Houston, we have liftoff! We made a big kitchen purchase. We ordered the floor! Wait, we should back up. We originally hoped to find hardwood floors running all the way under the linoleum in the kitchen (after finding out that it ran under the fireplace side of the room here)…
… but we removed the transition between the kitchen and the office on the other side of the room to find… booo!… plywood. So no refinishing for us. Gotta start from scratch.
But there were a few limitations off the bat. We learned from the previous owners that the kitchen floors couldn’t handle tile (they would need to be reinforced/leveled from underneath = $$$), so tile was out. Even laying down new hardwood worried us since it’s thick and heavy and not as flexible as some other options. So based on the limitations, we honed in on these three options (any of which we hoped to install ourselves if we chose it):
- cork
- floating wood laminate like Pergo
- vinyl or linoleum/marmoleum
At first we loved the idea of laying some sort of sleek eco-friendly linoleum in some chic tone-on-tone stripes. Candice Olsen does it sometimes, but I couldn’t find any online pics. And I’m sure it sounds really tacky but I promise it looked really good and that lady spends five thousand dollars on sconces so she’s not exactly about compromising when it comes to form. But after checking out a ton of local places /online stores we just couldn’t find anything that we liked. And we didn’t want to give off that “we upgraded the whole kitchen but forgot to update the floors effect” (which is a pretty embarrassing result if you do, in fact, upgrade the floors but no one can tell).
So we were happy to move on from the whole striped linoleum thing. We also realized that we prefer when our floors fall back and let other things be the star (like the wall paint, textiles on the chairs & windows, light fixtures, art & accessories – etc). Next was the possibility of: 1) a Pergo type wood-look click floor or 2) cork (since it was substantially lighter than hardwood and even bamboo). So we looked at a bunch of options in both materials and zeroed in on two options that we liked best.
One was a whitewashed Pergo from Lowe’s (for $3 a square foot called “Driftwood Pine”) that looked so much like the hardwoods we already had in the house, except whitewashed – which could have been a fun choice for the kitchen. The planks were the same size as the existing ones and it still had warm wood tones underneath so it would almost look like we had the same hardwood running through the kitchen that we had in the office, dining room, and bedrooms, but decided to whitewash them in the kitchen.
The other option was a rich mocha cork from Lumber Liquidators (called “Porto” by Libson Cork) that was on super sale for $3.26 a square foot. Which is an awesome price since cork usually starts around $4 or $5 a square foot and can go all the way up to $10+.
We realized we might have initially been attracted to the whitewashed Pergo because it’s similar in tone to the existing vinyl flooring in our kitchen (so our eyes are just used to seeing that tone underfoot), but once we paint the cabinets white and add stainless appliances and make a bunch of other upgrades, we realized that we might appreciate a warmer toned floor (so the whole room wouldn’t be white and gray). Boom, option one was effectively eliminated. Buh-bye graywashed Pergo.
The funny thing was that when we checked out nearly all of the inspiration kitchens that I pinned on Pinterest, they all had one thing in common: rich dark floors. Talk about subliminal messages. Can’t believe we didn’t pick up on that sooner. They were actually similar in tone to the mocha hardwood ones that we added to our first kitchen, which we still miss on the daily. Oh and it bears mentioning that while some folks prefer lighter wood for shows-less-dust reasoning, we never had any issues with that (or keeping them clean in general) since they weren’t super dark/ebony, just deep enough to be called “mocha.”
Decision made. Mocha cork it is! Especially since we planned to refinish the existing hardwoods in a similar tone for an even more seamless whole-house feeling down the line. But before pulling the cork trigger we googled around for cork pros and cons – just to be thorough. We learned it’s warm, quiet, naturally fire & water & bacteria resistant, soft underfoot (for less dish breakage and sore knees from standing), and eco friendly. The cons were that the finish could be scratched (like hardwoods) and it could be dented over time by heavy appliances or furniture if you don’t put those felt feet on them (like hardwoods). But if scratched or dented it could be sanded down and even restained and resealed (yup, you guessed it – like hardwoods). So it didn’t sound too out of our league since we’re definitely not strangers to oak flooring, which is apparently pretty similar.
