If there’s one thing I most hated about my pre-renovation kitchen, it was the hideous ceramic tile floor. It was dark, dull and lacking in character. I knew I wanted it out, but I really had to think long and hard about what I wanted in its place. I considered dark stained wood, pale tumbled marble and a faux wood tile floor. I was so sure about every other decision, but this one took a bit of research. I wanted to pick a floor that was not only pretty but that would convey the character I wanted the room to embody.
This is week 3 of the One Room Challenge and the week I finally banished that hated floor from my home once and for all. As a reminder of where we started, you can see the photo above. Starting dark and dreary, my vision shown in week one, was to turn this space into a bright white kitchen that worked well with my French country style. Last week we replaced the island counter and this week I turned my attention to the kitchen floor.
As anyone who has renovated a kitchen knows, it’s disruptive, disorienting and a complete mess! And this week represented the absolute rock bottom in terms of chaos, displacement and utter inconvenience. Yet I was so delighted to have that floor removed, that I truly enjoyed tromping around amidst the disarray.
There was dust everywhere, plastic tarps over the furniture, doors closed and the dining room table littered with items removed from the kitchen. The table was moved out of the breakfast room to make pulling the floor up possible and the coffee maker and toaster were moved to the butler’s pantry. Every time I ate something I was sure I was eating dust.
But with every bang and flutter of dust, my floor came closer to the one I dreamt of and the kitchen closer to the one in my vision. From this view above, I could actually begin to picture the fruition of my plan. The tiler removed the existing tile and also added a new sub-floor.
Among other inconveniences, I also had to deal with a disconnected dishwasher, which was then crammed into our dust laden den which was already beginning to look like an over-stuffed warehouse.
The refrigerator was moved into the front hallway, a position I’ve gotten so used to, that once the floor was done and we moved it back, I continued to find myself walking into the hallway for food.
Yet after days of demolition and sub flooring, it was time to start putting the actual new floor down. I can tell you I was downright ecstatic!
In the end I chose a faux wood tile floor with a distressed grey tinge that gives it an antiqued farmhouse feel. It’s porcelain tile that looks like wood, warmer that the ceramic we had before, lighter in tone and fresher in spirit.
Is it possible to have a crush on your floor? I look at this wood grain tile and can’t believe it’s not the real thing. The color is perfect for the wall paint I already had, likely because I always knew this was where I was headed, even if I hadn’t picked the actual porcelain wood tile yet.
Next came the grout which had to dry overnight… another day of not walking on the floor.
You can already begin to see the lighter look in the breakfast area, although I do intend to add new chairs and the table looks too small now that the space is lighter and airier.
The most amusing part of this crazy stage was that I needed to shoot a tabelscape amidst this mess. So with dust everywhere, cabinet doors pulled off and tarps covering as many surfaces as possible, I turned my back on the chaos and set the table for my shoot. And yes… the workers were still in the room while I was doing my shoot! (You can see the table setting HERE.)
The work part of the kitchen still looks dark with my cherry cabinetry and steel grey backsplash, but next week we’ll move forward and get that backsplash spruced up. Hint… it just may involve my favorite marble tile.
Faux Wood Tile Floor Resource List
To get the look of our kitchen, click on the items below for direct links to the products. Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided similar options.
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It looks great! We also turned to wood-like tile for a room where putting in real parquet would have been difficult and costly. It’s pretty and practical.
Thanks! So far I’m really happy with it. I’m crazy about the look and it’s pretty comfortable to walk on. Thanks for stopping by!
Beautiful floor. Do you mind sharing the wall color? Thanks
Thanks, Susie! Sure. It’s Benjamin Moore Tapestry Beige… 🙂
Beautiful floor and goes soo well with the floor 🙂 I love your home Lori !
ooooh i am drooling over those floors! so good!
Thanks so much, Cassie!! Yeah, I’m kind of enjoying them too… 🙂
Oh do I know what you are experiencing!
Last year we completed a partial kitchen renovation,and you are right about the dust and chaos. However, as you can already begin to see, it is worth it all to have that kitchen of your dreams. I love your progress thus far,and can’t wait to see the finished product.
Patience,patience,as it will pay off.
Thanks Mimi, and yes, if there’s one thing I have patience for it’s home renovation because I’m so motivated by the end product. I hope you were happy with yours too… 🙂
Beautiful floor! Looking forward to the final reveal…
Thanks, Donna! Me too… 🙂
Love your new floor looks beautiful……
I also have porcelain tile floors in my kitchen that look like real wood…
Smiles~~
Maritza
Thanks, Maritza! Aren’t they fun? I just love the look and it’s so easy to upkeep… 🙂
Lory, your floor looks great! Enjoying the posts on your kitchen makeover!
Thanks, Shenita! Much more to come!!
Beautiful and it looks much brighter. I may also love the tile because it’s almost if not an exact match to our laundry room tile. I’m crushing big time on your chandelier over the table. Fun following along with the process
Cindy
Thanks, Cindy, and I agree it looks so much brighter… 🙂 Love the idea of using it in a laundry room!! Yes, my vintage chandy was a fun purchase. I do wish it was a bit lower. Thinking about having it rewired so I can lower it a foot. Our ceilings are 9′ so it really is too high (but pretty nonetheless… ;-)).
Lory, your new floors are beautiful! You will really enjoy your new kitchen! It’s going to look so nice!
