Jejvtr- yes, I would love more pictures of tile! pictures are extremely helpful to me. I read through Bill V.'s facts link, WOW! it was so informative. I am so glad this website exists with such helpful people like you all! I noticed that jejvtr put the tile in the powderroom and this looks really nice. I have the same exact mudroom layout, where the powderroom is in the mudroom, and I though I was going to have them lay the hardwood in the powderroom and the tile in the mudroom. My mudroom is enclosed and there will be hardwood throughout the rest of the house. A wetbed will be needed to tile the mudrroom because the cement slab is extremely uneven. Bill vincent, would you transition to a different floor in the powderroom or would you just keep it all the same? Not sure what makes most sense?

braddlisan, Because the tiles are similar in look, I don't think one will be more fashionable than the other. When I was shopping for a home, I compared two different porcelain tiles. Both mimicked travertine. One was a through body with a rougher texture, the other one was a smooth glazed tile. Both tiles were not glossy or slick. I liked the smoother glazed tile better because it felt nicer underneath my feet and the color variation was prettier. Your decision should also factor in how tactile sensitive your feet are. The through body tile felt coarser than the cement on my patio. Tiles that mimic stone in both look and texture are gorgeous but I just didn't want to feel like I was walking outside while indoors. Walk on both samples. It may help you in your decision. Porcelain/ceramic tiles are easy to maintain. Smoother tiles may be easier to upkeep than more textured tiles because they lack the tiny ridges that could trap dirt. You might also want to seal the grout with a penetrating, breathable sealer. I didn't seal mine though because I don't wear shoes in the house. :) I can't see my grout getting discolored or dirty in the bathroom. Choose what you like and good luck!

Sigh. A woman with one watch knows what time it is. One with two watches is never sure... It is really nice to have all this input. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who has a hard time closing off options, and needs to analyze a decision like this to death. Thank you for your comments. Eatreal: That is interesting, because most people so far have not expressed that they found a "sweet spot," where they did not want to go smaller OR larger. I also thank you for offering your counter to the larger=richer meme. taggie: Your foyer does look lovely. Thanks for the prod! :-) mama_goose: Thank you for the comments on the tile and especially on the color theme. I agree on 1920s/30s kitchens. They tend to be my favorite! (I wonder if kids born today will feel that way about 1970's kitchens?) Marcolo: thanks for the suggestion for sizing in the other direction. As I said upthread, my neighbor has 4x4 B/W checkerboard (chessboard, I guess!), NOT on the diagonal. Hers is tumbled marble, and it looks quite fetching. That size does start to be a bit of work for me: 8 cuts per tile instead of 3. Perhaps I will sacrifice a few more tiles to check it out. As best as I can tell, the photos I have from that time period show 6x6 and 8x8. Enduring, thanks for your support. I appreciate it, as I am struggling with this stupid decision, as you can tell! :-) Yeah, the cutting is really easy. It takes me about 1 minute per square foot for 6x6, and I have about 112 sq ft. I suppose it would be only 3 min/sq. ft. for 4x4, once I get the jig set up. I love tile designs too! I was even thinking of a Versailles pattern, but then I realized I was getting carried away (and it likely wouldn't even fit the character of the kitchen). I also played with hopscotch and herringbone, but decided to KISS. I will try to post some renderings later. I had a go of it on Sketchup, but I think the best I will be able to do is to show B/W checked, and not on the diagonal. gr8day, I love the idea of a rug. That was what I originally wanted. However, I claim the room just won't support it. I either have to do a long, skinny rectangle (like 3'x11') or an L. If I do an L, the edge falls in the doorway, or else breaks up the room oddly. I think that would look horrid. I have pretty much committed (finally, some commitment!) to a uniform floor pattern. Thanks, GW KF.

OK...to the NOISE abatement question with rigid flooring: NOTHING will dampen the sound in the stairwell. Nothing. The ONLY thing that will do it: doors at the bottom AND the top of the stairs. That's it. That's all she wrote. And NO you cannot use soft underpad underneath a rigid surface on a stair. The flooring MUST sit directly onto the tread/substrate. Applying a rigid surface to a tread that USED to have carpet means you MUST bring the stairs up to code (if they are not code compliant for today's safety measures). Yep. Another person JUST did this to themselves and now they have a HORRIBLE situation on their hands. As in physically and financially ruinous to both the home, the homeowner and the GC. The fix to the stairs ALONE could cost the same amount as the entire flooring budget once over! Here's the link: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5843804/flooring-on-stairway#n=18 So approach this hellish cross-roads with caution and with FULL KNOWLEDGE of what you are about to do to yourself, your home and your bank account. Your plan has you replacing the treads and risers. This certainly qualifies as a rebuild. You will be legally obligated to match what you have removed AND bring it up to code. And stairs have 15 codes they need to have assessed before they can be 'signed off' on by an inspector. Ask yourself this: "If I mess up, can I afford a FINISHING CARPENTER to come in and fix my mess?" If you answered "No." then do NOT do what you are thinking of doing. Replace the cracked treads. Make them safe (match the EXACT thickness of the tread) and then RECARPET the entire thing. If you do not have the budget to hire a finishing carpenter IN THE FIRST PLACE, you do not have the budget to hire one to fix a mess that could cost you HUGE amounts of money in the future (imagine you sell it and someone hurts themselves on the stairs; an insurance company sends an expert to look at the issue and finds YOUR redo caused the issue; now you are on the hook for the stairs not being up to code AND the new homeowner sues you for negligence AND for damages). So do this RIGHT with a Finishing Carpenter or don't do it at all.