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yardboi

show me pics of tile floors in white inset/soapstone kitch.

yardboi
15 years ago

We're going to redo the kitchen in our 1918 house with traditional white inset cabinets and soapstone counters. Most of the pictures I've seen of similar kitchens have hardwood floors. The rest of our downstairs is hardwood, but I don't think I can do it in the kitchen. It opens directly to the backyard and the pool. During the summer, there is a constant stream of wet kids going in and out. So, what kind of tile will fit with my traditional kitchen? If you have any pics, please share. I'm a little stumped right now and need your guidance.

Comments (20)

  • Buehl
    15 years ago

    We put down tile for our new Kitchen, Foyer, and PR and have no complaints. Our tile is a beige w/orange & gray. It never looks dirty...even with the Maryland orange clay & softball dirt that gets tracked in by kids, DH, and dogs! This summer it was nice & cool underfoot...we'll see about this winter, but I always wear slippers in the winter so I don't anticipate a problem (the dogs love to sleep on it, especially Shea!)

    We have had no problems with our backs, legs, or knees b/c of it (at least not so far)....and I'm not exactly young.


    Pictures of my kitchen wouldn't help you as I have stained & glazed cherry cabinets w/a black countertop. But, have you checked out the Finished Kitchens Blog (www.finishedkitchens.com or finishedkitchens.blogspot.com)?

    There are several categories (http://starpoohonline.com/FKB_categories_list.html) you could check:

    • Cabinet: Manufacturer/Wood Species/Composition/Finish/Color/Shade

    • Countertop: Granite/Wood/Non-wood (other than granite)/Color

    • Flooring: Composition

    • etc.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Kitchens Blog

  • cbo2008
    15 years ago

    We opted for a light grey tile floor with white cabinets and a soapstone countertop. We don't have pictures yet because we're waiting for the soapstone to be installed - within the next 2 weeks. However, the tile looks lovely with the creamy cabinets. We had a really hard time finding light grey tile that wasn't insanely expensive. As soon as the countertops are in, I'll post a picture.

  • malhgold
    15 years ago

    cbo2008 - I'm looking for grey tile for my kids bathroom. Can you give me the manufacturer and tile name. Thanks!

  • cbo2008
    15 years ago

    Unfortunately, I don't know the tile name or manufacturer. We got the tile at a small local tile shop and they gave the information directly to our contractor. I have tried to post a picture of the tile, but am having trouble - does anyone know how to post a picture directly as opposed to sending a link to a separate site?

  • Buehl
    15 years ago

    For posting pictures (and other information), check the "Read Me" thread.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me If You're New To GW Kitchens! [Help keep on Page 1]

  • auchmedden
    15 years ago

    What about slate or a porcelain tile that looks like slate? Daltile has one called continental slate that comes in four colors and looks pretty close to some of the slate tiles I've seen. I think it would look great in a traditional white kitchen with soapstone.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Daltile Continental Slate

  • mindstorm
    15 years ago

    yardboi, I'll second auchmedden and say look into slate. I, too, think that if not hardwood, that with your white cabs and soapstone counters that a blue or gray tile will be excellent. There is someone here with a white cab kitchen but white marble counters and a lovely slate floor and while I can picture her kitchen, I don't recall her name. I'd do a search in the FKB for slate floors and see if you like the look.

  • acountryfarm
    15 years ago

    While I don't have soapstone, I do have blacked honed granite. I too had this same dilemma after I nixed the slate option.
    I was all set to have slate and then vacationed in a home that had slate floors & I hated them, much too uneven and it did shale off more than I thought it would.

    Went back home & started the search for kitchen floors that would go well with black counter tops and white cabs.
    I didn't want wood (have that now & don't like it) so the next choice was natural stone. We found this Philadelphia Series Light. It is an antiqued, tumbled travertine. I love these floors , they have the black veining that makes it such a compliment to the counter tops.
    BTW - these pictures do nothing for the floor. I keep meaning to take pictures again to see if I can capture the true beauty.





















