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Remodeling Flooring Kitchens

kitchen tile - honey bamboo for living area, need tile for kitchen

Chris Van Wesep

5 years ago

We have honey bamboo throughout our main floor (open concept) and need ideas for kitchen tile. Currently we have maple cabinets and stainless appliances but will paint cabinets either white or grey. We tend toward a modern/contemporary style. Wondering if we should do a light grey tile? I am design challenged

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Comments (4)

SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
It depends on the "gray" in the kitchen. And the counter tops. And the lighting. And the backsplash. And even the wall colour. And the level of modern you are going for. Hyper-modern would be white on white with some white and some white. Scandinavian Modern can be RED on white with wood floors (in a natural wood tone). Contemporary can be white on white with darker wood floors. Transition can be white on wood counters with a stone based floor.

Whew! Sooo many options when it comes to modern/contemporary. A kitchen contains 7 elements. You have described 2. We will need a bit more (like counter top). I'm a fan of travertine-look porcelain tile. It comes in EVERY colour which means it is SUPER EASY to get a lovely match/compliment.

With modern/contemporary, a light wood coloured floor (such as bamboo) is SUPER popular. But the rub is you do NOT want to put in "wood" when bamboo already exists....and you don't want to put in bamboo in kitchens (they are STUPID picky about moisture/spills).

So that means we are back to some "other" products other than wood or wood look stuff. A photo or two of inspiration kitchens would help us. And a photo of your current kitchen would also help....so we can see how much light/space we are working with.
Chris Van Wesep thanked SJ McCarthy
Chris Van Wesep
Original Author
5 years ago

Bergen Street town house · More Info
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Jhmarie; yes, the kitchen is very functional, and a part of this is almost like therapeutic processing for what to do with this house!Thank you for the heads up about the book. I will have a look for that. Aprilneverends; well thank you. I am really trying to not get caught up in fads, but I think the state of the place made me focus on the yellowness of the oak. And the oakiness of the oak everywhere in that part of the house! I always really enjoyed this blue, to be honest. ha!! It contrasted nicely and I got to cackle in my husband's direction every time someone told me they loved it, too. That's the thing I guess, you never can tell. I am a bit leery of how much the kitchen will change with all of the white and off white in regards to the contrast, and had to kind of giggle at the thought of painting the walls white and the wainscoting blue. Like a role reversal. :D Fidlfreek; I appreciate you bringing me back down from the clouds with some of your suggestions. Some of your sentiments I had thought of and was considering - all white miracle method, subway tile, lighting updates. Now is the time to pull that big beast down I think - we are planning to paint the ceilings throughout the home. Curious of your thought process- the lighting fixture you linked from ikea, is that to coordinate with the current colored cabinets? Or the shape in general? Staining the cabinets darker is of course an option, I just don't want this area to feel any more boxed in, I guess. This vantage point is actually the only way in and out of the kitchen - there is also peninsula seating already to the left, FYI. I actually picked the flooring you circled in the event that I wanted to go lighter or darker with the cabinets, now or later, that there would be flexibility in the flooring color to do so. It's also more of the classic wood look than some of the on trend colors I am seeing out there. The more I think about it, the more I would like to NOT spend a lot of time painting everything white, but I definitely think I need some adjustments in here. I find it interesting that none of you have mentioned the appliances or their color - apart from the microwave, which is usually the least of the appliance worries. ;D I so appreciate your feedback and input.
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Chris Van Wesep
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for the reply. We are leaning toward dark lower cabinets and white uppers with a white backsplash. Our existing counters are dark bluish grey formica and will need replacing in the near future. Basically, we are planning on painting our cabinets grey or white or a combo of both, updating our backsplash in white and wanting a neutral tile that will coordinate with the rest of the honey bamboo floors. We plan a major remodel in the next 3-5 years and are looking for a solution for our existing kitchen without a major renovation.
SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
OK....let's see if I can understand this. You are planning a major renovation in 3-5 years, but UNTIL THEN you are going to paint out your kitchen and put down new flooring....Am I correct?

Personally I would save my money and do nothing for the next 3-5 years and put all my efforts into saving for the big renovation.

If you must change out your floors RIGHT NOW....go for sheet vinyl in a visual that you like. Ignore the bamboo because you are going to renovate EVERYTHING in 3-5 years.

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