Amtico vs. Vein Cut Travertine

Christine,

I have been engaged in your blog for the past two weeks and have made my way through your archives in an attempt to learn as much as possible abut good design. THANK YOU! I have many questions, but one in particular concerns a product you mentioned: Amtico. I think this blog entry was from YEARS ago, but I found the company and some corresponding product pictures on Houzz.com and I am really interested in their line. The thing is, friends and family have thought I was crazy for thinking of vinyl tiles, but the product looks good and I think, if done right, it would be amazing. Interested in your thoughts and how I can make it work.

The house is a rental in California's wine country. I am doing wood (or laminate) throughout, but don't want to do it in the one-room kitchen/dining because it is connected to a pool outside and because I am (really) scared about trusting weekly renters. I am interested in doing the Amtico Linear Chalk Vinyl Tile, probably in the one that has "sage" accents. There is a nice picture on Houzz and also on This Old House.   The kitchen would be modern in design, mostly white with stainless steel appliances. Pictures of the room- which has been completely gutted by my dad- are attached. The room- which is a 30 by 11 rectangle- will include the dining area and an L-shaped kitchen with a vertical island.

Looking for tips on how to make this kitchen seem high-end- given that some people think Vinyl tile is not!

My regards,

Tessa

Hi Tessa,

First of all, I want to say how much I love Amtico.  I have NEVER had a client NOT be thrilled with it.  It truly is a fabulous product.  It is not only incredibly durable, but also very good-looking.  I like to describe it as a high end resin material, I would never use the word "vinyl" in describing Amtico.  It really isn't correct, and it's sort of a slap in the face.

I especially love their wood planks.

I think it's hard for some people to accept manufactured products.  For example, there are some amazing counter materials out there that are far more practical than natural stone, and equally as beautiful, (and equally as expensive) and yet, there will be many people who only want natural stone. 

Personally, I think there are lots of places for lots of different surfaces- depending on the home, the style, the needs of the client, the budget, etc. If you have an open mind, you are more likely to have an end result that is perfect for your place. 

(photo from the Pleated Poppy- counters are Ceasarstone)

I have a concern.  First of all, you mentioned that you were doing a wood or laminate throughout the house.  I want to say that Amtico is far more high end than any laminate floor.  I think you might have hurt Amtico's feelings by saying that you are willing to put in a laminate, but question the status level of Amtico. 

I personally really dislike height changes, and there is a big one between wood or a laminate, and Amtico. There would be a pretty significant step down to the level of the Amtico.  If this is just in 3 foot doorways, that's no big deal, but if you have larger transition areas, I don't think it would look good.  You could overcome that by using a wood look Amtico- which I think is fabulous, or if you were doing real wood, I would lean toward a travertine or limestone floor. There is not only a change in flooring height, but then you also have the difference in baseboard height.  Again, some floorplans would not have this problem, like if your kitchen were really separated, (which your's looks like maybe it is...) but more open floorplans could have some awkward changes.

There are times when awkward transitions are a necessary evil, but when you are replacing all of the flooring, it can be avoided.  How?  You simply have the wood floors installed first, and then you tell the tile installer to have the stone the exact same height, so the transition can be grouted instead of using a "transition strip" which is really just another word for "trip hazard".  (as a landlord it might even be a liability.  ) I once did a job on a raised foundation, where I was putting in Amtico, meeting up to real wood floors, and we added a layer of plywood under the Amtico to bring the height up to the wood floor height.  However- doing things like that can cause more issues, like now your dishwasher- does it have the height it needs to go in and out- etc.?  (we had a brand new kitchen going in, so it wasn't a problem, but if there are already existing cabinets, 1/2 inch can definitely be an issue.  )

I just had my travertine floors professionally cleaned a few weeks ago and was amazed at how perfect they looked.  I thought to myself, these would make a good floor for a rental, as they would clean up perfectly in-between renters.  If it were me, I would consider the travertine throughout.  A careless renter could really hurt your hardwood or laminate with water, but travertine is pretty indestructible, and yet has enough of of a "high end" perception to attract good renters.  You could also avoid changes in flooring altogether, carrying it through your bathrooms and laundry.  For a more modern look, I would stay away from chiseled edges and use a nice square edge product.  A vein cut travertine in a long shape (like a 12 x 24), brick set, would be very cool.  I used that on the walls of a modern bathroom before and fell in love with it.  You can get it in very light colors, like the Amtico that you like.  It comes matte or shiny, warm or cool, light or dark.

