Remember when we “guested that nest” on Upper Kingston Road?
I’ve been thinking about those reclaimed brick floors in the hallway off their kitchen ever since!
The homeowner told us they were actually thin slices of salvaged brick, and that you install them just like you install regular tile flooring.
And now that the living and dining room floors are done…
…it’s almost time to rip out the ugly, stained old tile currently covering our kitchen floor and replace it with something we love.
So the question du jour: To brick, or not to brick?
Whaddya think?
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BRICK!!! 🙂 🙂
BRICK AWAY…YOU GUYS ROCK! GOOD LUCK WITH PILOT EPISODE.
Looks great in pictures….real life means spills and washing..I think it could be prettty miserable to keep up with children and pets. Sorry about the downer opinion…just trying to look at it realistic.
Ann
The brick would look awesome alongside your wood floors!
I like the look, but I think they would be really hard to clean, especially in a kitchen when typically we want evertything as clean as possible.
This is what I was thinking, too. Not to be a killjoy, because they would look amazing.
Again, another killjoy. I love, love, love the look and want the same in my home. But, if you cook a lot or have animals, it’s a pain to clean. I had friends in college with reclaimed brick flooring and their mom always complained about it. It sure was beautiful, though!
I’m with them. They are absolutely beautiful, but I can just imagine how difficult they would be to clean. I bet they’d hide a lot of dirt though.
I KNOW. I have had tile, wood, even linoleum, AND BRICK in my kitchen through the years. The brick is my favorite “look” and by FAR the WORST to keep clean. It’s very difficult to keep spills and food from sticking and staining – and yes, we sealed the brick. Also, every single grain of sand and dirt seems to settle in all the cracks and grooves. Sorry to be so negative, but I lived it.
I love the look too, but I also worry that things would shatter more easily when dropped maybe? (my husband drops a crazy amount of dishes, so this is of great concern to me!)
and if you love to cook…standing on a rough and hard surface like that might make for some tired little piggies or back! Just a thought!
That was my first thought. I love to cook & standing on that for several hours would probably really hurt. It is beautiful though!
They are really hard on the back in a kitchen area. Trust. Unless a kitchen is just for show and not high traffic function, it can be a tough compromise.
They are beautiful and unique. I agree that they would be really hard to clean. How about using them around your stove for a rustic look? Cleaning the bricks in that location would be much easier. Let us know what you decide!
i absolutely love, love, LOVE brick floors in a home, but personally i would hesitate to put them in a kitchen for two reasons: cleaning spilled stuff out of grout isn’t always fun and dropping glass / ceramic / china is usually disastrous due to the rough edges (even with wood or smoother tile or whatever there is a chance of the item not breaking, but brick will get you every damn time). any other room? oh yes!
just my two cents.
can’t wait to see how the kitchen turns out with whatever you decide!
I think those look awesome! but the previous poster makes a good point about cleaning, though I can’t imagine it would be any harder to clean than a backsplash?
I love the brick. I think it would look awesome! The picture of the entryway is fabulous.
Absolutely brick.
Soap and water all over the place and then moppit up… presto* its clean… That is how you can clean that brick floor… I think it would turn out fantastic. Hope you go for it…
Yes, maybe the brick will clean up that way, but the grout definitely will not.
There are a few amazing products out now that seal grout to make it easier to clean, so that may be an option…mind you…it’s still easier to clean a back splash than a floor, as the dirt on the floor can get really ground in.
What about brick the area by your back door?
I’m really torn, as I LOVE the look of brick, but would hesitate to use it in the kitchen for the exact cleaning reasons others have mentioned.
Nope…it’s not that easy. There’s nothing easy about brick floors in the kitchen! Sorry.
Layla and Kevin: While I love the look of brick floors, I have to agree with the previous posters when it comes to cleaning the floors. Would you consider installing brick floors in a back hall?
Brick, brick, brick!
Brick it!!!! I have brick in my sun room and laundry room, love it!!
How do you clean it?
Brick FOR SURE!!!!
I LOVE this look. It gives a home the look of substance and permanence but at the same time looks really chic. I say go for it!
oh , yes! def the brick! 🙂
Go for it!!!
