I only see words...I see no pictures.....really, that's just a tease...

Get crackin MarinaGal - you are on the clock for pics now!

Haha. Pictures are coming, I promise! I just have no one else to exclaim to - even in the relatively savvy Boston suburbs where I live most people have not heard of Marmoleum. My friends probably think I am a little nutty to have decided on something other than a hardwood floor. This week we are finishing some cabinet retrofits, installing hardware and finishing the installation of a couple of appliances. Plus we just moved into this house and it's a total mess. But over the weekend I promise to take some photos!

Just one? Of just the floor...and maybe some cabinet bottoms peeking in?

I know how you feel trying something new, I'm the only person I know with induction, and soon to be the only one I know with cork! Had good luck with the first doing much research, hoping to repeat with the second.

Glad to hear you now love your cabinets!

Wasn't someone, maybe Marcolo, looking for a good marmoleum installer in the Boston area?

PS I love my marmoleum, too.

I love mine, too!

So glad you love yours! We are planning to use it in our up upcoming bathroom remodel.

I'm very curious about your over-tile install. Never heard of doing that. What was the surface prep?

Mizinformation - the installer used three coats of a latex (I think he said latex) fill. He would apply a layer, let it dry, come back the next day, scrape and apply another layer. This leveled the floor and filled in the cracks between the tiles. After those three coats of fill, he applied the adhesive for the Marmoleum. We considered removing the tile, but it was set in many, many inches of cement (this is a 100-year-old house). I was worried that the Marmoleum would feel as hard to walk on as the tile, but its feels softer and warmer.... It also is a thin product, so we raised the floor only very slightly.

Can you say who installed your Marmoleum here in the Boston area? Very very tough to find installers.

I really want a checkerboard floor for our new project. Since I hear it can be hard to install Marmoleum, I was wondering what other choices there are? DId you consider other, similar materials?

Glorias - yes, it took legwork to find an installer I felt I could trust. I asked around, visited the recent Junior League Showhouse in the Boston area and examined the installed floors/talked to designers there. Three separate paths led me to the same person - I have his name and phone number and could get it to you through email, but he isn't able to be google searched and I would feel funny posting his phone number here. However, he is the installer that AJ Rose in Natick/Burlington uses for Marmoleum installation and you could get his name that way, too. I ended up buying my Marmoleum through AJ Rose.

Mtn - I love the look of checkerboard linoleum! The tile or Click Marmoleum is apparently easier to install than the sheet Marmoleum, but in a kitchen or bath the tile Marmoleum is not as recommended b/c of all the seams and the potential for water to get into the seams. However, people do use tiled Marmoleum for kitchens. If this is for your new summer home build, I recall that the location makes it harder to have a range of installers to choose from. Click Marmoleum can certainly be DIY, but I would only want to have professional installation b/c I don't have confidence in my ability to get a great result. Another product I considered is a higher end vinyl by Amtico, but I would think that would require professional installation as well. One look I love is a painted checkerboard wood floor, but even in a summer home I think the wear and tear would drive me nuts!

Mtn: simple! Just hire GW member eastfallsglass to do your Marmoleum floor ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Eastfallsglass's beautiful floor

Here is a tiny peak at the new floor (still waiting for cabinet knob replacement). Countertop - cut off in the photo - is Caesarstone Blizzard.

Oops, almost forgot - this is what we covered up.

The floor looks great! I've been thinking of doing Marmoleum tile for our mudroom/laundry room area instead of tile. I'm in the greater Boston area as well. Would love to see a picture of your countertops too--I just got a bunch of Caesarstone samples in the mail. They look great so far, but I really need to get out somewhere to see it in a slab.

I love it!! I love the cherry cabinets and the Marmoleum Dove Grey absolutely brings the space to another level of gorgeous. I would love to see more overall pictures of your space if you have time to share.

For mtnredux, if you want checkerboard, look at Marmoleum Click--it is very easy to install (in contrast to sheet Marmoleum, which pretty much needs a professional installer). It's just tongue and groove pieces that you click together; we did our floor ourselves as first-time DIYers and it went beautifully. It's a floating floor with a cork underlay, so there are some differences in terms of where it's appropriate versus where sheet is better, but it was a great fit for our kitchen (since we were covering a wood subfloor that someone might want to refinish someday).

Also, Click is great for kitchens--Forbo heavily advertises that use. It's bathrooms that can be a problem--they only recommend it there if you do not have a floor drain or sump pump in the room and if you seal the edges with mildew-resistant caulking. It's not supposed to have standing water on it for more than half an hour, but hopefully that's not an issue for most kitchens!

What is the benefit/beauty of marmoleum? What does it feel like? I think the name is throwing me off - I keep thinking of the old plasticky linoleum countertops!

Kitten - while I am not sure I can be a salesperson for Marmoleum, here are a few of the reasons I chose it:

(1) It is a natural product - Forbo, the maker of Marmoleum re-invented the old-fashioned linoleum (not petrochemical based at all!). I copied this from a website: Marmoleum� is made from a proprietary blend of wood flour, jute, rosin, and linseed oil. This organic mix is then pressed together and dried to produce sheets or tiles. Though this product has been on the market for over a century, it is becoming more popular due to the growth of the green building movement over the past several decades.

(2) It comes in many colors and styles. I have always had a hardwood kitchen floor, and am remodeling a kitchen with lots of cherry wood cabinets. I didn't want wood overload, and I thought a colored floor would open up the space more and modernize my kitchen.

(3) It is low maintenance, easy to clean, and hard to scratch/scuff.

(4) It feels soft and warm to the touch. Not as soft as wood, but definitely has a warm, easy feel.

(5) I like something "different" - I know this isn't for everyone, but the minute I saw photos I knew I wanted it.

(6) It's not cheap, but it's also certainly not at the high end of flooring choices even with professional installation.

Hope that helps!

I agree with everything MG said. I love my Marloleum too. You can see a photo of it in my almost done kitchen post. I used the forest ground in tiles (glue down, not click) and inserted a border of dark bistre around the perimeter to give the kitchen more of a custom look. I love the feel of the floor when I walk on it barefoot. It is never cold. There is no grout to clean. Nothing shows on it. It will be hard to scratch. I love this floor!

So glad you are happy and had an excellent installation. I wish I shared your satisfaction :(. Our install was nothing but trouble and continues to fail.

It is a great product but boy oh boy, if your installers aren't good...

Glad yours were, it looks beautiful!

It feels so good on bare feet. And it is easy on the knees when I am washing the floor.

Here is a link that might be useful: our marmoleum

marmoleum can be repaired. There are directions on the Forbo site.

Here is a link that might be useful: repair

Yep, that's actually the site we ordered the repair/refinish materials from. (We got the cleaner as well just to see if it was different from a standard vinegar/water clean, but it doesn't seem to be.) I hadn't noticed the FAQ before, though--I suspect our Marmoleum is actually stained (DH spilled sanitizer from brewing on it). It's supposed to be the same color throughout so in theory the refinisher will take off the top layer and reveal what's below---we'll see how it goes! For now we don't plan to finish the entire floor because our local shop warned us that once we start, we can't stop, and the two problem spots will be hidden most of the time so it's okay if they look a little different. It's a nice option to have, though!

I love ours too, but installation was also a headache. I think it's just really hard to work with, honestly. That said, I love the look and feel of ours, and I am perfectly happy with the install now that it's in.

i'm getting it too! for my mudroom. in a beautiful ice blue with very little pattern to it.