My Big, Fat Kitchen Remodel: Grounded!

When it comes to flooring, I’ve always known that I wanted black and white marble tile, set “on point.”  Maybe it was all those years of classical piano training on the black-and-white keyboard.  Maybe it was seeing the flooring on trips to Europe, most recently on our trip to Greece, but previously with my cousin, Judi, in an old apartment in Aix en Provence.  I knew I  couldn’t do wood, because  it wouldn’t match the old wood in my dining room, living room and hallways.  I tried Marmoleum when I did the “spacelift” 6 years ago, and it did NOT hold up well, probably because I used tiles rather than sheet goods.  That, and the fact that there are TWO outside doors and two inside doors opening into this room guaranteed that the Marmoleum tiles were trashed in about 4 years.   I figured that stone floors would last forever, and even if they got scratched up, they would still be beautiful.

INSPIRATION: Apartment floor in Aix en Provence, 2004

INSPIRATION: Synagogue floor in Canea on the island of Crete, circa 1400s

So, after visiting OTM, I selected Carrara White select from Italy, and New Negro Marquina from Spain, and after the cabinets were set, the tile contractor could begin.  I had not worked with this particular company before, but was very impressed by how meticulous their three tilesetters were. Before they started, they carefully covered all of the brand new cabinets with heavy paper to protect the finish.  The lead tilesetter from Campbell’s Tile Concepts, Bush, laid out a dozen tiles for me to approve the starting point and layout.

Once the tiles were lined up the way I wanted them, he started to fix them to the sub-floor.  I was intrigued by how carefully Bush and his co-workers continually laid down a level to make sure that all the pieces were even.

When they finished, we couldn’t believe how gorgeous the floor looked.  I can’t say enough good things about Bush, Ivan, and Raoul.  They are all superb craftsmen.

There are 1 Comments to "My Big, Fat Kitchen Remodel: Grounded!"

  • Donna Pizzi says:

    What a terrific post, Kathia! Really. Very informative. Your point about the Marmoleum tiles not lasting past 4 years, because of the heavy in/outdoor traffic is well taken. We’ve used the sheet Marmoleum on two bathrooms in old houses and it has held up extremely well – over 6 years now. Congrats on replicating the Greek & Aix-en-Provence flooring, and the meticulous job by Bush, Ivan & Raoul. (And the side-by-side images with copy in-between). GREAT POST!

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