I'm thinking about this as my next project...I have a kitchen/dining area that is 12x12 tile...some of it cracking and buckling in one area....so I'm thinking about redoing it with wood/pergo. How hard is tile to remove? Have you had it done? It's about 550 sq ft total...... 

And I'm thinking about doing the opposite. I want to get rid of the carpet, do not want to go to wood, so I was going to get 18 X 18 ceramic tile put down in the den, dining and kitchen.

As for your question about removing the tile. It's not that hard if you are a handy person. Once the first tile is up, the other tiles follow suit with a tile scraper. But then you have to prep the floor and baseboards for putting down the wood.

Are you going to do this yourself or have someone do it for you? I think KWgraniteguy does this type stuff. You might check with him --- I loved the work he did on our bathroom counters and plan on getting him out to talk to me about this tile project we want done. I'm too old to do anything like this myself - I did do this stuff in my younger years. 

Have you had it done?

OMG! YES! I've had it done for about the same sq. footage and in the same area - kitchen and dining room which was open to the family room. They were able to do the removal in 1 day but MAN! it was nasty. There will be tile dust everywhere, and I'm not kidding - it can't be helped but it is nasty.

I blocked off as much as I could to the rest of the house but it still gets everywhere. I went and bought about 6 cheapy ac/heater filters and replace them about every 4-5 hours and they were nasty - even though they were in the blocked off area.

Would I do it again - probably, because the old tile was really outdated. 

TO is right about first tile. It's just tedious work and usually dusty. Sometimes you get lucky and they will just "pop" off. 

Would I do it again - probably, because the old tile was really outdated.

Well, two tiles in the kitchen are buckling and cracking...so it should not be too hard to start there.....lol


and no,...if you look on the list of the handiest people in Harris County I would be on the bottom 10. I will have to hire someone.

But since I had the upstairs shower done, I have cracked the barrier and am now on a home improvement roll.....lol 

two tiles in the kitchen are buckling and cracking.

I hate to tell you this but the buckling and/or cracking could mean a sign of a foundation problem. That's the problem I ran into after a couple of tile places came out to give me estimates. Both told me I needed to contact my homeowners insurance company since foundation problems may be covered.

So ... I did as they suggested and the insurance sent a company out to check it all out. They found a couple of issues that I was able to have fixed, which I did and 2 months later, my insurance company canceled my policy saying my home was a risk even though I proved I had fixed the issues!

Well, after contacting the state's attorney general's office and the state board of insurances, my old insurance company called me back to tell me they would re-instate my policy ... to which I replied they could re-instate that policy where the sun don't shine! 

I would steer clear of wood in your kitchen area. I would steer clear of pergo all together. In wet areas of the home, you are running a risk of having your floors damaged beyond an easy fix if you use wood. If your sink backs up or dishwasher leaks, your floors will be toast and you'd have to replace them. However, there are some really amazing tiles that replicate wood that would be beautiful! Pergo and other laminate floors are sort of cheap and will forever have a loud, hollow sound when you walk on them. Plus, if the top layer gets chipped, it will be a major eye sore. If I were you, I would look into a porcelain, through body, wood look tile. Through body means that the color/pattern of the tile is the same throughout the thickness of the tile. You can find gorgeous pieces for around $4.00 sq ft. Check out Houston Custom Carpets in the shopping center where Los Cucos is. They have some awesome choices! 

Ick! I have not one but TWO layers of tile one on top of the other on the kitchen floor. I think it would take a jack hammer to get them out! As long as I can clean the tile they are staying put! 

If your sink backs up or dishwasher leaks, your floors will be toast


BINGO That happened to a friend! Her refrig had a slow leak in back and the whole kitchen had to be done again. My sister-in-law has Prego and over time it has gotten a noshine hazy look to it.

Tile is the way to go. Go over to the Main Street home display park and look at their models. It's over on I45 just north of 1960. You will get lots of tile ideas! 

I'm putting in tile that looks like wood in the bathroom upstairs. 

You should consider doing a concrete overlay and having it stained concrete. It's easy maintenance, cool, and about the same price. 

Concrete is so I don't have the money for real flooring. I wouldn't do that in my house. It would be ok in a starter home or a home in certain price ranges or rustic styles. Not good for most homes ini Kingwood and would be bad for resale here. 

