I really like your floor. My house was just built last year and I chose tile with diamond inserts for my entrance. The only difference with mine is my tile is larger. You are doing a great job updating your kitchen. Everything looks great..you kept your backsplash quiet so it wont compete with the floor.

Personally, I think it's a classic design and unless you have extra $$ you want to burn, I'd leave it. Besides the cost of removal it's going to be a messy job!
Plus, it appears it will also involve removing at least the quarter round along your baseboards and some extra work around the doorways & cabinetry.

I just want to say that I LOVE your kitchen! You have made excellent choices in wall color and accessories. When I read your post, I was expecting something dreadful. It all looks wonderful to me and I think the floor looks great too. It coordinates with your color palette and backsplash. It has dark grout and that really makes it work. What is your wall color?

Another vote to keep the floor...I'm very frugal, and having just survived a remodel, I'd say leave it! As you say, there's nothing physically wrong with it. What I would do is soften it with nice thick wool area rugs in your wonderful colors! I love love love your colors and though I have some of the same, I haven't been as bold with paint. What are the colors? I think you may have inspired me to go darker!!:)

Pretty floor. I'd probably not mess with it! I'm thinking that green accessories scattered throughout will help incorporate the accent tiles of the flooring. Not that you mentioned it, but have you considered changing out the bright brass knobs and handles? Perhaps black or oil-rubbed bronze? Just a thought :)

**Please tell me about the bead-board wallpaper--it looks so REAL in your photos!!! Was it hard to do? Pretty paint too :)

Probably because DH is a floor installer by trade (hence free labor and at cost material), my first instinct would be to replace it. It IS a terribly messy/dusty job :( If you could take it up yourself, you'd save a good deal of money. In fact, LOTS of people lay their own tile. To me, it does look a bit dated but certainly doesn't look bad! I LOVE your wall color! Mind telling us what it is? And I can't believe the wainscoting is PAPER! Cool! Something else that would update the look of your kitchen is to replace the hardware. My best friend has those same decorative plates in her dining room :)
Monica

tomorrowisanotherday: you took the words right out of my post about the hardware!! (I had almost the same sentence in mine and deleted it!!;))
I agree about the ORB or black IF you haven't already changed it! However, if you just switched to the brass, it DOES go ok with the backsplash I think.

I think your floor is fine. It's not trendy but classic. If you like it and it's in good condition I see nothing wrong with keeping it. I love your wainscoting wallpaper, it looks like the real thing!

Wow...I sure do appreciate eveyone's comments so far. Right now, I'm also in the process of putting up crown molding.

The color I'm using is a Behr color from Home Depot: (New Chestnut 280F-5). But, I don't get the color mixed in Behr paint since they changed the paint base they used to use for darker colors. Now, I get it mixed in Glidden so I don't have to do 2-3 coats due to poor coverage.

The wallpaper is from Home Depot. A lot of stores no longer carry it but on their webbsite, it's called 'Super Fresco White Bead Board Paintable Wallpaper". My kitchen opens up to my Family Room where I have real beadboard and it's really hard to tell the difference. Being the frugal decorator I am, since I already had the chairail in the kitchen I decided to give it a shot (as opposed to having to remove all the existing moldings..put up the beadboard and then reinstall new moldings. For less than $40 I think it was a low-cost alternative.

I'm not opposed to changing out the kitchen hardware. I've been scouring Ebay for some bargains in an ORB but was hesitant that they might look too dark. Guess I'll look again. : )

I think the floor is fine. As someone else already said, if you have the money and it's really bothering you and you know what you DO want, then, retile. But it wouldn't bother me at all. I think it's classic. My friend chose Behr New Chestnutt for her house color. The kitchen, soaring walls in the vaulted living room, and large entry were painted this color. It was stunning. If she hadn't chosen brown drapes later on in her decorating, it could have been lovely. You are using nice accessories that just create a great look with your wall color.

Go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a couple of cabinet handles in ORB. Bring them home and try them out in your kitchen. Even if you end up ordering off a website or Ebay, this is the best way to feel secure about the color. It's what I did when I needed to buy all new handles for mine. I ended up buying from a local store (had to order them though) but the previewing from Lowes helped me so much.

Red

It all looks great together from here. Get an estimate and then see what you think.

Oh...I've been getting estimates and to demo the 300 sq. ft. area is running $3-$4000.

