Dave Smith wrote:
>
> sf wrote:
> > On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:37:32 -0700, "gloria.p" >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Not wearing shoes in the house helps.
> >
> > Not having large, active dogs helps too.
>
> Dogs make it hard to keep a kitchen clean. We don't have much choice
> about dogs in the kitchen because our main entrance leads directly into
> the kitchen so we get paw prints running through when the dog goes in
> and out. It was a lot worse when we had two dogs. The other one was a
> big hairy thing that shed a lot. I had to keep his face trimmed because
> he slopped so much water around. Every time he went through the kitchen
> he would go over to his water bowl and have a bite of water, and a mean
> a bite, not a bit. He would go over,stick hi head in and just bite at
> it, probably getting more on his beard than into his mouth, and then he
> would turn and walk away, dripping water across the floor. I kept a mob
> and bucket nearby and was constantly cleaning up after him.

Good grief - and just why would you allow such a filthy beast in your
home at all??? I still can't understand why anyone would want a dog,
they are dirty, noisy, smelly and dangerous. When was the last time you
heard of a child being mauled to death by a domestic cat? When was the
last time you heard of noise complaints due to a barking cat? When was
the last time your house smelled like wet cat? When was the last time a
cat tracked mud all over your house?

On Nov 9, 7:32*am, "Jean B." > wrote:
> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. *Before we move in, I am
> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
> wall-to-wall carpet). *Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
> flooring in the kitchen. *Thanks!

We just bought the house next door. WOOHOO! We close Dec. 1st. My
current kitchen has parquet that I put in myself. The new house has
ceramic tile. I now have an excuse to buy a front loading washer. We
have to leave our appliances in this house because we're going to rent
it out until the housing market improves. I've got to strip all the
old paint off of the kitchen cabinets and repaint them.

http://www.trulia.com/property/10903...ights-MO-63117

In pic #17 you can see our house to the right. It was a foreclosure
and we got a great deal.
>
> --
> Jean B.

--Bryan

Pete C. wrote:

>
> Good grief - and just why would you allow such a filthy beast in your
> home at all??? I still can't understand why anyone would want a dog,
> they are dirty, noisy, smelly and dangerous. When was the last time you
> heard of a child being mauled to death by a domestic cat? When was the
> last time you heard of noise complaints due to a barking cat? When was
> the last time your house smelled like wet cat? When was the last time a
> cat tracked mud all over your house?


Pete:
You need to understand that there are dog people and cat people
and never the twain shall meet. I agree with you, but all those
dog folks are gonna bite you in the butt big time. ;-)

gloria p

On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:32:50 -0800 (PST), --Bryan >
wrote:

>In pic #17 you can see our house to the right. It was a foreclosure
>and we got a great deal.

Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you, but what a deal and
you didn't even have to move out of the neighborhood.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Nov 9, 5:56*pm, sf > wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:32:50 -0800 (PST), --Bryan >
> wrote:
>
> >In pic #17 you can see our house to the right. *It was a foreclosure
> >and we got a great deal.
>
> Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you, but what a deal and
> you didn't even have to move out of the neighborhood. *
>
I get to buy a new range too.

--Bryan

On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:58:10 -0800 (PST), --Bryan >
wrote:

>On Nov 9, 5:56*pm, sf > wrote:
>> On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:32:50 -0800 (PST), --Bryan >
>> wrote:
>>
>> >In pic #17 you can see our house to the right. *It was a foreclosure
>> >and we got a great deal.
>>
>> Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you, but what a deal and
>> you didn't even have to move out of the neighborhood. *
>>
>I get to buy a new range too.
>

I love appliance shopping. Does your wife get to have any input?
Just askin'!


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:52:00 -0500, Goomba >
wrote:

>sf wrote:
>> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:17:15 -0500, Goomba >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> http://i37.tinypic.com/9pxtok.jpg
>>> http://i34.tinypic.com/f8036.jpg
>>
>> That's a great choice, I love the stone look. Is it resilient too?
>> We didn't go with any sort of tile in the kitchen because I hate
>> grout.
>>
>The grout in this tile is fake. It is part of the tile design with faux
>grout lines on two sides so that when they go to lay the tile down it is
>bordered on all sides by grout lines. It looks very, very real. Many
>guests come and mistake it for real tile.
>
>It has been very resilient so far.

I have 12X12 tile that looks very similar but without the faux grout.
The high traffic area is just starting to show stress at a few of the
joints after 12 years. Everything else looks as it did when it was
new. IIRC it was like a buck a foot.

Lou

Nancy2 wrote:
>
> Real wood is nice and warm-looking, but I
> certainly wouldn't want the maintenance.

What maintenance?

