I've mentioned here that we're updating/improving our kitchen. We've
ordered the cabinets and granite, and just purchased the new range (the
top rated gas model listed in Consumer's Reports recently) and over the
range microwave oven/hood. I'm looking for a bottom freezer refrigerator
but we can live with the old one until I find the perfect appliance at
the best price. Lighting changes and flooring are still undecided.

I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting
older now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically
poor choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended
periods. I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood
and impact absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more
jarring to your body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens,
are they?? I'm also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it
might be fairly "green" as well as good cost.

The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
downstairs is hardwood.

Thanks for any input
Goomba

Goomba > wrote:
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input
> Goomba

I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV would
cringe if you suggested it! If you like wood you might consider bamboo.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> Goomba > wrote:
>>
>> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen,
>> breakfast room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest
>> of the downstairs is hardwood.

> I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV
> would cringe if you suggested it!

They put down vinyl tile often.

nancy

Nancy Young > wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
> > Goomba > wrote:
> > >
> > > The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen,
> > > breakfast room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The
> > > rest of the downstairs is hardwood.
>
> > I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV
> > would cringe if you suggested it!
>
> They put down vinyl tile often.
>
> nancy

I only see them rip it up and put down slate or something similar. I must
be watching the wrong shows! And stainless appliances, UGH. As in, UGLY.
Sorry, I just don't see the appeal.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> Nancy Young > wrote:
>> jmcquown wrote:
>>> Goomba > wrote:
>>>>
>>>> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen,
>>>> breakfast room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The
>>>> rest of the downstairs is hardwood.
>>
>>> I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV
>>> would cringe if you suggested it!
>>
>> They put down vinyl tile often.

> I only see them rip it up and put down slate or something similar. I
> must be watching the wrong shows! And stainless appliances, UGH. As
> in, UGLY. Sorry, I just don't see the appeal.

I don't know what they think of it, they are putting in what sells.
People like it. It's not for me.

nancy

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 05:37:30a, Nancy Young told us...

> jmcquown wrote:
>> Nancy Young > wrote:
>>> jmcquown wrote:
>>>> Goomba > wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen,
>>>>> breakfast room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest
>>>>> of the downstairs is hardwood.
>>>
>>>> I personally have no problem with vinyl, although the people on HGTV
>>>> would cringe if you suggested it!
>>>
>>> They put down vinyl tile often.
>
>> I only see them rip it up and put down slate or something similar. I
>> must be watching the wrong shows! And stainless appliances, UGH. As
>> in, UGLY. Sorry, I just don't see the appeal.
>
> I don't know what they think of it, they are putting in what sells.
> People like it. It's not for me.
>
> nancy
>

Nor me. I have black appliances. SS seems cold and industrial, not to
mention a bitch to keep in pristine condition.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
'We're not making this up just so we
can take over the world!' - Brain
-------------------------------------------

On Sun, 6 Jul 2008 08:37:30 -0400, "Nancy Young" >
wrote:

>I don't know what they think of it, they are putting in what sells.
>People like it. It's not for me.

The corners of vinyl tile tends to lift easily, but it's a quick
facelift. If they put down vinyl tile in kitchens or baths, it's
usually on the show where they're getting the house ready to be sold
and money ($2,000) is running out.

Slate or anything that's expensive is on the shows where the house
owner has a big budget for them to work with. Just go to the web site
and look. You can give them a huge budget to work, with if you've got
the money. I watched one show where they moved the site of a swimming
pool (dug out the old one and put in a brand new one) in the midst of
a complete back yard redo. That was a real jaw dropper.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

> Goomba > wrote:
>>
>> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
>> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
>> downstairs is hardwood.
>>
>> Thanks for any input
>> Goomba

I've seen a lot of kitchen floors in my day:

The real quarry tile was absolutely gorgeous, and I didn't find it hard on
the legs, but anything we dropped on it was history.

The vinyl was easy to care for but I just didn't like the plastic look.

The Pergo was a winner, partly because it looked great but also because I
could choose a color to match the carpet in an adjoining sitting area.

My Senior Daughter has real wood, which is gorgeous and doesn't seem to show
wear and tear.