For 3 - 4K, I'd leave it. There is nothing wrong with it and it looks like it goes very well with the other enhancements you've chosen. It may not be the current "in" flooring, but its fine. I'm sure you can find another use for that kind of money. LOLZ!

The floor looks like it's in great shape. Replacing it is oh, so costly. I wonder if there's a way to successfully paint the green diamonds in the floor? You could change the whole look if it's possible...

I was just about to post the same thing parsuzi. Wonder if you can paint the green diamonds on the floor to match the backsplash diamond color. And lighten the grout maybe? Everything looks so pretty. The floor is not that bad and it is a really big project to rip out. After you finish the rest maybe live with it for a while and do it later if it still bothers you.

Just wanted to say I love that floor!

I love the floor; I wouldn't touch it.

I think the suggestion about changing out the hardware to a darker color is a good one. It would bring the dark floor accents up to eye level.

I just ordered a slew of ORB knobs from Ebay yesterday. I can't wait to switch them and see how it looks.

Charlieinnj,

Oh...I've been getting estimates and to demo the 300 sq. ft. area is running $3-$4000.

Is that for taking up current tile only, or does the estimates also include putting down new tile?

I *like* the current tile and wouldn't remove it and the rest of your home looks lovely as well!

sharon midtn ~

That price range is to rip-out and then reinstall either ceramic tile or some sort of laminate/engineered wood.

Thanks charlie! When I first read that I choked, lol! Then I thought surely those estimates must include laying down new flooring but just wanted to confirm. But even knowing that, I'd leave it as it's really nice.

I think it's very classy...don't touch it lol!

I agree, I think I would either try to paint the floor diamonds black, or see if you could put up just the diamonds and replace them with black ones. To me, it is the color that is dating it, not the style. Love all you've done. Beautiful wall color.

It's classic. Enjoy it and all the money you'll save to use on something else!

It was mentioned to look into a nice wool rug in the colors of my kitchen. I've always had a rug in the room because being on tile for any period of time gets my back to hurtin'....and, I have a 140 lb Newfoundland and I don't want him slipping and sliding. I can accomodate up to a 5'X 8' and I'm thinking about this one.

[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f376/charlieinnj/rug10.jpg[/IMG]

Thoughts?

Charl
Lovely kitchen good for you! ALl that hard work is showing -

I remember on this forum or bathrooms discussions about painting tile. I posted a link below - I think it is worth a trial at painting some of the green tile - Do you have it in a pantry/closet or some extra tile?
Pick up a color in the larger tile, so the diamonds just sort of fade - maybe the color in your inserts on backsplash?

Also, I'd do separate posting, Calling Bill V - our resident tile guru - he will definately be a great source

GL

Here is a link that might be useful: painting tile

Thanks for the link! I've already spent countless hours looking into instructions on painting ceramic tile, too. I'm really adventurous with a LOT of things but I think I'd lose my mind if I attempted to try and paint the diamonds on the floor since there are hundreds of them and they'd all need to be taped-off, etc. And the majority of everything I read says for best results to use an oil-based paint and maximum cure time is about 2 weeks. Since this is a kitchen and foyer area, the area just gets too much use to "baby" it for several weeks.

I think my best option is to embrace the color more with a rug/accessories and not try to downplay it. What's the 'ol saying about "accepting the things we cannot change"? LOL!

Well, my floor dilemma finally came to an end. We decided to bite the bullet and have a bamboo floor put down in the entry floyer through to the kitchen. It was a messy, DUSTY job because they had to demo all the tile out but I think the end result was definitely worth it. I now LOVE my kitchen.

Fabulous! It looks wonderful, the perfect choice! Enjoy!

NICE! The old floor wasn't bad, but the new floor looks great. Just wondering - how much did it end up costing to demo the old floor? Since you had just redone the walls and everything, how did you protect them (esp the wallpaper!) and cabinets during the demo?

I think we're going to have to demo about 500 sf of tile in our kitchen/foyer/mudroom next year.

ajsmama ~

I have to give all the credit to the installers from Lumber Liquidators that did the job for us. I pointed out to them before they started that the wainscotting in the kitchen was wallpaper so they needed to exercise caution, and they did. The area we had done was approx 310 sf and the 2 man crew had the tile floor and cement backerboard removed in about 4 hours.

The labor for the demo and install was around $2K.