Flooring?

[MOM2SNOX]

My house was built in the 70's... when orange and brown were considered HOT and CHIC! Today... it looks like a truckload of pumpkins threw up in my kitchen! Counters are orange, floor is checkered orange and brown and I'm tired of the look! Anyone have any advice on inexpensive home improvements for kitchen and bathroom floors?? TIA!

[queenofthehivemomof5]

How about painting the floor? I am assuming they are Linolium?
http://www.msbuilder.com/lib/ms041.shtml

[queenofthehivemomof5]

I have also seen Christopher Lowel paint laminate counter tops too.

[BzyBee DH]

Hardwood flooring can be cheap (~$1-$3 / sq.ft)

Tear out is labor only. (DW & I did this ourselves)

Material cost varies, but can be found at $1 / sq.ft.

We got unfinished installation at $2/sq.ft. (3/4" oak that they sand & stain/protect after installation).

Or you can buy the install tool for about $300 and DIY.

PLMK if you want more details.

[BzyBee DH]

BTW, DW & I are NOT handy people, but are learning it.... :Hammer:

Our home is also early 70's. It had 5 different floor coverings:Barf: visible from the front door - (1) White tile, (2) Blue linoleum, (3) white carpet, (4) grey carpet, (5) yellow/white tile.....(Also, a ducky blue tile was visible for the kitchen countertop).:aargh4: :scratchchin:

Hence, no one wanted to buy the home. We did and the first thing was to tear it out and replace with hardwood flooring.

[Shopz2Much]

Ikea has really cheap flooring and if there isn't one near you...order the catalog or check out their website: www.ikea.com

I want to put in a new countertop in our kitchen and I keep seeing BIG pieces on CraigsList (ForSale - Household section) that contractors dump for pennies on the dollar. Haven't found the exact shade I want yet...but I know it will get there!

[MOM2SNOX]

How about painting the floor? I am assuming they are Linolium?
http://www.msbuilder.com/lib/ms041.shtml

Yep! That they are! But I read this line "Many people make the expensive mistake of removing and replacing a slightly worn and scuffed linoleum kitchen floor when it is still in very usable condition." and I KNEW my floors are more than slightly worn or scuffed! LOL!

I'm gonna have to move onto plan B! But thanks for the link!

[MOM2SNOX]

Hardwood flooring can be cheap (~$1-$3 / sq.ft)

Tear out is labor only. (DW & I did this ourselves)

Material cost varies, but can be found at $1 / sq.ft.

We got unfinished installation at $2/sq.ft. (3/4" oak that they sand & stain/protect after installation).

Or you can buy the install tool for about $300 and DIY.

PLMK if you want more details.

Hmmmm.... that's sounding like something I could do. The idea of being "kitchenless" for the duration is the only downfall (besides costs and planning it all out!). We're getting a new stove and I'd like the flooring to be already in place before set it in. Not sure if ripping the old one out would do any damage to the new floor though....

What does the install tool look like? I think we rented this HUGE roller (weighed a TON.. well, almost!) to do the linoleum downstairs. But those were square pieces we glued to the deck and used the roller afterwards to flatten 'em down. It was a "quickie" job since we were trying to get the place rented before we went overseas. You can tell now that it was a quick job because some areas have been gouged or a few corners of some are missing. I don't want that to happen to the kitchen!

Really love the idea of hardwood flooring but if we go that route, I'd love to rip up the carpeting in the living room and merge the two rooms! Gonna have to measure everything out and see what I come up with as far as square footage.

Thanks for all the advice! Will definitely keep you and BzyBee in mind when I make the plunge to change it!

To give you an idea of the color... here's a pic of the little one at Christmas stealing a present. We had to put the tree in the kitchen (behind a locked gate) to keep her opening everything! You can just see a corner of the orange counter on the left side. But the floor.... EWWWW!

[MOM2SNOX]

It had 5 different floor coverings:Barf: visible from the front door

Sounds like our house! LOL!

[MOM2SNOX]

Ikea has really cheap flooring and if there isn't one near you...order the catalog or check out their website: www.ikea.com

I want to put in a new countertop in our kitchen and I keep seeing BIG pieces on CraigsList (ForSale - Household section) that contractors dump for pennies on the dollar. Haven't found the exact shade I want yet...but I know it will get there!

Cool! We don't have an Ikea close so I'll have to jump online.

And I never thought to check craigslist.com although I'm there almost daily! Great suggestion!