What is in/out for an entry/hallway/kitchen/dinette? Ceramic or Hardwood? Is hardwood better for resale? I'm debating between hardwood or porcelain/slate. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

What in or out tends to be a regional thing. What is being offered in the new homes in your area. Attend some open houses and see what is popular there.

Both ceramic tile and hardwood are good choices. Some claim that ceramic is too cold and hard. Hardwood flooring is visually warm and more resilient than tile. Hardwood does indeed add value to the home.

i think when we decorate our homes to fit our lifestyles, then it will work well for us...Trends come and go, so be careful about going with what's "in".....

I believe hardwood is timeless no matter what the trends may be.

Hardwood is what is IN in my house. For my traditional home in the Pacific Northwest it is a timeless look.

What style home do you have? What part of the country do you live in?

In Massachusetts all the new home constructed high end homes have hardwood in the kitchens, any homes here w/tile in them are considered dated. That being said hardwood isn't a trend so to speak, we had hardwood in the house I grew up in in both the kitchens and bathrooms they were original to the house and the house is over 100 yrs old. Personally I don't like tiled floors of any kind unless they are marble and in a bathroom other then that I only like hardwood.

quote:

Originally posted by cocok:
Hardwood is what is IN in my house. For my traditional home in the Pacific Northwest it is a timeless look.

What style home do you have? What part of the country do you live in?

I live in Texas and own a two story single family house, and most people here seem to go with tile. I personally perfer hardwood but wasn't sure how it would hold up in the kitchen and bathroom area!

I have hardwood in a family room and large great room off the kitchen. I am going to install ceramic tile in my foyer and kitchen because hardwood and water don't mix. I don't have time to mop up constantly. My hardwood was installed, stained, and finished onsite. My installer had plenty of stories about dishwashers that broke and kitchen floods. He has plenty of business replacing the hardwood in kitchens. Even though my hardwood has a commercial sealer applied to it, I wouldn't put it in the kitchen.

ITA, 16paws. We have had both in our kitchen and we now insist on stone or porcelain tile. Sure it's cold, but it's just the ticket here in Texas. And it's sooo easy to care for; I don't have tp worry about a dishwasher or busted sink pipe flood.

Wood is a lovely look, but it is high maintenance. And, if you add kids and pets to the mix, fugghedaboudit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: vancleef,

I have a goal to get hardwood floors. I don't see putting them in the kitchen or bathrooms or even laudry room because of the fear of water leaks. I will probably keep carpet in my formal dining and bedrooms. I see just doing hardwood in my living room and foyer.

Here in the Midwest what I've seen in Newly constructed Highend homes, is a mix of materials. Not just wood wood wood or ceramic tile everywhere. The foyer may have tile while the great room has wood etc.

Hardwood.

And for those who are afraid of water damage or scuffing, I know a few families that are very happy with those new higher quality laminate floor pieces that are made to look like wood.

I think tile is great in the bathrooms. I love hardwood or laminate everywhere else.

I think it's a regional thing. In the warmer climates you tend to see tile in kitchens and baths. In the north and west it's hardwood.

When I built my current home 2-1/2 years ago, I opted to have the entire first floor done in porcelain tile. I love it!! I have a very large garden patio complete with a hot tub. Since we are constantly going from house to patio, the tile is priceless in terms of durability and ease of cleaning. In the winter when the hot tub is used often during snowy weather, it is wonderful to have a party and no worries about the floors. It's not for everyone admittedly. Area rugs soften and warm the tile in the conversation rooms. I built this house for entertaining - empty nester - and it works so well for parties, winter hot tubbing as well as summer barbeques.

Too many focus on trends. As has been said, trends come and go. What I prefer to do is focus on my specific needs while projecting toward resale down the line in re. to costly built ins. Certain things are classics and hardwood flooring is one of them. Hardwood floors have been used in homes for hundreds of years and continue to be popular for good reason. They come in an array of woods/stains and styles. They can be custom installed in patterns or included inlayed borders or medallions. Some tile floors in fact, have featured a mix of hardwood framing the tiles in a diagonal grid fashion. Hardwood is warm to the eye and the feet, has some give and is repairable. If you wish, area rugs and runners can be used atop hardwood. Perspective buyers may opt to install carpeting in some spaces, but it's not costly or difficult. Hardwood flooring adapts to a vast array of decorating styles too.

Tile, on the other hand, is cold and hard under foot. The tile, in some cases, should be sealed, but the grout always must be sealed and resealed. Tile is hard to stand upon for long periods of time. It can crack and chip. The longevity of a tile size, composition, color or pattern can be shortlived vs. hardwood flooring. On the upside, tile is prefered in water prone areas like bathrooms and laundry rooms. It can include radiant heat in bathrooms for comfort. Also, certain regions of the country prefer tile because it's easy to maintain, it's quite durable and attractive and it's not prone to termites. High water areas (regionally and internally speaking) are great places to consider tile. Some pet owners prefer tile tho hardwood flooring can feature durable protective coats and some pets can don "shoes" made to guard against claw scratches. Explore the countless options if tile is your preference. You may be amazed how tiles and tile inlays have evolved.

Importantly, keeping floors neutral in coloration is a wise approach.

Bottom line is factor in these things...

lifestyle/family/pets
maintanence
location
amount of time you intend to remain in your home
budget esp. in re. the market in your immediate neighborhood and/or area (do not overly improve your home to the point of it becoming the neighborhood's castle as you probably won't recoup your investment)