Here it is on a fireplace:

(design: Frank Roop)

Here it is (my favorite) in more of a gray tone:

(photo from houzz)

In short, I would combine Amtico with other Amtico, or real wood with travertine, or all travertine, or all wood plank Amtico. 

Gray Hardwood Floors

My sister is refinishing her hardwood floors and wanted to go with an espresso finish.  I told her she was "so 4 years ago..."  and that, with her gray counters, she was the perfect candidate for the latest color in hardwood flooring, "gray." 

Staining warm wood tones gray doesn't actually come out "gray"- especially in the lighter tones, but the hint of gray is that hint of the unexpected that creates a really beautiful look.

The species of wood, the intensity of the stain, and the variation of the plank coloring can give the gray very different looks.

This color is called "graphite."  It is certainly more modern- a strong look. 

The color above is more specifically what I imagine in my sister's place.

To further blend her existing warm tones with the gray- I would use her backsplash as a unifier.  Something like this combination of slate with gray glass would be perfect:

Good luck Debbie- take some good before and after pics for us!  (even if you do go with espresso)

Hardwood from Armstrong.

DuChateau Hardwood Floors

Hi Christine,

I  happened upon your blog as I was searching online for anyone who's used DuChateau Floors.  First, your blog looks like a great resource and I can't believe it took me this long to find it.  I'm in the midst of an entire 1st floor renovation to my 40 y/o French Colonial home and I want to put in wide plank flooring.  I found DuChateau and LOVE their floors (considering Chateau Old Dutch or possibly Vernal Lugano), but I'm wondering mostly about upkeep, wear & maintenance (two boys & small dog) and was hoping you had feedback since it seems you may have used these.  Any info you have would be much appreciated!

Also, if you can direct me to other sites or info on wide plank floors (pref pre-finished), that'd be great.  We are living in raw space right now and I'm trying to get the ball rolling on the floors.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to checking more of your blog out.

All the best,
Kimbery T.

Hi Kimberly,

First start by checking out these seven posts I did on shopping for hardwood.  I go into quite a bit of detail that I won't get into here.

There are a lot of different kinds of wood floors, and one is not necessarily better than the next.  With DuChateau flooring,  I feel like there are two main differencesthat set them apart.

1.  The Hard-wax oil finish.

2.  The look you get when you combine the hand scrapping and hard-wax oil finish.

So- you are wondering about up-keep care and maintenance.  let me star by saying that I do not have these in my home.  Although if DuChateau wants me to be their spokesperson and "try tham out" for all of you- and they wouldn't mind removing 1200 square feet of stone and replacing it with their flooring- I would be happy to help them out.    They are beautiful floors.

Every wood floor requires caution with water moisture and humididty. (although the hard-oil wax finish is resistent to water- no wood floor is water proof.)

Every wood floor requires regular vacuuming and dust mopping.

Every wood floor will scratch and dent.  (some easier than others)  The hand scraped nature of the product makes is less noticeable than a smooth finish. 

DuChateau floors are different than most on the market because of their less- common hard-oil wax finish.  The maintenance of adding oil to the floor is far less intrusive than adding urethane to a floor.  And some finishes, like aluminum oxide, cannot be added outside the factory at all.  I did have it explained to me once- that the products used in the maintenance are described as "green" and "earth friendly"- but do be careful as they are also the type of products that if you had a collection of rags with product on them in the garage- they could spontaneously combust and burn your house down.  Would that stop me from getting them.  No.  (they are so beautiful!)  Just don't leave piles of rags around.  Be careful and deliberate.

