Ceramic Tile or Pergo in my New Kitchen....Can't decide!

[DeborahB]

We've remodeled our old kitchen and are finally getting down to the end. I've made so many decisions and now I can't make up my mind between these two floorings!
Can anyone offer me some feedback on your choice of kitchen floor?
I have real hardwood in the living room which connects to the kitchen--I love the look of Pergo but I also like the look of different things in different rooms--kwim?
Your thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

Debbie

 

[MrsJackSparrow]

Ceramic tile. Pergo (and other manufactured floorings) echo more than tile. Had ceramic tile in my kitchen in my old house and LOVED it. My mom has Pergo and I can't stand how noisy it is. Have hardwood in new house but still miss the tile. We had a sand colored tile in 3 sizes and shapes in a random pattern but it was very pretty. Tiles were 12 x 12, 6 x 6 and 6 x 12. Good luck!

 

[my3kids]

I'd get the Pergo. Ceramic tile is harder on your back for standing for long periods(so my interior designer friiend told me) And if you drop a plate on cceramic...you've got no chance! On Pergo you just might save the plate. The tiles can crack also, if you drop a pot or one falls from the rack. It isn't easy to replace cracked ceramic tile without cracking a whole lot more tiles. If you go with the tile make sure you don't get a glossy tile or smooth surface tile as it is very slippery when wet. You can also get Pergo or other brand laminates in pattens other than wood, if you really love the look of tile or stone. Consumer Reports did a study in this month's ( I think) issue about what held up the best....real wod, laminates, engineered wood. Surprisingly for heavy traffic areas the laminate won. I have not read the article but they did a story about it on the consumer segment of our local news.

 

[dhcoffey]

We just finished remodeling our kitchen and put in ceramic tile. I love it. It's true, though, drop anything and it's broken. I also have the cushy mats at the sink and stove to stand on so it's not too bad standing for a while with those.

 

[NoodlesTheRabbit]

We 're in the process of building a home and were looking at "Bruce" prefinished hardwood floors. I'm not sure if this is the same thing as Pergo...the contractor said the pieces snap together and are prelacquered so there is a teeny tiny space between each piece. If anything is spilled (which of course happens a lot in the kitchen) the wood starts to warp and cannot be fixed except to take it apart. We opted for the regular hardwood as they are installed and then finished once in.

My mom has tile and hates it. As the previous poster said, there are cracks in it from things being dropped, falling out of the fridge, etc. It is very cold in the winter too...It's a pain to clean in between the tiles.

Let us know what you decide!

 

[momrek06]

Strictly MO go with the ceramic tile. I have hardwood floors. We built our home and moved in one year ago. I HATE the floors. Unfortunately, my main hall through out the kitchen and eating area is all hardwood...way too much to change now. I have ceramic tile in my bathrooms and LOVE IT.

We really thought the hardwood we would love...but it shows so many scratches....(basically to me as I clean them) if I knew what I know now...no way Prego or Hardwood.

I will say everyone that comes in loves it....and I used to look at other's hardwood flooring and would love their's as well but I really wish I had done more research on flooring prior to hardwood.

BAMBOO floors are the way to go!!!

 

[beavismom]

You are guaranteed to get a difference of opinions here , but here is my .02 as someone who has had both tile and hardwood.

Ceramic tile is hard on the body if you stand around a lot in the kitchen. I have nice rugs in all of my work areas so that helps a little. Grout is a big pain to keep nice looking. We sealed ours when we moved into the house brand new, but it is still a pain. As mentioned, anything that drops on it will shatter including grape sno cone syrup in a plasic bottle. (don't ask). If you go with tile be sure to get a bunch of extra from the same lot because I have so that need to be fixed and the builder can't get any to match. It is nice and light colored though and seems to make the kitchen cooler.

Pergo does sound hollow and I didn't like it in any of the houses we looked at that were for sale.

I would probably continue the real wood into the kitchen and get a heavy duty top coating on it to resist the scratches. You can also cover cover the scrathes with the Old English tinted polish.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[puffkin]

For a kitchen, I would go tile. Tile doesn't show a lot of dirt and is easy to clean. Wood shows a lot and scatches easily. It can also dent if you drop a heavy pot or small appliance or something like that.

I would pick a neutral tile and go with as dark a grout as possible. Patterns look nice, but they can get expensive. You can always ask to have the tile laid on an angle to switch it up a bit (and it is also cheaper than a pattern). Also avoid a tile with a shiny finish. It will be slippery and show spots.

 

[mickeysgal]

I would opt for the ceramic tile over Pergo. Pergo, to me, is like walking on paneling. No matter how much quieting material is under it, it still feels and sounds like fake wood. There are so many beautiful tile patterns, I really feel this would increase the value of your kitchen more so than Pergo. That said, I would also not get wild with the coloring of the ceramic tile. Neutral is always best as you can dress it up or down with accessories in the kitchen.

 

[Brianne]

I've had both & prefer the Pergo. Can't convince DH to let me tear the tile out to put Pergo in though.

I just think the Pergo has more warmth to it, visually, but that's a personal preference.

If you go with tile, try to pick one out with some tooth to it; otherwise things can get very dangerous if there's any spills or if you're mopping. I can't tell you how many times I've slipped, especially in the kitchen---the kids aren't kind enough to spill onto the rugs!

 

[momrek06]

I would probably continue the real wood into the kitchen and get a heavy duty top coating on it to resist the scratches. You can also cover cover the scrathes with the Old English tinted polish.