But because we’re neurotic, we took it one step crazier further. We emailed four people we know and love who have cork and asked them to be brutally honest with us and tell us what they hate and if they’d recommend it and what they’d change and all the bad stuff. Well, not a complaint among them. Everyone said they loved their cork and would make the same choice again. Whew. So we (finally) went for it.
We put in an order for 265 square feet of it to cover the entire 25′ kitchen and adjoined laundry room (and account for about 10% of extra cork, just in case of a catastrophe cork-tastrophe). Of course I haggled with the Lumber Liquidators guy to get $15 off our $863 cork order (down to $848, baby). Haha. Every penny helps. It’s definitely not a drop in the bucket, but we’re excited to install it ourselves (it should be pretty simple since it’s click + lock and doesn’t call for any adhesive). The awesome thing is that refinishing hardwoods usually runs around $3-4 a square foot around here, and our new floors were $3.26 a square foot – so we’re psyched that new cork floors are about the same price as refinishing what we wished we had found under that old linoleum. In the words of Clara: yoi! (that’s how she says yay).
The only ironic thing: installing the floor is one of the last things we’ll be tackling (floors usually go down last so they don’t get dinged up by demo or painting or appliance installing) but the price was right so we pounced! For anyone wondering what we have to get done before cork-ing things up, here’s a brief rundown:
- Switch out/alter some of the existing cabinets & relocate some appliances
- Order/install new appliances (since we have some bisque mixed with black going on)
- Open the doorway between the dining room & kitchen (still working on permits/contractors)
- Create a peninsula out of secondhand, built, or purchased cabinetry
- Upgrade the counters (possibly with some DIY concrete ones if the floor can support them)
- Redo the backsplash (we have something pretty fun planned… more on that later)
- Paint the old and new cabinets white, so they look nice and seamless
- Add some open shelving (that’ll go along with our fun TBA backsplash idea)
- Completely upgrade the lighting (goodbye florescent tube lights!)
So yeah… we might not have after kitchen pictures for you until 2013. Just kidding. But maybe not. Have you guys purchased flooring lately? Gone crazy for cork? Or whitewashed wood (or faux wood)? Or realized that there’s a subliminal common thread among all of the kitchens you’ve been pinning on Pinterest? It was kind of hilarious when we noticed they all had nearly identical floors.
Krystle @ ColorTransformedFamily says
I love the idea of using cork and will be interested to see how you like it once it is installed. I have to say I was a fan of the driftwood but I understand wanting a darker floor. I am in the same boat with my kitchen. We already have a wood laminate throughout the whole downstairs of our house (I don’t know the color or manufacturer though). So wood is out for our kitchen but cork might work really well. I can’t wait for the installed pics. Guess I will have to though! Good thing I don’t have a budget to redo my kitchen yet.
Clare says
I was wondering how you feel about the amount of light in your kitchen. I know it will be lighter in there once you open up the dinning room wall but it still seems like quite a dark room. So my gut-instinct would be to choose a really light flooring in order to keep it light. Is that something you thought about? Is the kitchen actually a lot lighter in real life? Or are you deliberately cultivating a ‘dark and cosy’ look?
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely think once the wall comes down and the cabinets get painted white and we get new stainless appliances it’ll be a ton brighter! We also dream of adding a skylight or two down the line.
xo,
s
Clare says
Wow, skylights would be amazing in there!
Stephanie Phillips says
I love that our taste in kitchens is identical. We’re a little bit out from tackling that reno (we’re adding a half bath, re-configuring the laundry, and gutting an addition as I type) but I can’t wait to copy, er, mimic what y’all do!
