kitchen flooring price shock

[flowerseverywhere]

Started shopping today for new kitchen flooring. Talk about price shock :0!. We went to two places so far and each is quoting thousands, and we aren't talking about some elaborate design here. Mid-high level vinyl or composite.

Anyone have suggestions? The room borders a wood hall and dining room, so wood not a good idea unless we replaced everything. We can do some work but not a roll vinyl floor. Tiles might be doable, depending on the materials.

[KayLR]

If you have a Habitat for Humanity chapter in your area, they may have a Re-Store, as well. We have one here. Their stock is materials left over from their builds, materials donated to them from donor builders/contractors. We have found some nice materials there.

[catherine]

We laid really nice terra cotta tiles in our kitchen and I think the total cost was $350. We did go for the free lesson at Home Depot, and it may not be perfect, but for $350 it's GREAT. It's really not that hard.

[iris lily]

I like terra cotta, that's a nice choice. That seems to be really really cheap!

I priced ugly wilsonite countertops to replace our existing ugly wilsonite countertops and was shocked at the price. We've got a lot of countertops, but now, I don't think so. I like what I've got as much as any wilsonite product out there and won't spend $2,000 to "update" them.

I like my 20 year old ceramic tile and just need to get broken ones replaced. It is a smokey grey and hides a lot of dirt.

[flowerseverywhere]

Thanks. I am going to go to the library and pick up some books to get some ideas on what we can do. by the time taxes, labor and supplies are added in we are talking in the area of $7000. I am sure we can figure something out.

[Float On]

You can figure out something else. I layed snap/lock laminate in my kitchen with some help from my dad (they have some that looks like tile but I used one that looks like wood), that was 6 years ago and it looks great - even my normal knife and pan dropping hasn't affected it. When I tiled a 10x10 laundry room, I bought the tile and hired an independant guy to do it. I think he only charged me $200 -7 years ago and did a great job). There are a lot of tile layers out there, and a lot who are looking for work.

[Kat]

We are redoing out kitchen right now, so I can relate! We would have loved hardwood, but the price per square foot it outrageous! Do you have a Menard's near you? We have found the best deals there. We have seen several types of floors that give that wood look (i.e. laminate, vinyl) for as little as 69 cents a sq. ft. It's not hard to install, either. Tile would be nice, too--sometimes they have very nice, inexpensive tile for very little--like 69-79 cents a square foot. We actually got our dining room tile from Home Depot on clearance for 79 cents.

If you can install it yourself, you will save some money. If not, maybe you can see if a friend or local handyman can do it for you for less than the store is quoting you.

[Miss Minimalist]

Like Float On, DH and I also used a snap/lock laminate in the kitchen of our former house. It was a light gray wide plank from Ikea with a slight sheen. We loved the look, and when we sold the house six years later, it still looked practically new.

Good luck with the project! :)

[kally]

I went into an art shop that was renovated in our town. The whole floor was ceramic tile of every shape and all in shades of beige, brown and those hues. These were all samples and the floor looked amazing.