New floor tiles in kitchen help in what would look best.

3 years ago

Hi,
We've recently purchased our first property which had a nice new Wren kitchen fitted around 6 years ago. Unfortunately the floor tiles were not layed correctly and they are now moving under our feet, some are cracked and all the grout is crumbling away.
We've no choice but to redo the floor and we think we want to go with polished porcelain tiles again, this time with underfloor heating as the kitchen is extremely cold since it has so many windows and only a single paltry radiator. Me and my wife are debating what colour to go for.
I've seen these nice grey tiles from B&Q and have bought a pack and layed them on the floor to visualise it. She kind of likes them too but is worried they will make the kitchen appear smaller. She sort of prefers the existing tiles due to this.
What do you reckon? Would love some advice.
Pictures below show the tiles both in daylight and evening. Close up shots too. Its so hard, especially with all the shops closed. We are based in East London, UK.
Thanks

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Comments (11)

Jonathan
3 years ago
Personally I would prefer to soften the look with a wood style floor. You can source this in tiles but an LVT floor works equally well with under floor heating.

However in answer to your question I think lots of windows makes it possible to have a dark coloured floor tile without the room seeming smaller.

Separately swapping the radiator for a bigger one may be more cost effective than adding under floor heating.
Sonia
3 years ago
Sounds like your tiles were laid on an un-level and unstable floor. If the floor below was level concrete you shouldn’t have this issue. If they were laid over wooden floorboards then they must be boarded first. I’m a great fan of porcelain tiles as they are tough and care is easy. Although I like the grey tiles I think it will create a very cool room. They are best installed with under floor heating as you are suggesting, as they can be very cold underfoot in winter but lovely in summer. I agree with Jonathan that a wood effect floor (porcelain, luxury vinyl tiles) would cosy things up a bit. The first two pics are LVT and the other 2 are porcelain.
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Wow- so overwhelmed by the replies and all of the help, couldn't appreciate it any more. Emily- thank you so much for your post. It's currently pushed against a wall which works fine but would prefer it to have access either side for a couple if possible :) Ace your space- I really like the layout that way, there is a radiator under the window (i should have said) so would need moving which think may be a bigger job. It's something i would consider though and hadn't though of it that way. Jonathon- I am in love with the pegs they would be perfect. Your room layout is my dream just didn't know if it would be achievable. I have a king size bed at the moment but it's a very big frame so much bigger than the standard measurements so if i turn it your way there is about a 8 cm gap to the shorter wall so it needs replacing. Man about the house- love the layout and interesting to get more than one view thank you so much All- can i please be cheeky and ask another question. I think my issue is a standard size double would fit e.g 190cm long but when i look at standard sites e.g John Lewis, Next, Dreams all of the beds seem to have a frame which is 208-210cm which would just be too long. Do you know where I can find a frame that is 190cm? I would have loved a flip storage bed but recognize that will be too long so I am open to any bed. Budget for bed up to about £700 ish. Less if obviously great and means more money to spend on the rest of room.
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Daisy England
3 years ago
Just be cautious that you’re not creating a too monotone colour scheme as that can make it seem cold. I would look for an alternative to white, black and grey.

One other small point is if you use a steam mop to clean them then a polished/shiny finish will require buffing up. Non polished finishes are easier to clean. They don’t show water splashes up either.

As the other have said I think a wooden effect would look nice. Even a grey finish with a timber effect creates a warmer tone.
Sarah U-S
3 years ago
I’m with the others and think a timber effect would look really lovely! I’m looking on a phone, so can’t see too clearly, but it looks like you have dark grey worktops, dark grey glass splashbacks and grey walls - is that correct? The three greys are all slightly different shades and tones too - and if you add a fourth grey in to the mix with the flooring, I think it would be too much. I also like the idea of painting the walls a softer colour too - maybe a soft muted green.
User
3 years ago
I think the grey tiles work very well with your worktop and blinds. I have grey porcelain floor tiles with electric under floor heating in my north-west facing kitchen diner. I also have white units, 2 windows, French doors and half-glazed back door, so feels quite light, but not cold.
Kim Lesley
3 years ago
Another vote for the wood effect floor. Also I think the matt finish is better than another shiny surface, as you already have the gloss units and splash back.
macbroom
3 years ago
I would definitely not go for dark gloss tiles as you could live to regret it like I did. They do look good in the picture but in reality are totally impractical in a kitchen. I had very dark grey/black gloss tiles in my kitchen and any slight spillage or even walking across them showed up noticeable marks because of the gloss finish. I also had white gloss units and whilst it looked great in a magazine in reality it was quite cold and harsh and not the sort of kitchen you felt you could cook in easily because everything was too pristine and shiny so defeated the purpose really! For me, in retrospect a wood effect floor would’ve been a much better choice in terms of practicality and warmth.
faz1701
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you all for your comments. Very much appreciated.
My wife is ruling out wood because she doesn't like the look of wood in kitchens and because we have solid wood flooring in the rest of the downstairs area and she thinks it will clash. Picture below of where out kitchen meets the hallway.

Also we bought some more of those tiles yesterday to get more of a feel of what it'll look like. It does look pretty good but it does worry us about what type of table and appliance colours we will be able to get and really making it all look a bit drab perhaps?

We are leaning towards sticking with relaying the same times the house already has as we have been unable to find any better looking light grey tiles. We do really like them.
88wj88
3 years ago
Love the lighter coloured gloss tiles as they bounce light around. It just looks a bit dull at the moment as there is nothing personalised in the kitchen, no coloured towels, table, chairs etc. I would look at LVT as an alternative - the choice of finishes is huge
macbroom
3 years ago
I can see from your pic why you don’t think a wood effect floor would be the best option. Have a look at this link - lots of grey kitchen floor tiles but not gloss. Light coloured gloss floor tiles are much easier to maintain than dark.https://www.ctdtiles.co.uk/blog/p-7655-grey-kitchen-floor-tiles.aspx
Mary Ketchley
3 years ago
My kitchen is very similar - gloss white doors with a fairly dark worktop and slate grey floor. I regret it. The floor material is LVT, which I love and would definitely have again. However, as Daisy says, it’s too monotone. I’d really like to replace either the floor or worktop with wood (or wood effect).

New floor tiles in kitchen help in what would look best.

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New floor tiles in kitchen help in what would look best.

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