Except for my main bath every floor in my house is hardwood, that's
more than 2,000 sq ft of hard wood flooring... aside from occasional
vacuuming and microfiber mopping there is no maintenance whatsoever.
Most of my hardwood floors are over 50 years old and my newer hardwood
floors are like 6 years old they all look as good as brand new... and
I live in a very rural area where folks track schmootz on boondocker
clodhoppers and I myself make very little effort about not tracking in
dirt, and I have six cats. Hardwood flooring is tough, what do you
think is used on professional basketball courts, rollerskating rinks,
bowling alleys...

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:34:51 -0700, "gloria.p" >
wrote:

>George Leppla wrote:
>
>>
>> That said, I wish we had put a tile floor in the kitchen. For some
>> reason, I'm just not used to a wood floor there. It looks great... but
>> doesn't "feel" right.... probably because all the cabinets are wood
>> grained. My wife disagrees with me.... she loves it.
>
>Then it was the right choice, of course. ;-)

Of course it's the right choice. All my kitchen cabinets, closet
doors, and kitchen wall paneling is from the same tree that grew on
this property... in fact every stick of lumber used to build this
house came from trees growing on this property... that I used real
hardwood flooring for my kitchen couldn't "feel" more right.

brooklyn1 wrote:
>
> Nancy2 wrote:
> >
> > Real wood is nice and warm-looking, but I
> > certainly wouldn't want the maintenance.
>
> What maintenance?
>
> Except for my main bath every floor in my house is hardwood, that's
> more than 2,000 sq ft of hard wood flooring... aside from occasional
> vacuuming and microfiber mopping there is no maintenance whatsoever.
> Most of my hardwood floors are over 50 years old and my newer hardwood
> floors are like 6 years old they all look as good as brand new... and
> I live in a very rural area where folks track schmootz on boondocker
> clodhoppers and I myself make very little effort about not tracking in
> dirt, and I have six cats. Hardwood flooring is tough, what do you
> think is used on professional basketball courts, rollerskating rinks,
> bowling alleys...

Absolutely. It takes a decade or more of severe abuse to get a quality
hardwood floor to the point that it needs refinishing, and after
refinishing it is good as new. A full dimensional hardwood floor can be
refinished a dozen times easily. Even the thin engineered hardwood
floors can be refinished a couple times.

Pete C. wrote:
>
>> Dogs make it hard to keep a kitchen clean. We don't have much choice
>> about dogs in the kitchen because our main entrance leads directly into
>> the kitchen so we get paw prints running through when the dog goes in
>> and out. It was a lot worse when we had two dogs. The other one was a
>> big hairy thing that shed a lot. I had to keep his face trimmed because
>> he slopped so much water around. Every time he went through the kitchen
>> he would go over to his water bowl and have a bite of water, and a mean
>> a bite, not a bit. He would go over,stick hi head in and just bite at
>> it, probably getting more on his beard than into his mouth, and then he
>> would turn and walk away, dripping water across the floor. I kept a mob
>> and bucket nearby and was constantly cleaning up after him.
>
> Good grief - and just why would you allow such a filthy beast in your
> home at all??? I still can't understand why anyone would want a dog,
> they are dirty, noisy, smelly and dangerous. When was the last time you
> heard of a child being mauled to death by a domestic cat? When was the
> last time you heard of noise complaints due to a barking cat? When was
> the last time your house smelled like wet cat? When was the last time a
> cat tracked mud all over your house?

And cats aren't smelly? My dogs don't get up on the furniture and they
don't walk around on the kitchen counters helping themselves to food.

Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On Nov 9, 8:32 am, "Jean B." > wrote:
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>
> I like sheet vinyl in the kitchen. No seams. Easy on the feet.
> Forgiving if you drop stuff. Comes in many styles.
>
> Cindy Hamilton

Thank you. I am going to do a list of all answers, do some
searching, etc. I hope the outcome is pleasing.

--
Jean B.

Michael "Dog3" wrote:
> "Jean B." > : in
> rec.food.cooking
>
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>
> We have porcelain and love it. It is hard though. If you drop something on
> it be prepared for whatever you dropped to either break or be damaged. Not
> everything breaks of course but some things will break or crack.
>
> Michael
>
>
Thank you, Michael. (Nice to see some posts from you, BTW.) That
seems like an unusual choice!

--
Jean B.

Goomba wrote:
> Jean B. wrote:
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see the
>> conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the kitchen.
>> Thanks!
>>
> I tried to find my posts about this topic in the archives but can't.
> I remodeled my entire kitchen about 18 months ago. My entire downstairs
> is hardwood, yet I didn't want it in kitchen because of not wanting to
> worry about babying it from moisture in the kitchen. I knew I didn't
> want to stand for long periods on cold, hard ceramic tile, and wasn't
> impressed with the sheet vinyl patterns I saw (boring!). Consumer's
> Reports did an entire issue on remodeling products and one of their top
> rated vinyl tiles was Congoleum's Durastone 16 inch square tiles. We
> settled on a tile that at first made me nervous because it was a tad
> dark-but had wonderful colorations in it. It looks like real stone, its
> amazing. The installation requires mastic on the floor, just like real
> tiles. I think it looks great!! Here is one corner, but I don't know
> that the computer image does it justice.
>
> http://i37.tinypic.com/9pxtok.jpg
> http://i34.tinypic.com/f8036.jpg

Nice look there, Goomba. Right now I have linoleum that looks
kind-of like flagstone. I don't dislike it. The irregular
coloration seems to have pros and cons as far as showing dirt goes!