Given my druthers, especially if color is a big factor, I'd go for Pergo.

Felice

On Jul 6, 11:36�am, "Felice" > wrote:
> > Goomba > wrote:
>
> >> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> >> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> >> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> >> Thanks for any input
> >> Goomba
>
> I've seen a lot of kitchen floors in my day:
>
> The real quarry tile was absolutely gorgeous, and I didn't find it hard on
> the legs, but anything we dropped on it was history.
>
> The vinyl was easy to care for but I just didn't like the plastic look.
>
> The Pergo was a winner, partly because it looked great but also because I
> could choose a color to match the carpet in an adjoining sitting area.
>
> My Senior Daughter has real wood, which is gorgeous and doesn't seem to show
> wear and tear.
>
> Given my druthers, especially if color is a �big factor, I'd go for Pergo.
>
> Felice

Pergo is not wood, it's also plastic and looks like plastic, every
section is identical.

Real wood can be stained/bleached to any color, plus there are
hundreds of types of wood.

Pergo actually costs more than real wood, but people buy Pergo and its
ilk because it's faster (instant flooring). One major problem with
laminated flooring (Pergo) is unless your subfloor is perfect your new
Pergo floor will look like crap, every imperfection will not only
transfer but will be magnified. Real wood flooring is 3/4" thick, it
hides all small imperfections and larger ones can easily be rough
filled with no concern to small gaps. With Pergo, and lino, in most
caes a new subfloor is required (rip out the old and install new), can
easily double the cost... so yet another reason I went with real
wood... my old vinyl floor had lots of imperfections, so new vinyl
would have cost twice my wood floor. And ceramic required a "mud"
floor, costs much more than doubles the cost. I had ceramic tile in
my last house, after a few months I began to hate it... every tile is
the same so it's boring, and it's the same as walking on concrete
sidewalk, unless you wear good street shoes indoors it's very hard on
your back. To me ceramic tile has zero character, it's the fast food
flooring look.

Felice wrote:

> The Pergo was a winner, partly because it looked great but also because I
> could choose a color to match the carpet in an adjoining sitting area.
>
> My Senior Daughter has real wood, which is gorgeous and doesn't seem to show
> wear and tear.
>
> Given my druthers, especially if color is a big factor, I'd go for Pergo.
>
> Felice
>
I've heard that Pergo dents easily though? Table and chair legs dig in
or something? Our kitchen chairs are wonderful rolling things that we
hope to keep a long time (they're already almost 20 years old!) because
I had them reupholstered and love.

"Goomba" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> I've mentioned here that we're updating/improving our kitchen. We've
> ordered the cabinets and granite, and just purchased the new range (the
> top rated gas model listed in Consumer's Reports recently) and over the
> range microwave oven/hood. I'm looking for a bottom freezer refrigerator
> but we can live with the old one until I find the perfect appliance at the
> best price. Lighting changes and flooring are still undecided.
>
> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting older
> now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically poor
> choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended periods.
> I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood and impact
> absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more jarring to your
> body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens, are they?? I'm
> also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it might be fairly
> "green" as well as good cost.
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input
> Goomba

I have been blaming "the day after" backaches on my age, but lately I have
been hearing much younger peiople claim it is the tile or stone floors we
all have. Mind you, I don't experience it unless I have spent a 10 or 12
hour day working, so who knows?

If I were sure, then next kitchen I would use solid runner flooring, such as
is used in airports. I'd consider bamboo, but my cutting board seems as
hard as tile.

Giusi wrote:

> I have been blaming "the day after" backaches on my age, but lately I have
> been hearing much younger peiople claim it is the tile or stone floors we
> all have. Mind you, I don't experience it unless I have spent a 10 or 12
> hour day working, so who knows?

yeah, that's exactly what I'd like to avoid or protect against. I get
enough wear and tear on my back and legs at work that I'd like to pamper
them a bit more at home.

