Hang in there! With kids, it might be better to wait till they are older anyway so the floors arent damaged.

I dont know much about flooring, but I like juliekcmo's idea. Then the floor would be ready for tile, flooring, etc. I just done know how it easy it would be. If you go this route, make sure the old tile grout lines wont bleed through the paint. I wouldnt think it would, but this can happen when concrete is ground down and stained. I think it's called ghosting. I would also make sure the paint wouldnt interfere with laying tile or wood in the future.

You could try carpet tiles like flor.com. I think you can find these everywhere now - home depot, overstock.com. I think they cant go over carpet though.

Ikea used to have really cheap laminate flooring. I couldnt find it on the website, so not sure if they still do.

Or just put rugs down and live with it. At least you wont have to worry about damaging the floor, since it will come up in a few yrs.

Bless you. I've lived with lots of ugly flooring in my life, so I understand how you feel. Right now, everything in the house is new to you, so you see the flaws all the time, but as time passes, you probably won't even notice the ugly, except occasionally.

I agree with others that I wouldn't try to paint the tile. Buy a carpet remnant, an outdoor rug, peel and stick vinyl tiles or some carpet tiles to cover up the ugly tile. We used peel and stick vinyl tile in a kitchen that I couldn't stand and it wore surprisingly well for such a high traffic area. It was relatively cheap and easy for me to install.

As for the blue carpet, you are already blending it in by painting your walls grey. Add some grey and blue pillows to the sofa and call it done...for now.

Oops. Didn't mean carpet in the entry. Should have written area rug. Shop around for something inexpensive, even Wal-Mart and Home Depot have area rugs. When we removed ceramic floor tile in present house, a machine had to be used (like a jack hammer) and made a HUGE mess. We are on a slab, yet the mortar did not want to come off and they had to skim coat after days of chipping at it unsuccessfully. If you have a basement and wood subfloor, it may be an easier job. I don't think I would want to chip away without being able to retile immediately. The front door sill sits level with the tile and will not look finished with a gap under the sill, not to mention the tripping hazard. I do feel your pain. In my first home, which was 30 yrs. old, my kitchen linoleum used to have small cracks in it that would come off in pieces when I scrubbed it on my hands and knees. Since we had no $$$, I used to glue them back down before finishing the job with 2 coats of wax.

I know funky gold doesn't work for everyone, but what about going quirky, colorful, and working with it ? White walls, funky accessories, maybe a stenciil pattern on one wall?

[Eclectic Bedroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-bedroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_715~s_2104) by Dublin Interior Designers & Decorators Think Contemporary>

We had 5 in 10 years and had a fixer upper at first too, so I totally feel your pain! There are two blogs that might help you a bunch: Lauren Liess' Pure Style Home and Little Green Notebook. Now, Liess' blog has gotten to be pretty aspirational lately, but if you go to the early years she made a name for herself by making an ugly 1970's split level beautiful on a budget. Little Green Notebook has a ton of great inexpensive DIY's that really look nice, not chintzy. One thing the blogger, Jenny Komenda, has done is paint ugly tile floors. The result is really nice if you have the right kind of tile (super glossy doesn't work too well) and have time to put in the work. I think the designs in her recent home reno are a little hit or miss, but her project ideas are terrific.
For what it's worth, I think the yellow tile sounds cool, and I love yellow with grey.
:-) Good luck!

This post was edited by Kiwigem on Sun, Aug 24, 14 at 23:13

duplicate post

This post was edited by Kiwigem on Sun, Aug 24, 14 at 23:11

When my kids were little my husband and inlaws talked me knot buying a very comfortable house that had mustard colored carpet (AKA baby diaper yellow). They were sculptured so that the "valleys" were a darker color than the hills. yum. Think Giraffe. But "you can change things like the carpet, what really matters is the layout of the house." AND the vaulted living room had that cheap fake paneling on the walls. We lived with that darn carpet for 8 years. The good thing was that it didn't even leave a stain when a cup of apple juice spilled on it! But my kids got to have picnics in the living room and we did finally change the carpet - right before we painted the paneling and sold it. Enjoy your family and just work around what you can't change. I think it is more fun and def. less stressfull to decorate around a challenge than to do it all from scratch.

