Don't paint the trim!! It's gorgeous! And it adds so much character to the home. If you don't love it, I would sell it to someone who does.

Why in gods green earth did you buy a craftsman home and then set out to paint the naturally stained wood trim? I am sorry, you should be flogged, tarred and then feathered for the suggestion. I hope we got your attention, yes, it is your home now, but you have been entrusted with a historical gem with beautiful woodwork. It doesn't need updating via white woodwork it needs a new owner that appreciates its original integrity, charm and historical significance. What you just suggested is akin to sheet rocking over a Tiffany window because stained glass isn't the current trend. The first responder said it correctly you will DESTROY the value of your home by taking paint to the woodwork

I agree with the others. I live in a craftsman neighborhood & I would kill to own one, instead of a condo. The original wood is part of the experience of owning one. I'm so confused as to why you go through the trouble of ripping up perfectly good tile for vinyl. If anything, paint the walls a nice color that complements the wood. That should modernize or make things a bit fresh.

I think you should do what you want in your home and I have seem some really beautiful craftsman homes with painted woodwork but I do agree that a vinyl floor will not enhance this house so maybe look at tile instead maybe a slate tile if you can’t find a way to have all matching wood floors in the space

Thank you all for your comments. I really do appreciate everything that has been said. And I have been hesitating about painting all the trim and changing the original intent of a Craftsman. So, I will give that decision another look and possible compromise. Thank you for the flooring suggestions though tile is so cold here in Michigan and this home is already so spartan and cold feeling. It needs warmth and comfort and light for me to feel comfortable so maybe wood might be the choice. I will be a good steward of this home as I have with all the homes I've owned. Thanks again for your support and advice.

First of all, that's a beautiful home, babaraanno!! If you're concerned about stone floors being too cold, you could have a radiant floor system installed. And if you want to paint the woodwork in your home, paint the woodwork.

Under floor warming systems will have you barefoot all winter. And any cats or dogs hogging all of the space!

If you put down slate floors or another tile floor look at under tile radiant heat. Make sure you get one where if one wire goes out the entire system continues to work (like Christmas lights). This was a mistake I learned the hard way when I put down slate in my conservatory. I also I've in a Northern climate. Because the kitchen was servant territory in old homes the floors were not all that nice even if the rest of the home had beautiful hardwood floors. I had the same issue in my 1920's home and due to weight considerations could not use stone or ceramic tile and had to go with a laminate tile product. :( Another suggestion for you home is cork. It will be warm underfoot and you can find it in the same color tone as the hardwood floors which will keep the flooring visually the same in terms of color tone even if not the same material. Moreover, cork is easy to care for and is soft if you like running around in bare feet.

Natural slate does not get icy cold like ceramic. I've had it on my floors in the kitchen for 10 years. It takes on the room temp and is pleasant to walk on (and don't people wear slippers in cold climates???? Seriously. All people do is complain about cold floor tiles in the winter. Do you all walk around barefoot??)

Here is what a cork floor can look like and it would update the space and keep it warm underfoot. And if you think cork is not durable, there are homes with the flooring and its still beautiful 50 years later.

Beth I am sitting in my conservatory right now with shoes on and the floor is COLD - despite insulating the foundation. You must have a heated basement under your home because I don't and the floors are COLD. Burrrrrr.

haha. I have no basement. I'm on a cement slab. But, it never gets below 35-40 here so maybe that's why! Sure is nice to have in the summer tho!

Before you change anything in the kitchen, you need to decide on the COUNTER TOPS. Yep. Counters often dictate what happens on floors. The floor tiles you have are PERFECT for the current counter top. Which means you will open a can of worms if you do something to that floor without thinking this through. You change the floor, you WILL change the counters...but what if you are left with a choice you DON'T LIKE??? Simple...do it all again (sigh)!

I always suggest sitting down (for the next 2 weeks) and making a 7 year renovation plan. Yes. Seven. Year. Renovation. Plan. Take 14 days to figure out the END result. Then you can take the next 7 years of your life to work towards that goal.

You NEED a plan. The INSTANT you change ONE THING, you will create a never-ending-nightmare of renovations. Professionals see this every day...every single day we have to explain this to people. Every. Single. Day.

So...take 14 days out of your life and put together a renovation PLAN. Get some colours, some swatches, some samples, a MOCK UP of what you WANT to do. Once you have it, you can then put it in your CAR and take it with you everywhere. If you see something you "think" will work, go get your story board (in the back of your car...for this reason) and see if it "fits" the vision. If not...don't buy it.

And if you paint your cabinets...you won't like the floor you have picked that MATCHED the OLD CABINETS (ouch...we see this all the time).

And yes...cork is a great option for this situation. But you need to make so many more decisions before you can even put your wallet in your pocket let alone pick up a hammer. Good luck. Make some plans and stick to them.

Again, thank you for all these wonderful suggestions. I am taking my time and looking at the options mentioned by you all. I am looking at slate, cork, linoleum squares and talking to the local experts to get their input. And I am also putting in new counters & cabinets, backsplash, & lighting in the kitchen and gathering samples and seeing what works with what. The cabinets were not original to the house and the formica counter is just not me. The old stainless sink is scratched and worn and the kitchen is dark and dreary. So, I am taking the time to make these important decisions for this home that should serve me for the rest of my days. At 65 I don't really want to move again soon. I will post back on the progress in a few months with photo's. Thanks so much!

Cancork is correct about a plan. My only comment is that mine has been a 15 & not a 7 year plan, but gaining that vision for the space is important even if you make changes down the road.

I don't know if you have a second floor above the kitchen, if you don't consider a lighting plan. My house, especially my kitchen was dreary especially in the winter. Much of my budget was spent on lighting the house with a professional lighting plan and that meant installing another electrical panel (I have 2 residential lines running to my all electric house). If you are limited due to structural issues at least put in LED cans in the four corners of the room. Lighting the corners will make the room appear larger and keep that mid winter dreary out of the house. Change all the bulbs in the house to LED and spend some time looking at the color spectrum that the different bulbs cast off. Enjoy your new home and congrats on making it to 65! What an exciting time! And I agree with you the Formica has to go! One last thing after I looked at the photos, if the stain job on the wood work was bad or not original to the house, painting the woodwork is not then a faux pas. The issue in old houses is that a prior owner may have scraped woodwork due to lead paint concerns and installed inferior woodwork. Have a professional evaluate what you have and talk to a Realtor about your market.

I agree with the others, if you are worried about cold flooring, there are great floor warming systems like NuHeat or Schluter Ditra Heat and they are less expensive and much easier to install than ever before. A lighter slate would look great but I would choose a slate look porcelain and not the actual stone. Honestly, they are almost impossible to tell apart!

Unfortunately, natural slate is one of the softest stones you can use for flooring. It has been over quarried and the slate you see at big box stores mostly consists of fillers (turn a slate tile over and you can see it!).

I agree with others, DO NOT paint the wood work. White trim is nice but solid stained wood trim is beautiful and you can't unpaint.

Very beautiful home! Good luck with your renovations!

Do some research to find what type and style of floor is right with a craftsman home. Maybe black and white smaller tiles. I agree that the previous owner goofed when they put down those white tiles. Very uncraftsman-like behavior.