Inspired by "kitchen countertop thread" Kitchen flooring preferences?

[denisem]

God willing, we'll be building in the next year or so (possibly in the Orlando area!)

I'm stumped on kitchen flooring. I'm leaning toward ceramic, but am aware of the "breakage" factor for us klutz's, and the importance of properly sealing the grout. And Enviro-steamers don't do a real good job with grouted tiles.

I've heard bad/good about wood flooring and care.

Sometimes I think: "just go vinyl, it's cheaper and you can always replace it when it becomes worn".

THEN I hear about new composite vinyls that look like ceramic.

What's a woman to do??

Denise < --- this topic vaguely reminds me of an old joke about flooring and men....{grin}

 

[Serena]

How about some of that new laminates that look like wood?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

AH Ha...yes we built 2yrs ago and got the Mannington composite floor that looks like tile and I HATE it. Now I do like the floor look but for the life of me I cannot get the dirt out of the grooves and that is the part I hate. I mean I have been on my knees trying to scrub it out to no avail.
The painter guy who was here today told me to get a floor with a good urathane (sp) coating so it is like glass and cleans up w/o effort. That is really what I need.
I would like tile but really I do hate the thought of cleaning that grout. I mean how in the heck can you keep it clean? I would probably ruin it.
Good Luck in your decision!

 

[Lanshark]

I went throught the same process you are a few years ago. We picked wood and I regret it. We couldn't realistically go with a vinyl because we would have had to had a new sub floor. I wish I had gone with a laminate.

 

[JulesMom]

We built 1.5 years ago and have ceramic tile in the kitchen, breakfast and family room. I LOVE it!

It's been very easy to keep clean.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

JulesMom what color is your grout? And how does it stay clean?

My mom had ceramic with blue grout and hers turned black. She wasn't a great housekeeper & it has instilled fear of tile in me.

 

[denisem]

Julesmom: I'm assuming you have sealed grout or maybe darker grout?

I'm presently dealing with light-colored grout that was not properly sealed (and am up against taking the time to deep clean/seal an ACRE of grout...LOL).

Thanks to all for their experiences with the various options...

Denise < --- look under the dictionary under "lazy" and you'll see my name

 

[BethR]

We have ceramic tile in our kitchen and our bathroom and I LOVE it! I don't think that we ever sealed our grout, but in both places the grout is darker. I think that the one in the kitchen was called "Sandstone."

It is so easy to clean.

We do have a few "nicks" in the tile in the kitchen, but they are really unnoticeable, and I would think MUCH better than the scratches and ground in dirt that you get in vinyls. And non-skid backings don't yellow ceramic either.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Another vote for ceramic tile! We have been in our house about 7 months and I LOVE the tile. It's in the kitchen, entryway, bathrooms and basement kitchen area.

We have a light tile with various browns in it, and a darker shade of brown grout. Cleans up nicely, even with two 80 lb. labs! We did seal it heavily with stuff from Home Depot (the name escapes me, but it was the expensive one!). At our old place we had vinyl and it was HORRIBLE.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[denisem]

OK, folks. Darkly grouted, sealed ceramic tile is winning so far!

Denise < --- needs to be distracted by "fluffy" subjects at the moment

 

[figmentvi]

Mexican Tile with a darker grout (well sealed) is my preference.

Terrazzo is also very durable, but must be sealed properly for easy maintenance. The nice thing about terrazzo is that if the seal does wear off, it can be professionally ground down and re-sealed. The result is like having a brand new floor. I just happen to like the looks of Mexican tile more than Terrazzo. Both Terrazzo and Mexican tile are very popular in the tropics.

 

[jrmasm]

I inspired a thread!!

We have opted for wood flooring. Our kitchen/family are one big (well not really big) room. Because of the sizes of the rooms, I felt that using two materials would really make the area feel cut up and accentuate the smallness.

Only time will tell whether it was the right choice!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I am going through the same dilema for our log home. I have quarry tile now, and love it. The grout isn't really a problem if you aren't using white. I am thinking a log home kitchen should have wood, but I just can't decide either.

 

[Jeafl]

If ceramic is properly installed (with level sub-flooring) it really shouldn't crack. I've had ceramic in all of my last 4 kitchens and bathrooms, and have never had any crack. Wrost case scenario though, keep a couple of extra tiles on hand and they can be fairly easily replaced. My DD dropped a huge iron skillet on the ceramic a couple of times and nothing has happened. Our installer told us that ceramic usually cracks when it isn't installed perfectly level.

I also have wood floors throughout the rest of my main level, and I love them as well. They don't show the dirt as much as the ceramic, but they do get s

 

[Jeafl]

If ceramic is properly installed (with level sub-flooring) it really shouldn't crack. I've had ceramic in all of my last 4 kitchens and bathrooms, and have never had any crack. Wrost case scenario though, keep a couple of extra tiles on hand and they can be fairly easily replaced. My DD dropped a huge iron skillet on the ceramic a couple of times and nothing has happened. Our installer told us that ceramic usually cracks when it isn't installed perfectly level.

I also have wood floors throughout the rest of my main level, and I love them as well. They don't show the dirt as much as the ceramic, but they do get scratched. My neighbor has hardwood in her kitchen and her floor is really scraped under her table from the chairs sliding in and out all the time.

Good luck with whatever you decide