I have no advice, but I feel your pain. I also have 5 kids, ranging in age from 2-12. We also moved 2 yrs ago to a larger house because of the # of kids. It is maybe 2000-odd sq ft if you count the basement, so it makes me laugh when people say 2000 sq ft is small, because 7 of us here manage well!

Anyway, I like my house, but the things that bother me most are what we can't change, esp. our living room floor (old carpet) and an overwhelmingly large brick fireplace with black mortar. We took down our baby gate yesterday (can't believe we can finally do that!) between the LR/DR and DH pointed out that it now accents the stains in the rug (it's been professionally cleaned, but oil stains from feet don't come out-yuck-- no one will wear socks except me!).

What I am doing is starting a fund to do these projects. It will take a long time to save, but I mentally feel better knowing it will happen eventually. It just isn't a priority, really, among all the other things we've had to take care of that were not in our control-- we had nice carpet in our basement, but got flooded, so $ had to be put into flood control and new carpet. Things like that! This stuff bothers me every day, though I try not to let it because no one else cares!

I also suggest that you check out inexpensive area rugs and runners from Home Depot or Walmart. You can get an 8 by 10 for a little over $100. Just plop them over the blue rug.

Can't you get 5 kids to leave enough shoes and backpacks and school projects and sports gear to cover the ugly floor? That should hold you over until you can save for what you really want. But then you'll need to break 5 kids of the bad habit of leaving shoes and backpacks and whatever all over your beautiful new floor. It's a conundrum.

LOL, HHireno!

Yep, another LOL, hhireno!

Wow, I just saw the photo of the tile you added and must say that it was not at all what I was expecting--I like it! I think you need a much bigger rug at the door--maybe something as wide as the door. Something thick and patterned with blues to connect with the adjacent carpet and a little of the gold from the tile. Check out Overstock.com. Then find a big canvas print (also try Overstock) with the same colors as the area rug. Could you post more photos of your home, along with one or two inspiration pictures of styles you like. Put them in a new reply rather than editing your original post--I'm not sure people caught that you added a photo after your posted.

I like Annie's idea. Work with it. Accentuate the positive. Try to like what's there.

Then follow Mommy and Voila's advice and enjoy your kids until there is more money and the kids are less money.

Just think how freeing it is that they can be messy on something that you dream of getting rid of someday ;-)

I looked at your thread because I have lived in my cramped 70s home for 13 years and I still don't really like it very much -- thought I'd glean some insight ;-)

Your entry tile, though, it's really interesting! Do try to work with it, I think it has character. Our home didn't come with anything inspiring, so I've tried to add it over the years. However, lately I've been feeling like it's just an uninspired mish-mash.

I like gold, gray, slate blue, and teak colors together. Maybe something along those lines?

Here is a link that might be useful: gold gray teak blue

MommyD, I think there are a lot of us who can relate! We lovingly restored a 1885 farmhouse in a fabulous neighborhood and I swore we'd live there until I died. Five years later we moved to the outskirts of town to a 1978 house that better suits my husband's business and my daughter's love of horses. Our house was built by a shop teacher who added on to every possible angle and no one can find the front door! I think a lot of the struggle is the emotional connection we have - even though we doubled our square footage and even if I won the lottery and remodeled every room, I don't think I would have the same feelings about this house.

Having said that, I think if you can make your entry way fabulous - and I think you can with the flooring (love the 2nd wallpaper example of Annie's) it shows you the potential your home has. Just this month, I've been working on my daughters' bath and it's already emerging from 80's oak & brass to a pretty sweet bathroom for about $400.

Kiwigem, thanks for posting Lauren Liess's blog! I went back to 2010 and some of those original photos look exactly like mine. Hello, diagonal paneling and wood stove!

Dayna :)

I'm another one thinks your entry tile is kinda' cool -- at least as it appears in the photo. I've seen some gorgeous spaces combining yellow/gold with gray/silver. That combination can look really rich -- I, too, would try to work with it.

Now that you've posted a photo of your entry, I like the way the pillow on the bench coordinates with the blue carpet. Perhaps a large seagrass rug over the tile, and then a yellow basket next to the bench to hold the tiny shoes (so cute, they are!).

Agree with the others to start perusing blogs--lots of creative young moms have done wonders on tight budgets. Kids don't get cheaper, I'm afraid. You may be able to save for the big renos down the road, but in the meantime, there are many small updates you can do with little $$ that will make a big difference.

