Kitchen Floor

Several months ago, when we began the process of what to do with the kitchen floor, the idea surfaced to remove the 12x12 tile located at the rear entry.  Now, mind you, there are plenty of examples of homeowners in our neighborhood attempting to "modernize" their 100+ year old houses by having their entire kitchens updated with the latest trend in porcelain or ceramic tile. The problem with that is the modern look, eventually, becomes a dated look--think avocado green appliances.  We wanted timeless and the solution was to revert to what we knew was the original flooring--red oak.

We don't have many pictures of that tile floor, since it was an eyesore from our perspective. I'm certain it served it's purpose for previous owners as it provided a durable, waterproof surface when entering from the, then, uncovered rear entry steps.  But, now, we have an, almost complete, covered rear stoop to protect the floor from any rain or snow.

Tile floor at rear entry

After wood floor replacement

No words needed...

The man who "feathered in" the wood floor did a masterful job and we couldn't be more pleased. The great thing about the materials used in old homes is the same materials are, typically, available today. The exact floor (2 1/4" width x 3/4" thick) solid red oak floor can still be easily purchased today, almost 100 years later! And, the interesting thing is it costs half, per square foot, than the cheapest hardwood flooring found in the big box stores. Of course, there is the cost of installation, which includes sanding the old and new floor, and, then, applying a durable finish. But, the results are amazing!

Planks installed (pre sanding/finishing)

Finished floor

After installation (before finishing)

After

Some Progress

The main bathroom finally has new tile!  We went with something timeless and appropriate for the house, instead of succumbing to the latest renovation trends in tile.  The wall tile is the classic subway tile, but with a matte finish.  That was my Wife's choice and it was definitely the correct choice as it looks fantastic!.  For the floor, we used hexagonal tile with a few "daisy" patterns added, which is period appropriate. While they are spec'd as 1-inch tile, they're not true to that size. It's next to impossible to find a true 1-inch hex tile, but they can still be found, specifically, from this company. I would have used this company if the timeline would have allowed.  We were still holding out hope there was an original hex tile floor underneath the square tile floor, due to the obvious buildup at the door threshold.

What was interesting about the original bathroom is that the red oak flooring throughout the house was, also, in the bathroom.  That was, actually, a big surprise, but it was in very rough shape and not only had been exposed to water but had an underlayment added in order to have 12-inch tile laid on top.  It seemed more practical to install hex tile and stay within the spirit of the 1920s.

Original Red Oak flooring

"Original" configuration

Here are a few "in process" demo pics, along with the new tile.  It's difficult to tell from the light, but the walls are now painted slate, which is a softer version of a medium gray.

The tub is an original fixture of the house and in very good shape: I believe it was a Kohler "Cardinal" corner rolled-lip tub. When we purchased the house, it had a knee wall surrounding the side and a full wall to accommodate modern fixtures.  We will be installing what would have been vintage-styled nickel plated tub faucet and shower riser--chrome plated faucets didn't enter residential areas until the early 1930's and I'm not a fan of the bluish cast of chrome versus the warm tones of nickel.

Before

After

Here are a few more before and after pics.  The next steps will be having the sides of the tub resurfaced and having the tub plumbing installed.

Before

After

Before

After