What do you suggest to purchase to make some of these scratches better?? Is there a product out there or a company I can call....my DS' DGF came in last winter with some POINTY boots....ahhh....a few POINTS in the hardwood before we realized...I threw a rug over those....but I would love to polish up the minor scratches that basically I ONLY see!!! Any suggestions would be !!!!

 

[MareQ]

We 're in the process of building a home and were looking at "Bruce" prefinished hardwood floors. I'm not sure if this is the same thing as Pergo...the contractor said the pieces snap together and are prelacquered so there is a teeny tiny space between each piece. !

We have Bruce Hardwood floors - not sure if there are different types. But it is real hardwoods - tongue and groove like regular old hardwood - it's installed the same way - only difference is it's prefinished. It's not like Pergo at all - Pergo is "fake" hardwood , it's basicaly pressboard with a fake wood like (or tile) look to it - much like simulated wood paneling for the floor. It's very durable and many styles are nice - but IMO it doesn't give you the style or warmth that tile or real hardwoods give.


I'd personally go for hardwoods - prefinished or not. If it's damaged or you don't like the color, your style has changed etc - it's MUCH easier to refinish it - with tile - if you find in a year or two that you don't like it or you picked the wrong color grout - it's MUCH harder to pull up and replace - and hard to repair a cracked tile.

 

[j's m]

My opinion is NO CERAMIC TILE. We put it in the mud room, 3 bathrooms and kitchen and I hate it every day. I keep telling DH one day he will come home and find out I have sledge hammered the whole kitchen floor, that way I'll get anything else.

We have solid colors of tile, they show every little bit, food, hair, drips of water. After I mop the floors, I have to dry them because they show the water marks.

If you drop anything, not just glass, the tile can crack. I've had food slid out of the freezer and crack the tile, silverware dropping can crack it. And replacing them is a pain. The grout is a pain. It's SO cold in the winter, I have to wear double socks and slippers, and hard.

My MinLaw has Pergo, it always looks great, a friend also has it and loves it.
I have hardwood floors everywhere else, and love them. When we re-do, the tile will come out.

 

[MareQ]

What do you suggest to purchase to make some of these scratches better?? Is there a product out there or a company I can call....my DS' DGF came in last winter with some POINTY boots....ahhh....a few POINTS in the hardwood before we realized...I threw a rug over those....but I would love to polish up the minor scratches that basically I ONLY see!!! Any suggestions would be !!!!

Try Orange Glow Wood Refinisher..

 

[my3kids]

With the laminate you are not going to have scratches, if that is something that worries you.

If you go with the tile you could have one of the under the floor heating systems put in to take the chill off in cool weather. We do like the porcelin sand stone tile in our bathroom but wish we'd installed the under the tile heat system from about October through March.

I am really glad we went with the laminate in the kitchen. I've never had a hollow sound with mine. Maybe because it was put in with the liner over top of the old ugly vinyl floor?

 

[momrek06]

Try Orange Glow Wood Refinisher..

OMG...too funny, as soon as I read this POST, an AD came on TV exactly for this exact same product. AND If I had not read this POST, I would have NEVER noticed the AD at all. Great idea. On TV the entire deal was $19.99. I went on their web site and the same package is $39.99!!! Anyway, is it sold in stores at all?? TIA!!!!


SORRY, OP, hope this is not OT

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

When we built we put ceramic tile in the bathrooms, entryway and kitchen areas up and downstairs.

I love it and would not change it for anything else. Cleaning it is a breeze - and the grout has gotten darker with time (even though it is sealed) but I think it looks fine.

We have not had a problem at all with temperature.... or with dog nails (two 100 lb. labs).... or with cracking or breaking. I think a lot has to do with the old you get what you pay for saying.... spend a little more and you'll be happier.

 

[elizke]

Just another opinion, but that's what you're after here I guess....

I'm not crazy about the look of Pergo floors, and my parents' ceramic turned me off of them. Seems every family get together it's a glass or a casserole of sweet potatoes goes down in smithereens on that thing. And it is more tiring to work on.

I am extremely happy with what I ended up with in my kitchen though. It's an Armstrong vinyl floor, but looks like very nice ceramic and fooled even the last appraiser we had momentarily. It's a very natural looking gray, with mixed shades, and it shows no dirt at all. My favorite thing about it is the "clean sweep" classification. Dirt just does not adhere, and sweeping usually keeps it clean. I'm always amazed when I finally mop at how un-dirty the mop is.

I know this was not one of your choices, but I seriously love my floor.

 

[lowie]

We've remodeled our old kitchen and are finally getting down to the end. I've made so many decisions and now I can't make up my mind between these two floorings!
Can anyone offer me some feedback on your choice of kitchen floor?
I have real hardwood in the living room which connects to the kitchen--I love the look of Pergo but I also like the look of different things in different rooms--kwim?
Your thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

Debbie

i've had all 3 and i say go for the tile. we had hardwood that got slightly flooded from hurricane wilma and the entire downstairs of my house (1100 square feet) had to be removed because it warped. when we had pergo it scratched like crazy and you can't just remove one section to replace it.
now i have porcelain tile which is the same color through and through, so if it chips you don't see a different color, mexican tile will be a terra cotta color on the back.
i've dropped tons of stuff on my tile and haven't broken one, but on my countertop that i tiled myself i dropped a wime bottle and broke a tile, i dug out the grout, popped off the tile and switched it very easily. also, grout can be color changed if you change your mind about the color.
good luck!

 

[lsyorke]

I had ceramic in my last house.. hated it! Cold, grout a PIA, dishes explode when dropped, very slippery when wet, and very hard on the feet.

I have Pergo now, and love it! Simple to clean, easy on the feet and stays a neutral temperature.

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