praisefor3 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 We have all carpet except 400 sq ft of ceramic tile in the kitchen. The carpet is overdue to be replaced. We were trying to decide between hardwood (which I like the look of) or carpet (which I like the easy care of). After reading the thread about all the work people do to try to keep their hardwood floors looking nice...I know there is no way I would do all that and don't want to spend that much time on it. My tile is so easy to care for. However, I live in the midwest in a traditional ranch house. If I lived in Arizona I know it would look very appropriate to have tile through the whole house. But I don't. I don't think I've ever seen a house here with tile in the living room. Anybody have this? Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach Mom Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 My suggestion is get a light colored hardwood. We went from a dark walnut floor to a much lighter cherry floor and the cherry looks so much better than the walnut did even when dirty. Dark hardwood shows every bit of dirt, lighter not so much. On the other hand, if you love the tile I would go for it even if it isn't popular in your area. Who knows - you might set a new trend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 We have hardwood, but my grandmother-in-law has ceramic tile that she had installed throughout her house. She lives in the notheast. The first time I was there, I was like, this is... interesting. But it's actually grown on me. I think it's kind of cool (maybe not so much the rest of her knickknack heavy decorating scheme, but the tile is neat). I think it's bold and interesting when people make their own decorating choices anyway. The only thing I would say is that if you're thinking of selling your house any time in the next few years, I'm guessing it would be a drawback for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 When I first moved to FL from the Midwest, I noticed alot of people had tile all in their house, at least the first floor. I thought it looked ugly, as coming from the midwest, tile is only in the bathrooms and kitchens. After living in Florida, I gradually got used to the look. Then moved to a house that had it. I actually ended up loving it, with children and animals, it was SOOO easy to clean. Way better than carpet, and even better than wood (which shows footprints depending on what topcoat it has). Of course, it felt good on feet in the hot summer months, nice and cool. But then it is not good for sitting, playing on the floor, etc. Depending on what tile and grout is used, it can look very elegant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsbaby Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Our old house had tile in the family room. I hated it. It was so cold and uninviting (though I am a huge tile fan and we have it in our kitchen, entryway, and bathroom). We had to keep a huge rug down, which was no fun to clean. Even with the rug it was no fun to sit on the floor. My kids live to lay on the floor to color, do flips, watch movies, etc. It just wasn't as cozy on a rug with cold, hard tile beneath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 make sure your back and feet could handle the tile. When we visited my parents in AZ for a week, I was in so much pain from all the tile in the house. I had to take pain meds for almost a week once I got home to MINE. I'd never put tile in a house because of that. It KILLED my feet! I think you should do what you want, but I do think it's a regional choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I would love to have tile in my living room, complete with a mosaic in the center. But I want the room to be done in a rather Greco-Roman style. I'm weird like that :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Our main floor of our house has mostly ceramic tile, we live in Colorado. I love it! It looks great and is super easy to clean. I go barefoot on it all the time and love the way it feels. Our dog loves it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I have almost all tile on our first floor, except the family room and "dining room" (toys in there), which have carpet. I HATE the carpet, we are getting rid of it, and finishing the rest of the floors with tile. I LOVE tile, it is so easy to care for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabeth in IL Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 My Neighbor has tile throughout her living room/ dinning room / kitchen room. She has area carpets under the dinning room table and living room seating area. She has her house decorated in a tropical theme. It works for them. In the summer her house is always cooler because of the tile. In the winter the tile isn't as cozy but it would be nice if you could afford to put the heating under the tiles. We are in the Chicagoland area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 My parents just bought a house in FL. The carpet was in terrible shap and they replaced it with tile throughout. It looks great and is easy to clean. They are currently renting it out until they retire and move down here, and the renter put a nice area rug in the living room and one in the bedroom. If you get the kind with no tassels they are easy to keep clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 We have large ceramic tile throughout the main house, smaller tile in kitchen and bath... wood floor in bedrooms... The ceramic tile is very easy to clean... Our carpets were always dirty and messed with allergies... Wood floor would be lovelier, but would stress me out with care over time because we are "hard" on "things"... All that said... I really wish we had a more comfortable feel to the living room... ceramic tile is just SO hard... there's no rolling around on the floor with kids or grandchildren... the only thing I am coming up with to cozy it up in here is to get a thick mat and put a rug on top in the middle of the room... (I'll make the rug myself... I love making woven rag rugs... but have to decide on a color scheme and material and it will take a bit of time...