I installed, ok, 'laid' a peel and stick floor in the laundry room of my condo several,years ago. It was a cement floor, and the tile stuck very well, and think it would be fine on the tile. I used the black and white vinyl tiles on the diagonal and the floor looked amazing. There's also a wood look parquet I debated on, but chose the 'classic' black/white. I can't help but think for very little money you can have a whole new look.

Get a large area rug, either indoor/outdoor or sea grass. I actually think your tiles could look nice.

If that's not ok, you could also look into something like ecowoods tiles. Supposedly they can be laid over existing hard surfaces. Not sure how expensive, though, but perhaps can be reuse don a patio.

I don't know whether these would go with your house style, but there are also these kind of rubber tiles, actually quite popular for entries in Europe.

Here is a link that might be useful: ecowoods

I agree with Annie. Work with it until you can change it the right way. I have ugly/dated tile in 3 bathrooms. It's all in great shape, as yours appears to be, so last on my long list of things to do.

Did you see the fabric that aklvdb used for her bedroom curtains? Something like that might help tie the entry tile into the grays and blues you've been using elsewhere :)

Don't hate all of us, but I think that tile is cool too! I like the texture, but understand it is a large are next to your blue carpet. The rug looks similar to carpet I once had. You may be surprised to find the rug harder to work with than the gold tile. I called it French blue, don't ask me why, and always thought it had a little purple in it, though in real life yours may look different. Found this rug on Home Decorator site that would look good with the tile framing it, and combining your brown and grey. It also comes in other colors. You would need 4x6 or 5x8 to be effective. Hope you don't mind the suggestion.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I so agree with Annie - change out other elements to tone down the floor (the blue walls really create a lot of contrast with the floor). If it were me, I would paint the walls a warm white (Honied White is my favorite) then put down a big neutral jute rug to cover a bit of the tile and bring in some texture then maybe if there's room, a nice live tree to bring some height and drama to the space. Changing out the blue carpet would also lesson the contrast as they bump up against each other but sounds like you have longer term plans for the floors (it would be tempting to get a neutral carpet as an interim step to wood floors). Good luck - it is hard to tackle house stuff with all the little ones but I remember spending a lot of time in my house when my kids were little and was much more motivated to make changes then - keep us posted :)

Here's another Home Decorators rug that includes the blue color, it appears. I like the first rug best. This may be too busy with the texture tile even though it does seem to be the right colors, and may be more muted lying on the floor. It is possible to order the smallest size rug to see the colors, or call them and see if they have swatches. Best of all, we all know how hard it is to make things work for you, but it should be fun and exciting to have a new house to decorate.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I agree with Annie Deighnaugh. You need to work with the color. I don't think that the gray walls are doing anything for it. Something warmer would be better. Also agree to get a larger rug for inside the front door.

Okay - I just saw the tile and I think it's kind of cool! I actually like it! It's not so bad as I thought it would be. And the same with the blue carpet! I wouldnt waste any money on anything except rugs or painting walls at this point. Wait until youre ready to tear it up for good.

The problem with doing something temporary but rather work intensive, like removing or painting the tile, is the longer it's temporary the more likely it is to become permanent. You think we'll do something better a little later but when a little later comes other things need attention, you've grown accustomed to the fix, you might think didn't we just spend money and/or time on this area? So it's a risk to spend time and money now with a plan to do a better fix in round two.

I dislike anything yellow/gold so I understand not liking the tile. BUT! But I think the tile is interesting. Maybe it's in every other home on your block so it seems too familiar to you? I think it's cool and different and has potential, even though it's yellow/gold. I like the ideas from above to get a big rug to cover some of it and working with the colors instead of fighting them.

The gray flooring nosoccermom posted looks like giant Legos to me. You probably have enough flooring covered in real Legos.

It is the strong contrast between the gold and the blue carpet that is problematic. I would buy a large area rug for the front room that will combine the 2 colors... large enough to leave just a small 1-2' border of blue. Get something out of polypropylene or olefin that will be inexpensive and durable. That way, most of the blue will go away and it will seem more intentional. If you like it enough, you may want to continue to use it after you get the hardwood installed to soften and protect it...

Check out ebay...they have very inexpensive new carpets available through dealers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rug for example...

I have been in your situation X2 with owning houses that we did not have the time/money to do a major overhaul.

