Show the wood floors, please.

Please and usually a matching flooring to run everywhere is the best answer. But we do need to see the flooring.Sorry not seeing the floors in the pictures

Thanks for quick responses!!

They’re NOT wood floors. It’s that ugly white/black tile floor. See that hideous whitish

and black square stuff with the edge lines like a grid pattern, on the right in each pic?

The wood floors (IF they are under there) likely have a bunch of staple holes from the stringboard. That’s what happened in the bathroom (the second picture).

And, yes, we want the same flooring throughout these areas. We DID change the floor in the bathroom. Here it is in process.

You can see we had the wall “shortened” for a glass panel. The walls will be painted. Shower on right (top, in the pic); toilet area on left (bottom).

I think she means the wood in the adjacent spaces. Since they will meet somewhere.

Oh. Silly me.

That’s 3/4” oak over 3/4” pine, and the hideous kitchen flooring.

I didn’t think a wood-look kitchen floor would be appropriate, since it would abut THIS beautiful REAL wood floor.

Marmoleum would be fabulous, and period appropriate. It is wonderful that you are choosing surfaces that will compliment the character of the home. Good luck!

Do you know of problems or care with marmoleum? The stuff we have...it’s old version of that, and needed (but only got the one time just before we moved in) stripping and waxing. I don’t want to have to do that at all.

This might help... https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/Learning-Center/Flooring-Marmoleum-LC/How-to-Maintain-Marmoleum

You can read the Forbo Marmoleum guidelines here https://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-us/installation-floor-care/marmoleum/prptjq#panel_10    Doesn't strike me as what you want. Have you considered tile?

Please see Retrorenovation for hundreds of articles, ideas, and pictures of floors appropriate for your house.

check out our article for kitchen trends in 2019 https://www.novelremodeling.com/blog/2019/3/5/kitchen-remodeling-trends-to-follow-in-2019

@bloomingbug: Thanks for the links. I’ve seen the retrorenovation.com website before; it encouraged me to try to stay in keeping with the look of the house if I can.

@ptreckel & @hollybar: Thanks, I saw those. I think I’m agreeing with @hollybar, that the maintenance is still “buffing”, which is something I’l like to avoid. But the floors look so very nice!

My husband has been liking Nova Serenbe Carrera Marble Pure (https://novafloor.us/serenbe/)--light color, less veining (so not “active”). I just wanted something a bit “older”-looking, which is why I’m asking here. Basically, I want the look of linoleum but in vinyl for easy care.

We have no pets, no kids, btw, to muddy things up.

Have you considered cork? Or, individual vinyl tiles?

I REALLY love the idea of cork, but I don't like that's it's so soft when there's heavy appliances, nor the fiberboard cores.

That's why we're looking at LVT/LVP (luxury vinyl tile/luxury vinyl plank).

Just want to add my personal experience with marmoleum (which I love and put in my 1932 kitchen): I don't care what they say - it requires maintenance that is not easy.

Thank you. That is what concerns me. Maybe I'm a bit lazy, but with all the work we're having done--and my determination to keep it in good condition--I don't want to add something more.

The wood floors are beautiful! Why not try to match them as closely as possible, with a few contrasting dark wood strips to mark the border between old and new?

There are new sheet vinyl patterns that look like the plainer versions of Marmoleum, in other words, like old fashioned linoleum. Spend an hour or two in a flooring shop flipping through their samples. Sheet vinyl was a great leap forward over linoleum because it is much, much easier to keep clean. Ads featured "no wax" sheet vinyl in many colorful patterns.

Dory, I hear you! I have a 1940s bungalow with a 1980s kitchen including ugly vinyl. I had been leaning towards marmoleum but decided on tile. (I like the look of wood floors in the kitchen but the original floors in the front of the house are Doug fir and there's no way I'm putting that in the kitchen.) Like you, I didn't want to create more maintenance issues. Also, there were questions on where to put the seams. And..surprisingly, it's hard to find someone to install it. It's much more difficult to install than vinyl. (the material isn't as flexible) One guy who came highly recommended said he wouldn't do certain things with marmoleum because it's too much work. :( There's marmoleum click, 12x12 squares, but that means a lot of seams, which is not great in a room where liquids get spilled. I like djtedford 's idea of trying to match the existing floor and just adding a transition strip. Good luck!

You could also look into Armstrong’s 12 x 12” tiles. Lay them in a checker board patterns, or with a solid color ground, framed with another color, etc. In other words...be creative with the floor. Not terribly expensive, either!

Everyone’s coming up with great ideas, but I have a husband who:

- doesn’t want wood in the kitchen

- doesn’t want “glue-down” at all

- doesn’t want porcelain tile in the kitchen

You can see that he’s eliminating A LOT of options--and then I want “easy to maintain.”

