I think the mistake you almost made by spending too much on your last home is still a valid consideration with this one. So your remodel shouldn't put you in the top house on the block category, if it's important to you to keep risk at a minimum. However, within that limitation, get what you love!

Our home is in the middle price range for our town which has historical mansions, tiny cottages and (our type) late 50s custom capes & splits. We have a cape and it's a perfect home for empty nesters like us.

I would go with sheet Marmoleum in a heartbeat because it's easier to care for (no grout lines) but I really worry that it would be viewed negatively at resale since it would start at my front door. There won't be any threshold into the kitchen since we removed the wall from a useless interior hall that ran along the kitchen and perpendicular to the front hall. I have ethical problems with purchasing Corian although I've had it in two past kitchens and really like living with it. I worry about PaperStone since I've never seen it "live" other than a 2 X 2" bit. IceStone just leaves me cold! I got a quote for concrete & it was more per sq ft than soapstone.

I'm just trying to get a sense from the forum if, you were house hunting or visiting my home, would you view this proposed use of Marmoleum as a huge negative. Just like we all evaluate kitchen remodels with a jaded eye, how would you feel about the floor?

I think that if the floor is a nice neutral color (doesn't marmoleum come in lots of colors?) then I would love a marmoleum floor. However, most people, if they fall in love with a house or a neighborhood, realize that the things they may not love in that house, can usually be changed out pretty easily. So if I saw a house with a purple marmoleum floor that I hated but loved the flow and style and location of the house, it wouldn't stop me from buying it. It drives me nuts to watch House Hunters and have people walk away from a fabulous home just because it has a pink bathroom. Come on, buy a can of paint people! Anyway, what I'm trying to say is get the products YOU love and YOU can afford and YOU feel comfortable purchasing but maybe try to keep it neutral (ie no purple floors:P) if you don't think you'll be there for a really long time.

Hope I made sense!
Robin

just FYI, i looked at paperstone recently and was quoted $85-$95 sq/ft.

richlite, which is similar, but with less post-consumer recycled content, is about $75.

i recently saw a countertop installation of richlite and loved it. it was indigo and had this blue velvet thing going on. the patina that stuff gets really softens it and gives it some texture and interest. it's a nice product.

if you're concerned about resale value, i'd stay away from corian and, as much as i like it, marmoleum. i'm afraid that the perception people have is that those are 'cheap' or outdated products. not sure i agree, but it is what it is.

that's a hard balance you're trying to achieve. you want to do it nice for yourself, but have to hedge your bets a bit and think about resale in a fairly short time. tough.

i'd go with an inexpensive granite on the countertops. talk to fabricators and see what they can get you in the $40-$50 range. it's do-able, and some people, when looking at a house, only want to see that there's stone on the counters, they don't care what kind.

I will give a different opinion. I think because everyone who is on this site is not afraid to redo thinks they don't like doesn't mean the majority of people aren't afraid to redo. Also in a bad housing market even the fact that someone might not like your paint color may have them look at the next house-until they find one they do like everything about-b/c it is a buyers market and it's easy for them to keep on looking until they are satisfied with all aspects. I would do the tile. I think if the marmoleum was only in your kitchen it would be fine. But because it is the first impression when entering your house-from the entry all the way in-I would go tile! As far as the counters go I can see doing all sorts of different countertops with stone-not just the marble. If you are interested in being green how about bamboo counters? or recycled glass or plastic counters? You could do tile floors with recycled tiles-not sure oh expensive any of this is in comparison but all could be considered.

Gee....I have a pink bathroom now: pink walls, pink tile, pink tub & sinks! That's the next project on the list, then the other bathroom, then the yard. I just don't want to spend more than the house is worth, but I can't seem to figure out where to cut costs. DIY is not an option here since DH barely keeps up with walking the dogs each day and travels much of the time.

Believe it or not, this house was in much better shape than most that I considered. Darn housing market!

I think Robin makes a good point about house shoppers being able to see past a bad paint color. I recently bought a house that needed a TON of work. However, my realtor SIL tells me a different story.

She reports that buyers today are so encouraged by reports of it being a buyers market that they have become ultra-picky and don't want to have to do *anything* to make a house the way they want it. They pass up houses with a great floor plan and every amenity they require because they don't like the carpeting (or something else easily changed). These buyers figure there are a lot more houses out there just waiting for them to come and look. My SIL tells me that everyone in her office is complaining of more and more buyers shopping this way.

That said, I am a big proponent of decorating your house for YOU and I get frustrated with people who remodel for resale when that resale date is years and years away. Of course, your situation is very different, and the possibility of resale should play a large part in your decisions.
As a buyer I wouldn't want to see Marmoleum in the entry - it is too kitcheny to me. I personally would love it in a kitchen, but wonder how many people who aren't TKO even know what Marmoleum is. Will they think it is just vinyl?

If I were you I would spend more on the floor and get the tile. (Tile can be pretty affordable, too. Can you find one you like enough to live with at a better price?) For counters I would install a honed entry-level granite. Honing will give you the matte look that you seem to be drawn to (paperstone, marble) and also seems to be trending up. And entry-level granite will be even less than the Corian!

Nicole

Actually, there was story on the news today about how a large number of sellers are refusing to lower the prices on their houses - they'd rather stay in their house and refuse to sell it for less than they think it is worth. Some of these sellers actually can't afford to sell because their outstanding mortgage is more than the current market price of their house. Of course this doesn't apply if you have other reasons for selling like a job in another locations

I would fill in with parquet in the hallway and do lino in the kitchen. Around here, parquet is pretty cheap. Perhaps add a border of colored wood - like a strip of walnut or cherry to disguise the small scale difference between old parquet and new parquet.