It looks amazing! I’m wondering if it would be practical though… cleaning and such.. and with little ones running around, would it be safe? My kid tends to slide ride off the porch every now and then and those bricks leave some nasty scrapes…. I suppose there would be a way to smooth it out… very pretty though 🙂
yes yes yes! beautiful, indestructible, historical (you will be using old brick..yes?), easy maintenance and as UNIQUE as ye and he. I love…and the rest of your home too!
I absolutely love the look of it, but think it would be really rough on bare feet!
Oh, To Brick, definitely!
No, no, no, not for a kitchen. If you must use something that requires grout (I would not), the grout lines should be ultra-thin. It doesn’t matter how thoroughly you clean or how often you reseal it, the grout will be your dirty, bacteria infested nightmare. It would be ok elsewhere, but not in the kitchen. I do like the look though.
I agree with you about grout lines for tile and such! However, with the way we installed our brick floor the grout lines are as smooth as a hardwood floor, because you poly over the top of the bricks/grout about 5-8 times afterwards.
We recently had our bathroom tiled. There is now something they mix with the grout that makes it seal and keeps it mold proof. Wouldn’t you use cement on a brick floor, though?
I have a brick floor in my kitchen and I absolutely LOVE it. It looks as good today as it did 8 years ago, and it never looks dirty! Installation is a bit of a bear, at least 5 coats of poly-(whatever you want) but looks incredible afterwards and keeps it up day after day. I say, go for it!
Layla,
Saraj sounds like she is a good example of what you could do to keep it clean. A good vacumn, dark grout, and once in a while a scrub down and suck up with the shop vac. I have six kiddos and I think brick in the entry and kitchen would make clean less worrisome. If I don’t feel or see it too much I don’t stress about it. Every floor is gonna be dirty.
sounds neato!
Brick would no doubt be beautiful, but I would shy away from it for not only the above reasons, but mostly because it is really hard on your feet. You could always put a foamy kitchen rug under the sink or stove, but a kitchen is such a high traffic area.
I LOVE the bricks! Go for it. No matter what flooring you use it will get dirty and things get dropped and broken. And I don’t care what kind of grout you have, if you have grout, it gets dirty. DO it!!!
yes yes yes! beautiful, indestructible, historical (you will be using old brick…yes?), easy maintenance and as UNIQUE as ye and he! I love…and the rest of you home too!
Absolutely brick it! 🙂
I love brick in a kitchen. I guess it depends if it suits the rest of the design in the house.
I love these! They are very warm and home-y. I think they would be especially great this time of year – they make me think of the warmth of Christmas time and Thanksgiving when family gets together and you are reminded of the beauty of simplicity. It’s funny that floors can remind someone of so much but they are really beautiful and old, which I think is why I like them so much. I agree that they would be hard to clean, but I think if you did it properly, you would have no problems and they would be worth a little extra cleaning effort.
Yes, yes, yes!! Go for it! 🙂
We have brick floors in our kitchen, I LOVE the look of them, but they have different thicknesses, so it is hard on our feet! We have a few that stick up quite a bit higher than the others and I am constantly tripping over them. So if you decide to go with brick, make sure you really try to lay them evenly so it’s easier on your feet. We got ours at Lowes, they look like reclaimed brick but are the thickness of tile.
I was just going to ask where you’d find them, I’ve never seen them!
i don’t know how cleaning would be…you’d need to steam clean them often. but if anyone could get away with it…it would be you guys!! i say go for it!
I’m not a huge fan of the redder brick, but the one in that first inspiration picture is absolutely gorgeous. Do it! We have an open concept house and we didn’t really want to switch our flooring in between the kitchen and the living room and break up the flow, but if our next house is different, I’m definitely filing this idea away!
Without a doubt brick. I LOVE the look and seems to fit your style. Can’t wait to see the final results.
A friend of mine remodeled her 2nd home, which was 100+ years old. They did brick in their kitchen. They actually found the brick tiles at Lowes, I believe. Turned out amazing! Plus, she loved how hey never “looked” dirty. Good luck- I think it’s a fantastic idea!
