Wood floors over tile (new home, buying, luxury)

[coastal chic]

Wow, californian- you mentioned the house was built in 03 and looks dated...you weren't kidding! Between the hanging plant shelves, the winding staircase to nowhere, the drywall "built in", and the shiny white tile....wow. Thankfully you're doing all the right things. I can't wait to see the "after" photos!

[Crash11]

Originally Posted by Californianz

Thanks everyone - we have decided to just bite the bullet and REMOVE ALL TILE before going forward.

Our thought right now is to replace it with a dark, handscraped/distressed engineered wood to play off of the all white cabinets. Handscraped because we have a golden retriever who will not wear slippers. :-) Engineered to withstand higher than average humidity, though the HVAC is on most of the time. The "groovy" circular stairs you see in the photo go nowhere - there is no second floor or attic access! They are getting ripped out too.

Wow, when I look at those pictures I think "What a nice place". I'm usually not a fan of white, but it looks good in your place. I think your dark flooring will definitely "cozy" the place up, but it's going to feel really small.

If that were my house the 1st priority would be trying to sink the refrigerator further back. That's a huge pet peeve of mine, and in your kitchen it's really obtrusive. My priorities are weird, or so says my wife.

[Obrero]

Dark wood floor would look great. While you are ripping things out I would consider taking out the dry wall built in also.

[blueherons]

I think your white tile looks pretty good.

My girlfriend put 100 year old reclaimed hardwoods in her home because she has four Labrador Retrievers and wanted the scratched up look on the old floors as they were already scratched.

That old heart of pine just looks better with every dog mark.

[Californianz]

Wow, californian- you mentioned the house was built in 03 and looks dated...you weren't kidding!

It was actually built in 94 - but the people who owned this were nuts. There's lots of ideas from the 60s and 70s in this house.

Obero - The hideous entertainment built in (includes a wet bar) - my husband if adamant about keeping it in place - and only giving it a facelift. I say tear it out while the floor is going too, but he's probably going to win this battle.

Thanks Crash - The fridge sticking out is simple - the dummies have a standard one in place - all it needs is a counter depth unit in there. There is also a second full size fridge in the pantry which is totally unnecessary, not to mention a 3rd one (1/2 size) in the wet bar!

The kitchen is pretty massive actually, so if it looks a little smaller with dark floors I think that will be OK. Streamlining (or eliminating) the island soffit will also open it up.

TamRE - At first I was worried about doing hardwood but everywhere we asked said it's just fine. The pre-finished engineered will show pet claw marks, but handscraped floors are already distressed - it just makes a lot of sense with a large dog. Marks on the floor fit right in.. we might want to add a central vac however! lol

Depending on what the install estimator says - we'll moisture test and decide on the materials and install technique. If there are red flags for moisture coming up through the slab, well go another route, but that's highly unlikely. There is a chance we could still do some tile in some places where the old is coming out, and already plan on a tight loop sisal/jute/berber look carpet (or large rug over the hardwood) in the family room and dining rooms. This is in keeping with the British Colonial/Tropical decor we're going for in most of the house.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

[coastal chic]

lol, it must have been someone else who said the house was from 03 and looked dated, sorry.

Well, I have to say that even though the finishes are a little strange, it looks like it was kept in immaculate condition. The distressed floors will look gorgeous! The kitchen IS huge- lucky you! Please show us after pics once you complete the renovation!

[kiggy]

So what is the reason for the "staircase to nowhere" ? Is this a Florida thing?

[Obrero]

Originally Posted by kiggy

So what is the reason for the "staircase to nowhere" ? Is this a Florida thing?

I think it's more like a crazy person thing.

[kiggy]

Originally Posted by Obrero

I think it's more like a crazy person thing.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

I like your new place. Light and bright rules and you have an abundance of light and bright. Your kitchen is very appealing. So glad you are planning to redo the sofit over the island. I didn't want to pick on your house since over all, I really like it, but if I were going to comment on one thing, that would have been it.

If you need a crazy person to take the groovy staircase off you hands, my husband would love it. We are rather enchanted by the Winchester house in San Jose which has doors and stairs to nowhere.

Winchester Mystery House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia