I am working on something more significant but as of right now this is my burning issue...
Hardwood Vs. Ceramic Tile
As of next week we have to start making the choices for our new house and as shallow and trivial as it may sound, I am actually losing sleep over what to pick. Yes, I am fully aware people are starving, and the world is an unjust and nasty place, but humor me....
Here is the issue. I love wood floors. I love the way they look, feel, etc. They are lovely and warm and make a house look homey. They don't make my back ache when I stand on them, they are definitely more "me". The down side is with five kids, a messy husband, and a cat, they get scratched and dented and need more maintenance. They show dirt more and I have to sweep at least three times a day (after each meal) and mop at least 1-2 times per week.
The tile option is nice because they are essentially indestructible, require little maintenance, and even if you were to run across them in shoes I would not have a complete meltdown. Sadly, they aren't as pretty and I think they feel kind of cold. So what do I do?
Another thing to add to my quandary is that the floor will also determine my cupboard selection. If I go with wood I will be more likely to go with a cream colored cabinet. I think that wood floors and wood cabinets may be too much? and want to avoid Woodfest 2009. If I go with tile though I would be more likely to pick wood cabinets... For the record, I like both. I do think though that the cream color would be a bitch to keep clean with five kids, and a messy husband.
So if it were you, what would you pick? The appliances are stainless steel if that helps and the wall color is a taupe-sand color. The baseboards and window/door casings are cream colored and the granite is probably going to be light, maybe cream with a bit of brown/gold color in it.
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12 comments:
I say wood floors. And get a dog to eat up the crumbs between meals. All children need a dog. Go ahead and get a puppy. You don't have enough to do. ROFL!
xoxo
I say wood too. Tiles are still a b@tch to clean because you have a houseful of kids and a messy husband.
Tiles also have minute cracks which hold dirt as well and annoy me to all ends of the earth. I love wood floors and I even love them when they are dinged up.
I would get wood cabinets too - just stain them with a tinge of a colour? I love the look of cream cabinets too but I would not even dare with my family. I will find you some neat wood on wood mixtures.
check out alternatives, cork, bamboo,
bamboo floors! super duper sturdy!! if not,then get wood..they CAN be refinished if needed...and declaw the cat LOL.
I too love real hardwood floors but hate the dents, scratches and maintenance they require. I have had tile in the past and loved how they looked, but with kids in the house they were less than durable. I had tiles crack and chip depending on what was dropped on the floor. Replacing floor tiles was a pain and you have to have thought ahead and saved some in case of damage.
Have you thought of stained concrete?? It is great looking and I like it with the in floor heat. I also adore bamboo flooring.
THere I go again with the verbal barfing. OK, if you are choosing between hardwood and tile, definetely go hardwood. I love the natural grain and the way it takes the stain or whitewash, which is what I have. Hardwoods are warm and inviting and look gracious and welcoming no matter how many knicks or dings they have.
Definitely hardwood-if you drop something on the tile they crack or chip off. Tile can be a pain too-just in a different way. I like the bamboo suggestions. I think bamboo floors are beautiful.
Hey
I would say hardwood. I have maple floors beautiful if I say so myself. Yes they do have a few dents etc but I have a lab and right now her nails are so long ok thats another story. So with the lighter maple floors I went with darker cabinets. Have fun this is fun stuff. You want a nice space after a long day of doing good things in the world and you and your husband works hard.
Wood Floors. I had bamboo floors in my house in GA and LOVED them. They were great, particularly with a dog AND a messy husband and child.
Other options:an engineered wood floor or a laminate wood floor or a larger 16X16 tile in a natural stone with minute darker grout lines, and laid diagonally would work and look very nice.
Wood on wood is beautiful if done correctly.
What about Pergo/laminate flooring? It's what we have through our whole house. It looks SO much like real wood.
But I would say wood over tile, for sure. Grout is such a pain! It's so hard to clean, it always gets stained and discolored and ends up looking dirty. And it's so loud and echo-y.
I think you can get away with wood floors and wood cabinets, if you pick the right colors.
I say hardwood. One word for you with the tile: grout. There is no worse substance on earth to clean. Even if you get the dark grout, it still stains.
Plus I'm not worried if my kids fall on hardwood. But tile makes me freak out about chipped teeth and cracked skulls.
It's fun to give two cents on your house, and I love reading what everyone has to say. Ask us more!
wow i will be the only ome saying this but I would pick tiles for the kitchen. I love hard wood floor but not in the kitchen.
I would choose a tile ( dark ) Kinda brown mexico :) , easy to wash and doesn't scratch. I also have 5 kids , a messy husband and dogs. I would choose hard wood for all the other rooms :)
Good luck
Terra cota That is what I wanted to say with my mexico color :)
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