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I much prefer a good linoleum to tile. Tile is a pain. The grout is hard to clean, and if a tile gets cracked, it's a costly pain to get it repaired. You can find really nice linoleum now, or even really nice vinyl tiles.
Ceramic tiles are hard and cold, and the grout is really hard to keep clean. There are just way better, cheaper options out there for you, that I bet you'd be more pleased with.
I'll look into it. Looks like it's easier to install.
FYI - dark colored floors can be impressive to look at... when they are clean. Dark floors, particularly with solid colors, can be a cleaning nightmare even if you clean daily. They show every speck of dust, pet hair, etc. Go into showrooms or look around for builder's models. You'll start noticing minute pieces of dust. You'll start noticing it every time you walk into a room and the light hits it. If you find a tile you like, bring it home and set it around for a while and see how it looks.
I much prefer a good linoleum to tile. Tile is a pain. The grout is hard to clean, and if a tile gets cracked, it's a costly pain to get it repaired. You can find really nice linoleum now, or even really nice vinyl tiles.
Ceramic tiles are hard and cold, and the grout is really hard to keep clean. There are just way better, cheaper options out there for you, that I bet you'd be more pleased with.
I'm another one who loves vinyl flooring. So easy to install, maintain and redo years down the road
I think they have tile look planks which might work for the OP. My stepdaughter did her bathroom with them and it looks great. You can get the peel and stick which may not last as long or the floating(click and lock) floor.
I like ceramic tile, especially with dogs. Ease of cleaning, no worries about dog claw grooves or scratches like wood and vinyl, etc. I just wouldn't do them DIY again, like my husband did in our old house. It was a nightmare and well worth contracting out.
Our current house is completely ceramic tile in the downstairs, with a big portion of it (except for the cooking and dining areas) covered with area rugs, due to having a baby who has just learned to walk. All bathrooms have it as well. The main drawback is the higher risk of things breaking if dropped. We haven't cracked any tiles yet, but we haven't dropped anything like the cast iron skillet, either.
Doing the work yourself cna be a big money saver if:
1. You take the time to learn to do it right first and do not just charge ahead.
2. You have time to spare. You will take 2 - 3 times longer to do the job than a pro. Thus if you value your time equally, you are not saving that much. If the pro charges $75 an hour, you are only really saving $25 for each hour you work. If you make mistakes - it is on you to fix it. Hire a pro- and their mistakes are conceptually on them (The reality is you end up paying for it one way it another in many or most cases). So if it is a hobby, then it is worth while, but from a purele economic viewpoint, you are often better off having a pro do the work and just work extra hours at your job.
You can also save a ton of money on materials and furniture by:
1. Shop around, research carefully. Use the internet. Get the best price.
2. Buy used materials and new or nearly new furniture are places like Re-store, Salvation army, salvage warehouses, etc.
...........get new porcelin tile floors
paint my kitchen cabinets white
get some new furniture
and convert my storage room into an office space...........
If you buy porcelain tiles, pay a bit more and get the through-body tiles. If they get a chip, it will never show because the color goes all the way through. You can't chip off the finish. Porcelain is difficult to chip because it is hard, but if you chip off the finish layer on a dark tile that does not have color all through, it will be really glaring and repairs can be expensive.
Take the time to properly prep the area where the tile will go, including under-layment and leveling compound, if needed. Use a colored grout that won't show the dirt as much. When it is done, go around and seal all the grout.
If you are capable of reading directions and following them precisely, you can do tile yourself. There is nothing complicated about it. It's pretty easy to follow the directions, bu be aware that is is hard, heavy, unpleasant work, down on your knees.
Keep a dozen or so extra tiles in case you need a repair later. You most likely won't be able to buy matching tiles after a couple of years pass.
To really get nice looking cabinets, pay a professional painter to do the job. He will know how to properly prepare the existing finish and he has the skills to mask the walls and ceiling, and he has very high quality paint sprayers that will put on a finish smooth as glass. If this is done correctly, it is a big job. If you just casually slap on a coat of paint, it will look like you painted your old cabinets, not look like brand new cabinets.
If you have a membership for Costco, do your furniture shopping there. They sell some nice furniture for a very good price. I bought a leather recliner for $400 and love it. I love it so much, I wanted a matching one, but the cheapest I found the exact same chair from the same manufacturer was $1,000 and most sellers wanted $1200 for it. I've also got 2 gray leather recliners from Costco that were $200 and not the same quality as the $400 chair, but good looking, solid, and comfortable.
The down side to furniture at Costco is small selection that changes all the time, so you have to keep going back until you find something that you like.
I won't buy used upholstered furniture because I am afraid if bedbugs, but if you look on Craigslist, you can get antiques or nice reproductions of wooden cabinets, desks, tables, chair, for a very low price.
Storage room to office, you need to find a place to move your stored items, decide on a floor, and buy desks, cabinets, and filing cabinets. There are used office furniture stores where you can buy filing cabinets. A lot depends upon whether you just want utility or you want an office that looks well designed.
I am now working on my 5th house. I try to use high end materials that cost more but doing the work myself more than makes up the difference. Plus, when something breaks, chances are I can fix it!
I wish my husband was handy but he can barely put a nail in a wall, so for us, hiring the work done was the only way; of course he has done a lot of painting and does a great job. Doing as much work as you can is by far, the best way to save money.
As for what to do and where to get the supplies, I would stay away from Habitat stores and places like that. You are simply buying used materials or poor quality. Try to find "close out" items, whether flooring or furniture, close out is a great way to go
though I would not go with any type of tile flooring, this is simply a personal thing, go with what you like. We have laminent (spelling) throughout the house now, except the bedrooms: best decision we ever made.
Tile is not something for a first time DIY to do, imo. It's very hard. The hardest of all floors. I'm surprised at the people who don't like it. The tile floor in my entry way is the only floor part I ever liked in here, and it's been there since 1981 w/o any issues. I wish they had done the kitchen and bath with it.
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