On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:13:30 -0400, Goomba >
wrote:

>Giusi wrote:
>
>> I have been blaming "the day after" backaches on my age, but lately I have
>> been hearing much younger peiople claim it is the tile or stone floors we
>> all have. Mind you, I don't experience it unless I have spent a 10 or 12
>> hour day working, so who knows?
>
>yeah, that's exactly what I'd like to avoid or protect against. I get
>enough wear and tear on my back and legs at work that I'd like to pamper
>them a bit more at home.

I have been reading that cork is very good for comfort. Seems to be
the rage in professional cooking circles...

Christine

Christine Dabney > wrote:

>I have been reading that cork is very good for comfort. Seems to be
>the rage in professional cooking circles...

Now that CAN'T be green.

Steve

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 11:10:33a, Steve Pope told us...

> Christine Dabney > wrote:
>
>>I have been reading that cork is very good for comfort. Seems to be
>>the rage in professional cooking circles...
>
> Now that CAN'T be green.
>
> Steve
>

Wrong. Cork is a naturallly sustainable resource.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Ultimate office automation: Networked
coffee machines!
-------------------------------------------

Janet Baraclough > wrote:

>from (Steve Pope) contains these words:

>> Now that CAN'T be green.

> Why not? it's a completely sustainable natural product; no tree has
>to die etc.

Yes, I was mistaken. While in the past environmentalists
warned against depleting cork forests, now they want you
to use cork to save them.

Steve

"Goomba" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> Giusi wrote:
>
>> I have been blaming "the day after" backaches on my age, but lately I
>> have been hearing much younger peiople claim it is the tile or stone
>> floors we all have. Mind you, I don't experience it unless I have spent
>> a 10 or 12 hour day working, so who knows?
>
> yeah, that's exactly what I'd like to avoid or protect against. I get
> enough wear and tear on my back and legs at work that I'd like to pamper
> them a bit more at home.

I tried Crocs last week when I had a job cooking. The temperature was
hovering around 100°F in there. Within minutes they had cut through my skin
in two places. You have to be willing to wear socks if you use them for
softness.

Giusi wrote:

> I tried Crocs last week when I had a job cooking. The temperature was
> hovering around 100°F in there. Within minutes they had cut through my skin
> in two places. You have to be willing to wear socks if you use them for
> softness.
>
They're popular with nurses because of their light weight and shock
absorbing properties, but they have drawbacks too. One being they
sometimes make you trip a bit when they "stick" on the floor, and one
particular style with the dozens of holes in the top are frowned on
because of risk factors with dropped sharps or body fluid splashes. The
colors are great fun though. I'm surprised by how much actual support
they provide. I used to get plantar fascitis before and went through a
lot of different shoes trying to find comfort. I alternate my various
Crocs with Dansko shoes now.

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 05:21:18p, Goomba told us...

> Giusi wrote:
>
>> I tried Crocs last week when I had a job cooking. The temperature was
>> hovering around 100°F in there. Within minutes they had cut through my
>> skin in two places. You have to be willing to wear socks if you use
>> them for softness.
>>
> They're popular with nurses because of their light weight and shock
> absorbing properties, but they have drawbacks too. One being they
> sometimes make you trip a bit when they "stick" on the floor, and one
> particular style with the dozens of holes in the top are frowned on
> because of risk factors with dropped sharps or body fluid splashes. The
> colors are great fun though. I'm surprised by how much actual support
> they provide. I used to get plantar fascitis before and went through a
> lot of different shoes trying to find comfort. I alternate my various
> Crocs with Dansko shoes now.

I have some degree of diabetic neuropathy in my toes and balls of my feet.
I wear a pair of Crocs quite often, even to work. Find them very
comfortable and nicely stimulating. Luckily, though, I do have very good
blood circulation.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Progress at best consists of replacing
errors with more subtle errors.
-------------------------------------------

"Goomba" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> Giusi wrote:
>
>> I tried Crocs last week when I had a job cooking. The temperature was
>> hovering around 100°F in there. Within minutes they had cut through my
>> skin in two places. You have to be willing to wear socks if you use them
>> for softness.
>>
> They're popular with nurses because of their light weight and shock
> absorbing properties, but they have drawbacks too. One being they
> sometimes make you trip a bit when they "stick" on the floor, and one
> particular style with the dozens of holes in the top are frowned on
> because of risk factors with dropped sharps or body fluid splashes. The
> colors are great fun though. I'm surprised by how much actual support they
> provide. I used to get plantar fascitis before and went through a lot of
> different shoes trying to find comfort. I alternate my various Crocs with
> Dansko shoes now.