--
Jean B.

Kalmia wrote:
> On Nov 9, 8:32 am, "Jean B." > wrote:
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> Whatever you do, don't put in any sort of carpeting. We bought a
> place once with indoor-outdoor in the kitchen - dark brown - I can't
> imagine how filthy it must've been. It got replaced, pronto.
>
> I like tile, altho the grout can get dark and nasty. Pick a light
> color tile and you'll then see how often you need to wash it - ha. I
> could do mine daily!! I don't like a pattern either - harder to wash.

I see there was later discussion of grout.

I have read enough about carpeting to make sure that it is all
taken out of this house and replaced by something else. If I have
any rugs in the kitchen, they will be small, and wasily washed!

--
Jean B.

brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:32:06 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>
> I love hardwood flooring, real hardwood, not that fake Pergo laminate
> crap. Except for my main bathroom every floor in my house is
> hardwood. All the bedrooms, living room, hallways, even inside all
> closets were white oak when I moved in. My kitchen, dining area, and
> laundry room floors were covered with awful green vinyl tiles... had
> Brazilian cherry installed over all that, I love it... looks terrific
> and is super easy to care for. You never wash hardwood floors, and
> with the new finishes there is no reason to ever wax a hardwood
> floor... once a week a quick vacuuming and an easy peasy once over
> with the Bonakemi hardwood floor care system:
> http://www.mybonahome.com/Home.aspx
>
> I had hard tiles installed in my last kitchen, never realized how much
> I'd grow to hate it; was cold, noisy, hard on the feet, was difficult
> to keep the grout clean, and tile scratches easily.
>
> Make certain to have a professional hardwood flooring installer do the
> job... there are too many "handimen" out there who haven't the
> knowlege or proper equipment... definitely not a DIY project:
> http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/
>
> Real hardwood flooring is forever so it costs less than all other
> types of flooring... it can be refinished, and given a whole new look
> with various treatments; stains, pickling, and bleaching. Hardwood
> flooring costs less to install, does away with the need to install a
> new sub floor, it covers all blemishes that would be enhanced with
> vinyl... being a full 3/4" thick it goes directly over old vinyl and
> less than perfect sub flooring.
>
> No other flooring looks as rich and generates the warmth af real
> hardwood flooring (figuratively and literally - an excellent
> insulator/sound proofing). There are many types and grades of
> hardwood and various ways it's sawn so it behooves one to educate
> themself before running out to buy.
>
> Hallway:
> http://i35.tinypic.com/14vs768.jpg
>
> Livingroom:
> http://i38.tinypic.com/2z5vdl4.jpg
>
> Goodbye ugli vinyl:
> http://i37.tinypic.com/25zgua8.jpg
>
> Be sure to remove all moldings, cut into door jambs, and floor inside
> all closets:
> http://i34.tinypic.com/16lyd0w.jpg
>
> Everyone loves my new kitchen floor:
> http://i33.tinypic.com/28upbg8.jpg
> http://i38.tinypic.com/20a29h3.jpg
>
> Any questions feel free.
>
Thanks for those links, which I will examine more carefully
tomorrow. I will be putting in hardwood for most of the flooring
and am just unsure about the kitchen and bathrooms. Your kitchen
floor does look splendid though, so maybe!

My agent suggested engineered hardwood--actually they sound like
the prefinished floors on the NWFA site. I need to look into that.

I am about out of time for the night but will continue perusing
suggestions--and looking more carefully at the links, which I
thank you for, Sheldon. Thanks, too, for the tips!

--
Jean B.

Felice wrote:
> "Jean B." > wrote in message
> ...
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see the
>> conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the kitchen.
>> Thanks!
>
> I thought my glazed quarry tile was the most gorgeous floor ever, despite
> the occasional loss of china and glassware. But when we moved house I put in
> Pergo and was delighted with it. It comes in great colors, and is easier on
> the feet and the breakables.
>
> Felice
>
>
I never think that things are going to break more easily on hard
floor. My mind then goes to Corelle, which normally doesn't break
on the current floor. Maybe it would on tile etc.? I suppose,
too, that some such floors could themselves be damaged.