  • ci_lantro
    15 years ago

    Slate gets a bad rap because there is a lot of 'slate' out there that's being sold for flooring when it should be used for backfill, stuff that is a lot closer to being shale than it is to being stone. The bad stuff slakes, and mop water comes up muddy. The good stuff is incredibly strong, nonporous, non staining and virtually indestructible. And it has great traction, even when wet.

    So, if you think you might like slate, don't let a few bad reports unduly influence you. Do the research, get the good stuff (which means generally avoiding flooring sourced from India & China) and you'll appreciate what a terrific flooring choice it can be. (Vermont produces some quality slate.)

  • rmlanza
    15 years ago

    While I don't have white cabinets (anymore) OR soapstone, I do have slate floors. I love them. They did shale off bits for the first week or two but have not since. I vacuum them with my Dyson and when I do mop, the water certainly isn't muddy unless I'm mopping up muddy paw prints (red clay here in NC). They don't show dirt either. Because they are natural slate, they can be a bit uneven but nothing you'd trip over and pads on the barstools keep them from rocking. They aren't slippery at all. It's by far the best floor I've ever had (ripped out hardwood to put them in) and I love all the variations. Loved it so much we went for a slate backsplash as well. Here's a pic:


    HTH
    Robin

  • yardboi
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks everyone for the great ideas and pics. I'll definitely have to look into the travertine and slate. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

  • erikanh
    15 years ago

    This kitchen has black granite countertops and the contrasting cream tile floors are lovely:

    {{gwi:2109014}}

    This kitchen has marble countertops but I think this floor would look stunning with soapstone counters. You could even do a dark grey square instead of black:

    {{!gwi}}

  • vwhippiechick
    15 years ago

    We have cream inset cabinets with Amazon soapstone. We have hardwood in the rest of the rooms on the first floor but they are old and we did not feel we could match them appropriately. So we went with Travertine - Premium Noce from Lowes. It is laid in a running bond pattern. We love it. Never shows dirt and it is the same color as our dogs fur so there you go - perfect.

  • nanj
    15 years ago

    acountryfarm, your floor is gorgeous! Do you have grout? It is hard to tell from the photo. In my opinion, the ideal tile floor would have no grout!

  • acountryfarm
    15 years ago

    nanj -- no grout in those pics. However it does now. The grout is fairly low because of the tumbled edge. I didn't want it to be flush with tile as it would virtually wipe out the look I wanted. I really must take new pics as it is quite beautiful. Much more so in person. I really went out on a limb with the flooring and so glad I did. It was much more expensive than I originally wanted to spend but DH (he is a dear) said "this is your dream kitchen, get what you want".
    Thank you for the nice words.

    vwhippiechick- haven't seen your kitchen in awhile. Very pretty, I think it turned out wonderful.

  • vwhippiechick
    15 years ago

    Thanks, acountryfarm, but I am just disgusted with trying to finish up the details. It hasn't progressed at all since I posted the last pix on this forum. I still have several things to do to give it that finished look. Just can't seem to make the decisions and get it done.

  • Laurie
    15 years ago

    Our porcelain tile has cream and gray. We've been happy with it, so far.

  • vince25
    15 years ago

    Hello, we have white cabs and white/black/grey granite; we used grey tile and the contrast is very nice.

  • salbwil
    15 years ago

    My kitchen in the Finished Kitchens blog has quarry tile floors laid in a herringbone pattern. I think they look period appropriate.
    salbwil

  • susanlynn2012
    15 years ago

    Laurie, thanks for sharing your kitchen tiles. I am thinking now of calling my tile guy tomorrow and telling him before he orders my tiles I want the Rialto White and not the Rialto Beige. I bought 6 Rialto White Tiles and 4 Rialto Beige tiles to look one more time and they are more of an off-white, taupe and gray and surprisingly looks lighter and more neutral than the Rialto Beige that I love that has a pinkish tint to it. I think I like both equally in my front foyer but I like the lighter one in the middle foyer. I never loved gray but seeing your tiles makes me realize gray is a nice neutral and is rich looking. Thanks!