Reader Jessica and her husband Ernst were having problems finding a fitting floor for the kitchen in their 1949 modest home in California. Their list of desired floor features included durability, a dirt and fur camouflaging color and a style that was different from the stone-like tiles that couple found at most flooring showrooms. After looking for what seemed forever, Jessica and Ernst discovered our story about Karndean’s Michelangelo Mosaic 12″ vinyl tile squares in Adriatic Blue. Jessica admits she originally had her doubts about installing a blue floor — especially since she let her color challenged husband make the final decision — but now she is happily in love with her new blue kitchen floor.
Jessica’s comment on our original story:
I never came back and said if I like my blue kitchen floor. I LOVE IT!
It is so cheerful, looks retro, doesn’t show the dirt (to the point it can get quite dirty) doesn’t show dog hair, easy to clean, did I mention I love the blue? So glad I did my own thing and went with something different. There are a lot of things more important than kitchen floors, but it is fun if every morning your floor puts you in a good mood!
I asked if Jessica and her husband tackled the installation, her reply:
We had someone install it. The old sub floor was in pretty bad shape. And we got the flooring at cost (nice to have a friend in the business) so we hired a pro to install. The only care it requires is a ph balanced cleaner like Bona.
It really was a crazy experience trying to find something different in the flooring department. Some stores looked at me like I was nuts for not wanting tile. I like tile, but h*** grout. And this little house is so cute and special, it needed something more “age appropriate” than tile. So blue floors it got!
Our pilfering pooch, Molly, looks guilty because she just ate half the roasted vegetables. Another great thing about these floors, I dropped a bottle of red wine from the counter top — it bounced — didn’t break! Can’t do that with tile!
Jessica, I think your floor looks fabulous — and as someone who also has a large furry dog who tracks in dirt, its easy care and “always clean” look sounds just dreamy. Thanks so much for sharing your flooring results with all of us. Here’s hoping Molly doesn’t try to sneak any more snacks without permission next time.
For the full story about Jessica and Ernst’s flooring search, read Jessica’s blog post Did June Cleaver have Tuscan floors?
Mary says
Love your flooring and glad to see you are a golden retriever lover! The floor should be easy to keep those golden clumps off. Thanks for sharing
Kristy says
I love how this floor looks. In the pictures it looks like the floor looks seamless, I wonder if you can actually see the individual tiles or does it all blend in?
jessica says
You can see the invidual tiles, but they blend well together too. I don’t get the sense that dirt is getting caught in the “grout” areas, the floor doesn’t show the dirt but it cleans up beautifully, which I usually just use plain water to clean it. I love it, it always looks good!
Kristy says
Thanks Jessica! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know!
Mary F. says
Oh, I forgot! You can see a floor very similar in the movie “How to Marry a Millionaire” with Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Grable. It’s in the apartment that they rent 🙂
Mary F. says
I just got some samples of this line in the mail. Surprised to find out it’s actually textured- I thought it was smooth. I’m wary about dirt eventually getting in between the “pebbles” and not being able to get it out. My parents had the old asphalt tiles with that 70s Moroccan thing going on and we tried everything over the years to get the dirt out of the pattern to no avail. Never again. But that blue is so great……..
sandi says
I used a lighter version of that same flooring in my remodeled 1954 pink and mint bathroom, and it looks FANTASTIC! Easy to clean, compliments the color scheme, and fits right in with the style. LOVE IT!!
Toni says
Back to Marmoleum for just a second. The company says you need one of their certified installers but if you have someone old enough to have installed the real linoleum back in the day, they can do a fine job of installing Marmoleum and doing the seams. Who do you think lays the commercial flooring in hospitals and other businesses? My installer did just fine as an experienced linoleum installer not Forbo certified. I LOVE my floor. And it’s been peed on, mud tracked, no red wine but a few other things I would not have chosen to have to clean off of it and it looks just like the day it was put down.
Jessica says
My sister has Marmoleum in her bathroom and just loves it. The color selection is gorgeous, and it is supposed to feel wonderfully warm on cold mornings. I’m just so glad there are some choices out there when you want to do something a little different.
Cynthia says
Beautiful floor, beautiful installation job. The color and texture are gorgeous. If the photos are this appealing, then actually seeing the floor everyday must make you feel terrific!
gsciencechick says
I love it! We also have a blue floor, but it is ceramic tile. It was one of the things DH liked when he bought the house. It does have white grout which we must get steam cleaned and sealed a few times per year. We have white cabinets as well, but we have blue pearl counters, a blue mosaic tile backsplash, and a Big Chill Fridge in Beach Blue.
Your floor is a nice option if we ever need to rip this one out, but I still dream B&W checkerboard.
Jessica says
I love the checkerboard look too and originally wanted yellow and white checkerboard. I just missed out on one of the major brands having a yellow and white pattern in vinyl, but it was discontinued. But in retrospect, the darker color we got really hides life’s little messes. And I would have never been able to choose between a 45 degree angle or not!
Anastasia says
Vinyl is fine if /INSTALLED well, unfortunately as a renter I’ve had MORE then my fair share of incorrect installations. This is NOT something I remember from my childhood in various grandmothers’ kitchens.
Your Floor is EXQUISITE! and definitely a lovely departure from the trite, tired, & overdone trends I’ve gotten so tired of seeing. LOVE the way it looks. & I definitely agree with you, I’ve seen flip after flip of new style tiles added to older houses & BOY is it obvious. So again, WELL DONE!
Kim Campbell says
Gorgeous!
Jessica says
Thanks, I wish I looked as good each morning as my floors!