Area rugs! I agree the floors should be professionally cleaned. And any room with tile that can be enhanced with area rugs - and will be changed immediately!

I’m not convinced these are saltillo… are they? They don’t seem to have the same thickness of tile and grout as I’ve seen before. (I’m not a floor expert by any means)

@RedRyder I'm pretty sure they are ceramic, not saltillo. They do look like they could use a good cleaning though. Do you have any suggestions for what would look good for new tile in the upper area since we are going to rip out the carpet and the hallway on the left side of the photo has carpet? I cannot find this tile to match, so wondering if matching with something close or a wood look tile would be better?

@BeverlyFLADeziner, I'm pretty sure they are not saltillo tiles, but could probably use a good cleaning.

I think the tiles will look better once cleaned. I wonder it they can be stained darker. Anyway they will look better with rugs.

Yeah, those are ceramic. I see a pronounced repeat pattern that would drive me crazy. I don't think a cleaning is going to change anything.

I agree on the removal because they aren't saltillo, but fake.

Can you show the replacement you've found?

I would NOT do wood look tile in the areas where you intend to rip out the carpet. No to LVP. Real hardwood flooring throughout to reflect the “heritage” of your home.

@Paul F. That pattern makes me crazy, unfortunately the whole house is not really our style, but finding anything MCM where we live is nearly impossible. Gonna have to invest in some rugs I guess since labor in this area is $$$$.

@dan1888 We can only replace part of the floor and the carpet, so we are thinking of either octagon or arabesque to match one of the colors in the existing tiles.

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Sorry to say - get rid of it ALL. Ugly!! Are the baseboards also tile? I can't really tell from the picture. They look gray. Maybe a light tile with gray and light brown wisps would look good against the wood doors and beams.

"we are thinking of either octagon or arabesque to match one of the colors in the existing tiles."

Kiersten, will you be replacing the entire floor down the road, potentially? If so, I would probably not make an effort to match the existing tile, and instead go with something that you like and that will go with the elements of the house you intend to keep (e.g. wooden elements, white walls, etc.).

I've had a Spanish-style home before and a tile I really liked is the one I've installed on my kitchen floor - which looked great against the white walls and wooden trim/elements at my house:

Some AI suggestions for your floor!

Best idea? Save your money and do it all at once. Is LVP on the list of possibles? It can look really nice in an MCM house if you pick a light wood that mimics what the original MCM houses had.

What I’m envisioning:

Southern New Mexico chiming in: There is a reason for tiles like that; easy to clean when the dust blows, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Adobe does the same. You didn't mention your location, so I would guess, Taos or Santa Fe?

I like the color and appearance of the replacement tile. I'd be happy leaving the carpet in the bedrooms to get that tile down in place of what's there. Maybe reduce the cost by making the removal diy. An electric jackhammer with the right blade tip 'could' make it doable. You could grind to flatten after all the tile is off. And vacuum. Doing all the prep work and supplying the tile would get the job price down and attract more tilers to bid on the install.

I will say even if they are saltillo I for sure would not want them and since MCM is your style they need to go. I would be nive to have anice neutral 12 x24 tile with your style in fact I might look for ones that are concrete look Please do not do hex or arabesgue if MCM is what you want. Have you thought about LVP instaed of tile it is sure a lot easier on joints .There are some great ones that look like tile and a lot less expensive .

I'm no expert on home styles in New Mexico, so I did a google search. Most of the homes in that area have either genuine saltillo tiles or wood planks. I'd probably do wood planks and then furnish it with MCM pieces. There's nothing wrong with using MCM furniture in a New Mexico style home--it could be very nice.

Since you stated that the cost to replace all the floors is very expensive, perhaps live in the home for a while until you can afford to do all the flooring at once. In the meantime use area rugs for all the rooms.

^ agree, some large & inexpensive sisal or just rugs could tone down the impact of the floor