As I am sure you have seen the second feature that sets them apart, is of course, the look.  The depth you get form the matte finish, and hand scrapping, and white waxes are absolutely beautiful. 

 I hope you love your new floors- and we would love to see before and after photos here of whatever flooring you choose!

Thanks,

Christine

Mischa's Kitchen

Today's post is a continuation of yesterday's.

Check out the chandelier- and high cabinets- sure, you can't reach them-

but you need a place for your platters and Christmas dishes- right? I find high cabinets to be "luxurious" looking. What do you think?

Notice the subway tile and ceiling below... (designer Phoebe Howard)

Christine,

We would like to change the existing carpeted area into either wood floor or tile. Our problem is the indoor area is on OSB subfloor, while the new added area would be on concrete slab on grade. We have ceramic tile in the entry area, kitchen, and breakfast nook area, carpet in the living room. What/where would you suggest for flooring? We would like to demo the 42” bench height countertop and replace it/lower it to the standard 36” height, since we never use the higher height. What type/color of floor, type/color of cabinets, countertop, finish trim would you suggest for the new areas? We are also thinking about getting a TV and using it as a digital slideshow for family pictures. Is that tacky? Is a digital picture frame just not large enough for you? My gut says to stay with that- as they take up so much less space... Would you suggest drywall archways between areas? sounds great- I drew in a third set of French doors for you- just an idea.

Dear Will,

You were pretty wide open- and did not include pictures that show your architecture- so if what I suggest would not go architecturally- send me pictures and we can re-do. Other people get just one post- but for you- my good friend... ;)

First of all- for your floors. With the change in subfloor- this was an easy call for me- go with Kahrs brand wood flooring. Why? You want to avoid glue down flooring- which eliminates tile, stone, and some of your hardwoods. From there- Kahrs is the leader in floating wood floors. Textures come and go- select something timeless as this is a big investment. This is a floating floor- very high end- absolutely no overwood- really fabulous floor. The color I selected for you is Dana Point Oak. I like how well it goes with dark woods, as well as "today's white wash." It has a cooler gray undertone- rather than a more golden undertone of a more "typical" oak floor. Being not typical is always a plus.

With all of that wood flooring- I say go white on your cabinets- I recently posted this white kitchen (from Vernada) and really love everything about it. The washes and stained white cabinets are pretty- but for a truly timeless kitchen- solid white is the choice for me. (in other words- I am not going trendy here).

Counters? I love a timeless look here as well- honed absolute black granite- and soap stone (above) are two of my favorites. Keep your backsplash sophisticated and lovely with a white subway tile, or white glass. Add a gorgeous chandelier or two. And have me over for dinner. Then we can get you all new furniture...

Tiger Woods' House in Florida?

So many people are interested in Tiger Woods these days- I thought I'd show you what aspect of his life I am interested in. His house- of course. I'm less interested in his fidelity or lack of... It's funny- I saw many sources on the Internet- (and received an e-mail) showing this as "Tiger Woods' House". Then on Snopes- I learned that although he does have a beautiful home in Florida- this is not it. (The home at the very top is his- the one where the photo was taken in a helicopter.) Even The Insider had him living here. (Makes me question the validity of The Insider.)This is a vacation home in Maui- I thought it was too pretty for Florida- :) which can be yours for between $6750 and $8250/night. It sleeps 12 and has five marble bathrooms. I thought I'd show you the home anyway- (even though it is not Tiger Woods') because it is so amazing.

I see the indoor planter thing going on- and it makes me wonder if this couldn't be done on a smaller scale in a smaller home? (or will your house look like a docotor's office waiting room?) This shot also lets you see his hardwood in a larger area.

Here the architect is probably using Nana doors- or something similar. The infinity pool blending into the ocean is beautiful.

Built-in furniture can give you the perfect use of space.

OK- so what do you think? And who do you think decided to spread the rumor that this house was Tiger Woods'?