Love the brick for the floors, but I would use the wainscoting on the peninsula. Imo it will look lovely and brick will snag skin and clothing if brushed up against. We have a brick floor in our mudroom and laundry room we did a herringbone with a solider border.

I agree--keep the brick on the floor and use wainscoting on the peninsula. The brick flooring is beautiful!

Brick is uncleanable as a floor. Much less an island back. Too bad 70’s all together.

Kate, you have to know Sophie to appreciate her advice, which is almost always brutal and almost always right. However, this time I agree with you; those brick floors are very pretty. Don't know about cleaning them though.

I also think wainscoting on the peninsula. Keep the brick on the floors.

Thanks groveraxle. I appreciate the input on the peninsula. I am looking into sealing and waxing the brick to make it more functional and cleanable.

you know, they have those bricks in a porcelain. beautiful and cleanable.

MSI stone, porcelain brick. comes in other colors.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/MSI-Abbey-Brick-2-1-3-in-x-10-in-Glazed-Porcelain-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-5-17-sq-ft-case-NHDABBBRI2X10/205853011

http://www.discountglasstilestore.com/london-brick-collection/

Arizona tile. porcelain Castle brick

Beth H. - we did look at those tiles from Home Depot, but they were really fake looking and then dimensions aren't right for brick. I think I looked at the Arizona tile but I will have to double check. The ones I have found are super nice brick veneer that should not be very porous once sealed and waxed, and has a fairly smooth surface, but still looks more like authentic brick.

yeah I figured the HD ones would be fake looking. Maybe the MSI stone is better.

but if you can seal the other ones, great. I'd also just do the board on the peninsula.

Ok, so probably going with the wainscoting on the peninsula since that seems to be the general consensus. How do you prevent all the inevitable scuff marks? Just repaint from time to time? Hope a Magic Eraser will take it all off?

paint with more of a glossier finish for easy clean up or no shoes while sitting at the counter!

A brick floor is very hard to clean - it really belongs outside. Have you considered slate?

Slate would look really out of place in our house.

Filthy brick with snags of mop strings will look even more out of place. It’s worse than picking off the paper towel lint from trying to wipe off a popcorn ceiling.

Sophie Wheeler I have had brick floors ..never had a problem cleaning them and this was a pub floor !..you really don't have to be so rude with your advice

Post your clean brick floors then. A closeup. They’ll be clean enough for an outdoor patio that gets leaves swept off. But not for an area that you drop an egg and break it. Brick is porous. It’ll absorb that egg and turn rancid.

Clean in apub is a much different clean than a home, we had a brick floor in our laundry room and back porch when I was young it made my Mom nuts trying to keep it clean.

Sophie - travertine is porous as well, doesn’t stop people from using it or from it being gorgeous.
I am not putting brick on the kitchen floor where it is likely to have eggs dropped on it, just in the laundry room and the butler’s pantry. I am also using brick veneer with a smoother texture that will be appropriately sealed, as I mentioned before. We are not talking about rough jagged brick like you would use outdoors.

Sorry no pictures ..it was 20 odd years ago ..and I didn't take pictures of the floor !but it was sealed with a brick wax

Kate Kraft Satin poly on the wainscoting/island will prevent most marring and allow the black rubs to be easily wiped off. I do the same on the top section of heavily used kit cabinets like the trash pullout.

Your inspiration photos are lovely. I've always lusted for an aged brick herringbone floor but my back says NO, NO, NO! :(

We used real brick for our mudroom/laundry room. We have a very large ll Bean water hog mat we use in the winter. The brick is a beautiful hard wearing product. We heated this floor and the brick radiates this warmth making this a nice space between the extreme cold outside and the center of the home. It might not be the cleanest floor product, but it handles the snow and mud very well. In addition the old home in Arlington nation cemetery has the same brick floor and it has lasted a very long time and still looks great imo.