LOVE the brick!! But since you’re undecided, I’m going to let you come and practice at my house first–you know, just so you can be sure. 😉
BRICK BRICK BRICK! How beautiful would that be with a mix of modern and country chic decor?! love it. DO IT! 🙂
I love the brick…really adds warmth and dimension to the space!
Love the brick floors!
From a decorating point of view, I LOVE THE BRICK! I have a thing for reclaimed items. So the decorator in me yells Brick!
From a homemaker’s, mother of five children and pet owner point of view, I would seriously weigh out the pro’s and cons of the brick. While it is beautiful, and it makes me swoon, How will a brick floor be for say when you have children in your home, I am not sure how a baby learning to crawl, may enjoy the brick work on their tiny knees. Also to consider, (since I am ADD with decor) how hard will this be to replace when or if you tire of it? Just make sure the choice was made with the future in mind, not just the now!
Whatever you choose, I’m sure it will look absolutely beautiful!
Brick looks fantastic BUT (I had brick in my old house) I wanted to shoot myself when it came time to clean…..we have dogs & kids & OMG the dirt would just SIT in the crevices & drive me crazy…I’m sure there is something though you could “overcoat/seal” with to help with that! Fun Fun getting new floors! 🙂
My concern was for little baby knees and feet on the rough surface, as well as the cleaning, but I guess the multi-coats of poly would take care of both problems.
What are you asking us for? You’re the ones with the great taste! Trust your gut. It’s gotten you this far. However….SO cool! 🙂
I’m gonna be really practically boring, but if you drop something on the floor it will most definitely break 🙁
But the brick floors do look amazing!
/helena
I love it! Especially in that first kitchen picture. I think you’ll have to carefully select the brick though. I don’t know if I’d like the orangey toned bricks with grey cabinets.
We have brick in our kitchen, hallway, and bathroom. I thought it was pretty cool when we first moved in, but now I really hate it and wish we could replace it with something else. For starters, it is really hard to keep clean. Our brick is not completely smooth and has these little crevices that drive me crazy. Dirt likes to hide down in those and unless I get down with a scrubber I can’t get it out with just a mop. Secondly, I hated it when our kids were babies. They would get little cuts and scrapes on their knees when they were crawling.
Yes !!!!!
The brick floors are so YOU
Since you are considering adding to your family, think about if you had an infant or toddler in a room with brick floors. Scrapes galore! And, having grown up in a kitchen with brick: PITA to clean, for real. One KoolAid incident from childhood is forever remembered in the middle of the kitchen as a purple splotch. And ours were sealed. What about doing the back porch/sunroom brick? Or how about carrying the hardwoods into the kitchen?
I think they look great….but if your future little ones are crawling around it would be rough on the knees!
My favorite floor of all time is brick! I love the look! BUT, I would probably never install it in my kitchen for several reasons. Number one, I LOVE to cook and I am ALWAYS standing in my kitchen. If I installed a brick or tile floor in our kitchen remodel, I knew it would have killed my back. Secondly, we have three rough and tumble boys. There is always someone tripping or wrestling each other. A bonk to the head on a brick floor could be serious stuff. (I already have it bad here, because we are on a first name basis with the ER staff. No need to add to it! They REALLY are rough and tumble!) Thirdly, keeping it clean. Unless there is a special heavy duty sealer I would hate to clean a brick floor in a kitchen. I know you two have adoption in your future and let me tell you, the stuff that gets on your floor from kids…. yeesh! It would be almost impossible to get that brick clean.
Sorry, I hardly ever post here and when I finally do, it sounds so negative! I would hate to see you spend the money and a year down the road regret your decision!!!
Absolutely love the look of brick on the floor and am considering it for my sunroom, but in the kitchen my concern is that I’ve heard it’s really hard to stand on for long periods of time, read that in a decorating mag. But I don’t know why that would be any different than standing on a tile floor.
We have a brick kitchen floor and I LOVE LOVE it!!!
I’m going to agree with the above posters! Looks awesome, but maybe not on the floor. Backsplash perhaps? Cleaning that floor would be very difficult….especially with kids around.