do you have pets? black tile will be killer on showing dirt/hair

Ps please also feel free to tell me if both options are horrible. We do plan to sell in 10 years so I want it to be something that won’t be completely polarizing. But I really hate tile and it’s not my first choice, so I’m pretty picky.

@snarkyinla we do have a dog but he has short black hair and we have a roomba. Not sure if it’s enough though.

the grey looks like concrete. Can't say what will be trendy in the future but it is trendy now...

well black hair on black floor is better, but speaking from experience, they also have white skin flecks on the hair at the root. No matter what your pet hair will not always match the floor, but if you had anything other than a black dog I'd say grey even more. Black will show dust more as well IMO

I think you are right that the black will be higher maintenance. Which is not our top priority, but it might be for future buyers.

My husband thinks the black tile will be too dark. But I’m worried that the grey tile will force us to get rid of our existing table because they are so close in color.

Of these inspiration pictures, my favorite is the one with the hexagonal tile- but it’s hard to tell if it’s the tile I like or just the cabinets.

can you do a different kind of flooring if you don't like tile? I think black tile flooring would be pretty buyer-specific

Super dark charcoal tiles will make that small space look MUCH smaller - as in HALF the size. The charcoal flooring will also cause this entire space to feel VERY dark = lighting upgrade and LOTS of area rugs needed to "lift" the space.

If you MUST HAVE BLACK....go with the black cabinets. The black cabinets are quite limiting to many buyers....but they are LESS limiting than the flooring being a "black hole". Cabinets can be refaced or painted by new homeowners for half the price it would take to RIP OUT black tiles on the floor. In essence it is easier to change the colour of cabinets than it is to change the colour of porcelain floor tile.

Don't worry about the table...feel free to purchase a black area rug. So long as the two have a degree of separation, you don't need to worry about furniture. Area rugs are used for more than just comfort.

Good luck. In 10 years you need to update everything anyway. You might as well get the kitchen that you LOVE today. Let tomorrow's buyer worry about tomorrow's kitchen.

What color tile would you recommend if not black? I guess I’ve decided I really don’t like the cement gray tiles. I looked for a mid tone gray today but they all had so much color variation that they looked filthy.
Our style is definitely monotones Black, gray, and white. With pops of warmer colors like purple, mint and coral.

I just posted this on another question....

Stripping the tile and proper floor prep is a big undertaking. I suggest you price having the floor resurfaced with polyurea. (Yes, it can be changed to eliminate the outline of the tiles.)

http://www.garageforce.com/recent-projects/

None of the above. A wood look tile in a medium walnut look. Monochromatic is cold and unfriendly. It needs natural looking materials to warm it up. Start with the floor.

if you want to go retro, you can do black-and-white checkerboard... but its a very specific look

Ok- so what color tile would balance well with a monochrome look for the rest of the house? I have been having trouble coming up with something. I really hate the look of “wood” tile and I feel it will go out of style.
We talked today about going with something “bricklike” or even brick itself (although I feel like brick is impossible to clean). We found this copper style which I like but I’m afraid it will be a bit “much”. With all the color variation on such a grand scale.
I’m just not sure what we could do other than tile, even though at heart I just don’t like it. Basically the only option is glued down engineered hardwood or LVT. Both of which won’t have long lives like tile does.

Thank you for your honesty

Thank you for your honesty @SJ McCarthy. It’s true that I am trying to force the initial vision too hard when it doesn’t work with our house. It’s just hard to find new things to love when you’ve daydreamed so long about one vision

Don't be afraid of "variation". It works. A large tile such as the copper is stunning. Don't forget, variation at a DISTANCE starts looking "uniform". Think of a tweed jacket. If you look CLOSELY you can see up to 15 different coloured threads. But once you move back (ie. 'standing position') it blends together to give a uniform colour...this is referred to as "reading".

Like a mottled counter top with 5 different colours, if you stand back 10 feet it will "read" or appear more green or blue or yellow or orange. This is the same concept for tiles.

If you like it, then purchase it. Install it and add furniture. Out of the TOTAL square footage, you might see 10% of the tile because the rest are hidden under sofas, beds, area rugs, down hallways, etc.

And if you are distracted by subtle variation in a tile like the copper one above, then you are going to have a horrible time with anything other than painted concrete.

Thanks. I do really like the copper and think it will add great warmth (especially coupled with some woven rugs) but was worried it would be a "love it or hate it" choice for future buyers.

The copper will have a broader appeal in 10 years than gray (which is fading fast) and black/dark charcoal (which has an extremely limited appeal regardless of fads).

And remember: 10 years from now, your update might just include new floors anyways. So purchase what you want TODAY...worry about 10 years from now in about 9 years.