--
Jean B.

gloria.p wrote:
> Jean B. wrote:
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see the
>> conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the kitchen.
>> Thanks!
>>
>
>
> It depends on your climate. I like the look and care of tile in the
> kitchen but it gets too cold here in CO about 8 months of the year for
> me to want unheated tile floors.
>
> Our kitchen floor, entry hall, family room and dining room are oak with
> walnut pegs. Given the choice I would have installed a lighter, less
> "grainy" wood. Some people like oak, I don't particularly.
>
> With wood floors you either have to put rugs down in heavy traffic areas
> or be prepared to refinish every few years
> where the finish gets worn. Not wearing shoes in the house helps.
>
> gloria p

We wear socks inside, but sometimes guests do not--and the cats'
claws do make little marks on the floor. The contrast between the
pegs and the flooring sounds beautiful to me!

--
Jean B.

Nancy2 wrote:
> On Nov 9, 7:32 am, "Jean B." > wrote:
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> I've never had kitchen carpet (ugh - why would anyone?) or hardwood
> (too hard to maintain - the real stuff, that is) or stone or ceramic
> tile (too easy to break stuff/too cold on bare feet).
>
> I had inlaid linoleum when we built the house, and now I have vinyl
> that looks like stone - sorry to any purists out there, but it is easy
> to clean, easy to maintain, and will never look bad.
>
> A second choice would be fake wood, I guess....it would have some give
> to it, and be pretty easy to maintain and clean.
>
> N.

Yes, I currently have linoleum that looks like flagstones. Not
bad. Maybe I should add that the next kitchen has a big opening
to the diningroom, so that might color the aesthetic choice.

--
Jean B.

Debbie wrote:
>
> "Jean B." > wrote in message
> ...
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see the
>> conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the kitchen.
>> Thanks!
>>
>
> I have ceramic and would love to replace the carpeting in the rest of
> the house with it.
>
>
> Debbie

Wow! Where do you live? I have seen houses with a lot of tile,
and I missed the hardwood. I guess I expect that in most of the
house.

--
Jean B.

sf wrote:
> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:32:06 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>
> Good choice on the hardwood floors, it's a great choice for many
> reasons and resale value is high on the list.
>
> We put an engineered wood floor in the kitchen a few months ago. The
> color we chose was a medium tone which is darkening quickly. Even
> though the planks vary in shades, it is definitely not a good choice
> for a working kitchen because every spot shows. So if my advice is -
> if you go with wood, go lighter. Do your homework about how dark even
> the lightest of woods will be eventually.
>
> I'm still partial to the vinyl that mimics stone for my kitchen.
> Spots don't stand out on that one.
>
> Good luck!
>
Hi. I'd love to hear more about the engineered wood, which my
agent suggested. Thanks for the tip about the wood darkening. It
would be useful to see what the color would be when aged. It must
be like my cherry furniture, which has aged to a beautiful color.

--
Jean B.

George Leppla wrote:
> Felice wrote:
>> "Jean B." > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
>>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see
>>> the conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the
>>> kitchen. Thanks!
>>
>> I thought my glazed quarry tile was the most gorgeous floor ever,
>> despite the occasional loss of china and glassware. But when we moved
>> house I put in Pergo and was delighted with it. It comes in great
>> colors, and is easier on the feet and the breakables.
>
>
> When we bought this house, we had laminate wood floors installed in
> every room... including baths, utility room, closets and kitchen.....
> 2000+ sq feet and it sure wasn't cheap. The newer laminates are great
> looking, have a wear life that will outlive me and are very easy to
> maintain. With the humid weather here in the south, I just didn't want
> wall-to-wall carpeting.
>
> Laminates aren't usually recommended for any "wet" areas like bathrooms,
> but we don't have any children so spills and constant dampness haven't
> been a problem. I have to admit that I had reservations about doing
> this, but after almost 3 years, the floors look just as good as they did
> they day they were installed.
>
> That said, I wish we had put a tile floor in the kitchen. For some
> reason, I'm just not used to a wood floor there. It looks great... but
> doesn't "feel" right.... probably because all the cabinets are wood
> grained. My wife disagrees with me.... she loves it.
>
> George L

Interesting. The current kitchen has white cabinets. I don't
love them, but there is so much I want done that they will
probably be there for a while. I need to think about the floor
both with those cabinets and with possible replacements.

--
Jean B.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:30:19 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

Maybe I should add that the next kitchen has a big opening
>to the diningroom, so that might color the aesthetic choice.

Aside from the new floors, will you now have room for all your
cookbooks?

