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 can be tricky, and they are not easy on little knees crawling around on the floor. Plus, they do not clean as easily as you might think. Trust me, I have attempted to clean dog puke off of bricks in a kitchen, and it was not pretty. Have you thought about limestone? Limestone is easy to clean, and it is cheaper than hardwoods.
Brick Brick Brick!!! My grandparents had brick (real brick) put throughout their house. It was absolutely beautiful. They had a real thick sealer/poly/whatever on it that made it shiny and kept the brick from being porous. They vacuumed the floor instead of sweeping and they mopped it to. They also had to redo the sealer/poly/whatever every few years. So I vote for brick.
Brick baby brick!! That’s such a lovely look and the texture can’t be beat.
BRICK! Gorgeous & so interesting & unique.
um, those floors are seriously drool-worthy!- and way better than the faux brick on my kitchen walls!!
Although I like the wood floors, the brick would add more character and uniqueness to the space. It will be an adjustment to the hard surface, but the brick will basically be in-destructive. Difficult choice! (Perhaps a good choice for a smaller area like the front entrance or powder room.)
I say brick but with sealer! Gotta have an easy clean up route. It would look so nice next to your wood! I can’t wait to see what you guys do!
Someone said this earlier and as a homeowner with brick floors I will agree. We have them in our master bedroom and hallway. Our house has an adobe addition and this is where the brick is (very common in adobe homes). I love them, but upkeep is incredible!! We have a dog and 2 cats. Anytime a furball lands on the floor (or any liquid other than water) it stains. You have to be careful about the sealant you use because some can cause yellowing. Our bricks do not have cement between them, but the traditional sand. Again, chipping edges, falling bricks where heaving pieces of furniture sit, etc means upkeep. Just some honest information to throw into the mix! I love the way the wood turned out!
I love the look of brick floors and they can be sealed pretty much to the 9th degree.
They are hard on you if you’ll be cooking and standing a lot, though. That’s why I finally went with wood flooring in the kitchen.
But…..I would do whatever makes your little heart go pitter-patter!!!
I love the look of the brick – but not a fan of the actual material. Another great option to get the same look would be END GRAIN WOOD FLOORS.
Same type of look as brick, but warmer looking, softer, easier to clean, etc. Not to mention very unique. Given the small size of the pieces of wood, it can be very DIY-able.
Here’s a few examples I found:
http://www.atdg.com/v2/en/s-End+Grain+wood+blocks.htm
http://www.elmwoodreclaimedtimber.com/wood.aspx?pgID=874
I’m DYING to install these, but alas, we’re renters.
-Danielle
Brick! I love the look. It adds a natural richness.
had to comment!
a friend of mine bought several boxes of half-pavers from lowes or home depot and laid them in her entryway and half bath. the contractors thought she was crazy because they were a hideous orangey color. after she laid them, she stained them to make them look like costly vintage bricks. and i have to say, it is the most beautiful flooring i’ve ever seen. what an amazing detail.
you have to do the brick. you’ll love it!
🙂
To the post re: the deer head, I saw something similar at West Elm the other day.
Love the brick, so pretty.
Love Love Love the look of the brick!! But—how about keeping it clean in the kitchen? and the shattering of dishes when dropped? and for me the worst would be how the brick would be to stand of for any length of time without carpet over it? Just on tile floors my heels ache after an afternoon of cooking and working in the kitchen. And–how will it be for a baby to crawl and play on it while working in there? But again–it is GORGEOUS to see in those photos!!!!
Brick looks amazing and if you put a top coat on it like one does satillo tile it would clean up nicely. We have satillo tile cut too look like brick on our kitchen and have no problems with clean up. In areas that are hard to sweep I just use the vacuum. ; )
The brick in that first picture is A.MA.ZING!!!
PRO: BEAUTIFUL
CON: Painful even if you are NOT standing and cooking. After a full day of walking back and forth across a brick floor your back, feet, and legs will all be sore. Sure. You will attribute it to “must be gettin old” but you’ll realize soon enough that those beautiful floors are the culprit.
It is lovely a lovely look! Perhaps it’s a bit more practical in an entry-way though.