Thanks, Mary-Ann! Yes, I hope so. So far I’m very pleased… 🙂 Just ripping out the dreaded floor made me happy!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE! Those floors are gorgeous! I can’t wait to see the final reveal!
Thanks so much, Jen!! I can’t wait to put the whole thing together too… 🙂
Oh Lory, just love the floor. Don’t you just love the grey tones of flooring nowadays. It seems to blend so well with neutral furnishings. My home just got new flooring last yr. ALL rooms but two, so I feel your pain about out of place furniture, actually out of place everything!
I’m looking forward to the changes each week as I know they will be lovely.
Thank you so much! Yes, for me the antique-y grey was the deciding factor. It gives the space such character. I actually wish I could do the entire downstairs in this tile, but it would be ridiculously expensive. One thing at a time… 😉
Lory, I can not believe how much brighter the room already looks!! The flooring is gorgeous.
Thank you so much, Bobbi! I know – I didn’t realize the tile was so much lighter than the old one. I knew the cabinets would lighten things up, but even the floor makes it brighter. I knew there was a reason I hated that old floor… 😉
Lory, Wow! That lighter, brighter gorgeous flooring added square feet! It really opened up the space nicely. I just love renos, the anticipation is so intoxicating, then the climax of the finished look! Everything is going swimmingly so far, can’t wait to follow along to see the rest!
Can’t wait to get a place I can do some demo on, living in a rental now, so my reno hands are tied down.
Cathy
Thanks, Cathy!! I agree – the room looks so much larger. My poor little table gets lost in it! Just as well since I wanted a table with more seating anyway, but not sure that will be done in time for the final reveal.
I know the feeling of waiting for a place you can really put your heart into. Even some of the earlier homes we owned, I knew we wouldn’t be staying in so I was reluctant to put too much in. You’ll get there, and when you do, it will have been worth the wait… 🙂
Lory, that flooring is amazing!!! Love it!
Thanks, Jennifer!
Lory, the new floor really does look amazing! Your breakfast area is so light and airy now and I cannot wait to see the new backsplash! This is such a fun transformation to watch! Enjoy your weekend!
Shelley
Thanks, Shelley! It is amazing how much difference each step makes… 🙂
I think that flooring was the perfect choice-it looks amazing! I thought tackling my bath for ORC was a big deal…I can’t believe you are doing a kitchen, super impressive! 🙂
Ha ha, thanks Kristin! I was lucky the renovation just happened to coincide with the One Room Challenge… 😉 And since we’re not ripping out the cabinets, I felt more secure with the time line.
The floor is beautiful and will look so nice with the white cabinets. (We used the same paint you have in your hall in our guest suite quite a while back. I used the same color to paint the door in the guest bedroom. I think that’s my favorite yellow, and I’ll be using that to paint the pantry shelves for the ORC!)
Thanks, Lucille! And I will have to look for yours… 🙂
I have floor and countertop envy. lol We will be moving from PA back to AR in three years when hubby retires, so I’m waiting for the kitchen I really want. Your room reno is looking great!
Thanks so much! I wish you the best and hope you get yours too… 🙂
What is the flooring and color! Exactly what I have been looking for
Hi Karen, Sorry for the delayed reply, but I waiting to get you the exact info. It’s Aspen Natural porcelain tile from Ceramica Sant’Agostino.
What is the name of that flooring? It’s beautiful!1
Thank you! It’s Sant’Agostino Porcelain Tile in Aspen Natural.
This article makes we doubly glad we were able to replace kitchen tile flooring before we moved in. Last year we removed tile from our master bath and THAT was stressful enough to live with. Between tile removal and sheet rock repairs to the walls, the house looked like the Bonneville Salt Flats. It was worth it in the end.
Haha… yep, always worth it in the end… 🙂
BEAUTIFUL JOB Lori!!! I love this floor; there’s a house being built down from us, we went in to scout it out the other day, and wow! it has the same floor as what you just put down……OMG, it is gorgeous in person, and I fell in love; would love to have in my kitchen (have same builder-boring beige 12×12 tile blocks (no personality)) but husband doesnt want the upheaval in replacement, he cant do anymore, and doesnt want to pay someone else.
so, no newbie for me. hope you enjoy!!!
Thank you so much! Yeah, I had to sell the idea to hubby too. I wore him down… 😉
Did your tiles run under your cabinets? I need to replace my tile but it goes under the cabinets and I am not sure how we go about removing the tile without lifting the cabinets.
Yes, it did and my tile guy just cut it to fit… 🙂
They are sublime Lory!
I’d love to have faux wood tile, our floors weren’t the right fit for it… but I wish they were.
My real hardwoods are a real pain. lol
They really look gorgeous, you must be over the moon!!
Thank you, Shannon! I’d actually love to have the rest of our real hardwoods changed to tile… 😉
How are the tiles with and wear? Are they easy to clean, especially the grout? Probably not dirty at all yet. Do you have dogs – any problem with them and the tile? Love the reno!
Thank you for the kind words! The tiles are actually awesome to upkeep. Very easy to clean. Don’t show a lot of dirt. The tiles are installed fairly close together so you don’t see a lot of the grout. In fact, I just got up to go look before I answered your question because I never even noticed the grout. The color of my tile is an ash grey which is a mid tone (not light, not dark), so the grout has a long way to go before it’s anywhere near as dark as the tile. My dog has been gone a few years so we didn’t have him when we installed the floor, but my ‘nephew-dog’ comes over all the time and it’s never a problem.