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Deciding Between Painting Or Tiling A Concrete Floor

Last you saw our sunroom, it looked like this:

Ceiling After

Well, now it’s looking a little something like this:

SunFloor Ceiling After

Forgive the poor iPhone pic, but it’s the only one I snapped (just to text to my parents, actually) before Richmond turned into rain city yesterday. But you get the point, we’ve made some good progress lofting the ceiling (with the help of a professional framer who came out this week to make sure our roof wouldn’t collapse). But we’ll get into the story of the ceiling next week once the electrician has come and turned the (now loose) wires into junction boxes for two fans.

Today we’re talking about a floor plan. As in, a plan for the sunroom floor.

SunFloor Before

We’ve definitely been putting a ton of thought into it and debating the pros and cons of a few different methods. The easiest solution would be to stain or paint the concrete floor, kinda like we did to our first house’s sunroom.

SunFloor Stain

We originally stained that a semi-transparent “Tuscan Yellow” color and later painted over it in a glossy chocolate color (when we decided we didn’t want yellow floors anymore). The process is pretty straight-forward and it’s just about the easiest and most affordable way you can update a concrete floor.

SunFloor Paint

But the stain/paint shoe just didn’t seem to quite fit here at this house. For one, the concrete isn’t very pretty thanks to glue stains leftover from the carpet we removed (any semi-transparent options are out of the question since it would show right through).

SunFloor Stains

And even if we just painted the concrete with a solid color, the brick border – which is charming at a distance – is a bit scraggily looking up close with glue stains and even a few gaping nail holes and gouges from the old sliders that used to sit on them.

SunFloor Ugly Brick

We’ve also had issues with how slick the concrete is when it’s wet. Clara’s feet are often soaked from playing with her water table or plastic pool and then she slips and Sherry gasps and she screams. You get the picture. So something with a bit more grip that’s meant to be outside, like a rough patio tile, had us leaning in that direction.

The real nail in the paint-the-floor coffin was when we learned that painting the floor would effectively eliminate the option to tile it later. Paint prevents thinset from bonding to concrete, turning this tile-ready surface into a no tile zone forever (you can’t even use a solvent to strip the paint later since the solvent would also prevent thinset from bonding, so we’d literally have to hand-chip every trace of paint off the concrete if we wanted to undo our quick-fix of painting it). So as much as we were tempted to paint as a for-now solution (yay, cheap & easy!) we just couldn’t do it knowing that it would severely complicate future plans to luxe up the space with some nice outdoor tile. So in the throes of indecision, we went tile shopping…

SunFloor Beauty Tile

We were quick to fall in love with big beautiful tiles like that one above. But as we did the math on puppies like that (which was $6.29 per square foot) we realized that tiling our 200 sf+ space was probably going to be out of our price range. ‘Til we spotted the Labor Day Sale sign that said 20-25% off your total purchase plus 35% off tools and supplies (that promotion seems to be running through Labor Day by the way). Score!

25% wasn’t going to put that $6.29 sf beauty in our budget (not even close) but it did encourage us to hunt down some other options. We found three good choices that met our criteria. It had to:

  • be outdoor friendly (the guy at The Tile Shop suggested that we focus on porcelain tiles, which are known to do best outside)
  • have a rough texture (to prevent slipping)
  • be a lot less than the one pictured above (as much as Sherry loved that guy like it was her baby)

SunFloor Samples No Prices

We bought a sample tile of each (*although we’d actually purchase the middle one in a 1ft x 2ft rectangle, they just didn’t have that in stock to take home) and laid them in the sunroom near the deck. We wanted to see which played best off of the wood color, while also providing enough contrast so people would notice the super-slight-but-still-there step up into the sunroom (around an inch). Update: Although they each have other stone references in their names (slate, limestone, etc) these are all porcelain tiles since the tile pros said those were best for outdoor projects in our area – so it’s just called Mtn. Slate Iron because it’s modeled to look like slate.

SunFloor Samples With Prices

Our immediate favorite was Mountain Slate Iron because we liked how the deep color and brown undertones worked with the deck. The others felt too cool and washed out when the sun hit them. And it didn’t hurt that Mountain Slate Iron was the cheapest and had the most texture (making it the least slippery when wet). So not only were we sold on that as the best tile option, we were officially sold on just diving in and tiling now. It’ll be more expensive and more work than staining or painting, but ultimately we think it’ll elevate the space more while solving a bunch of issues that those options couldn’t.

So as of last night, we’ve officially placed our order. Woot!

SunFloor In Store Poppa

The tile won’t be in stock for pick up ’til next week. And even so, we want to finish the ceiling overhead (i.e. beadboard installation, new fans, painting) before doing anything too precious underneath. But we’re relieved to have made a decision AND to have caught a sale in the process. The discounts took our tile down from $3.48 per square foot to $2.61. Clara was so excited she just had to call Elmo right then and there on her toy phone.

SunFloor Clara Elmo

Okay, that’s not really what they were talking about. Although she could easily play in those display showers all day, so I guess she’s showing a smidge of peripheral interest in our flooring decision. I’ll take it.

Comments

  3. Shannon says

    That tile is really sharp. Love a good deal, too.

    Have you considered putting tile just inside the doorway to provide a sturdier flooring surface, maybe about 2×3 or 3×4 tiles, just a few square feet? That way when you walk inside, sandy/slightly dirty feet have a place to land, maybe on a nice coir mat. We have this in two of our entrance/exit points to our deck and I find that they stay MUCH nicer than the entrance/exit without. Tile is so durable! I think you are going to love this room. It is spectacular.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Didn’t even think about that! It would mean cutting into hardwoods in there so we’ll have to give it some thought (I think my preference is to just add a mat by that door and hope it works since that seems to be great for now).

      xo
      s

  4. V@Sproutshouse says

    Hi Guys, Love your final choice of tile and also what you’ve done with the sun room so far!! Don’t want to rain on your parade, but just be aware that slate gets super hot in the sun. We used to have a postage stamp size garden that was completely tiled in slate and had to put towels down to walk on it when the sun shined!! Can’t wait to see how the sun room turns out! xox

    Reply

  5. Rachael says

    we have something that looks similar to the MTN slate on our back patio. it was here when we bought the house. it looks nice but it is still slippery in bare feet (my 19 month old running on it when wet slips all the time) and in flip flops ( i have done one of those almost fall but catch myself numerous times when wearing flip flops out there when its wet). not sure it is the exact same but i might do a slip test on a few of them first. Good luck

    Reply

  6. Peggy McKee says

    You kindly explained that “sunroom has a poured foundation …with concrete slab on top”.

    How thick is this slab? And what’s holding up the concrete floor? Concrete alone can’t span a distance, unlike a wood beam.

    Maybe the concrete floor is not thick and could be removed before you lay the tile.

    Best, Peg M

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Peggy! I don’t know how thick the slab is, but we’ve had a contractor and a builder and an inspector all look at that room at different times and they all said demo-ing the concrete would be huge pain (and very messy). That concrete floor is laid to be a base for carpet or tile, so removing the carpet and then tiling over it was definitely everyone’s recommendation.

      xo
      s

  8. lynda says

    I am so sorry you ordered that slate!! We have it in our front entrance (already there when we purchased the house). It is a huge problem, and it can be slick when wet.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sorry to be unclear Lynda! We added an update to the post but it seems people are still missing it! The tile we ordered is porcelain, not slate – it just has slate in the name because it mimics that look. Thankfully we did a wet-it-down test on all three tile samples and it did great.

      xo
      s

  9. kb says

    did yall know about the no tile over painted/stained concrete when you did that at your old house? would you have gone the same route knowing what you know now?

    looks great!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We didn’t know that! Although since we did that as a long term solution and not a quick fix, we think it worked there (since it was more attached to the house than open on all sides to a deck and our feet weren’t wet out there we never had a slipping issue, thank goodness!).