Molly says
We have cork in our kitchen and we love the way it looks. However, we have major scratches in it from the dogs (2 pugs). We will definitely have to replace it when we decide it’s time to sell. Any help from other cork floor owners out there? No one else has this problem?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no, that’s the first we hear of that (other dog owners weighted in with a bunch of comments before this one, so maybe those will help?). Perhaps your cork isn’t sealed or needed to be resealed? We have heard that sealer can protect it a lot more than anything unsealed or that was once sealed but wore off. Oh but you might be able to sand and restain and reseal your cork instead of replacing it! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Amanda R says
I am so excited to see how your floors turn out! We are in the planning stage for our kitchen/1st floor remodel and I love the look of cork.
Rachel says
I think the cork looks beautiful! I never knew it behaved like hardwoods.
I remember a long time ago you guys did a post about looking for common elements in inspiration photos to figure out your “style.” Way to come full circle, guys! :)
Lara says
Wow, I love look & price of your cork. We’ve been on the flooring hunt & had checked out cork, but couldn’t find a style & price we liked. We’ve been in kitchen designing limbo all summer.
(We DID order the appliances, however & are having them delivered tomorrow–we had to go ahead w/them since all of ours went into varying states of failure.)
I like what I see with your cork, though…
Question: If any flooring choice were an option for you, what would you go with? Hardwoods? Slate? Stay with cork?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, if anything was possible we’d probably try to match the hardwoods in the front of the house exactly, but since it wouldn’t line up height wise (there would be a step up) we would probably still end up going with this cork (which is thinner so it’ll lie much flatter for a nice seamless transition between rooms). Once we refinish the hardwoods they’ll lead right into the cork and hopefully look awesome!
xo,
s
April says
Omg I am so excited to see this take place! I have really really wanted cork floors in our kitchen we we finally redo it, butttt my one concern is my drippy mouth dogs. We often have trails of water all around their dish. Any word on if that would ruin them?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I think since they’re sealed like hardwood they should be ok with normal dog drool, but for a drippy dog dish maybe try putting it on a big plate or pad or tray for more protection? Burger’s dog dish has sat on hardwood floors for years with a ceramic tray around it – although I’m sure he’s smaller and less drippy mouthed than your guys! Haha.
xo,
s
Beatrice says
I have a drippy dog too :-) and this mat from LLBean has worked wonders. My floor loves it. And I do too.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/70742?feat=134-CL1
Melissa says
We put that exact cork floor in our kitchen last year and we love it! We don’t have pets, but we have two kids, with the requisite toys and sports equipment and have not seen a scratch yet. The pattern in the cork hides any spills, and it feels wonderfully soft on bare feet.
I can’t wait to see how your kitchen looks with your new floor!
YoungHouseLove says
THAT IS AMAZING! Yay- you’re the first person to hear from with exactly the same cork floor and kiddos and toys – so we’re psyched. Could you tell from the caps lock screaming? Haha.
xo,
s
Melissa S. says
I’ve seen lately how some people have decoupaged brown craft paper to the floor – it ends up looking just about exactly like that cork sample. Have you heard of this? I’m cautiously curious about it. You can stain it and everything.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow never heard of that! Anyone done it who can weigh in on the durability for Melissa?
xo,
s
BK says
Hey Sherry! Sounds like your kitchen is going to be amazing. We just finished renovating our apartment in Brooklyn. We did floating cork floors in the kitchen which we were on the fence about for awhile – I had heard mixed reviews about cork but my limited research led me to believe it’s all about the floating floors. They come pre-sealed many times over so you don’t have to worry so much, whereas individual cork tiles seemed more high maintenance in terms of installation and sealing. Anyway, we love it. It feels so nice underfoot and helps with noise (not that you have that issue in a house!). In the rest of the apartment we have oak parquet floors that we whitewashed because we have a lot of natural wood (quartered oak) cabinetry so wanted the floor to not blend in so much. We’re very happy with it. Loving your blog! (It’s your former roomie!)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh- hi Beth!! I love that you renovated your Brooklyn apartment with cork! We heard the same thing about the floating cork tiles being easier to install and more durable/sealed. So glad you love it!
