, that's wonderful for the hot climate.

This may seem an odd question, but how long do you intend to stay in the house? If the kitchen is refinished, will it look odd against the similar flooring in adjacent areas? Will changing the kitchen floor to tile cause any height/transition issues?

Wood's not perfect but tile has issues too (soiled grout, hard to stand on, chipping, cracking, requires a backer board to install over a wood subfloor, etc.).

I like the picture with the wood and I rather like the look of the slate. Can the current wood be prepared and recoated without sanding?

Thanks for your responses!

We will probably be in the house for another 10 years give or take. I really don't think that we'll see any significant return on the investment, so that's holding me back.

I really like to think that when we do a significant improvement that we'll see that reflected in an eventual purchase price.

We are located in the Mid-Atlantic region and get all 4 seasons.

I think it's worth sealing the slate to improve the looks. I guess I'm just tired of the darkness of it. Our front door is solid, but we do have opaque glass on each side.

I wish it was brighter.

I appreciate new eyes looking at it because I think I get stuck in my own head.

Well, this has been helpful-just airing out my thoughts and getting other perspectives.

I think we'll stick with refinishing the kitchen hardwood, and seal the slate foyer (the grout's been Stanley Steamer-ed).

What you say make sense, especially brightening up the slate with a sealer. Could you (take the money you save on floors and) purchase a glass insert for the front door to brighten up the foyer? Could your existing door be cut out to facilitate one?

jfcwood- I think the money we save on not replacing anything will go towards redoing our front walkway.

Oy, it's always something! I'll be posting about that soon (pavers? concrete? slate? brick?...)

We had beautiful Mannington wood floors installed in our new home 24 years ago -- loved them and they wore very nicely, but I was on pins and needles all the time, worried about water drips and spills. We had a DW leak last August that ruined 1/4 of the planks and had them ripped out -- replaced them with Mohawk porcelain tiles (20") and absolutely love them. We had similar tiles (different company - same pattern) laid in our entire first floor about ten years ago, and were fortunate to find an almost exact match, such that we just carried it through. No more wood...no regrets.

javiwa- worrying about water drips is a pain. One of my dog's beard holds about a shot glass full of water every time he drinks, and of course, he dribbles all over!

Do you find the tile hard on your body vs. the wood (in the kitchen)?

Not yet, though it's only been 8 months that we've had the tile. Maybe it's mind over matter: we love our tile! :) We also aren't cruising around barefoot all the time, and I don't do a lot of standing in one spot for extended periods. I've often heard the issues that you mentioned, but I sometimes wonder if part of the problems aren't due to individuals' poor posture, sinks/faucets/cooktops not being properly positioned (i.e., too far forward), etc. My elderly mom complained of her hard floors starting to bother her legs, so I picked up a couple of those foam floor mats -- she finds them very cushy, and they've helped greatly.

PS I love the colors in your kitchen!

Thank you, javiwa! We're happy with how the colors and finishes came together.

It really sounds like the dark slate is bothering you, and IMHO, 10 years is still a long time to live with something you don't like. You have to enjoy the time you're there. :)

Oh, and yes, getting a new front entry door was also on the wish list ;-) It can really lighten up the foyer.

Not to stray afar, but I really love etched glass doors, but whooboy! Expensive!

>>when we do a significant improvement that we'll see that reflected in an eventual purchase price.>>

Sad to say, that's not likely. You can check out the most recent discussion on this issue in the Buying/Selling Houses forum:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2997252/how-to-include-upgrades-in-sale-price?n=37