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I should add that we do have a patch of carpet in the area in front of our TV. We do like to lie on the floor on that patch. But carpet is so hard to keep clean with four pets! I'm shampooing it every month. If you go tile or hardwood, a beautiful rug in strategic area(s) sounds lovely. Our last house had hard wood floors and I forgot how scared I was to scratch it, especially with a dog and a few cats. With tile, I don't have to worry about scratches, dents, inconsistencies at all. I'm barefoot on it right now and there's snow outside, and I don't think it's cold. I think being in sunny Colorado is a little different than the cold winters of the Midwest though (where we moved from). But in the summer, it does feel cool, which is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykdsmomy Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 We installed laminate flooring in our living room (fake wood). It's super easy to care for but it can be pricey by the time you buy everything you need to install it. I just laid peel and stick vinyl tiles in the boys room yesterday because the carpet was getting gross (thank you very much, Lyla the puppy!!! :glare: ) I'm planning on putting it in the other three bedrooms as well. It doesn't look as nice as the wood in the living room but it's so easy to clean! I'm just glad to be rid of the carpet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I live in ATL and my entire house is ceramic tile (except for the steps going upstairs.) I love it. I have a very neutral tan color with tan grout. No worries about spills or accidents from the dog. DS's friends love it because, though they must take off their shoes when in the house, never fret over dirty/wet clothes when playing on the floor. The only thing I would do different next time is add the radiant heat in the floor. We just couldn't afford it when we tiled this house. So we wear slippers inside and things are great. I was born in FL and have lived there off and on my adult life so I became accustomed to an entire house with tile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjthedog64 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Our ceramic tile looks nice, if you overlook the dark grout that is supposed to be white. I would rather have anything else though. When my son was 2, he tripped, hit his face and broke his front tooth down to the root. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Go with a lighter hardwood. It's warmer, feels great underfoot, and easy to keep clean. It's only dark hardwood that is hard to keep clean looking, IMO. A nice cherry oak or something is easy-peasy. I've had tile floors (in a house we rented) and frankly, I hated them. The grout NEVER seemed clean. The floors hurt my feet, and I just didn't like the look. Seemed too sterile. But I think it's personal preference. I am a hardwood floor girl, all the way. The next house we buy, I would do hardwood throughout if I could, except for bathrooms/laundry room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 How many ways can I sing the praises of tile? We have lots of kids, animals, dead pine needles & leaves, grass, and mud. My dh installed a brownish tile with varying colors and splotches in it. It looks really nice and doesn't show dirt or anything else tracked in much. I vacuum it once a week (I should do it more). I don't mop but every 2-3 weeks and yes,I should do this more, too. No one can tell if it is dirty. I do ask people not to eat off the floor, but then I'd ask them not to do that if I mopped weekly. My pug will sometimes have an accident if it rains too much, and it rains a lot here. A quick pick up, and spray with cleaner and it's done. No carpet to scrub. Now my cats are forever barfing bright orange on the carpet in the other part of the house. I hate carpet anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof3sofar Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 We are in central IL and our 102 year old house was previously owned by a guy whose family owned a tile company. Every room in the house has a light grey tile with what is supposed to be white grout! I HATE it! The grout is impossible to keep clean. The tile is COLD and my back hurts standing doing anything! When the I did daycare I was so scared of the little kids who were learning to walk because I thought one would end up with a concussion. Everything that falls, from toys to my kick knacks ends up broken. I would go with either a lighter wood or a laminate. The saddest part of the tile in our house.....they covered up beautiful oak flooring to put it down. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 We are in central IL and our 102 year old house was previously owned by a guy whose family owned a tile company. Every room in the house has a light grey tile with what is supposed to be white grout! I HATE it! The grout is impossible to keep clean. The tile is COLD and my back hurts standing doing anything! When the I did daycare I was so scared of the little kids who were learning to walk because I thought one would end up with a concussion. Everything that falls, from toys to my kick knacks ends up broken. I would go with either a lighter wood or a laminate. The saddest part of the tile in our house.....they covered up beautiful oak flooring to put it down. :( That is true. We have a dark grout and so don't have to worry about it looking dirty, and things do shatter. It really isn't a good idea for littles. I have had a kid or two of my own hit the floor and scare me. Once they are older it isn't a big deal. I personally would love to put wood or laminate in the living room and dining room and rip out the hideous carpet. I do love my tile though where my dog is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houseofkids&pets Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 We have light hardwood in the foyer and kitchen. It is very pretty, but we are ROUGH on it, so it has taken a beating. Between kids and dogs, it is quite scratched up and I see where there is some sun damage because of all of the windows we have. So, while it is easy to clean, it depends on your lifestyle. I have friends who have homes the same age as ours (11 years), and their floors still look great. Tile can be very pretty, but as some posters mentioned, it tends to feel cold and can be uncomfortable for some people. My only concern would be keeping grout clean if you are tiling a really big area. Like hardwoods, I think tile grout may have to be resealed periodically. Good luck, Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 We have tile everywhere in our house except for the three bedrooms. We love it. I just recently put down a 8x10 foot throw rug in the living room but otherwise it is just tile. It is so nice and cool when it is 110 degrees outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea Time Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 We had a piece of berber carpet cut and bound on the edges to fit our tile living room (12ft X14ft). That gave us a huge area to play on or watch movies. With a pad underneath it, it worked exactly like carpet except the edges of the room showed about 2 feet of tile (looked very attractive). I am not sure you can have that done any longer, but I hope so because it worked so well, and I hope to do it again someday if we have a hard floor surface again. You can customize the size perfectly (up to the widest roll length, of course), and you use it just like installed carpet, including being able to steam clean it. At the time it was cheaper than any area rugs we could find that were anywhere comparable in size, but it may not be that way anymore. It lasted 10 years, but it was shot when we threw it out before selling our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 People work hard to keep up their hardwood? :001_huh: All I've ever done is dustmop/vacuum and occasionally clean with Bona. Love my hardwood floors (1500 sq. ft, the whole downstairs except for bathroom and laundry room, and I'm thinking of replacing the bathroom tile with hardwood). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurad1125 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 We just put it in 6 months ago. We have laminate floor in the office and tile in the rest of the down stairs. The backyard pool sealed the deal for us. Carpet and wood both don't like getting wet. We love it and have gotten good compliments on it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof3sofar Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 We had a piece of berber carpet cut and bound on the edges to fit our tile living room (12ft X14ft). That gave us a huge area to play on or watch movies. With a pad underneath it, it worked exactly like carpet except the edges of the room showed about 2 feet of tile (looked very attractive). I am not sure you can have that done any longer, but I hope so because it worked so well, and I hope to do it again someday if we have a hard floor surface again. You can customize the size perfectly (up to the widest roll length, of course), and you use it just like installed carpet, including being able to steam clean it. At the time it was cheaper than any area rugs we could find that were anywhere comparable in size, but it may not be that way anymore. It lasted 10 years, but it was shot when we threw it out before selling our house. We had this done about a year ago at the carpet store. We went into the remnant room picked out what we liked and asked to have it bound. It was only about .85 a foot! Best area rug we have ever bought!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 We have tile in all of the rooms except the bedrooms. (Two of the rooms have area rugs under the furniture.) Tile is pretty common here in FL. IMHO, tile is nearly ideal for houses in FL -- carpet and wood would would get filthy or scratched by the high sand content in the soil, but tile handles sand, dirt and water easily. We don't have terribly cold winters, so the "cold" tiles aren't a problem in winter. In summer, they stay cool, which is fine with us! I've lived in houses (in other areas of the country) where the entire house is carpeted (sometimes even the bathrooms, ick!) and I've lived in houses with wood floors, too. I much prefer tile in the main areas. :) Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailofsparks Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I dream of installing tile - a darker, splotchy, large square, natural-looking tile. I love the look. I wear slip-on tennis shoes in my house instead of slippers now anyway. Plus, I'm from CA where no one took off their shoes to go in and out of people's homes - which I like the idea of offering that. Tile can stand up to wet from rain, snow, etc. No drawbacks as far as I can see, not even resale. Personally, I kind of think it is the wave of the future - it is more "green" and organic, better for allergy sufferers, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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