Christine

Zeppo wrote:
>
>
> "Jean B." > wrote in message
> ...
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see the
>> conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the kitchen.
>> Thanks!
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> Jean when redid our kitchen a few years ago we annexed the dining room
> to make a larger eat-in kitchen. The dining room had beautiful oak
> floors that we decide to extend into the kitchen. Both our kitchen
> designer and our flooring sub-contractor assured us there would be no
> problems with the finish or water, and would be a lot more comfortable.
> We had the floor heavily polyurethane coated and will need to redo that
> every 4 or 5 years. So far, so good. No issues at all. spills wipe up
> and a leaking dishwasher didn't damage it. It looks great, too.
>
> Jon

Thanks! Since the kitchen and dining area are very connected, and
I am thinking of extending the kitchen into that area, that is
relevant to my situation.

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> Jean B. wrote:
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see the
>> conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the kitchen.
>> Thanks!
>
> Hardwood floors and cats are not a good combination.
>
> -ssw

Well, Sheldon, for one, has cats, so he can probably comment on that.

--
Jean B.

gloria.p wrote:
> Nancy2 wrote:
>
>>
>> I've never had kitchen carpet (ugh - why would anyone?) or hardwood
>> (too hard to maintain - the real stuff, that is) or stone or ceramic
>> tile (too easy to break stuff/too cold on bare feet).
>>
>> I had inlaid linoleum when we built the house, and now I have vinyl
>> that looks like stone - sorry to any purists out there, but it is easy
>> to clean, easy to maintain, and will never look bad.
>>
>> A second choice would be fake wood, I guess....it would have some give
>> to it, and be pretty easy to maintain and clean.
>>
>> N.
>
>
> I think we're showing our age when so many of us prize ease and
> convenience over style. ;-)
>
> gloria p

Then I shan't get old! Yeah, right.

--
Jean B.

Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
>> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
>> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
>> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
>
> I like my linoleum tile. Tile because I can replace a damaged spot more
> easily. I bought a few extra boxes so I'd make sure I had the same
> color...

I see that would be wise for several choices.

--
Jean B.

brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:34:51 -0700, "gloria.p" >
> wrote:
>
>> George Leppla wrote:
>>
>>> That said, I wish we had put a tile floor in the kitchen. For some
>>> reason, I'm just not used to a wood floor there. It looks great... but
>>> doesn't "feel" right.... probably because all the cabinets are wood
>>> grained. My wife disagrees with me.... she loves it.
>> Then it was the right choice, of course. ;-)
>
> Of course it's the right choice. All my kitchen cabinets, closet
> doors, and kitchen wall paneling is from the same tree that grew on
> this property... in fact every stick of lumber used to build this
> house came from trees growing on this property... that I used real
> hardwood flooring for my kitchen couldn't "feel" more right.
>
>
That is very neat!

--
Jean B.

Pete C. wrote:
> brooklyn1 wrote:
>> Nancy2 wrote:
>>> Real wood is nice and warm-looking, but I
>>> certainly wouldn't want the maintenance.
>> What maintenance?
>>
>> Except for my main bath every floor in my house is hardwood, that's
>> more than 2,000 sq ft of hard wood flooring... aside from occasional
>> vacuuming and microfiber mopping there is no maintenance whatsoever.
>> Most of my hardwood floors are over 50 years old and my newer hardwood
>> floors are like 6 years old they all look as good as brand new... and
>> I live in a very rural area where folks track schmootz on boondocker
>> clodhoppers and I myself make very little effort about not tracking in
>> dirt, and I have six cats. Hardwood flooring is tough, what do you
>> think is used on professional basketball courts, rollerskating rinks,
>> bowling alleys...
>
> Absolutely. It takes a decade or more of severe abuse to get a quality
> hardwood floor to the point that it needs refinishing, and after
> refinishing it is good as new. A full dimensional hardwood floor can be
> refinished a dozen times easily. Even the thin engineered hardwood
> floors can be refinished a couple times.

Are engineered hardwood floors necessarily thin? I was just told
that they would expedite the coating and curing process. I don't
want something I might regret in the future.

--
Jean B.

gloria.p wrote:
> Pete C. wrote:
>
>>
>> Good grief - and just why would you allow such a filthy beast in your
>> home at all??? I still can't understand why anyone would want a dog,
>> they are dirty, noisy, smelly and dangerous. When was the last time you
>> heard of a child being mauled to death by a domestic cat? When was the
>> last time you heard of noise complaints due to a barking cat? When was
>> the last time your house smelled like wet cat? When was the last time a
>> cat tracked mud all over your house?
>
>
> Pete:
> You need to understand that there are dog people and cat people and
> never the twain shall meet. I agree with you, but all those dog folks
> are gonna bite you in the butt big time. ;-)

And then there are people like me: dog AND cat people. I have 4 dogs,
2 cats and a Dyson "Animal" vacuum cleaner :-) The dogs are
indoor/outdoor (natch), the cats are indoor only. As Barb would say,
"sosumi".