But at work in a hospital anyone would expect to wear socks. In a 100°+
kitchen I want the choice-- and I would not want my choice of flooring to
condemn me to socks forever!

The clothes one wears for cooking professionally similarly need to be
protective and even more must come off fast in case of accident. One pull
gets my tunic off and a zip gets the pants off. I don't like wearing shoes
that could hold boiling oil against my feet while I unlaced them, presuming
that I could bear the pain and unlace them. OTH, clogs haven't worked for
me because I come out of them when dancing around.

Michael "Dog3" wrote:

> I've been thinking about your long days at work and coming home to a hard
> kitchen floor at night. Bamboo would be an option. I think Jill brought
> that up. Now that I remember, the parquet floors in the condo kitchens
> were very comfortable. Nice rugs on them and you should be set. The
> downside is they are hard to take care of if you are a messy cook like I
> tend to be ;( You could also do a floating wood floor but I'm not you
> would like it. I probably wouldn't.
>
> Michael

I'm totally unfamiliar with bamboo flooring, yet recall that folks say
their bamboo cutting boards are incredibly hard. That would help
decrease dings and such I guess? That would be a welcome feature.
My house sits on a crawl space (rather than an immovable hard cement
slab) so I hope that provides a bit more comfort too?

Goomba wrote:

> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting older
> now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically poor
> choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended periods.
> I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood and impact
> absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more jarring to your
> body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens, are they?? I'm
> also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it might be fairly
> "green" as well as good cost.
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input


I recently wrote here that I'm looking into getting eucalyptus or cork
flooring for my kitchen. Both are quite comfortable for long stretches of
standing, and don't need a huge amount of maintenance. However, tile or
linoleum would be much better for a mud room. Maybe you could have a hard
floor in your kitchen and put down rubber mats to stand on when you're
cooking; that's what many professional kitchens do.

As I see it, the problem is that a breakfast room and guest bathroom are
more "presentation" spaces, where the kitchen, mud room, and laundry room
are more "industrial" spaces. If it were *me*, I'd have the same hardwood in
the breakfast room as in the rest of the house, I'd have soft wood in the
kitchen, I'd have tile in the guest bedroom, and I'd have painted concrete
in the mud room and laundry room.

Bob

On Sun, 6 Jul 2008 03:13:43 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

>I'd have soft wood in the kitchen

"Soft" wood, like pine? That's a no. Ever had pine furniture? It
dings easily.



--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 11:11:11a, told us...

> On Sun, 6 Jul 2008 03:13:43 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > wrote:
>
>>I'd have soft wood in the kitchen
>
> "Soft" wood, like pine? That's a no. Ever had pine furniture? It
> dings easily.

But it's easily restained and the "dings" add to a nicely distressed look.
:-)


--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Ultimate office automation: Networked
coffee machines!
-------------------------------------------

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> On Sun 06 Jul 2008 11:11:11a, told us...
>
>> On Sun, 6 Jul 2008 03:13:43 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>I'd have soft wood in the kitchen
>>
>> "Soft" wood, like pine? That's a no. Ever had pine furniture? It
>> dings easily.
>
> But it's easily restained and the "dings" add to a nicely distressed look.
> :-)
>
>
ROFL. 'a nicely distressed look'. I like it ;-)
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Egg tastes better when it's not on your face...

On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:36:46 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

>On Sun 06 Jul 2008 11:11:11a, told us...
>
>> On Sun, 6 Jul 2008 03:13:43 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>I'd have soft wood in the kitchen
>>
>> "Soft" wood, like pine? That's a no. Ever had pine furniture? It
>> dings easily.
>
>But it's easily restained and the "dings" add to a nicely distressed look.
>:-)

Depending on the finish, of course. I still would *not* want a pine
floor.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 12:14:14p, told us...

> On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:36:46 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>>On Sun 06 Jul 2008 11:11:11a, told us...
>>
>>> On Sun, 6 Jul 2008 03:13:43 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>>I'd have soft wood in the kitchen
>>>
>>> "Soft" wood, like pine? That's a no. Ever had pine furniture? It
dings
>>> easily.
>>
>>But it's easily restained and the "dings" add to a nicely distressed
look.
>>:-)
>
> Depending on the finish, of course. I still would *not* want a pine
> floor.
>
>

I probably would want one either, but I have seen an old kitchen with a
wide plank heart pine floor that was really beautiful. The floor was very
old.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
I bought a cordless extension cord.
-------------------------------------------

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> As I see it, the problem is that a breakfast room and guest bathroom are
> more "presentation" spaces, where the kitchen, mud room, and laundry
> room are more "industrial" spaces. If it were *me*, I'd have the same
> hardwood in the breakfast room as in the rest of the house, I'd have
> soft wood in the kitchen, I'd have tile in the guest bedroom, and I'd
> have painted concrete in the mud room and laundry room.
>

Ohhhh, my kind of guy.
blacksalt

Goomba wrote:
>
> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it?

I have tile flooring in the kitchen (and most of the house). I like it. It
looks good, is pretty hard wearing and if you spill something on it it's
easy to clean up in two ticks. I haven't found it any harder on my
back/legs than vinyl or hard wood in the kitchen (and I think I'm a tad
older than you <grin>). But... if you don't have under-floor heating it can
be a bit cold in winter.

Another thing I will point out about tile floors tho' - be aware that if you
drop any heavy cook-ware etc. on it in the kitchen the tiles may crack

For instance, I have a marble mortar and pestle. I put the pestle down on
the counter a bit too close to the edge when I was using it one day and I
managed to 'bump' it, somehow. It subsequently "rolled off" the counter
onto the tiles before I could catch it... I now have a (hairline) crack in
two tiles, and I don't have any spares (the previous owners put the
flooring in and didn't leave any 'extras')... It's not *that* noticeable,
you have to look pretty closely - but *I* know it's there, and it annoys
the heck outta me. However, it will mean replacing the whole
kitchen/laundry floor to fix it because I cannot get the same
design/pattern anymore, I've looked - sigh. I'm just not up for that at the
moment. It's not just the expense, it's the inconvenience of having the
kitchen 'out of action' while it's being re-done. So, if you do go for
tile, may I suggest you get a few extras and keep them - just in case?
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Egg tastes better when it's not on your face...

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 04:51:35a, ChattyCathy told us...

> Goomba wrote:
>>
>> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
>> hate it?
>
> I have tile flooring in the kitchen (and most of the house). I like it.
> It looks good, is pretty hard wearing and if you spill something on it
> it's easy to clean up in two ticks. I haven't found it any harder on my
> back/legs than vinyl or hard wood in the kitchen (and I think I'm a tad
> older than you <grin>). But... if you don't have under-floor heating it
> can be a bit cold in winter.
>
> Another thing I will point out about tile floors tho' - be aware that if
> you drop any heavy cook-ware etc. on it in the kitchen the tiles may
> crack
>
> For instance, I have a marble mortar and pestle. I put the pestle down
> on the counter a bit too close to the edge when I was using it one day
> and I managed to 'bump' it, somehow. It subsequently "rolled off" the
> counter onto the tiles before I could catch it... I now have a
> (hairline) crack in two tiles, and I don't have any spares (the previous
> owners put the flooring in and didn't leave any 'extras')... It's not
> *that* noticeable, you have to look pretty closely - but *I* know it's
> there, and it annoys the heck outta me. However, it will mean replacing
> the whole kitchen/laundry floor to fix it because I cannot get the same
> design/pattern anymore, I've looked - sigh. I'm just not up for that at
> the moment. It's not just the expense, it's the inconvenience of having
> the kitchen 'out of action' while it's being re-done. So, if you do go
> for tile, may I suggest you get a few extras and keep them - just in
> case?

