Oh how sad that you have waited until you are putting your unit up for sale to make the entryway beautiful. Could you post a photo of what it looks like now?

I would pick a tile that coordinates with the carpet so it looks unified.

If you're selling, just do black and white square press on tiles and lay them on a diagonal to make the space look larger. No point spending $$$ which you won't get back upon sale.

Thanks AnnieDeighnaugh. I may look into that - but still interested in ideas.

To graywings, no need to underline my situation. You don't know anything about it.

The wood-look tile might be great. For such a small space it shouldn't be cost-prohibitive--good for you--and will look warm, be durable, and be beautiful--good for a buyer. Also, it won't show dirt, so if you don't get a chance to wipe the floor before a showing, well, it's ok :)

If you have tile there now, wouldn't press-on tiles need a flat surface, that is, without the grout?

If so, they have fillers you float over the tile grout before putting on the tile.

bpathome, thanks for your encouragement and yes, I am actually leaning toward the wood-look tile! Looks good....durable...not expensive... and if it hides dirt, jackpot!

Re press-on tiles....after mulling over this, I'm not sure it area would be ideal for that material/process. So much activity there - dogs, peeps, tons of traipsing. Don't want to raise the level of the floor....etc. so prob. not the best but, I didn't even realize the stuff existed, so good to know!

If you do this pattern on the diagonal with granite tiles, the grout can be black. Also the grout lines are nearly none existent with granite tiles because the edges are rectified so they can fit together with less space between.

Love it, Beverly. Am I correct in assuming that if black grout was used with this tile pattern, visually it would look like a solid black floor with white squares? (in which case, would laying the tiles on the diagonal matter?)

If the wood is a light color it won't show dirt as bad as darker colors.

But for an entryway, I think tile is your best bet. It can handle wet shoes, etc. I have a checkerboard tile in my entryway with dark grout so I don't have to worry about scrubbing the grout. Wood flooring is off the tile which shows all of my dog's dirty paw prints. lol

I used Crossville tile which can also be used out in the freezing cold. Very durable. And wouldn't be expensive for a small area.

The original image has black grout. The reason you see the grout lines is because the grout is matte and textured and the granite is highly polished. The diagonal installation visually expands the space.

You could install it square to the wall, but if your walls are a bit off, the square pattern will exaggerate the irregularity. This image illustrates the change from diagonal to square installation.

Thanks Beverly!
So cool how the black grout shows up because of the texture difference.

Oakleyok, will check out Crossville when I'm also looking at the wood-look tile options.

I agree about lighter color showing less dirt. Hmmm.

With black and white tiles you don't have to use black or white grout, you can choose a dark gray that will have less issues with dirt and staining.

Also, depending on the style of your home, you could consider some natural stone. I don't have a picture, but I used Ostrich Gray Slate/Quartzite in my entry and I love it. It's a natural stone with a lot of pattern in gray/charcoal/black and it's honed smooth. The dark gray grout never looks dirty. (I have the same tile and grout in my mud room/laundry room too.)

Sounds like I hit a nerve. So sorry.

The reason I suggested you post a photo is that the area surrounding the entry may guide you in a certain design direction. Be careful - a fab new glossy foyer floor may look great, but it may not fit with the house. Or it could make the rest of the place look run-down by comparison.

I saw a similar foyer yesterday that I thought was wood, it was actually wood-look tile. It looked amazing. Friend had gotten it at Porcelanosa (we have a store right in our town( so I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with that.

This post was edited by duchamp on Sun, Oct 6, 13 at 7:34