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joanc2

Brick floor in mudroom - am I crazy?

3 years ago

I love the look of a whitewashed brick floor for our being-built mudroom. But I am concerned that it would be a nightmare to keep clean and the grout would get dirty immediately, with no way to clean it well. ONe flooring store told me the sealers have come a long way in the last few years (We had a procelain tile in our last house where the grout looked dirty after the first few months and there was no real way to get it clean again, so I am a little scarred).
I love this floor. The comments indicate that it is salvaged brick:


Fox Hollow Residence · More Info


On the other hand, I am not a fan of this one. Perhaps it's the dark grout?


Any other product we should look at? Or anyone have a brick floor who can say they love or regret it? Thanks!

Comments (19)

  • 3 years ago

    A brick floor is an accident waiting to happen -- it's not a level surface to walk on. I can just picture bringing in a load of groceries, landing my foot in just the wrong spot and POP! there goes my ankle. Or worse yet fall backwards and crack my head open.

  • 3 years ago

    I think that brick is like marble ... you need to like patina.

  • 3 years ago

    LOL so it sounds like no one likes brick floors :) . I was hoping someone who had them would comment too, on the actual liveability of them. @chispa we do like the patina look but I am not sure if you are referring to the "dirt" that will accumulate?

    @porkchop_z5b_MI I am hoping this is not an issue. We currently have a brick walkway into the house and my last house had cobblestones, and I never felt it was an issue.

    @User I will have to check out some brick-look porcelain, that could be a good idea. Still need to worry about grout, unless I get dirt-colored grout LOL . Thanks

  • 3 years ago
  • 3 years ago

    Sounds like people are bringing up valid accessibility concerns. I’d skip the brick as well.

  • 3 years ago



    Brick floors are lovely although not an easy thing to mop. I too have exterior brick and it is not at all dangerous. You can't play shuffleboard on them but they are very even. The texture makes them better for those with mobility issues than plain concrete.


    I would experiment with sealers before deciding...and embrace patina. (In this case, patina will be dirt. 😉)


    Remember that faux brick doesn't look like real brick. And that real brick is THICK and might make your flooring transitions awkward.


    Maybe look at Saltillo tile?



    joanc2 thanked Iri
  • PRO
    3 years ago

    I agree with checking in with sealers. In that first pic they used a wax sealer over the brick. So it's probably easier to clean than unsealed brick.

  • 3 years ago

    If you are actually bringing mud, wet boots, sports gear, dirty dogs, etc into the mud room, you want a floor that will not be slippery and will be very easy to clean.

  • 3 years ago

    A neighbor of mine in my previous home had real brick floors in her custom built home in the woods. The house is over 25 years ago & the floors still look amazing.

  • 3 years ago

    I love the brick herringbone pattern.

  • 3 years ago

    Thanks for posting that review! I love the look of brick in mudrooms and hope to get to use it one day.

  • 3 years ago

    We had brick floors in our family home which was probably built in the 1960s. The brick had a thick coat of sealer and always looks fabulous.


    If you love brick floors, go for it. However, if you are a "shoes off" family then brick might be a little hard on your feet and back.

  • 3 years ago

    I used Inglenook thin brick tiles in a half bath in one of our houses. I applied an impregnating sealant to the brick prior to installation and resealed after install. It was beautiful but not easy to take care of, even vacuuming it was difficult because fuzz from the brush would often stick to the rough areas. A mop did not work on the floor, I spot scrubbed areas around the toilet with a bristle brush and blotted dry with cloth. I considered trying a wax sealant on the floor but since it was only a half bath and did not get that dirty I never did. I would encourage anyone considering brick flooring in an area that needs to be cleaned often to get samples and try different sealant approaches prior to install. Rough brick surfaces need something that evens out the surface in order for mops to glide across.

  • 3 years ago

    A good friend had brick floors in her kitchen and family room. They were gorgeous and never showed any dirt, but she did say they were difficult to clean. With bare feet, she always felt some grit on them, even when they were freshly cleaned. Her house was from the 50s or 60s, so it may have been that they needed to be resealed. No tripping or toe-stubbing issues, though.

  • 3 years ago

    If you like brick, consider a dark slate. Better surface, still a natural, almost rustic look.

    mudroom with slate floor · More Info


  • 3 years ago

    We have real brick floors that we absolutely love. The whole room back door into mudroom and open laundry. These floors are heated which is great for the cold Chicago winters and take wet feet from our in-ground pool all summer. We do have an extremely large water hog mat that we step on when entering and a large boot tray for winter. We did seal these and they are easy to keep up. A big plus nice place for the pup which is where we keep all dog food, water and beds. We have never had an issue with them being hard to walk on because of being uneven.

  • 3 years ago

    Go for the brick. We had both brick and slate floors and loved them.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I'm from the gulf coast where split brick floors have been a thing forever. They are sealed easy to clean. They are level not trip hazards, not dirt magnets. I think people are thinking of outside pavers. lol I'm guessing also that down hear that its a skilled profession. THere is a local company been installing recycled split brick for 20 yrs.