TammyM

Dave Smith wrote:
>
> Pete C. wrote:
> >
> >> Dogs make it hard to keep a kitchen clean. We don't have much choice
> >> about dogs in the kitchen because our main entrance leads directly into
> >> the kitchen so we get paw prints running through when the dog goes in
> >> and out. It was a lot worse when we had two dogs. The other one was a
> >> big hairy thing that shed a lot. I had to keep his face trimmed because
> >> he slopped so much water around. Every time he went through the kitchen
> >> he would go over to his water bowl and have a bite of water, and a mean
> >> a bite, not a bit. He would go over,stick hi head in and just bite at
> >> it, probably getting more on his beard than into his mouth, and then he
> >> would turn and walk away, dripping water across the floor. I kept a mob
> >> and bucket nearby and was constantly cleaning up after him.
> >
> > Good grief - and just why would you allow such a filthy beast in your
> > home at all??? I still can't understand why anyone would want a dog,
> > they are dirty, noisy, smelly and dangerous. When was the last time you
> > heard of a child being mauled to death by a domestic cat? When was the
> > last time you heard of noise complaints due to a barking cat? When was
> > the last time your house smelled like wet cat? When was the last time a
> > cat tracked mud all over your house?
>

> And cats aren't smelly?

Nope, I've never run across a smelly cat. Only the litter box may smell,
and if it's smelling the cat will also be bugging you to clean it.
They're all anal retentive neat freaks after all.

> My dogs don't get up on the furniture

My cat gets up on the furniture because I let her, and unlike a dog, she
doesn't damage anything.

> and they
> don't walk around on the kitchen counters helping themselves to food.

My cat doesn't walk around on the kitchen counters helping herself to
food. She will sometimes hop up on the counter opposite where I'm
cooking to get a better view to supervise from.

She also rarely ever wants anything I'm cooking, I've not run across
such a picky cat before. I once baked some salmon, just plain salmon
since I made a separate dill cream sauce for it. I gave here a little
piece of the salmon, she sniffed it and then walked away.

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> sf wrote:
> > On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:32:06 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
> >
> >> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
> >> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
> >> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
> >> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
> >> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
> >
> > Good choice on the hardwood floors, it's a great choice for many
> > reasons and resale value is high on the list.
> >
> > We put an engineered wood floor in the kitchen a few months ago. The
> > color we chose was a medium tone which is darkening quickly. Even
> > though the planks vary in shades, it is definitely not a good choice
> > for a working kitchen because every spot shows. So if my advice is -
> > if you go with wood, go lighter. Do your homework about how dark even
> > the lightest of woods will be eventually.
> >
> > I'm still partial to the vinyl that mimics stone for my kitchen.
> > Spots don't stand out on that one.
> >
> > Good luck!
> >
> Hi. I'd love to hear more about the engineered wood, which my
> agent suggested. Thanks for the tip about the wood darkening. It
> would be useful to see what the color would be when aged. It must
> be like my cherry furniture, which has aged to a beautiful color.
>
> --
> Jean B.

Engineered wood flooring is essentially a thin plywood type of product,
typically about 3/8" think vs. traditional hardwood which is 3/4" solid
wood. The engineered wood flooring will have a top layer of the desired
hardwood, usually about 1/8" and the underlying layers will be cheaper
material. The engineered wood flooring will have factory applied finish,
lightly beveled edges, etc. and will install very quickly vs.
traditional finished after installation hardwood floors. Full
dimensional hardwood is also available factory finished now, so it can
be installed just as quickly as engineered wood can. With the hardwood
layer around 1/8" thick, engineered wood flooring can be sanded and
refinished once or twice only, vs. full 3/4" hardwood which can easily
be refinished a dozen times. For the "green" types, the engineered wood
flooring uses less new wood and can use recycled wood scrap in the
substrate layers, however full dimensional hardwood has a much longer
service life, and of course wood is a renewable resource.

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> George Leppla wrote:
> > Felice wrote:
> >> "Jean B." > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >>> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
> >>> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
> >>> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see
> >>> the conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the
> >>> kitchen. Thanks!
> >>
> >> I thought my glazed quarry tile was the most gorgeous floor ever,
> >> despite the occasional loss of china and glassware. But when we moved
> >> house I put in Pergo and was delighted with it. It comes in great
> >> colors, and is easier on the feet and the breakables.
> >
> >
> > When we bought this house, we had laminate wood floors installed in
> > every room... including baths, utility room, closets and kitchen.....
> > 2000+ sq feet and it sure wasn't cheap. The newer laminates are great
> > looking, have a wear life that will outlive me and are very easy to
> > maintain. With the humid weather here in the south, I just didn't want
> > wall-to-wall carpeting.
> >
> > Laminates aren't usually recommended for any "wet" areas like bathrooms,
> > but we don't have any children so spills and constant dampness haven't
> > been a problem. I have to admit that I had reservations about doing
> > this, but after almost 3 years, the floors look just as good as they did
> > they day they were installed.
> >
> > That said, I wish we had put a tile floor in the kitchen. For some
> > reason, I'm just not used to a wood floor there. It looks great... but
> > doesn't "feel" right.... probably because all the cabinets are wood
> > grained. My wife disagrees with me.... she loves it.
> >
> > George L
>
> Interesting. The current kitchen has white cabinets. I don't
> love them, but there is so much I want done that they will
> probably be there for a while. I need to think about the floor
> both with those cabinets and with possible replacements.
>
> --
> Jean B.

