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veenagraff

Kitchen floor tile advice

last year

Hi -


We were wanting to update this kitchen floor tile, however the cost of ripping out floors and re-tiling the floor seems to be a pretty big problem per 3-4 different tile experts who came to give estimates.


The most recent tile expert said they wouldnt waste time/money re-tiling and instead said these ceramic tiles were in great condition and recommended painting/stenciling the tile instead after a good, deep clean of the tile itself.


Questions for community:

1) Thoughts on this?

2) Who actually does this? Professional painters? Or tile people (the person said he doesnt do that even though he is a tile expert)

3) Any other recs?


Thanks.


Attaching pic of kitchen. Of note, kitchen cabinets will be white on top and blue on bottom. Kitchen appliances are going to be updated to stainless steel. Fixtures will be brushed champagne brass color. Countertops will be clean, white quartz with white subway tile backsplash.





Comments (17)

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    Ripping out tile and putting in new ones isn't "a pretty big problem". Sure, it is a messy, dusty and noisy demolition, but it isn't a rare or unusual project. If the kitchen isn't much larger than what you show, demolition would be done in one day.

    They are giving you high quotes to make a small job worth their while.

    As far as painting the floor, that would not be a choice I would make. How many people live there and what type of traffic/wear do you have in (and through) the kitchen? Kids? Pets?

    Once you paint the floor, you might end up with an ongoing maintenance nightmare.

  • last year

    Thanks Chispa. This is exactly what we were thinking too. Was surprised a tile person even suggested this. And yes it will be a high traffic area…. Which is why it didnt make sense but wanted to hear peoples thoughts

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    rust oleum has a tile painting program...the durability and toughness is excellent. . look into it....note the colors. I'm not so keen on painting the cabs. you want new counters on old cabs??? .....thats enuf...the cabinets will look a lot better w stainless appliances adjacent / new counters //different floor color...use blues in floor mats etc. You're doing things to every surface yet its older kitchen.....just not good long term. pick a couple things. the pic is not close up to show condition and also cant see the whole space but I think you are biting off too much.

  • last year

    @herbflavor - Not sure we will be painting these floors. Its a kitchen, high foot traffic area. I would rather just re-tile.

    And yes, we are/did paint cabinets. Seems like this may be a personal opinion on whether one is keen on it or not. They are in fantastic condition and pretty common for folks to do so to change the look/color scheme which is what we were going for. Not sure why you are saying we are “biting off too much….”

    Thanks for your input.

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    too much can mean " floors/ paint to cabinets /new appliances /new counters / add backsplash" adds up to EVERYTHING receiving surface changes ..... so when that is the proposal...for the cost its usually wise to price out NEW cabinets..... a tweak or two as in DRAWERS ......getting the fridge out of the corner/ adding a skinny pantry cabinet...things like that . then you compare the costs and look at the end results of one plan VS. the other. IT would nag me if I never even priced out upgrades /some alterations for a smallish space, yet did all the things on your list. .


    Also..per your comment " high foot traffic area" .....solutions can be found to that w configuration changes ..here's a smallish kitchen with work zone contained so the foot traffic passes outside that. Have you entertained the thought of dealing w "high foot traffic" in your kitchen? anyway..Good Luck.


    Timeless and Spacious Condo Kitchen · More Info


  • PRO
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Any contractor that would recommend painting tile in a kitchen is a con artist or fool. Do it right, by removing the existing, or do not touch it. That goes for everything in that picture, from the floors, to the cabinets, to the counters, to the appliances, to the paint. Just doing the floors is not enough change to justify doing the floors. The rest needs to come out at the same time.

  • last year

    While you could lay down vinyl on top of that, you would end up undercutting your doors and baseboards, causing yourself a much more expensive headache down the road. Every ”solution” is like that. It will create more expense and difficulty later, when you want to redo the rest. The only good way to tackle this is as a whole piece, and demo it all. Then build back.

  • last year

    Thanks Monique for your thoughts! The more I read about painting tiles, the more I felt this was an odd suggestion. Especially that it is in a kitchen, high traffic area, which goes through an entrance that leads to the backyard!! Made no sense but thought Id ask for opinions!

    Thanks for validating what we felt!

  • last year

    Our friends put lvt over tile...im not a fan of lvt, but it was pretty thin and they completely changed the look of their house.

