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patrick_sesty

Need Flooring Help ASAP

27 days ago

Background: A house I just purchased had tile throughout the home except for the bedrooms (all were carpeted). My plan was/is to remove the carpet and use the same tile throughout because I really like it (Esmer Blue Emotion 18x35).

Problem: That tile is discontinued and I can’t find it anywhere without spending a fortune. Need some suggestions on what I can do instead. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Comments (21)

  • 27 days ago

    Personally, I'd remove the tile and install hardwood floors throughout the house because I really dislike tile floors - except in bathrooms/laundry rooms/mud rooms. I especially would dislike tile floors in bedrooms (I know that tile throughout an entire house is common in specific areas - but I don't live in an area where tile is common).


    However, if you don't want to spend the money to remove the tile + replace it all with wood floors, I'd put wood in the bedrooms.



    You also could find a nice carpet (wool?) to install in the bedrooms - there are quite a few people that like having carpet in their bedrooms (especially if they have children because it's softer for them to sit on the floor while playing in the room + it's more comfortable for under comforters/quilts/blankets/sleeping bags when having a sleepover.)


    Your only other choice is to pay $$$ to purchase the tile that you need. However, it will be from a different color lot and may look quite a bit different from your existing tile.

  • 27 days ago

    Thanks, Dani. Unfortunately, ripping everything up isn’t in my timeline or budget. I don’t have kids and I live in Arizona, so tile throughout is great because it’ll help keep the home cool. I love the tile and am upset I can’t get more of it. I know I don’t want carpet, so just wondering what would match/work with what’s already there.

  • 27 days ago

    It would help if you actually posted a photo of the tile vs. just supplying the name. People aren't going to want to have to look up the tile that is currently in the house. Without seeing the current tile, no one will be able to offer other tile suggestions that might work with it.

  • 27 days ago

    What about checking for a different but similar tile? Like something that would go well with it? Alternatively put an entirely different flooring in the bedrooms and call it done. I personally love carpet in bedrooms. Feels cozier to me.

  • PRO
    27 days ago
    last modified: 27 days ago

    If you're insistent on using tile, I'd select a tile that looked like wood plank and install that in the bedrooms. It will be a nice relief from the dark floor.






  • 27 days ago

    I would do the bedroom floors in wood.

  • 27 days ago

    Make the bedroom floors different from the rest of your home. A near match looks like a mistake. Don't try to match. Tile clearly works for you. Show us some of what your furnishings and style looks like and we can try to find a tile that is sympathetic with the rest of your home and with your rooms and furniture.

  • PRO
    27 days ago
    last modified: 27 days ago

    He said.......

    "I don’t have kids and I live in Arizona, so tile throughout is great because it’ll help keep the home cool. I love the tile and am upset I can’t get more of it. I know I don’t want carpet, so just wondering what would match/work with what’s already there."


    PLEASE? : )


    Arizona doesn't DEMAND a tile floor. You will have a "near miss" in any blue, a lot of money spent. Two different tiles butted ? UGGGH. !! Don't jam a square peg and constraints, (time / resources$$$/ availability ) into a round hole.

    Get and LVP and use it. Yes, luxury vinyl PLANK. Go pick one: )

  • PRO
    27 days ago

    Especially when it comes to distinctive tiles like Esmer Blue Emotion, that's a common challenge when dealing with discontinued tiles. The following are some practical options you can consider since exact replacements are hard to find:


    1. Check local and online surplus suppliers – It is sometimes possible to find leftover stock on sites such as TileBar Overstock, BuildDirect, and Facebook Marketplace. Check your local tile distributor for remnant boxes as well.


    2. Use a coordinating tile – Look for a complementary tone or pattern in a similar size (18x35 or close) if a perfect match isn't possible. As a "transition zone" between spaces, a neutral gray, blue-gray, or marble-look porcelain can blend seamlessly.


    3. Create a design feature – Rather than matching exactly, use a border tile or threshold trim to frame bedrooms or hallways instead. It can look intentional and stylish.


    4. Consider luxury vinyl tile (LVT) – A modern LVT can simulate stone or ceramic beautifully and provide a uniform look without the expense of hunting down discontinued stock.


    5. Contact the original manufacturer or builder – There are times when they can recommend regional distributors or leftover batches from old projects.




  • PRO
    27 days ago

    Even if you found more the existing tile, it will be from a different color run and might not match the current tile. Better to contrast the material.