Our house came with wood floors throughout. I love wood! However, it was installed with space in between the slats. It is impossible to clean between them! Grouting has more access but still a hassle.
Then there is the issue of staining, being in the kitchen (Kool-Aid sounds frightening!). A finish might help but I’d check that out thoroughly. Personally, I’d be paraniod. I had an experience with turmeric in a curry nearly staining the oven setting panel on a stove, as well as rouge that was insistent to remain on our new bathroom vanity top.
As mentioned, scuffing your feet and tripping are something to consider also.
Not to be a downer but better to address a possible problem with a plausible solution now, if you can.
I LOVE the look but I too would be worried about cleaning and how unforgiving brick is. If you drop anything and with kids.
BRICK! I love reclaimed brick!
I feel the same way about brick flooring as I do Los Angeles…fun to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there!!
Seriously, I’ve walked on brick barefoot and it doesn’t feel good. And I’m all about feeling good….
Love it! A friend did and it’s wonderful. You just to invest in some good back relieveing mats in front of the sink &/or stove – it’s hard on the back. It’s beautiful!
Go for it! Its different…low maintenance….and will break up the hardwoods with visual interest! I think it will look awesome!
I vote for the brick, and love your examples, but would be wary of two things: brick that is too red/orangey and grout lines that are too wide (the last kitchen pic is kinda what i mean). To me, those things make brick look dated.
It’s beautiful! Would it just kill your legs cooking a Thanksgiving meal? Maybe have kitchen clogs or commercial kitchen mats at the sink and prep stations. I think they would be a good contrast. Go with the brick
Love the look of brick, but…..if you spend much time cooking it is not the greatest on your feet and back. Just my opinion, though it would look amazing
I love the brick idea but you do have to consider how it would work with little kiddos around….they tend to spill things like juice, smush peanut butter and jelly into crevases, and have their hands and toesies on everything before putting them into their mouths. How easy or difficult to clean does need to be taken into consideration – it’s just what you’re willing to put up with. It definately would be fun to incorporate somewhere in your house!
the brick is beautiful – but hard on little feet and knees. Your future little ones are going to spend a LOT of time scooting/crawling/sitting/sliding on that floor, so maybe a more welcoming surface?
We bricked the floor in a basement re-do years ago…it was my favorite floor EVER! Do it!
How did it feel when you walked on with bare feet? Was it rough? Cold? Smooth? Somthing you would want to walk on when it gets cold outside????
I love the look and would love to do it in my house but I’ve never seen it in person.
I don’t know… I love the look of brick but the kitchen? It might look warm and inviting but would it feel the same under bare feet? How would you keep it clean? It does look really pretty, though. What a tough decision!
You may be interested in a Jackson, MS product called “Portstone” (www.portstone.com). We have it in one of our bathrooms and have considered putting it on the porch when the funds catch up.
Forgot to mention that PortStone is a brick-like flooring that is very DIY and looks like real brick.
Beautiful!!! DO IT!!!
Hi Layla,
I struggled with this very decision for far too long. So many people had discouraging (but helpful) advice about brick. I really TRIED to find an alternative to brick, but, in the end, our hearts were set on it. We installed it 9 months ago. Our kitchen floor looks similar to Photo #5, but with the pattern of #6.