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    Nobody wants to take on such a small job and they are tossing out bad ideas as an excuse to not give a bid. (Oy, I've been there. It feels like being rejected before a first date.)

    I don't think painting floors is a good idea for longevity. The same goes for cabinet painting in many instances. You see loads of before and afters of cabinets painted by house painters, handymen, or DIY'ers. Not many show pics 3+ years later with all the chips and cracks. My understanding is a professional cabinet paint job, from a company that exclusively does this, is what will last long, though it quite expensive, almost as much as new cabinets.

    Ripping out your entire kitchen isn't in your budget. (Maybe you don't even want to do that if it were.) So you need to consider your final image, costs, and quality. Low quality costs you more in the long run so if you are budget conscious, considering this is a must.

    I think you need to be more flexible about your final look. Erase your image of what your kitchen can look like on your budget for good quality.

    Get new stainless appliances first. It will totally change the look of your kitchen. Next ask, is this room beautiful enough that with new counters, new backsplash, and new fixtures, you'll adore your kitchen and won't want to paint the cabinets or change the floor? Hopefully so.

    I think two toned cabinets are too busy for a kitchen your size and really chop things up. If it is any consolation, they are not on trend anymore and natural wood is much more popular.

    These are all fresh, lovely examples of how you can transform your kitchen without painting your cabinets or switching the floors. Imagine throwing in blue accents to get you pop of blue in here - blue mugs, blue utensil canister, blue oven mitts, blue dishtowels, blue artwork.


    Spirit Bay · More Info



    City Contemporary · More Info



    San Francisco Edwardian · More Info



    Fun and Functional Transitional Kitchen · More Info


  • last year

    This group is so interesting….lol

    I posted to ask about thoughts on what everyone thinks about a “tile expert” recommending painted tile and get multiple opinions on other stuff that I did not even ask about.

    Thanks for those who actually answered my question

  • last year

    You want a solution. Answering your question puts you back at the beginning. Ideas are for you to explore to get a solution.

  • last year

    Most things in a kitchen design are inter-related. And most on here are either designers or home owners with a kitchen or two under their belt and can see some red flags. You wrote "of note" so in a way you did kinda, sorta invite us to into your kitchen design process. Believe me, the point is not to criticize but to hopefully guide you away from potential pitfalls.


    I have posted on here dozens of times and info I didn't even ask about has been some of the most valuable, time, and money saving advice. Even if you don't want to act on it now, file these comments away and ponder them later. Or share them with your significant person who is the other half of your "we" and see what they say.

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    Houzz is a discussion forum which is by definition exchanges or expressions of ideas. if you want task details w strict instructions only , you can go to you tube which i do frequently for how to on various specefic activities ….in your case you say it was the floor and tile yet use ”renovation” which is more…dont begrudge people. kitchens are very involved projects.

  • PRO
    last year

    You want a cookie. What you are really talking about is a "give a mouse a cookie" situation though. There are a ton of unintended consequences and expenses associated with that cookie. You very obviously do not realize the ramifications of them either. Which is why people are telling you to go back to the drawing board with your idea, with the information that you have learned here.


  • last year

    Some replied to some of the comments here:

    1. We are not doing any of these renos DIY. Not sure why anyones assuming this

    2. We actually did look into getting new cabinets all together vs professionally painted. Professionally painted cabinets were actually cheaper believe it or not which is why we went this route.

    3. comments about “why would you do blue/white combo instead of leaving natural” is strictly an opinion based statement.

    4. the reason I even mentioned “of note” explaining what we already are doing/have done/planning on doing is to explain the look we were going for. Final part being the TILE.

    5. We are getting a total of 5 estimates in replacing the tile. So far one was outrageously expensive. The other two matched. The one recommended painting tile which made zero sense and felt like a lazy answer but I posted this post to see if I was missing anything which clearly wasnt. And we are waiting for one last estimate in person but already gave a general quote based on pictures and measurements provided.

    6. Clearly we are aware of the “ramifications” of doing renos. Hence why we are getting numerous estimates/quotes before proceeding with anything

  • last year

    VG - You said floors were a pretty big problem per 3-4 estimates. It sounds now like you have some good estimates to work with. Great. Enjoy your new floor. May your two toned kitchen be all you hope it to be.


    For the future, if you aren't interested in hearing "opinion based statements", an online forum is sure not the right place to go to. Lastly, it isn't so hard to take what you find useful and kindly leave the rest behind.