Don't underestimate the change you can get from a simple refinishing of
the existing cabinets, presuming they are of decent quality
construction. Even putting entirely new doors and hardware on the
existing carcasses is vastly cheaper than replacing the entire cabinet.

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> Pete C. wrote:
> > brooklyn1 wrote:
> >> Nancy2 wrote:
> >>> Real wood is nice and warm-looking, but I
> >>> certainly wouldn't want the maintenance.
> >> What maintenance?
> >>
> >> Except for my main bath every floor in my house is hardwood, that's
> >> more than 2,000 sq ft of hard wood flooring... aside from occasional
> >> vacuuming and microfiber mopping there is no maintenance whatsoever.
> >> Most of my hardwood floors are over 50 years old and my newer hardwood
> >> floors are like 6 years old they all look as good as brand new... and
> >> I live in a very rural area where folks track schmootz on boondocker
> >> clodhoppers and I myself make very little effort about not tracking in
> >> dirt, and I have six cats. Hardwood flooring is tough, what do you
> >> think is used on professional basketball courts, rollerskating rinks,
> >> bowling alleys...
> >
> > Absolutely. It takes a decade or more of severe abuse to get a quality
> > hardwood floor to the point that it needs refinishing, and after
> > refinishing it is good as new. A full dimensional hardwood floor can be
> > refinished a dozen times easily. Even the thin engineered hardwood
> > floors can be refinished a couple times.
>
> Are engineered hardwood floors necessarily thin? I was just told
> that they would expedite the coating and curing process. I don't
> want something I might regret in the future.

Yes, engineered hardwood floors are around 3/8" thick overall with the
hardwood top layer around 1/8" thick. They are quite similar in overall
construction to laminate floors.

Full dimensional hardwood floors are a full 3/4" of solid hardwood and
as such have a much longer life expectancy and can be refinished many
times.

Full dimensional hardwood is available factory finished these days, so
it can be installed as quickly as the engineered flooring can, this vs.
the old finished after installation hardwood floors.

The engineered hardwood flooring will of course be less expensive since
it uses less of the expensive hardwood (1/8" or so) and uses cheaper
materials for the rest of the substrate.

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> Kalmia wrote:
> > On Nov 9, 8:32 am, "Jean B." > wrote:
> >> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
> >> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
> >> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
> >> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
> >> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
> >>
> >> --
> >> Jean B.
> >
> > Whatever you do, don't put in any sort of carpeting. We bought a
> > place once with indoor-outdoor in the kitchen - dark brown - I can't
> > imagine how filthy it must've been. It got replaced, pronto.
> >
> > I like tile, altho the grout can get dark and nasty. Pick a light
> > color tile and you'll then see how often you need to wash it - ha. I
> > could do mine daily!! I don't like a pattern either - harder to wash.
>
> I see there was later discussion of grout.
>
> I have read enough about carpeting to make sure that it is all
> taken out of this house and replaced by something else. If I have
> any rugs in the kitchen, they will be small, and wasily washed!
>
> --
> Jean B.

I'm not sure what you have against carpeting, a good portion of my house
is carpet and I like it. Cleaning is quite easy with a $30 day rental of
a carpet machine from 'Depot or similar sufficient to do the whole
house. The dining room and kitchen are ceramic tile and I like that as
well.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:13:04 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

>Thank you. I am going to do a list of all answers, do some
>searching, etc. I hope the outcome is pleasing.