One day I’ll get my act together and blog about the experience. In the meantime, here are a few cautions from my recent experience should you decide to join the brick club: 1.) Antique brick pavers are expensive. Way more than you originally budget them to be. Just be ready for that. 2.) They get more expensive when you realize that a TON of them get broken during the shipping process. They are old and fragile and brittle until installed. 3.) To make the pavers, they slice whole bricks into 3 or 4 pavers. Over half of our shipment ended up being “center cuts” – the middle pieces = raw, red brick with circular saw marks on it. Once we laid it out, the starkly RED and ORANGE center cuts stuck out like sore thumbs next to the old weathered “face cuts.” We ended up ordering another shipment just so we could use all “face cuts” — the beautiful outer planes of the brick with the patina and lettering that we had originally envisioned. FYI – most companies will not let you buy face cuts only. I tried. 4.) The brick pavers are not consistent in their size, shape, or depth. Be prepared to use up a lot of grout to adapt, and make sure you have enough of a grout bed to make up for the differences in height. We were able to weed out most of the super tall ones, so you can get it pretty level and avoid toe stubbings 🙂 5.) Make DARN sure that the bricks all came from the same batch. Otherwise, they will be all kindsa different animals. The second batch we ordered came from a completely different building that had obviously burned down. The bricks were all maroon and covered in ash and soot, and we were very lucky the company agreed to swap them out! So, again, when you start, make sure you order WAY more than you need. 6.) Be sure to use a sealer that “breathes.” If you don’t, you run the risk of getting a cloudy finish if water gets trapped. Like by the sink, and if the refrigerator leaks. Dupont makes a good one, and I just rolled on a few coats with a little sponge roller and a small container you’d use for trim paint.
In conclusion, it can be a MAJOR headache to install, given the nature of the material. It’s old, it’s inconsistent, it’s pricey. But do I love my floors now? YES, yes I do! They really make the house and give it such warmth and character. Alas, the rest of the renovations are on hold while we admire our over-budget brick beauties 😉
I think brick is awesome… maybe a bit cold but awesome… just stay away from the orange’y brick… I think…
I love the brick look in a kitchen – very warm and homey. One suggestion though…my sister had brick on the family room floor and the best way to clean it was with a steam cleaner. Hope this helps!
Oh, and also….if you can, it’s best to lay radiant floor heating under the brick. So much more comfy, cozyon the feet when you add that little element of heat – a brick floor can get cold in the winter!
I have the first picture saved as a favorite and wanted brick in our new kitchen so bad but honestly it just doesn’t seem practical at all. I just can’t imagine cleaning it! I’d obsess over getting it clean and in my experience brick doesn’t clean up very nicely. Don’t even get me started on the grout…
Brick! I have it in my entry way. very easy to clean. use natural toned grout, not white, of course. use a mat near oven or sink to stand on, it will be great!
BRICK, BRICK, BRICK, BRICK! =)
My parents have had brick paver floors for about 20 years now and they’re fabulous! Very durable, indestructible, and great cause they hide dirt. If you seal them well they hold up fabulously.
I’m also in the category of “they are beautiful, but the cleaning would keep me from doing it”. There might be a great cleaning technique, though, that would make it doable.
My first house (bought 1996!) had old cracked vinyl squares in the kitchen. When I pulled the corner of one up, I saw red underneath, but when I pulled up the whole tile, the glue stuck to the floor. Handy hardware store man told me to open all the windows, pour a couple of gallons of muriatic acid all over the floor and leave for several hours. When I came back, the acid had evaporated, but the tiles pulled right up and I was able to simply sweep the dried glue off the gorgeous Mexican tile floor! I loved it! The other tip from the handy hardware store man: “Standing on that floor will be like standing on pavement.” If you’re going to be spending a lot of time standing in that kitchen, you’ll need Sketchers!
Brick, Brick, Brick! What are you waiting for?
First I will say they are really pretty! I love the idea of reclaiming and reusuing something like that. But I would have to say I would think if you use your kithcen alot and your a cook it would hard on the back. You could always get those gel mats to stand on but thing I most think about is the cleaning. Out fire place is bricked all the way to the ceiling it is sealed really good they have a thin coating of seal so its shinny but still its still a pain to clean. I would think being able to mop a floor made of it would be hard. If you dont cook much or use a kitchen alot I think it would look pretty. But think for a normal use kitchen it would be hard to up keep.
Brick is gorgeous and it would really go so perfectly in your home. I never thought the brick was “rough” (like other people mentioned), definitely not rough enough to cause cuts on little ones.
You simply MUST brick! Would love to have in my home.
For the love of all that’s good in this world, please go for the brick! I’m excited about it, and it’s not even my house!!!
Brick looks wonderful but I wouldn’t want to walk on it with bare feet. Since brick floors would be in the kitchen, how easy wold it be to keep clean?
BRICK! And I LOVE the color in the first pic.