xo,
s
Corynn Flood says
We put cork in our kitchen in 2006! If I had to do it all over again – I would have put cork on my entire first floor!! Three teenagers and a dog and it still looks great. Love the clean-up (and it hides everything:)
BTW:Our dog is ALOT bigger than Burger (X8)and is a field dog so we do not clip his nails (they are Howard Hughs LONG)and we do not have a single scratch.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man- that’s so awesome to hear!!!
xo,
s
Jenn L says
awwww yay! love it! I noticed the same thing with my pinning so when it came time to choose our floors I went dark too! and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
Here’s a photo! <3 My Kitchen Floors
YoungHouseLove says
Gorgeous!
xo,
s
Pam @ diy Design Fanatic says
My first reaction to the photo of the cork was that it is stunning and so interesting! Can’t wait to see you new floor installed!
Nicole says
Love the cork look. We’re doing our kitchen floors tomorrow and I’m so excited! We’ve chosen a warm brown-grey stone coloured vinyl which I think will look sharp and clean next to our new white cabinets. We looked at tile, it was our first choice, but we faced similar floor-flex issues as you.
As for your kitchen counter, does it really need to be changed? I think it’s lovely! and you’d save so much money keeping it!
Either way I’ll be following along with your renos :)
YoungHouseLove says
See, we wouldn’t save money keeping those counters because for the peninsula we’d have to buy more of it to look like it has always been here (we’re adding cabinets on the wall near the peninsula too and it’ll look crazy/budget with a different countertop). So we hate the idea of having to buy more granite since it’s not something we’d necessarily pick ourselves (and the existing stuff is pitted and cracked in some places). So we’d love to craigslist it and put that money into new counters that we might be able to DIY!
xo,
s
Marla says
Good choice! If we lived nearby I’d send my hubby over to help John reinforce your kitchen floor in the basement so you could remodel your little heart away with the countertops. He’s a contractor and that stuff is no big deal to him. Can’t wait to see your kitchen evolve!
Amanda Wells says
Can’t wait to see the finished product! I’ve never really researched cork floors, I have a hard time branching out from my love of wood floors, but can’t wait to see how it turns out. I’m sure it will be fabulous!
http://www.amandadovewells.com/?page_id=45
Kristina Strain says
I love love love the dark floors/light walls & cabinets thing. I’m glad you went for the cork– that Pergo just looked lifeless and bland. Go team YHL!
Oh, and observation: you guys have a crazy amount of stuff in your hopper right now. Good luck with the big decisions you have coming up.
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhhhhhh- I know! It’s definitely why we’re trying to take it one step and one day at a time! Might not get to “meet” our new kitchen for a while- but it’s nice to maintain sanity along the way! Haha.
xo,
s
Blair says
I love eco-friendly things! Good color choice too! Eco can be chic!
~Blair
Kristen says
I love the fact you guys went for the cork! Such a cool material! I love, love, love the whitewashed Pergo (for my house not yours though!) and I think the mocha color for the cork will look amazing! Oh and as an aside, thanks for linking to the original sources from Pinterest; it drives me crazy when people link to Pinterest itself as the “source.” It’s not the source, people! :-) Although granted it is “the source” for inspiration these days. Ha.
ruthy says
updating our floors was a completely impulsive decision one night at home depot…but we loved how it turned out! http://discoverystreet.blogspot.com/2011/09/kitchen-project-part-2.html
YoungHouseLove says
Those came out so well!
