We had wood flooring in our kitchen, dining, and front entry when we bought our house. We couldn't match it so the advice was to contrast it. We ended up not doing that either. We went ahead and installed it with the thought that we'd tile the kitchen and dining room later. Later didn't happen and the house sold anyway.

I've wondered what it would have looked like if we had made a border of parquet wood flooring or ceramic tile and used wood floor on the rest. Would something like that look good?

Do you have any of the tile left over? You could just replace the cracked tile.

Jane

I don't think it would look right with a wood border. And while I think I might have a box of tiles left, I'm not sure and even then, I don't know if it is enough to replace. I really need to replace the tile. I want to replace the tile, not because we are thinking of listing the house, but because I can't stand it. I just want to keep resale in mind when picking out a new floor choice. I don't want to spend a fortune on the floors, but I also don't want something that will make resale difficult or lower our price or anything like that.

I wouldn't do vinyl. You can buy perfectly nice looking durable ceramic tile at Home Depot or Lowes for $1/sf. Pick a matte finish neutral color that doesn't show every speck of dirt. The biggest expense will be the installation. I'm no tile expert, but if you don't have a firm base the floor will flex and cause your tiles to crack, so choosing a good quality contractor is more important the choosing a good quality tile!

Idrive is right. A good tile guy will put down mesh wire under the tile to keep the tile from cracking on floors that flex. (Typically plywood). Changing flooring is one of the easiest ways to update your house. Since this is at your entry and in your kitchen, I think its pretty important that it be replaced. Buy something neutral with no pattern if you are thinking about selling the home in the spring. Do it now for yourself, you might as well get to enjoy it for a little while instead of making the changes just to sell the house!

If you are selling you house, you have to toss out the idea of making changes because you "can't stand it." From this point on, it isn't personal - it's business.

If you have cracked tiles, replace them. Do not spend thousands of dollars ripping up a 3 year old floor. You will recover about 0% of the money you spend this way.

Leave it the way it is. If the flooring is noticeably defective and not simply ugly (to your taste), you can offer a flooring allowance with the sale.

Whatever you install, it might be something a potential buyer hates and will want to rip out anyway.