What color is your tile, Cathy? In a previous home in Ohio, we had an
almond color ceramic tile put down by the previous owner, with no spares on
hand. There were a couple of tiles that had hairline cracks and a couple
that had tiny chips in them which revealed the darker color below the
almond glaze. I bought a bottle of almond colored appliance touch up
paint. Working very quickly I used a tiny brush to force the paint into
the cracks and chips, quickly wiping all excess off the surface. They
damages were virtually invisible unless you were down on your knees looking
for them. Something to consider.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Cats must drag dirty socks up from the
basement in the middle of the night.
-------------------------------------------

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>
> What color is your tile, Cathy? In a previous home in Ohio, we had an
> almond color ceramic tile put down by the previous owner, with no spares
> on
> hand. There were a couple of tiles that had hairline cracks and a couple
> that had tiny chips in them which revealed the darker color below the
> almond glaze. I bought a bottle of almond colored appliance touch up
> paint. Working very quickly I used a tiny brush to force the paint into
> the cracks and chips, quickly wiping all excess off the surface. They
> damages were virtually invisible unless you were down on your knees
> looking
> for them. Something to consider.
>

Wayne,

Our tiles in the kitchen/laundry have a sort of very light 'peachy'
background color with patches/swirls(?) of various shades of brown in them.
We did fill in the crack with some grouting (if that's what it's called?)
that we tried to make the same color as the main part of the tile with some
coloring - but like I said it still shows if you look closely. Irritates
the cr*p outta me, because the previous owners left a whole bunch of other
useless stuff behind in the yard and they only picked up some of it - sigh.
A couple of spare tiles would have been a god-send, but I never thought to
ask if they had any before they left... silly me.
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Egg tastes better when it's not on your face...

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 08:28:00a, ChattyCathy told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>>
>> What color is your tile, Cathy? In a previous home in Ohio, we had an
>> almond color ceramic tile put down by the previous owner, with no
>> spares on hand. There were a couple of tiles that had hairline cracks
>> and a couple that had tiny chips in them which revealed the darker
>> color below the almond glaze. I bought a bottle of almond colored
>> appliance touch up paint. Working very quickly I used a tiny brush to
>> force the paint into the cracks and chips, quickly wiping all excess
>> off the surface. They damages were virtually invisible unless you were
>> down on your knees looking for them. Something to consider.
>>
>
> Wayne,
>
> Our tiles in the kitchen/laundry have a sort of very light 'peachy'
> background color with patches/swirls(?) of various shades of brown in
> them. We did fill in the crack with some grouting (if that's what it's
> called?) that we tried to make the same color as the main part of the
> tile with some coloring - but like I said it still shows if you look
> closely. Irritates the cr*p outta me, because the previous owners left a
> whole bunch of other useless stuff behind in the yard and they only
> picked up some of it - sigh. A couple of spare tiles would have been a
> god-send, but I never thought to ask if they had any before they left...
> silly me.

Well, sorry. It was just a thought. :-(

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Fortunately, the second-to-last bug
has been fixed.
-------------------------------------------

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> On Sun 06 Jul 2008 08:28:00a, ChattyCathy told us...
>
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> What color is your tile, Cathy? In a previous home in Ohio, we had an
>>> almond color ceramic tile put down by the previous owner, with no
>>> spares on hand. There were a couple of tiles that had hairline cracks
>>> and a couple that had tiny chips in them which revealed the darker
>>> color below the almond glaze. I bought a bottle of almond colored
>>> appliance touch up paint. Working very quickly I used a tiny brush to
>>> force the paint into the cracks and chips, quickly wiping all excess
>>> off the surface. They damages were virtually invisible unless you were
>>> down on your knees looking for them. Something to consider.
>>>
>>
>> Wayne,
>>
>> Our tiles in the kitchen/laundry have a sort of very light 'peachy'
>> background color with patches/swirls(?) of various shades of brown in
>> them. We did fill in the crack with some grouting (if that's what it's
>> called?) that we tried to make the same color as the main part of the
>> tile with some coloring - but like I said it still shows if you look
>> closely. Irritates the cr*p outta me, because the previous owners left a
>> whole bunch of other useless stuff behind in the yard and they only
>> picked up some of it - sigh. A couple of spare tiles would have been a
>> god-send, but I never thought to ask if they had any before they left...
>> silly me.
>
> Well, sorry. It was just a thought. :-(
>
Oops. I didn't mean to sound rude or offend you, but we also had the same
idea and it didn't quite come off the way we hoped...which was a real
bummer. Maybe if the tiles were a 'solid color' it would have been just
fine. I could kick myself for not being more careful, but as they say, this
kinda sh*t happens, so I just wanted to warn Goomba to keep spares if she
goes that route ;-)
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Egg tastes better when it's not on your face...