xo,
s
Cameron says
We have cork floors in our kitchen! We love the cushy feel of them! People comment on them all the time- they immediately know it’s softer than most woods would be, but can’t figure out exactly what it is. When we first got them about a week later, I dropped a large glass container of RED Sangria on them… I nearly had a heart attack- but it cleaned up just fine! I was so impressed! Can’t wait to see how they turn on out in your kitchen! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Awesome!! Seriously it’s amazing to hear all the rave cork kitchen reviews!
xo,
s
tara says
I was hoping you would choose the cork. I can’t wait to hear how the work goes and what it looks like when finished.
amanda says
I am pretty sure Ive read a post or two from your guys about massive projects happening every Christmas..Maybe thats the theme for this kitchen reno :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- you’re totally right.
xo,
s
Nora says
We just got pergo and we love it. However, our’s is a rich dark wood not the grey-washed. I love the cork, we didn’t see that as an option at our Lowes/HD but Lumber Liquidators always closed too early for us. Can’t wait to see your kitchen phases!
emily says
Eep! I LOVE the cork floors we put in our kitchen. Actually, my perpetually fat pregnant feet love them :) And they look great, install easy, and our Wonderdog, the toddler and my fork-dropping self have yet to do lasting damage to them.
Two warnings though: (and I HOPE yall don’t run into this)
1.) We got our cork (a little lighter color) from the same place yall did – and it was the worst customer service experience ever. Hands down, ruined the project for us. Stay on top of them.
2.) My mother-in-law has the same cork as us in her kitchen, but at the back glass door where they keep a rug, the sun has faded it so badly that they can’t move the rug now . . . its a perfect outline of light and dark, and I feel so bad for them. We’re lucky, there are no windows in our kitchen . . . I guess if that’s considered lucky.
But, congrats, you will LOVE how it looks and feels!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip! We got our hardwoods for our first house from them and it was great! Maybe it’s a store by store thing (the Richmond folks are awesome). As for the fading thing- we don’t have windows in our kitchen either! Haha. Although we do have some faded hardwoods in this house and we don’t mind them too much with rugs and furniture in the room (it’s less obvious than it was when the house was empty and we were moving in and groaning about them- haha).
xo,
s
Amanda L says
We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel. Waiting on Quartz countertops and appliances. We went with bamboo floor and really like it. Good luck!
Tallymomma says
Having had both light tile and dark tile I have to say dark is way easier in terms of looking clean. I see no dust or dirt. With 3 kids and 2 dogs that is pretty good. I still clean it often but it doesn’t send my OCD in overdrive every 5 min. :)
Faith says
LOVE cork. I first heard about it almost 10 yrs ago (I was a senior in HS) when my uncle put them in his home in Seattle. At the time I just thought he was an earthy hippie…but I have since stumbled into the perimeter of wisdom. They are going to look so great!
Emily says
Woo hoo! I love that you guys chose cork for your kitchen. We installed our cork flooring ourselves almost two years ago and we still love it intensely. Seriously, zero complaints about it. We used two colors (one like your chosen hue and the other is a natural cork color) and laid it in a diamond pattern.
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Love hearing that!
xo,
s
Meghan says
We put this exact floor (different color) in our kitchen and didn’t have such a great experience. We had a Christmas party a few months after installation and ended up with lots of little pit marks from stilettos. Although they did get better over time, it had been 2 years since then when we moved out and began leasing the house and the marks were still there. Also, I read that you said it is sealed and maybe they have changed the product, but our instructions indicated the warranty would be void unless we sealed them. Unfortunately we couldn’t find the sealer listed so they went unsealed. I have heard better things about other brands of cork though so I don’t think it is universally bad, just that Lisbon may not be the best brand. My husband also said that they scored the lowest in a Consumer Reports review (we don’t have the issue anymore) so you may want to check out reviews of several brands if you have the opportunity.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no- that stinks! I bet it was the lack of sealer! We definitely plan to seal ours just like the warranty calls for- and have thankfully hear from others with the same exact flooring that has been sealed and held up well to dogs and kiddos! I think it’s just like hardwood flooring (the sealer provides a ton of protection- and raw wood floors would get dinged up too without it).
xo,
s
Kim says
Oh my gosh, I want some!!
