Hello,
I can hardly believe it myself, but we have been looking for tiles for the entire house for over six months and still cannot decide on one. I should mention that we have been building our small garden house since 2018, and almost everything has gone wrong. The house was originally supposed to be finished by summer/autumn 2019, but since then we have had the following issues:
- half a meter of water in the basement due to a window well being incorrectly connected
- Porotherm plan bricks installed incorrectly
- flat roof poorly constructed
- building height exceeded because the basement was raised 50cm (20 inches) too little
- construction company went bankrupt and no longer exists; legal action would have been pointless
- a second loan was necessary
- a year ago, a company installed the screed on the ground floor 8mm (0.3 inches) too high
All defects could be fixed, though some require considerable effort (e.g., re-excavating and re-flaming the basement).
For all these reasons, I’m genuinely afraid of choosing the “wrong” tiles, which would not be reversible. Maybe some can understand why this decision is so difficult for us.
We have considered everything. Originally, we wanted natural stone but couldn’t find a suitable one (light colors were too sensitive to acid, and we didn’t want to go too dark). Wood, laminate, vinyl, and cork are too delicate for us. Color-wise, we were leaning towards light gray or beige.
Since we’ve already ordered a kitchen, we are tied to the kitchen color, which is Schüller Shell White, and that often doesn’t work well with beige tiles. Now we are thinking about wood-look tiles, some of which even feel almost like real wood. We are leaning towards a light gray option that also has subtle blue tones. The tile should make a statement, but still feel cozy and, of course, be something we will like for a long time or forever.
Would you install something like this for the long term? As for color, we will coordinate the countertop later, but in the living area, we are thinking of natural shades like cognac, gray, and beige.
Both of us like such a flooring, but we are unsure if one might get tired of it after some time.
Thanks for reading and sorry for the long explanation.
I can hardly believe it myself, but we have been looking for tiles for the entire house for over six months and still cannot decide on one. I should mention that we have been building our small garden house since 2018, and almost everything has gone wrong. The house was originally supposed to be finished by summer/autumn 2019, but since then we have had the following issues:
- half a meter of water in the basement due to a window well being incorrectly connected
- Porotherm plan bricks installed incorrectly
- flat roof poorly constructed
- building height exceeded because the basement was raised 50cm (20 inches) too little
- construction company went bankrupt and no longer exists; legal action would have been pointless
- a second loan was necessary
- a year ago, a company installed the screed on the ground floor 8mm (0.3 inches) too high
All defects could be fixed, though some require considerable effort (e.g., re-excavating and re-flaming the basement).
For all these reasons, I’m genuinely afraid of choosing the “wrong” tiles, which would not be reversible. Maybe some can understand why this decision is so difficult for us.
We have considered everything. Originally, we wanted natural stone but couldn’t find a suitable one (light colors were too sensitive to acid, and we didn’t want to go too dark). Wood, laminate, vinyl, and cork are too delicate for us. Color-wise, we were leaning towards light gray or beige.
Since we’ve already ordered a kitchen, we are tied to the kitchen color, which is Schüller Shell White, and that often doesn’t work well with beige tiles. Now we are thinking about wood-look tiles, some of which even feel almost like real wood. We are leaning towards a light gray option that also has subtle blue tones. The tile should make a statement, but still feel cozy and, of course, be something we will like for a long time or forever.
Would you install something like this for the long term? As for color, we will coordinate the countertop later, but in the living area, we are thinking of natural shades like cognac, gray, and beige.
Both of us like such a flooring, but we are unsure if one might get tired of it after some time.
Thanks for reading and sorry for the long explanation.
L
Laurasstern11110 May 2024 09:53nordanney schrieb:
If you asked me about flooring, I would always say "wood." Just not in the bathroom – but definitely in the kitchen.
Durable in the sense that it’s a natural floor that gains character from scratches and dents (if you make any), giving it a cozy, lived-in feel. If you choose hard wood like oak, it holds up well, even with pets like large dogs.