We have a glue-down 12x12 linoleum. They absorb dirt. The click versions have seams but, unless they supposed to look like tile, they’re a lot less noticeable.

We were at Lowe’s yesterday. They were getting new LVT/LVP styles in--more “non-wood” options, so I guess it might be easier to find things within a few weeks. We have some time, since we want to paint the rooms/cabinets before we decide. The green is so strong that it will overload any guesses, imo.

He does the physical labor, sometimes with my help but I kinda suck at a lot of that. I do the research, since I don’t work (and am better than him at it).

When we were redoing the electrical and adding recessed lights, I did A LOT of research on lights we both liked, that would be LED-dimmable and IC-safe, AND would fit in our lath-and-plaster ceilings. In my research, I found out that SWITCHES have to be compatible with the particular LED-dimmable bulbs! WT....!

Basically, I do the initial legwork, narrow it to three or so (all of which are fine by me, so I’ve already had my say), bring him the results with suggestions and pros/cons, and let him choose. If he doesn’t like it, he has to do the research. I’ll also point him to youtube videos to watch for info.

If I worked, it’d be different. Research takes a lot of time. You know you’ve done it right when you’re seeing repetitive info and nothing really new. But I have come across really good info with my “think outside the box” tries.

@djtedford: Okay, I've looked again at your idea of "matching" our existing, but using vinyl. There's NovaCore Apple Caramel. It actually looks kinda close. I'm reading good things about this particular brand.

Hey, anyone! Any ideas about this? Good idea? Bad idea?

This is my floor--that tile on the right is what's currently there. This NovaCore would replace that. This is the ONLY place where the two are in visual/physical contact until/unless we remove the hall carpeting (I'm gonna rent a Bissell for that--it's in good condition but needs a good cleaning). It's literally just one doorway.

Here's a pic from their website (https://novafloor.us/novacore/) NovaCore in Apple Caramel:

Do NOT put a close-but-no-cigar floor next to your wood. If you're going to go with vinyl, make it completely different, maybe a slate tile look.

That's what I've been thinking all along, but started relenting when I wasn't finding anything that looked quite right.

Here's the room, in process (new counters & sink). The cabinets are going to be a medium-light gray.

This is what my husband is liking (Nova Serenbe). I was concerned it's a bit...not in keeping with the kitchen--which has rounded corners and a stepped, set-back molding at the ceiling (a bit of a streamline moderne look).

.

Sorry if I sound like a dunce. I've been trying for a few months to figure this out.

I have Marmoleum in my kitchen and I love it. It's so much easier for upkeep than the wood floor I had in my previous house. I really don't understand the objections raised above. The Marmoleum is on the entire ground floor of my 1930 built house, meaning kitchen, dining room, vestibule, hallway and utility (it's a townhouse, living is upstairs), it has been cleaned solely with water and micro fiber sweepers (is that a thing?) for the past six years, no buffing or whatever, and it looks just fine. It is period appropriate and environmentally friendly, hard-wearing, insulating (helps with the draft coming up from the crawl space) and soft on the foot.

Edit: there are scratches from some unruly chairs, but I don't mind them. I do plan to have the floor professionally cleaned after it has been in for 10 years, and have a new top coat applied. In the meantime, as far as I'm concerned, no real maintenance is required.

+1 for sheet Marmoleum. It goes with your house and I have had ZERO issues with maintenance. I can’t even imagine why anyone would need to do anything other than sweep it and mop once in a while. I’ve got it in a bungalow kitchen. Two dogs, no problems. I’d prefer it to any of the alternatives you’re considering.

I couldn’t agree more about the appropriateness of Marmolium or a look alike. I would even rather have sheet vinyl than wood look vinyl any day, hands down more appropriate and interesting for your lovely home.

I agree with your your husband on the porcelain tile in the kitchen but not the wood. I have 3 kids and 3 cats and have had wood kitchen floors for 17 years. We cook a ton and it is easy on the legs and we have never needed to refinish it. The only thing that might change my mind is dogs. They are hell on wood floors, but that is anywhere in the house. If you have wood under there, I would go for it! It’ll save you money that you can put toward refinishing it in the future, which you most certainly won’t need. Oh and that floor he is looking at would be divorce for me!!

I would think about how tile can be hard on your back. I removed it from my kitchen and matched the floor the open-concept living room wood floor. I love it. Slate would be hard on your bones too, and adds more grey, which seems like one-too-much. Keep looking at Marmoleum and vinyl if matching your wood floors is definitely out. (But I would reconsider it....)