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 07:07:49a, Michael "Dog3" told us...

> Wayne Boatwright >
> 6.120: in
> rec.food.cooking
>
>> On Sun 06 Jul 2008 04:51:35a, ChattyCathy told us...
>>
>>> Goomba wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love
>>>> or hate it?
>>>
>>> I have tile flooring in the kitchen (and most of the house). I like
>>> it. It looks good, is pretty hard wearing and if you spill something
>>> on it it's easy to clean up in two ticks. I haven't found it any
>>> harder on my back/legs than vinyl or hard wood in the kitchen (and I
>>> think I'm a tad older than you <grin>). But... if you don't have
>>> under-floor heating it can be a bit cold in winter.
>>>
>>> Another thing I will point out about tile floors tho' - be aware that
>>> if you drop any heavy cook-ware etc. on it in the kitchen the tiles
>>> may crack
>
> <snip for space>
>
> Our porcelain is so patterned (dark) that I don't think you could tell if
> there was a crack in it or not. We'll see. This is my first experience
> with a tile floor. We have a couple of boxes of "extras" if we need to
> make repairs. Our old floor was linoleum and the kitchen floors in the
> condos were parquet. It'll be interesting to see what happens as time
> wears on.
>
>>
>> What color is your tile, Cathy? In a previous home in Ohio, we had an
>> almond color ceramic tile put down by the previous owner, with no
>> spares on hand. There were a couple of tiles that had hairline cracks
>> and a couple that had tiny chips in them which revealed the darker
>> color below the almond glaze. I bought a bottle of almond colored
>> appliance touch up paint. Working very quickly I used a tiny brush to
>> force the paint into the cracks and chips, quickly wiping all excess
>> off the surface. They damages were virtually invisible unless you
>> were down on your knees looking for them. Something to consider.
>
> I am "told" that the porcelain we bought is harder than traditional
> ceramic tile. My brother also has porcelain in his kitchen. He loves
> it. He did say that anything you drop on the floor will most likely get
> broken.
>
> Michael
>
>

Yes, porcelain is harder than ceramic. Also, with many porcelain tiles,
the color runs throughout the tile. It should not show scratches easily.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
'Bad knee, gotta run.' --Pat Buchanan
to his draft board.
-------------------------------------------

ChattyCathy wrote:

> I have tile flooring in the kitchen (and most of the house). I like it. It
> looks good, is pretty hard wearing and if you spill something on it it's
> easy to clean up in two ticks. I haven't found it any harder on my
> back/legs than vinyl or hard wood in the kitchen (and I think I'm a tad
> older than you <grin>). But... if you don't have under-floor heating it can
> be a bit cold in winter.

I loved our under floor heating system in both our apartments in
Germany. It was so cozy in the winter! And makes sense as heat rises.

> ...I now have a (hairline) crack in
> two tiles, and I don't have any spares (the previous owners put the
> flooring in and didn't leave any 'extras')... It's not *that* noticeable,
> you have to look pretty closely - but *I* know it's there, and it annoys
> the heck outta me. However, it will mean replacing the whole
> kitchen/laundry floor to fix it because I cannot get the same
> design/pattern anymore, I've looked - sigh. I'm just not up for that at the
> moment. It's not just the expense, it's the inconvenience of having the
> kitchen 'out of action' while it's being re-done. So, if you do go for
> tile, may I suggest you get a few extras and keep them - just in case?

Excellent advice!

Goomba wrote:
> ChattyCathy wrote:
> >
> > So, if you do go for tile, may I suggest you get a few extras
> and keep them - just in case?
>
> Excellent advice!