Alecia says
Our house had cork flooring when we moved in, but it wasn’t cork tiles. It’s was more like a giant sheet, like laminate, and it had been glued down to the subfloor. It was a NIGHTMARE to remove. (For the record, we liked the cork, but not the color and we needed to replace the flooring on the whole level, so we wanted it all to look seamless from room to room to make the place look bigger.) I didn’t even know there were cork tiles. And it’s awesome (for you guys and any future owners) that they don’t have to be glued down. :)
Really looking forward to seeing it installed — as I’m sure you are too!
Liza says
We installed that exact same cork in our kitchen about a year ago and I love, love, love it! Can’t wait to see how it looks in your room.
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! So happy to hear more “exact same tile” love. You have no idea how excited we’re getting!
xo,
s
Amanda says
Yay for cork! I thought about it when we were planning our first floor remodel, but I heard that it didn’t do well in kitchens because of the potential moisture, so we ended up going with bamboo instead – love, love, love it, but our 90 lb lab is adding a lot of “character” marks. My dad and my husband’s dad added their marks too – by dropping their measuring tapes!
Good luck with the floor – and the whole renovation – we’re still finishing up some of the last details.
Sarah says
So excited for this. Our kitchen “came with” dark ceramic tiles that we love but, the cabinets need a coat of paint and I’ve been so indecisive as to what color to choose, with the floors being so dark. So, I kept going back to white, thinking it could really make the space brighter. Glad to see these inspiration pics to reassure me that white cabinets and dark floors look awesome together. Now, I just need to block off a weekend to do the painting! (Yours may get done sooner than mine!)
KatyB says
I love the contrast of a dark floor with light cabinets. However, that Driftwood Pine is amazing. Do you think dark floors have enough longevity left? They have been in for at least a decade now. I remember when light floors were all the rage, they are bound to come back.
I have all wide plank dark flooring in my home (hand scraped even) and I would love a change. I still like my floors, but I love the idea of a lighter brighter, almost Scandinavian home.
Yes this is a pathetic attempt to change your mind, so I can live vicariously through your home (isn’t that half the charm of reading blogs). I love that Driftwood!
YoungHouseLove says
I feel like super dark ebonized floors might feel trendy (along with whitewashed or white floors) but anything in the middle (natural pine, medium mocha, etc) is probably best described as classic. My mom’s house is from the 20s and has medium mocha floors and they have looked awesome for the last 20+ years!
xo,
s
Nicole says
Hi guys!
Where do you think the best place is to purchase the felt pieces that go under heavy items on hardwood floors?
Nicole
YoungHouseLove says
We get ours from Home Depot (usually on an end cap with a ton of sizes and options).
xo,
s
Melanie @ Mailbox Journey says
Yes! I was rooting for cork!
Amy says
I’ve done both linoleum and cork in my house, and based on that, I think you made a great choice. The real linoleum (Forbo Marmoleum) I used is beautiful, but shows everything and it scratches really easily – it’s in my kitchen, so I definitely do not love it. (Maybe if I had a cleaning lady I would love it more.) You can wax it for a shinier finish, but then you have to wax it forever. The cork I used (Dali from Lumber Liquidators) is wonderful. I have it in a family room, and opted not to apply sealer (the sealer tends to make the seams more pronounced), and it has held up wonderfully. My only issue with it is that it has faded a bit next to the French door to the exterior, even though the room has a northern exposure. Your kitchen won’t have that problem, though, since it’s landlocked in the middle of the house, right?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- yup. Landlocked = our kitchen. Haha. So glad to hear that you’re loving your cork. And so sorry that the linoleum isn’t holding up as well as you’d like. So interesting! I thought that would be virtually indestructible!
xo,
s
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
What gorgeous cork!!! Love the color. I have been loving all your “pins” lately for the kitchen. I love the white cabinets with dark flooring. I can’t wait to see your kitchen change over time…it’s going to be a fun ride. :)
Beth says
I am so happy to see this post! We are in the same boat with our house. We have two layers of linoleum over the original 1950’s speckle tile in the kitchen and hardwood everywhere else. We have been looking at cork, too. We will probably pounce in a couple of months. I’m looking forward to reading about your progress.
