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.
C
chand198610 May 2024 23:26Bertram100 schrieb:
The last point is not necessarily bad, but it is not really an advantage for a room either.I disagree.It is exactly an advantage when used as a contrasting element to furniture that, in one way or another, is meant to catch the eye with a certain lively character.
Since I appreciate such furniture, mainly made of wood, wooden flooring is not an option for me. The mix of materials then lacks enough contrast. Alternatively, it would have to be something whitewashed or stained black, but I also don’t find that very appealing.
As always, a matter of personal taste.
N
nordanney10 May 2024 23:28I also installed my kitchen directly on the screed (this was a makeshift solution because the screed was higher than planned due to the house tilting caused by ground movement). The floor now goes right up to the base of the kitchen units, which nobody can see because of the plinth below.
Just do it this way.
Just do it this way.
C
chand198610 May 2024 23:33Laurasstern111 schrieb:
After 1 - 2 years or when the perfect tile appears Why actually look for the perfect tile?
Wouldn’t any appealing tile that matches the interior do?
When renovating our existing property, we kept the old tiled floor. It matches the color of our furniture well and doesn’t show dirt quickly. However, we would never have chosen this tile ourselves in terms of size and color.
But since it fits the main criteria, we left it in place and it looks good. Not once did we think we needed THE perfect tile as a replacement.
I think aiming for perfection is too much and not productive. Especially not considering the building story described here.
In my opinion, it’s much more important to get moving with around 80% (using the Pareto principle).
Laurasstern111 schrieb:
After 1 - 2 years or when the perfect tile appears There is no such thing as a "perfect" tile—at least not for you.
chand1986 schrieb:
Doesn't any attractive tile that matches the interior work? Well, it doesn’t have to be just any tile, but if you expect a wow factor and so on... I don’t think that’s the right approach. The wow factor comes from the furniture. Personally, I’m on my third sofa (due to personal restructuring, a dog, and so on), and the tile has never been an issue because it takes a backseat. Still, it naturally stands out over the entire surface.
It simply comes down to your hesitation in making decisions @Laurasstern111 and the overvaluation of flooring.
@Laurasstern
G
Gerddieter10 May 2024 23:49I don’t understand the whole problem – just go to a proper tile store... You’re showing us screenshots from Hornbach or other online sources – I wouldn’t find anything useful there either... GD
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