      xo,
      s

  10. Suzanne says

    Out of the three options, I love the one you picked. Curious if you’re going about furnishing/decorating/installing/etc . . . . differently in this house versus your old houses, as this is your forever home. ie: how do you decide where to splurge. For example, why not go for your OMG in love first tile choice? At the end of the day, if you’re in this house for 30 or even 10 years, why wouldn’t you pay a little more up front and get the tile that was your favorite?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We worried the first tile was a bit slicker (more smooth) so functionally this tile was the best choice for our family I think. I also thought since the fancy one was more “specific” that we might tire of it so for the long run a classic slate look might be better for us. It’s totally one of those things that if we hadn’t loved any cheap options we would have waited and saved up for the one we loved though, since we plan to be here a long time and don’t want to settle for something we feel “meh” about.

      xo
      s

  11. Niki @ Village Cape Cod says

    We had all the same issues when trying to decide what to do about our cement. We could do a wood deck over it, but we aren’t the type to maintain something like that, so we went to the Tile Shop as well and decided on this: Shanxi Black Flame Sm Versailles 656023. We liked the coloring and the pattern, plus I won’t have to worry about the littles falling down on the slick pavement (we had cement before and they would spill bubbles on it – everytime it was wet someone would fall.) Here is a link of our porch with the new tile laid (don’t mind the sawdust mess – they are still working on it all): http://villagecapecod.com/banned/upper-porch-balcony-2/

    Reply

  14. Sarah G. says

    So funny! I got up the Tile Shop’s sale too for a backsplash. We have a concrete outdoor area, and I was asking the guy about our best options for tiling over concrete! Your tile looks great!!

    Reply

  15. Nicole says

    I’m a new follower and officially in love with all you do! We will be building a house soon, and I’m getting tons of inspiration from you guys. Ok, so this is going to be the most least expected question…where did you get Clara’s dress from that she’s wearing while on the phone with Elmo? My little girl has the same dress, and I love it! People ask where I got it and I can never remember. :)

    Reply

  16. Blanca says

    Love your choice, can’t wait to see it installed!!

    And the ceiling… I am SO looking forward to seeing it once it’s finished. It’s going to be awesome!

    xo,

    B.

    Reply

  17. Alana says

    I just picked up my Biscuit penny tile from The Tile Shop today for our backsplash. Thanks for turning me on to them! To my surprise, none of the employees new of you guys. So I had to spread the Young House “Love” by sharing your awesomeness (and plugs for their store).

    Reply

  22. Sarah says

    Oh, that tile will look good. Have you considered chopping each tile in half and installing a herringbone design? That would be great in your area.

    Like this person did, maybe? (not mine, just from the internet)http://sweetsomethingdesign.blogspot.com/2012/01/diy-herringbone-tile-floor.html

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We thought about that too (along with staggering the tile) but I think we like the idea of the tile being large since it’s a spacious room, so we worry that cutting it all might take a lot of labor and make the floor look busy/piddly, so I think we’re sold on staggering them in a brick-layers pattern. We’re going to lay it out before committing to be sure!

      xo
      s

  23. MelanieO says

    Slightly off topic but still in the arena of floor choices, we are struggling with how to replace circa 1940s linoleum flooring in the kitchen and bathroom of a tiny bungalow that we will likely rent out every summer while we travel to visit family. We are looking for something affordable, far more attractive, and that will withstand whatever our tenants dish out. Any thoughts? Feel free to direct me to past posts if this has come up before. Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have always loved hardwoods (and they’re quite affordable per square foot through Lumber Liquidators- often cheaper than some laminate/engineered options at big box stores) or you could go with some sort of gorgeous and durable tile, like large dark rectangular stone – maybe even laid in a herringbone pattern? Lowe’s or Home Depot (can’t remember which) have big gorgeous charcoal rectangle tiles for $1.99 a square foot I think which would be awesome!

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup, we still either want to make those french doors or nice updated sliders (depending how much room they’ll steal by swinging open if they’re french doors). We still think it would be nice to bring food out to the table that’s right outside the window in the kitchen directly instead of walking into the living room and through the sunroom and out onto the deck.

      xo
      s

  25. Julie says

    We’re building a new house with a 14×70 veranda, and I’m so happy to see your newly lofted ceiling so I can consider that option, too. Can’t wait to see the beadboard on the ceiling!

    What are the dimensions of your sunroom?

    Don’t you wish decorating sites (like Houzz, etc) consistently listed room dimensions? It would be so helpful to all of us who are planning and visualizing.

    Good luck with your project. It will look amazing.

    Reply

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