It's a crap shoot, Jean B. Use your best judgment based on your needs
and hope for the best. If you're not a house flipper or move every
few years, you really won't know if it suits you until you try it.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> brooklyn1 wrote:
> > On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:32:06 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
> >
> >> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
> >> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or
> >> wall-to-wall carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but
> >> I'd like to see the conclusions that folks have come to about
> >> flooring in the kitchen. Thanks!
> >
> > I love hardwood flooring, real hardwood, not that fake Pergo laminate
> > crap. Except for my main bathroom every floor in my house is
> > hardwood. All the bedrooms, living room, hallways, even inside all
> > closets were white oak when I moved in. My kitchen, dining area, and
> > laundry room floors were covered with awful green vinyl tiles... had
> > Brazilian cherry installed over all that, I love it... looks terrific
> > and is super easy to care for. You never wash hardwood floors, and
> > with the new finishes there is no reason to ever wax a hardwood
> > floor... once a week a quick vacuuming and an easy peasy once over
> > with the Bonakemi hardwood floor care system:
> > http://www.mybonahome.com/Home.aspx
> >
> > I had hard tiles installed in my last kitchen, never realized how much
> > I'd grow to hate it; was cold, noisy, hard on the feet, was difficult
> > to keep the grout clean, and tile scratches easily.
> >
> > Make certain to have a professional hardwood flooring installer do the
> > job... there are too many "handimen" out there who haven't the
> > knowlege or proper equipment... definitely not a DIY project:
> > http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/
> >
> > Real hardwood flooring is forever so it costs less than all other
> > types of flooring... it can be refinished, and given a whole new look
> > with various treatments; stains, pickling, and bleaching. Hardwood
> > flooring costs less to install, does away with the need to install a
> > new sub floor, it covers all blemishes that would be enhanced with
> > vinyl... being a full 3/4" thick it goes directly over old vinyl and
> > less than perfect sub flooring.
> >
> > No other flooring looks as rich and generates the warmth af real
> > hardwood flooring (figuratively and literally - an excellent
> > insulator/sound proofing). There are many types and grades of
> > hardwood and various ways it's sawn so it behooves one to educate
> > themself before running out to buy.
> >
> > Hallway:
> > http://i35.tinypic.com/14vs768.jpg
> >
> > Livingroom:
> > http://i38.tinypic.com/2z5vdl4.jpg
> >
> > Goodbye ugli vinyl:
> > http://i37.tinypic.com/25zgua8.jpg
> >
> > Be sure to remove all moldings, cut into door jambs, and floor inside
> > all closets:
> > http://i34.tinypic.com/16lyd0w.jpg
> >
> > Everyone loves my new kitchen floor:
> > http://i33.tinypic.com/28upbg8.jpg
> > http://i38.tinypic.com/20a29h3.jpg
> >
> > Any questions feel free.
> >
> Thanks for those links, which I will examine more carefully
> tomorrow. I will be putting in hardwood for most of the flooring
> and am just unsure about the kitchen and bathrooms. Your kitchen
> floor does look splendid though, so maybe!
>
> My agent suggested engineered hardwood--actually they sound like
> the prefinished floors on the NWFA site. I need to look into that.
>
> I am about out of time for the night but will continue perusing
> suggestions--and looking more carefully at the links, which I
> thank you for, Sheldon. Thanks, too, for the tips!
>
> --
> Jean B.

Be sure to investigate and understand the differences between engineered
hardwood flooring, and factory finished full dimensional 3/4" hardwood
flooring. Both are factory finished and install quickly, and both look
similar from the surface, however they are very different products.

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> Felice wrote:
> > "Jean B." > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> Well, it looks like I am buying a house. Before we move in, I am
> >> replacing the floors (now plywood and either linoleum or wall-to-wall
> >> carpet). Most of the floors will be hardwood, but I'd like to see the
> >> conclusions that folks have come to about flooring in the kitchen.
> >> Thanks!
> >
> > I thought my glazed quarry tile was the most gorgeous floor ever, despite
> > the occasional loss of china and glassware. But when we moved house I put in
> > Pergo and was delighted with it. It comes in great colors, and is easier on
> > the feet and the breakables.
> >
> > Felice
> >
> >
> I never think that things are going to break more easily on hard
> floor. My mind then goes to Corelle, which normally doesn't break
> on the current floor. Maybe it would on tile etc.? I suppose,
> too, that some such floors could themselves be damaged.

Yes, tile will more readily break stuff like plates dropped on it, and
can be broken by suitably hard stuff dropped on it. If you do tile, get
an extra box or two of the original tile and stash it in a closet along
with an extra box of the grout to allow for any future repairs. It takes
a lot to crack a tile, but a good heavy pan dropping can certainly do
it.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:13:50 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

>Michael "Dog3" wrote:
>>
>> We have porcelain and love it. It is hard though. If you drop something on
>> it be prepared for whatever you dropped to either break or be damaged. Not
>> everything breaks of course but some things will break or crack.
>>
>> Michael
>>
>>
>Thank you, Michael. (Nice to see some posts from you, BTW.) That
>seems like an unusual choice!

Tile is not unusual (porcelain, yes), especially here in California.
However, I know people who have taken it out because they are fumble
fingers and every little thing they drop breaks or for the comfort
reason. If I lived in an area that was warm and humid year 'round,
I'd consider ceramic/glazed tile. I also would wear flip flops all
the time and leave them at the door when I entered as would my guests.
I'd even have a little place to rinse/wash my feet before entering the
house (if they were grungy).

<sigh> I think I need to move to Hawaii.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:15:09 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

> The irregular
>coloration seems to have pros and cons as far as showing dirt goes!

It's a HUGE plus if you don't like upkeep (like wiping up water spots
too). Please keep that in mind.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.