Maintenance involves vacuuming and occasionally wiping with a damp cloth and some care product every few months. Every few years (if necessary), you apply a new coat of oil. That’s it. It has been a popular flooring choice for centuries and remains timeless today. I agree with you, but we have three kids – already at the end of the property – and still, they constantly spill the contents of glasses, plus a cat, and my current tiled kitchen floor always looks like it’s covered in grease splatters, etc.
I am also a tile person. It just feels more secure. You don’t constantly have a cloth or mop in hand, cleaning up afterward. I can understand the choice.
Whether it has to look like wood, I would see that as limiting your options.
Before deciding, we knew we didn’t want a “smooth paint” without any variations, but something lively, so that small spots or hairs wouldn’t be noticeable. The choice fell on a “natural stone look” with a textured surface (Atlas Concorde), but not deliberately—it was just picked based on what we liked and didn’t like. We took three tiles home, ordered two more to be sent... put them down in front of the patio door and sofa in our old home. It actually didn’t take two days...
It has a natural beige appearance, and white and black go well with all shades as well as all brown tones.
Whether it has to look like wood, I would see that as limiting your options.
Before deciding, we knew we didn’t want a “smooth paint” without any variations, but something lively, so that small spots or hairs wouldn’t be noticeable. The choice fell on a “natural stone look” with a textured surface (Atlas Concorde), but not deliberately—it was just picked based on what we liked and didn’t like. We took three tiles home, ordered two more to be sent... put them down in front of the patio door and sofa in our old home. It actually didn’t take two days...
It has a natural beige appearance, and white and black go well with all shades as well as all brown tones.
Children naturally grow, and a good quality laminate or vinyl floor can handle a lot of wear. We chose vinyl for most rooms back then and have not regretted it so far. In our rental house, we had a good laminate floor on the upper floor for 6 years, and despite children, cats, and a dog, it still looked like new when we moved out.
With pets and a larger family, I would never choose a single-color floor; otherwise, you end up constantly cleaning.
With pets and a larger family, I would never choose a single-color floor; otherwise, you end up constantly cleaning.
B
Bertram10010 May 2024 11:06I would probably choose linoleum instead of tiles. It comes in all colors and shades. It is less sensitive than wood and handles pet paws of all kinds quite well.
I have oiled wood myself, which turned out to be more sensitive than I expected, as explained by the installer. There are permanent stains, especially under the table and in the kitchen.
I think you can easily go wrong with tiles when it comes to the overall atmosphere of the room. Wood is almost always attractive, and linoleum is too. Tiles can often feel cold, industrial, retro-charming, or so neutral that they don’t add anything to the space. The latter isn’t necessarily bad, but it doesn’t contribute positively to the room either. Of course, there are also beautiful tiles. In the living room, I definitely did not want to have tiles.
I have oiled wood myself, which turned out to be more sensitive than I expected, as explained by the installer. There are permanent stains, especially under the table and in the kitchen.
I think you can easily go wrong with tiles when it comes to the overall atmosphere of the room. Wood is almost always attractive, and linoleum is too. Tiles can often feel cold, industrial, retro-charming, or so neutral that they don’t add anything to the space. The latter isn’t necessarily bad, but it doesn’t contribute positively to the room either. Of course, there are also beautiful tiles. In the living room, I definitely did not want to have tiles.
L
Laurasstern11110 May 2024 11:24ypg schrieb:
I’m also a tile person. It just feels more secure. You’re not constantly holding a rag or mop and cleaning afterward. I can understand that preference.
Whether it then has to imitate the look of wood, I would see that as limiting in terms of choice.
Before deciding, we knew: not a “flat color” without nuances, but something lively so that small spots or hairs aren’t visible. The choice fell on a “natural stone look” with an uneven surface (Atlas Concorde), although not consciously, just selected based on what we liked and didn’t like. We took three tiles with us, had two sent later… brought them into our old home and placed them by the patio door and sofa. It actually didn’t take two days…
It has a natural beige look, and white and black go with all shades as well as all brown tones. Yes, we also want something lively and not uniform in color.
H
hanghaus202310 May 2024 11:43Tiles are still the best choice even after 20 years. Especially with underfloor heating.
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