No extra brain cells needed for that one... that's true of any
flooring, even with carpeting having an exra piece can repair a stain
or burn. In fact with any product it's advisable to have some extra,
like paints, fabrics, even fence slats and house siding and roofing
shingles... anyone who knits/sews knows to save some extra of the same
lot number... that's why better garments have extra buttons sewn into
a hidden spot.

Sheldon wrote:

> Goomba wrote:
>> ChattyCathy wrote:
>> >
>> > So, if you do go for tile, may I suggest you get a few extras
>> and keep them - just in case?
>>
>> Excellent advice!
>
> No extra brain cells needed for that one... that's true of any
> flooring, even with carpeting having an exra piece can repair a stain
> or burn. In fact with any product it's advisable to have some extra,
> like paints, fabrics, even fence slats and house siding and roofing
> shingles... anyone who knits/sews knows to save some extra of the same
> lot number... that's why better garments have extra buttons sewn into
> a hidden spot.

Fair enough - if you have had the flooring or carpeting put in yourself. In
my case the flooring was in situ, and my biggest mistake was forgetting to
ask the previous owners if they had any spares.

Another thing. If you do the work yourself and/or buy the flooring/materials
yourself, you usually have a few spares, and you get to keep them by
default. However, IME, if one has contractors in to do the whole job,
unless you specifically ask them, they hot-foot it out there with anything
that's left over - using the excuse that they are 'cleaning up' after the
job. Obviously, we do as much DIY as we can, because of that.
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Egg tastes better when it's not on your face...

ChattyCathy wrote:

> Another thing. If you do the work yourself and/or buy the
> flooring/materials yourself, you usually have a few spares, and you
> get to keep them by default. However, IME, if one has contractors in
> to do the whole job, unless you specifically ask them, they hot-foot
> it out there with anything that's left over - using the excuse that
> they are 'cleaning up' after the job.

Oh, I was steamed! If I had known the guy was going to take
off with my extra tile, I would have hidden a box. He's the one
who told me how much to order, now I know why. Not that it
was a lot, but I have a cracked tile I'd like to replace.

What a rip off.

nancy

Sheldon wrote:
> Goomba wrote:
>> ChattyCathy wrote:
>>> So, if you do go for tile, may I suggest you get a few extras
>> and keep them - just in case?
>>
>> Excellent advice!
>
> No extra brain cells needed for that one... that's true of any
> flooring, even with carpeting having an exra piece can repair a stain
> or burn.

Well to be honest Sheldon, I actually never considered that hard floor
tile needs or actually gets replaced individually. So while it makes
excellent sense it wasn't something I'd previously thought of. I am glad
CC mentioned it.

On Jul 6, 4:37�am, Goomba > wrote:
> I've mentioned here that we're updating/improving our kitchen. We've
> ordered the cabinets and granite, and just purchased the new range (the
> top rated gas model listed in Consumer's Reports recently) and over the
> range microwave oven/hood. I'm looking for a bottom freezer refrigerator
> but we can live with the old one until I find the perfect appliance at
> the best price. Lighting changes and flooring are still undecided.
>
> I'd love to hear input from folks who have tile as to how they love or
> hate it? I currently have vinyl, but have had heated tile in the past. I
> was younger then so might have been less aware of problems, but am
> concerned with the "hardness" of the floor for comfort? I am getting
> older now (sob!) and don't want to find tile floors are ergodynamically
> poor choices down the road after standing in the kitchen for extended
> periods. I recall my mother explaining how good dance floors are wood
> and impact absorbing properties over hard cement floors that are more
> jarring to your body. Yet wood floors aren't too practical in kitchens,
> are they?? �I'm also interested in linoleum as I keep reading that it
> might be fairly "green" as well as good cost.
>
> The floor choice would need to be practical for the kitchen, breakfast
> room, mud room, laundry room and guest bathroom. The rest of the
> downstairs is hardwood.
>
> Thanks for any input
> Goomba

I love my hardwood (Brazilian cherry) kitchen floor... I have the same
floor in a half bath and my laundry room too.. with the new space age
sealers and cleaning systems moisture is not a problem. Whichever
material make sure to have the floor installed full room/wall to wall,
*before* cabinets/appliances go in, most especially if you choose
tile.