If that doesn't appeal, you can dress up lino. Bound to increase the cost, but see link. The relative formality of checks done in marmoleum tiles is another thought for the tile in the hall.

Here is a link that might be useful: Corners and Borders

Ok, I may be a lot different from the norm, but I love my Marmoleum and would see it as a good selling point, i.e., "Bonus!" This is a "green" home! I think the demand is growing for "green" materials in home remodels. And everyone comments on how beautiful my floors are when they walk in -- they don't know what it is -- but they love it.

Agreed that you should look at a neutral, though. Purple would not be your best bet for the entry! Try something like Umbra or Himalaya.

I like Corian and have it in my bathroom. But I found my granite was less than even corian, installed. As another poster mentioned -- you might want to check into lower priced granites. I also looked at Richlite and Paperstone -- but both were much more expensive than Corian, unless you can diy. We didn't want to diy the countertop.

"I cannot guarantee that we'll be here for a year, let alone until the housing market sweetens again. "
I think given this statement and that you need to remodel, I would keep 'resale time' in mind, budget and colorwise.

I agree that a nice floor makes a good impression when entering a new house, so I would not recommend marmoleum. There are some really nice 'travertine look' porcelain tiles out there.

Quartz and granite start around $50 sq ft, a plain stone can look quite nice too. Buyers are spoilt by TV homeshows and want upscale counters.

It would be hard for me to get excited about a remodel knowing I wouldn't get to enjoy it for very long. My vote would be for tile and stone, too. (Well actually I'd vote for wood and/or cork but those weren't options.)

Ok, I may be a lot different from the norm, but I love my Marmoleum and would see it as a good selling point, i.e., "Bonus!" This is a "green" home! I think the demand is growing for "green" materials in home remodels.

i totally agree, and if you get the right people, that appreciate it, it would be a selling point. unfortunately, the great majority of potential home buyers probably won't get it.

I just passed on a townhouse because of the corian countertops. The whole place had been redone in tile and stone and they put in those silly plastic counters. Between that and the white appliances...it was a no go. Marmoleum on the floor??? I actually wouldn't have even spent time looking at it if I'd seen that.

There were some pretty goofy paint treatments, but I look past that stuff, and a couple of lighting fixtures that would have had to be changed out, but the cost of new appliances and new countertops wasn't going to fly, and I know he wasn't going to lower his price.

A lot of people love corian, and I understand why when it comes to the usefullness of the stuff (less breakage, impervious to damage, etc). but the stuff just looks like plastic to me and I can't get past it, even for a rental.

I'm not a very unusual buyer :) I actually will buy horrible crap (and have) with the knowledge that I can upgrade. I'd rather a not remodeled place that I can fix than to be expected to pay for someone elses remodel especially if the taste is not the same as mine.

I'd suggest tile and a cheap stone counter. Going with the fancy paper or corian products is going to limit your market quite a bit more than a basic granite and simple tile will.

I would keep the hardwood that you have and use Marmoleum in the kitchen. Is there a way to make a transition between the 2 with your layout? I know you said the flooring will run from front to back, but you could possibly add a curved line transition? To me, keeping the wood is the greenest thing you can do...plus hardwood is still high on the list of preferred floorings in many parts of the country. Marmoleum is also very green and it's so easy to maintain (no grout lines). Do you have any transition options?

I'd try to do the wood - it's a very strong selling point for many people. You could price out Lumber Liquidators - ours will be 3.69 sq ft but it's prefinished. Or call the salvage guy that amberly is using. She's getting her oak for $1.75 sq ft - you'll need to resand it - but that's a great deal.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to salavaged floor thread

"I would keep the hardwood that you have and use Marmoleum in the kitchen. Is there a way to make a transition between the 2 with your layout? I know you said the flooring will run from front to back, but you could possibly add a curved line transition? To me, keeping the wood is the greenest thing you can do...plus hardwood is still high on the list of preferred floorings in many parts of the country. Marmoleum is also very green and it's so easy to maintain (no grout lines). Do you have any transition options?"

We don't have wood in the foyer & hall...it's slate that was laid incorrectly and even the dog trips on it. I will salvage it and reuse it in the garden. The current kitchen floor is Pergo over vinyl tile.

As far as inexpensive granite, I had that two houses ago. After 5 years I had over 30 chips in it (Uba Tuba). I was not fond of polishing it twice a day. In my application, I'll have an 8' window in the kitchen, those fingermarks would show against the light & drive me nuts.

Igloo--My problem is that I would hate "simple tile & basic granite" & it sure wouldn't go with my Cluny which will certainly go with me if I have to move ;-)

My thought was to do something unique, a la "if you can't get the best, get something different", but I agree with the consensus about the tile floor. I still need to think about the counters, they are the easiest-to-replace part of this equation.

I would think about linoleum checkered floor and, believe it or not, Formica.

It could be just darling, especially if you use some color! (or do black and white with colorful rugs, kitchen accessories, etc). It would be relatively inexpensive. There's something about humble materials that can make a space very playful, comfortable, and unpretentious. (you did say "cottage")

You are not a granite person. I loved that indigo Richlite, too. But it's expensive stuff. Butcher block counters can be a realistic option too.

FWIW, the RedEye paper here in Chicago just had an article about people buying spaces that had green features. I believe that 91% of respondents said that green features would be seen as an added plus when looking for a new home.

I'd go with the Marmoleum floor as well. Of course, I'm a greenie.

The Early Spring issue of Renovation Style has a "green" kitchen renovation featured beginning on page 62 that has a marmoleum floor. My husband really likes the look. We're going to try to see it in person. No decision has been made about the countertops yet. I still have lighting and cabinet hardware to choose....in a week. ACK!