Katie says
We installed a lighter version of the same cork in our kitchen this past winter and could not be happier with the results! It was a fairly easy project (considering we had a 4 month old at the time). It feels great underfoot and is nice and soft for when our recently-walking son takes a tumble!
Kait says
YES!
My parents put in that exact cork tile (same color) in their kitchen last year and it looks incredible! They have an open floor plan and it replaced the tile and went in next to pine flooring that is installed throughout the rest of the house. It looks great. Excellent choice.
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! So glad to hear from folks who have seen the exact same tile “in real life” – makes us even more excited!
xo,
s
Brianna says
We just installed those exact same cork floors in our kitchen/family room over the weekend. So far I am loving the look. It is so soft to walk on. I can’t comment on the durability yet but they look super and were pretty easy to install. Excellent choice :)
YoungHouseLove says
Sweet! Definitely keep us posted!
xo,
s
becky says
okay, we did this whole song and dance as well and i could not get my mind off of the whitewashed/graywashed effect but needed a manufactured hardwood and we had about a $2 a square foot budget – i know, HAH! anyhoo, there’s no room to tell the whole story – but we love it and we got for 1.69 a sq. ft. (down from a ridiculous $10-20 per sq. ft. average price in stores and on line) Anyhoo – it was a funny crazy story and we had to buy 2500 sq. ft. (which is fine, because we have lots of house to keep remodeling – though storage is a bit touchy)…okay, short story made long…i love your floor choice because it will blend so well with the original floors. it was the absolute best choice – BUT – just so you know, the grey wash has been amazing with our kids (4 and 6) – nothings shows – dings, scrapes – NOTHING. so, when you redo your “future beach/mountain shack” in a few years, keep this in mind. it’s amazing. also – our architect had the same problems as you with flooring and timing and all of that – and he laid down this thick roll on plastic stuff that sticks to the floor the whole time they worked over it. just a thought. sorry to take so long – i can’t wait to see the outcome.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- thanks so much for the tip! We’ll keep that in mind for our future beach/mountain shack for sure!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
Uh oh…we’re in the middle of redoing our kitchen right now and tiling the floor is next (was linoleum before we ripped it out). I never thought of the floor not being able to support tile?!?! Sounds like it’s time to invite our structural engineer friend over again!
YoungHouseLove says
Eeks! We never heard about it until moving here either. Haha. Good luck!
xo,
s
Monica F says
I can’t wait
Unfortunately we have had to buy new flooring this year. 3 times to be exact due to flooding with all the rain we had in the spring. We have finally settled with a resilient vinyl plank in Caribbean Cherry. It looks like hardwood, but it is 100% waterproof so we are hoping to never have to replace the flooring due to flooding again. It looks really nice and we got it for an excellent price with $50 cash back online through ebates ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Whew- so sorry to hear about all that flooding! Here’s hoping the third time is the charm!
xo,
s
SingleMama says
I just purchased ceramic tile this sumemr for the kitchen. I love dark floors!! Great choice!
Sarah says
We moved into our dream Southern Victorian home (in Indiana) in June, however, the perk of the price was that it is picture perfect from outside, but needs a lot of work inside. So far, we’ve ripped up carpet and installed a board laminate look in stained cherry (from Lowes) in 3 of the 5 bedrooms. Today, I used my last 10% off coupon from moving to buy the remainding 2 bedrooms and hallway laminate. We’ve never done any remodeling before this house, but we’re having fun and LOVING the personnal touch.