For the entry, I would use peel and stick to cover. I have used it twice. You need to get that floor uber-clean before you put the tiles down, and possibly take off the finish a little on that floor if it is it is still smooth. When you put down the tiles, you have to do it slowly, getting the edges to meet tight. This 'fix' could cost you as little as $1/sq foot and last you 5 years easy.

On the carpet, you have to decide how much you hate it. Have you taken a peek in a corner to see what is below? I once pulled up yellow shag with cat pee, found 4x8 plywood underneath that I painted. No pictures, but I had decided that ANYTHING was better than the yellow, so no regrets.

I have even painted my kitchen floor. Regular paint with 3 coats of poly on top. 2 boys, 10 and 12 :-) Yes, it has scratched in places, but after the first few scratches, it becomes part of the pattern. What helped is that I ragged black paint over the white, so some of the white already showed through. Now there are white scratches mixed in with the ragged portions. BUT ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN THAT YELLOWED AGED WHITE WITH GOLD FLECKS!!!!! - - - see what I mean, you have to decide how much you really hate that flooring. Ha ha!

Here is a link that might be useful: Here is a link to google for inspiration.

@dainaadele,

She said that peel and stick tile wouldn't work because the gold tile is too bumpy.

Sorry, I forgot to add that. Peel and stick will work with pattered tiles if it is put down well, with a bit of rolling/pressing on every square inch. (You can use a rolling pin/brayer or something like that.) Over a few months, the bump pattern will show though, but the tile will still be intact. It stretches a bit to accommodate the depressions.

I swear I typed an update this morning but it isn't here. Wonder where I posted that??

The carpet will go before the tile. The previous owners had a dog that would 'dig' in spots so they are torn up and the carpet is old, stretched and wavy. I am enjoying that my kids can destroy it right now (it is in the dining room they eat in every day--hilarious!).

I love the shape of the tile!! I think it is so unique and I would consider keeping it forever if I can find a way to use or change the color. I'm not repainting the entry because the whole lower level is SW Repose Gray. It is a 70's split level so there is no real break between rooms, just two steps. I like the gray and it is the direction we're taking the whole house as we do updates. Down with the brown!!

I like the floor (actually I think it's really neat) but the carpet - not so much. Technically the blue and the yellowy-gold should work BUT someone messed up the tones/shades and so they just don't.

I would keep all blues out of the front entrance but add yellowy-golds to the living rooms. Just a couple of things like perhaps a lamp or a picture with both colours in them. I like annie's idea of an area rug so maybe a small one under a coffee table with the two colours. That blue is the elephant in the room and so adding some of the yellowy-gold to it with a really light touch will help tie things together.

The front entrance is too small to be adding that colour of blue to it. I like the somewhat rustic feel of the tiles and might play that up a bit - a dark wicker basket in the corner for shoes, a natural textured jute area rug at the door (I linked what I was thinking of), if needed a large rustic pottery piece for umbrellas or a coat rack with copper or bronze hooks (not brass - too yellowy). Because of the blue, I would try to keep the front entrance monochromatic with lots of texture to go with the tiles.

Home Sense (Home Goods?) will be your best friend.

Here is a link that might be useful: this kind of idea for jute area rugs

What did you think of the yellow/gold and gray/silver ideas...finding fabrics that tie the colors together etc?

MommyD76 - We were cross-posting

If you are planning on getting rid of the carpeting first I wouldn't paint the entry floor quite yet. If you haven't already done so, get a couple of samples of the hardwood that you are thinking of using in the living room. I think you may be pleasantly surprised at how it will mesh with the front entry tile as it currently is and it may even add some life to it.

Love the tile! That grey is really fighting with it though. Wonder if you could add some gold and grey art perhaps? Something like this? (Just a quick look on etsy).

Maybe a gold and grey indoor outdoor rug? This one is pretty adorbs.

Have you peeked under the carpet? Maybe you'll get super lucky and find something nice under there? Although maybe not if the house is as new as the 70s. My friends just bought a 70s bungalow and found pretty-good-shape hardwood underneath all the shag.

This post was edited by robotropolis on Tue, Aug 26, 14 at 15:00

The tile is not my favorite color, but my opinion is that the more you try to ignore it, compensate for it, or camouflage it, the more noticeable it becomes, and--often--the worse it looks.

I think this is one of those things that, until you can change it, it makes sense to work with it as best as you can. I think it could be pretty interesting if you went ahead and worked with it.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm looking at all my options.