We put a 12x24 distressed wood look tile throughout our downstairs and, besides being bomb-proof, we get compliments on it all the time! Some of the wood-look tile is cheesy, but as popularity grows, so does the quality. 

Concrete is so I don't have the money for real flooring.
Actually, have you priced it before??? It is crazy expensive to have a good job done! We thought about having it done on our patio, but discovered that we could have nice slate put in for less... and slate looks better anyways. I do agree, though, that stamped/stained concrete isn't a great interior choice for Kingwood. 

I wouldn't do concrete floor. My joints are aching just thinking about it. I know concrete is trendy right now but it's not easy on the feet if you have to work on it for any length of time.
As for resale, I wouldn't even consider a home with concrete floors, even if the price was dropped enough to compensate a complete reflooring. Tile or good quality resilient flooring for kitchens and bathrooms. Real wood for the rest of the house. Skip the wall to wall carpeting and skip the engineered laminates. 

I'm putting in tile that looks like wood

Looking to do my main areas in this. I love the look and the durability! 

Looking to do my main areas in this. I love the look and the durability! 

They look really good! Best part no puppy scratch marks. 

Actually I have seen many homes with stained concrete that were well into millions of dollars. It's definitely not cheap and people love the low maintenance factor. Some people like to cut patterns and stain different colors and concrete countertops are big too. I've seen a professional sports player have his number and team symbol cut and stained on his floor. A Doctor I know used his throughout his whole bottom floor of his house because it went with the theme of his house. It was done in a Greek style. Pillars asd arches. It's pretty expensive when you overlay it normally it's $10+ a square foot. But it can look really pretty and is so durable and low maintenance. And it doesn't have the dated look that tile creates. 

Actually I have seen many homes with stained concrete that were well into millions of dollars.


Some are absolutely beautiful! Looks like marble flooring. Love it.

Removing tile is easy, I did both baths and my kitchen myself. We put in vinyl but moving to wood in the kitchen/dining soon to match up with the living room area.

Installing ceramic is another thing though, was a little tougher then just removing it ;) But if I can do it myself you can too 

Actually I have seen many homes with stained concrete that were well into millions of dollars.


Really where besides HGTV? 

And it doesn't have the dated look that tile creates. 


It is already passé. People started doing this about 15 years ago for flooring. The trend is over. I wouldn't buy a house with out real flooring. BTW I knew someone that did this about 15 years ago and the floor was like walking on a sub floor (which is what it is) cold all the time. 

Removing tile is easy, I did both baths and my kitchen myself. We put in vinyl but moving to wood in the kitchen/dining soon to match up with the living room area.

Wood floor in the kitchen sounds like a water damage nightmare. I would never put wood in my kitchen. 

Wood floor in the kitchen sounds like a water damage nightmare. I would never put wood in my kitchen. 


nope but you could do tile that looks like wood. 

The houses I know of were in Dallas and outside Dallas on Lake Ray Hubbard. 

I have ceramic tile in my kitchen, but it borders on the living room- once, my step daughter put liquid dish soap in the dish washer... OMG....we had to re-do most of the wood in the living room...OY- not to mention how long it took me to clean it up- wood's high maintenance-if you drop something heavy, it leaves a ding, and high heels take a toll- it's gorgeous,but keep in mind you have to baby it- 

Real wood works fine. Avoid the engineered stuff that has particle board center. It's the particle board that can't take water. I grew up in a house that had original wood floors throughout. 100 years and the wood was still beautiful. You have to get real wood though, not the engineered stuff. 

put liquid dish soap in the dish washer.

I have totally done that! ...when I was young and stupid. 

There is a million dollar homes off beltway and Mesa that have the marbleized concrete 

And with pets we don't do real wood. We have the DuPont that looks and feels just like wood but laminate 

There is a reason why real wood flooring is considered buried treasure while other flooring options aren't ;) 

I think laminate would be even worse in the kitchen. 

I've seen stone floors that look very nice, but I've only seen it on large swaths of flooring 

There is a reason why real wood flooring is considered buried treasure while other flooring options aren't ;) 




I have real wood floors in one of my homes. Number 2 pine to be exact. Had it hand scraped and then stained and sealed. Beautiful but labor expensive. 

I did it myself with this tool (Rotary Hammer) and a special spade bit. Cut through the tile like butter. Creates a ton of dust/small debris, though: