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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,025,722 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wheelsup
First a couple thoughts on materials.
If the vinyl is glued down throughout the floor, a floating floor can be placed on top without removal. If it's just edge glued, it must be removed and glue scarped off the slab. To find out if it's edge glued or not, use a vacuum cleaner and suck in the middle in various places - if it stays down you're fine.
Personally I wouldn't put an interconnected floating vinyl or laminate down in the kitchen at all. You're going to drop knives, silverware, pots/pans, plates, etc. and it will tear up the vinyl in no time flat leaving large gouges in it. There is a reason why kitchens traditionally have tile floors.
A grouted vinyl tile works OK in kitchens and we went with that option for ours due to cost and ease of install. If you damage a tile, it takes about 5 minutes to remove it and stick another one down for $1-3 a piece. Re-grout it and bam you're back to new again.
Some thoughts on your kitchen:
I would buy new cabinet doors for your lower cabs and not sure why you took the ones off up top but buy new ones of those as well in a more modern design. They aren't that expensive and it will completely update that aspect.
You have so much white white white. Get rid of the appliances and replace with SS. I'm wondering why you did a white countertop? If you wanted white cabinets I probably would've done a dark grey or black countertop in order to get contrast. This would've opened up your options with flooring because now you really can't do a light flooring color or your kitchen will look sterile (more than it does now).
If you want this done "right" the first time I would carry through your wood floors into the kitchen and make it continuous. I think given your chosen colors in the kitchen you really need something other than a light colored floor in there. IMO.
We had sheet vinyl and carpet on a builder grade cheapie starter house and swapped them out to refresh for resale as the previous flooring was 12+ years old and totally spent. If we were staying we would've painted the cabs and redone countertops but there would be no real return on that so we just wanted to make it look decent.
The flooring was $0.90/sq ft from Home Depot and the grouted vinyl planks were around $1.15/sq ft from Lowes.
Thanks! I'll try the vacuum test.
I have no intention of buying stainless steel appliances. Even when the fridge, stove, and dishwasher die, I'm replacing them with white ones. I've had stainless steel appliances and I don't like them.
Why do I have so much white? I like it. And I like it with the cream cabinet doors below it.
Why did I remove the top cabinet doors? Because I like that open look. I did that once 20 years ago and loved it then, so I did it again.
I like the floor in the picture that you linked. Thanks!
Keep in mind if you're not doing the work yourself the cost of the install will greatly add to the cost of the reno. I bought cheaper flooring from the big box stores because I was doing it myself and could replace it myself as well. If you are paying someone to do this, go visit a real flooring store if deciding on vinyl tile or plank, their prices are more like $4-$5/sq ft but the product is much more resilient to damage.
However I think you're going to find that most stuff will all be about the same when paying someone to do it, I wouldn't cheapen out to save $300 on a $3000 floor and put crappy stuff down.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,025,722 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by wheelsup
Keep in mind if you're not doing the work yourself the cost of the install will greatly add to the cost of the reno. I bought cheaper flooring from the big box stores because I was doing it myself and could replace it myself as well. If you are paying someone to do this, go visit a real flooring store if deciding on vinyl tile or plank, their prices are more like $4-$5/sq ft but the product is much more resilient to damage.
However I think you're going to find that most stuff will all be about the same when paying someone to do it, I wouldn't cheapen out to save $300 on a $3000 floor and put crappy stuff down.
I'm having someone do it. I mentioned up-thread that I don't want to spend five figures doing this floor, obviously, but I won't cheap out on it either. I want it done right. I had one flooring guy out here a week or so ago. Another flooring guy is coming on Thursday, with a mobile sample room. I also brought home some sample tiling to lay out just to get a feel for how it would look but I didn't like either of the ones that I chose, so those went back. The guy on Thursday will have a lot to choose from so I'm hopeful that I'll find the one that's right.
I have no intention of buying stainless steel appliances. Even when the fridge, stove, and dishwasher die, I'm replacing them with white ones. I've had stainless steel appliances and I don't like them.
Why do I have so much white? I like it. And I like it with the cream cabinet doors below it.
Why did I remove the top cabinet doors? Because I like that open look. I did that once 20 years ago and loved it then, so I did it again.
I like the floor in the picture that you linked. Thanks!
I personally like your kitchen a lot. Put your money into new flooring options!
Thanks, KA! I realize it's not everyone's taste in that it's not traditional, and I'm okay with that.
Well, honestly, I think it's very appealing. My kitchen isn't traditional either - for instance, we have some open shelving, and we have soapstone counter tops, and travertine floors and our cabinets are painted a moss green - and we have our Polish pottery collection very prominently displayed. In fact, when we were choosing finishes, I took a piece of the pottery to the kitchen designer and said, "I want a kitchen that lets THIS stuff shine. No busy granite patterns, no busy backsplashes - this is what has to pop, not the kitchen finishes."