Someone asked for more photos so I snapped this. Be honest, it was my first attempt at a gallery wall. The black frame with the paper over it is a photo of my kids that I covered for privacy.

Does this give you more of an idea of the style (or lack thereof!) and color scheme I'm using? I'd love to make the gold/yellow/brown an asset as opposed to something to hide, kwim? It is just so unique.

The items on the right side of the sconce should be grouped closer to the other items. Right now it looks like two groupings and it should be one large grouping. Once you move them in then you need to center the bench under the gallery. I think you should try to find some artwork that ties the the gold and gray together. Right now they are not playing well together.

i also liked annie's idea of working with the tile (her pics were really nice too)
but i like the tile just fine too, yes it's a bit old fashioned but it's still attractive enough....
i too have lived homes i didn't care for, but finally at the age of 62 i'm getting a new home with a lot of what i always wanted (notice i didn't say all of what i wanted....)
time will pass quickly..........

I think I would move your gallery items to a smaller wall and instead put a large art piece on that wall that can help the gray and gold play nicer together. I love these large fabric frame kits. They are about $100 for a very large piece. This is one example but there are lots of choices on their website.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fabric frame kits

I think that pillow is already a step in the right direction. I'd add more of that yellow /gold in wall art. I actually like the tile. Some sun flowers?

You might want to skew that area to yellow to go with the gold. This is Luxe Home.

No help from this quarter as I don't care for the tile either, but you've been presented with a lot of good ideas. I do have sympathy for you though, as we lived in a wonderful three story colonial home that was well built and I thought it was our forever house, until DH decided he wanted to live closer to his job and we moved to a house I hated. Now almost nine years later, we have practically rebuilt the house and have over twice the amount in it that we could ever,sell it for--- and I still hate the floor plan!

My advice is to do nothing with it beyond the most inexpensive fixes. Live there until you can move, then find YOUR dream house / location / floor plan and love that house. Love your current house as the means to an end!

I agree with the suggestion to move the gallery pictures to a smaller wall. The little gallery objects and the little tiles are too much. Something large over the bench, and a largish area rug in the entry will make the room more cohesive.

A couple things about the gallery wall--

I can't put a large art piece there without hiring an electrician. There are no overhead lights on that level so that wall sconce is all I have. We will add overhead lights at some point.

There is a door on the right of the bench that is always open (except when Mom is trying to shoo the kids out so she can take a picture) and it is just a few inches from that bench when it is open so I can't use the wall space to the right.

I plan to continue to add to the wall as I find things I like.

Two of the frames just have scrapbook paper in them. That might be a good place to add more of the yellow/gold color.

The bench is centered under the light in the photo. It might look better further over to the left. I'll have to try it!

Thanks!!

Maybe a 'portrait' rather than 'landscape' arrangement over the bench? Rough approximation:

We also have five children and a very long list of changes that we would love to make to our house if we had the money. We still have the ugly blue carpet that was in the house when we moved here 11 years ago so I feel your pain.

If you really don't like the house, I agree with the suggestion not to put much money into it. Saving for a new home makes more sense if you don't see potential in this one. We love our home but every room still needs work. I wouldn't want to face all that if I hated the house.

I have a few ideas. You mentioned that the tile is too bumpy to cover with self stick tiles. I wonder if you could spread self-leveling compound over the tile to make it smooth and then cover with the tiles? Home Depot carries three different types. I'm not sure how many bags you would need so it might get expensive if you needed more than one bag. I'm not sure if adding leveler on top might make it harder to remove the tile later. I would ask a professional before trying it.

In our old house, we had a much smaller ugly tile entry than yours. I chipped it out with a hammer and chisel when I was eight months pregnant. Unfortunately, we had to rent a big grinder to remove the thin set afterwards. It created a lot of dust and took several hours. Some tiles just pop up and don't leave a mess. I guess you could try removing one in an area that you could cover with a rug if the tile breaks. Most tile stores carry tile that costs only 89 cents per square foot but I doubt it would be your favorite.

I heard that carpet factories offer great discounts on large remnants or slightly imperfect carpet. Might be worth checking out if you want to do a temporary fix before you install wood floors.

Enjoy your little ones. They are precious and of course, the memories you make with them are worth far more than having the prettiest house. I have to remind myself of that often.