Replacing Porcelein Tile with What??

I am with hubby. I vote tile.

It is durable, classic, easy to clean and better for resale.

Invest in a couple of pretty area rugs if needed.

I have lived several places with vinyl flooring in kitchens and bathrooms. I really don't like it. You have to be really careful with what kind of area rugs you use on them. If they have certain kinds of backing on them there can be a chemical reaction that causes irreversible discoloring damage to the vinyl. We have one spot on our current kitchen floor that has damage from a can of soup falling out of the cupboard. We also have an area that has sun damage. I once made the mistake of mopping a vinyl floor with a cleaning solution that left the entire floor feeling sticky. If you were going to sell your home, tile would be a better selling point than vinyl.

I definitely prefer tile in the kitchen and bathroom. In bedrooms and living areas I would prefer wood flooring or laminate flooring or carpet. They just seem more homey and comfortable than tile.

we've got a couple of laminate floors still. they're 'nice', but still not as nice as the hardwood floors, and not nearly as nice as the good stone tiles we have in the bathrooms, or the beautiful cork floor in the kitchen.

i'm with your husband.

if you can swing the extra expense, put in heated tile floors. ours is a very small bathroom, and it was still expensive, especially with the gorgeous stone we picked for the floor, but oh my!!!!! we just turned it on for the first time a few days ago, and how happy are my feets!

:) khairete
S.

I would put in real wood floors throughout the house. It's warmer than tile or stone. It has a warmer look. And it is easy to clean. Then use area rugs if you want a soft spot for kids to sit.

Updated

I would put in real wood floors throughout the house. It's warmer than tile or stone. It has a warmer look. And it is easy to clean. Then use area rugs if you want a soft spot for kids to sit.

i am of no help as i am going to side with your husband and say tile.

I think porcelain and/or ceramic tile is best for wear and tear, especially here in Florida.

I have put in vinyl wood planks into two of our Florida rentals and it is a nice and less expensive alternative to everything else. They are easy to change one if there are scratches, etc., but I haven't had any problems with them in the two years since installing.

If there are similar like squares or planks then it is a nice option, the only down side is resale value. I just put wood plank porcelain tile into our short term rental because it is in a very nice neighborhood and I wanted to keep up with the style of the other rentals.

To me the wood has a warmer feel then the stone look, but since the homes in Florida are on concrete slabs they are always cool (which is great in the summer).

I think this really depends on where you live. Here in MD, you see a lot of real tile, but even more hardwood. We have hardwood and LOVE it. We do plan to tile the kitchen and bathrooms though as funds become available for those projects.

I saw a lot of laminate and tile when I was looking for homes in TX....my husband was possibly looking at a job there. I didn't like the look at all - but I've mostly lived in the Northeast my whole life, so that explains my preference in style.

Go with what you like...ask a designer what is best for your area in terms of ease of clean, length of durability, temperate resistant, etc....