We very nearly went with a white on white kitchen like yours, but settled on a soft gray green instead. Who knows what potential buyers will say when we sell this house one day? I don't really care, because paint is not expensive and if they don't like a travertine floor and soapstone counters, well they can change those out too.
All that to say, I do really, really like so many elements of your kitchen! I love the white on white, love the backsplash, love the open cabinets and love the colorful stuff in the cabinets!
About the "break" in the flooring in an open floor plan - it looks to me like your kitchen area is very well defined. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about a transition between hardwood and tile. I think, just my personal opinion, but I think a light, bright tile would just look great.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,025,722 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
Well, honestly, I think it's very appealing. My kitchen isn't traditional either - for instance, we have some open shelving, and we have soapstone counter tops, and travertine floors and our cabinets are painted a moss green - and we have our Polish pottery collection very prominently displayed. In fact, when we were choosing finishes, I took a piece of the pottery to the kitchen designer and said, "I want a kitchen that lets THIS stuff shine. No busy granite patterns, no busy backsplashes - this is what has to pop, not the kitchen finishes."
We very nearly went with a white on white kitchen like yours, but settled on a soft gray green instead. Who knows what potential buyers will say when we sell this house one day? I don't really care, because paint is not expensive and if they don't like a travertine floor and soapstone counters, well they can change those out too.
All that to say, I do really, really like so many elements of your kitchen! I love the white on white, love the backsplash, love the open cabinets and love the colorful stuff in the cabinets!
About the "break" in the flooring in an open floor plan - it looks to me like your kitchen area is very well defined. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about a transition between hardwood and tile. I think, just my personal opinion, but I think a light, bright tile would just look great.
Thank you so much.
Polish, huh? Funny, the company from which I bought the counter and backsplash is owned by a Polish family. (The backsplash is from Italy, but we won't hold that against them. ) They came here from Poland in the 1980s-1990s and started this business. I told them that my fraternal grandparents were also from Poland, so we bonded over that. The man they sent to install my backsplash is originally from Russia, where my maternal grandparents were from. So it was like old home week, like we were all in "the old country."
Your kitchen sounds gorgeous!! I love soapstone!!!!! And I love moss green. My ex-MIL actually said, when I lived in CT, that moss green must be my favorite color. I asked why she thought that. (It didn't occur to me that it was; I liked red a lot, obviously, although I didn't have a "favorite" color, per se.) She said "you have something that's moss green in every room." I did a mental inventory and, yup, she was right!
Are there pictures of your kitchen anywhere on this forum? I'd love to see it. I'm never on this forum, so I have no idea what's here and what's not.
I think that you're right that the kitchen is well-defined... VERY good point.
Choose tile or grout to match or echo your hardwood color. For instance, you could choose white tile and then choose grout in a lighter tone of the hardwoods. That way you have a relationship between the two floor surfaces.
Or you could choose a tile to match or echo your hardwoods, and then choose a light gray grout.
I do like your kitchen, by the way. I think you have done an excellent job so far. Kudos!
Polish, huh? Funny, the company from which I bought the counter and backsplash is owned by a Polish family. (The backsplash is from Italy, but we won't hold that against them. ) They came here from Poland in the 1980s-1990s and started this business. I told them that my fraternal grandparents were also from Poland, so we bonded over that. The man they sent to install my backsplash is originally from Russia, where my maternal grandparents were from. So it was like old home week, like we were all in "the old country."
Your kitchen sounds gorgeous!! I love soapstone!!!!! And I love moss green. My ex-MIL actually said, when I lived in CT, that moss green must be my favorite color. I asked why she thought that. (It didn't occur to me that it was; I liked red a lot, obviously, although I didn't have a "favorite" color, per se.) She said "you have something that's moss green in every room." I did a mental inventory and, yup, she was right!
Are there pictures of your kitchen anywhere on this forum? I'd love to see it. I'm never on this forum, so I have no idea what's here and what's not.
I think that you're right that the kitchen is well-defined... VERY good point.
Wow, thank you! I did a whole thread a while back when we were gutting and renovating the kitchen, but it's been a couple of years. Here are a few pictures though:
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I realize it's not everyone's taste in that it's not traditional, and I'm okay with that.
) They came here from Poland in the 1980s-1990s and started this business. I told them that my fraternal grandparents were also from Poland, so we bonded over that. The man they sent to install my backsplash is originally from Russia, where my maternal grandparents were from. So it was like old home week, like we were all in "the old country." 