RedRyder I think the husband is a hard no to ceramic tile and wood. I would definitely reconsider the wood, but I agree about the ceramic tile. The slate Grover posted was vinyl, Definitely better than the wood look vinyl and that marble business the husband is looking at, but still not in keeping with those great original caa binets etc. I think even sheet vinyl would be better Way to go

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Marmoleum-Click-Cinch-Loc-Lemon-Zest-9-8-mm-Thick-x-11-81-in-Wide-x-11-81-in-Length-Laminate-Flooring-6-78-sq-ft-case-333251/301607263?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CVF%7CD23%7C23-11_LAMINATE_%26_VINYL_PLANK%7CNA%7CPLA|71700000033435156|58700003894707756|92700036903806925&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjw5fzrBRASEiwAD2OSVxpRxHpTzrVx6WvT2FIJzcYlx4JKPieHisWq_7X9UNh36EuuJ-KgGBoCchwQAvD_BwE

These call themselves marmoleum but say vinyl. I would seriously consider something like this.

Your existing tile likely has asbestos in the tiles and/or the adhesive. Better get it tested before you rip it out.

Thanks for the warning. They are not original, but from 2000 when the house was redone (well, the bathrooms were re-tiled over the tile and the kitchen counters replaced). As we're using the subfloor from these ugly tiles, we're not ripping anything up on THIS floor.

@greenfish1234: Will look at that link.

@ALL IN GENERAL: I will discuss Marmoleum with husband.

@greenfish1234: This is what I was thinking about! I know it's not the same as a sheet, but I really kinda like it.

Wait what is what you were thinking about?

That click marmoleum. But I'm not sure if Husband wants it. Tbh, I'm not sure how much I care anymore. This is week six, for plumbing, kitchen counters, and the first of two bathrooms. No kitchen sink! Hopefully today or tomorrow, the plumber's coming, so I can wash everything!

Oh yeah. I think it is pretty cute and worth considering IF you use the sound barrier and IF you can’t do a sheet :)

Which one of the Home Depot options did you like? If the slate option was actually vinyl, that would work - unless that’s just too much grey in that space for you.
Sorry your husband has ruled out wood. I think it’s a good option for your home.....:(

I have wood floors in the kitchen that are 100 years old. My folks have wood floors in the kitchen. My in-laws have wood floors in the kitchen. I cook in all three. I am not a neat cook - food debris falls on the floor and stays there until after dinner. A quick vacuum/wipe is all it needs. If I spilled red-wine, that I would wipe up right away.

If they’re finished on-site, they will be perfectly flush and have a continuous seal. Pre-finished usually has a small groove in between boards for dirt to collect in and liquids to get between the cracks.

I would recommend talking your husband into wood. It will unify the kitchen with the rest of the house, keep from having a floor transition, is really easy enough to clean, and is also “period appropriate.” The floors will patina some, just like the rest of the house. Modern finishes have really come a long way.

Okay, so finally finally at the end of week six, on a job that was to be FIVE weeks, and STILL one bathroom untouched, the back bathroom is almost done!

My husband will do the painting this weekend because they’re demo-ing the other next week. I’ve been painting the lower cabinets and drawers this week--and reloading them (washing EVERYTHING, of course). They were “Grove of Pines” green, which looks a lot like Army Green. Now they’re “Morning Fog” gray, which looks a lot like Battleship Gray to me. Hmmmmmm. The upper cabinets will be “Latitude” and the walls “Olympus White”--with the trim bright white All shades of gray. The rest of the house has subdued colors. Whatever, husband picked it and he says “I don’t care anymore. I’m tired of all this.” So I’m not going to argue. I think the change is getting us. And the hideous floor.

But more importantly, I’d like peoples’ opinions on Mannington Adura Max Meridien “Porcelain” (a near-white) for my kitchen floor. It’s not quite in keeping with the age, but it’ll wear well and lighten things up.

I’ll post pics of the bathroom when it’s done and cleaned up.

I just renovated my 1954 kitchen and had the same issue of not wanting hardwood or LVT in faux wood. I would have gone with a montauk black slate but it was out of my price point. Used Mannington Adura Max in Meridian Carbon 12x24 tiles.

Do you like it? Easy to care for so far?

Love your kitchen! The hardware looks wonderful too!

Lots looks kinda familiar, but where you went white, we went gray. So you can have a dark floor and everything pops! That’s why I want a lighter floor, to contrast with the darker counter and cabinets.

Try a photo of a couple Adura flooring color options next to the wood floors. Add a battleship gray door.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>I’ve had the Audra max since February and it is so easy to clean and doesn’t show dirt. My back door is the main door I use so it is a high traffic area.
Sounds like it might work for you in one of the lighter shades. Good luck

@Dory what color are you cabinets and what material is your counter tops? We are going green cabinets and black counters. We are doing a light white oak floor.

If it isn’t too late, I would rethink the overhead shower head. I have been in hotels which have them and HATE them because I have to dodge the water from above in order to take a shower. I prefer a good wall-mounted shower head because I can shower or wash my hair without having water or shampoo running down my face and into my eyes. I would add a hand-held wand, too, because it makes rinsing out the shower so easy.