    Also in light of the scorching hot weather your state has experienced lately, I agree that tile or wood makes more sense than LVT. The expansion and contraction from hot to cold in a single day that could effect the concrete slab could lead to vinyl shrinkage.

  • 27 days ago

    Please clarify: does the house have Emser Blue Emotion tile and carpet now or does it have some other tile and carpet?

  • PRO
    27 days ago
    last modified: 27 days ago

    ^^^

    "A house I just purchased had ( EDIT has!! ) tile throughout the home except for the bedrooms (all were ( Edit! ARE) carpeted)."

  • PRO
    27 days ago

    Have you visited your local Emser distributor? Being there in person makes you unignorable, vs a phone call from some moke looking for discontinued tile. Those kind of phone calls get the brush off. They will have full visibility into their company distribution system, and if it was discontinued recently, will give you the best chance. IT's it's been more than 12 months, you will never find it.

  • 27 days ago

    Is there an issue with all the tile on the floors coming up online as "wall tile?" Are wall tiles interchangeable as wall or floor tiles?

  • PRO
    27 days ago

    Wall tiles should not be used on the floor. They do not have a wear rating for that, and will scratch, chip, and need to be ripped out much sooner due to not standing up to wear.

  • 27 days ago

    Your tile mimics Belgian bluestone. Pierre Blue Matte Limestone Tile | Elegant Blue Stone - 18”x36” This stuff is costly. Really good quality engineered European Oak in 11" wide planks is less and very warm feeling. Imo, it would mix. Monarch Plank.


  • 26 days ago

    If you cannot find the same tile you can use a different tile in the bedrooms.

    In my first home there were multiple tiles used. I thought about having it all replaced, but the cost was prohibitive and with the rooms furnished and decorated no one noticed.

    They didn't even notice that the enclosed patio wasn't tile at all - it was sheet vinyl that had a tile pattern, but was viewed through sliding glass doors.


    colors · More Info


    There was a boarder pattern between the kitchen and family room that delineated the two rooms and felt very intentional.


    In my current home I will have 3 different flooring by design. The entry has Purple Red and Blue slate. (I would have done slate throughout, but my old joints needed something less hard). I selected LVT that is a tile look LVT. I picked the lighter color for everywhere except the guest bedroom and guest bath, where I am using the darker color. It was a deliberate decision to set those two rooms apart from the remainder of the house. When you walk out of those rooms into the hallway you look into the foyer. The darker floors appear match the purple slate and the wall color appears to match the blue slate. If they were butted directly next to the slate floor they would be off, but with the lighter flooring in the hallway it tricks the mind into seeing the exact same colors.


    These are the two floor tiles I am using and below is a photo of my foyer with the one of the lighter flooring tiles on the floor







    As long as what you do makes it feel intentional it is perfectly okay to not have identical flooring throughout the house. Especially bathrooms and bedrooms.


    Do a similar color with a decorative border or do a lighter shade tile in the bedrooms.






    As long as it looks intentional and not like a mistake it is fine.


  • 26 days ago

    @Patrick Sesty what would you think of replacing the carpet with wood or cork flooring? Both are cooler and cleaner than carpet. Cork is quieter, repels insects, less expensive. Wood is harder. Glue down cork is as long lasting as hardwood.

  • PRO
    26 days ago
    last modified: 26 days ago

    Two different tiles butted, virtually never looks "intentional"

    It usually looks exactly like the design "reach" that it is...the I forced it effect.: )

    Changing up the material ( ie wood to tile ) that butts, is virtually always the more INTENTIONAL looking result.

  • PRO
    25 days ago

    I think Bev's idea of a wood-look tile alongside the Emser Blue would look very nice. If there is a height difference, use a saddle or some sort of transition strip.

  • PRO
    25 days ago

    Does the EMSER exist in every bath? Is there an ensuite bath in the primary? Emser is in the bath?

    Do we know? what does everywhere but bedrooms really entail : )

    What keeps a house cool is reasonable level of humidity in combination with temperature. If its 119 degrees outside in Arizona? 75 degrees inside will feel like a meat locker.

    He has no listing pictures......and apologies all, but tile that is "wood" is still...tile.


    What if baths, any other, do not have Emser on the floor? Is a different tile already butting to Emser in a hallway?

    Sign me curious...........