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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To replace lovely kitchen floor that's impossible to keep clean?

30 replies

balletjump · 02/04/2017 10:27

All opinions welcome as I don't know if this is sensible or an outrageous waste.

We bought our house a while ago and it has a nice, largeish kitchen. The floor has perfectly nice, large square off-white tiles with a glossy finish.

We are not particularly dirty or messy and our house is pretty clean but not to a showhome level. We both work and have DC and pets. Within ten minutes of cleaning the floor, it looks dirty again. It shows every speck of dirt. After a few days since cleaning, it looks truly filthy. We have neither the time nor the energy to clean this floor every day.

So WIBU to get it ripped up and spend £ on putting down a darker, low maintenance one?

OP posts:
Cocklodger · 02/04/2017 10:28

I don't know much about it but would you be able to take it up and give to someone else? I only ask as it is a bit wasteful but on the whole YANBU.

LeopardShoes · 02/04/2017 10:29

I would!

MatildaTheCat · 02/04/2017 10:29

Not at all unreasonable. That would drive me insane. Have you condidered laying a decent Lino type product over the tiles. Amtico do some amazing styles and there are cheaper brands doing much the same.

ivykaty44 · 02/04/2017 10:29

The dirt will still be on the floor, but you won't see the dirt. Why does it matter if you can see the dirt or not? Just clean before visitors otherwise

FaithAgain · 02/04/2017 10:30

If you can afford it, I would. We have dark grey porcelain tiles (look like slate but very hard wearing). Hides a multitude of sins!

exLtEveDallas · 02/04/2017 10:33

I want to do this in our kitchen and bathroom. If I had the funds I'd do it tomorrow. If you can afford it, go for it!

AddToBasket · 02/04/2017 10:34

Don't rip it up, just put something on top.

gotthemoononastick · 02/04/2017 10:36

Just do it OP! I was in the same situation and the cleaning really got me down.
Had beautiful,warm,natural cork tiles laid over the beastly things and never looked back.

Littlefish · 02/04/2017 10:39

We did this (twice!) in our previous house. I don't regret it at all. I will never, ever have a pale tiled floor with pale grouting!

Original poster
balletjump · 02/04/2017 10:53

Thanks so much for replies so far! Its good to hear I'm not alone in finding this an issue. I normally would avoid this kind of waste. I would love to retile the bathrooms, for example, to make them look nicer but tiles are perfectly ok so I am going to get a few more years out of them. Kitchen floor is really nice and whoever tiled it has done a great job! But the level of cleaning is really irritating. To poster upthread who said just clean when we have visitors, its not just about how it looks to others but the fact that my kitchen looks truly dirty a day after cleaning it and it grates on me.

I had not considered putting something on top so thanks for that hint! Any links or suggestions in that regard would be most welcome.

OP posts:
munchkinmaster · 02/04/2017 10:54

Buy a steam mop?

Original poster
balletjump · 02/04/2017 11:18

I got a steam mop thinking that would be the answer! But it still needs to be vacuumed first (to gather any little bits) then steam mopped over. Its still quite a faff and maybe if we were not both out at work, doing school runs etc and had more time for housework it would help but its still too high maintenance.

OP posts:
ButtercupChain · 02/04/2017 11:22

yanbu

SpringerS · 02/04/2017 11:57

I'm doing the same this summer. I 'inherited' my kitchen tiles with the house and they are the worst tiles ever. They are deeply grooved pale cream flagstones, just about the worst of every world. The dirt gets lodged into the grooves and the only way to really clean it is to get down on my hands and knees with a scrubbing brush. I feel like Ruby from Upstairs Downstairs any time I do it and it takes about an hour because I have to dry off each tile as I go or the grimy water wells in the stupid grooves and it just doesn't get fully clean. I fucking hate them so much and I have a pair of Springer Spaniels, the most muck magnetic dogs in the world, so my floor is just always awful looking.

It's going to be a massive job though as the deep groove on the tiles makes laying something over it impossible. And as it is the tile was laid too high as when I had to replace the washing machine last year, I had to actually lift the tiles around it to get it out. It's going to be a nightmare of a job. But having a floor that I can just mop clean will be worth it.

Original poster
balletjump · 02/04/2017 12:36

Springer that sounds horrendous! Though your description made me laugh! Its made me realise my kitchen floor situation isn't too bad after all, particularly if I can lay something over it. I bet your floor looks great when newly cleaned but it just sounds completely impractical.

OP posts:
Wando1986 · 02/04/2017 12:43

Just mop the floor once a day. It takes 5 minutes. I don't get the problem?

MatildaTheCat · 02/04/2017 12:54

Springer I have almost exactly the same problem with my bathroom floor. It looks grubby all the bloody time and the only way to clean it is to scrub on hands and knees and I can't actually bring myself to ask my cleaner to do that so end up doing a Ruby after she's gone. Hmm

This is my dream solution. I've got some wood effect Amtico in my tiny utility room but could happily do the whole house should I win the lottery which is unlikely since I've not bought a ticket for about 15 years.

OP I work on the basis that if you are ever going to purchase something and can afford to do so, then go ahead ASAP so you will get the benefit for longer.

Firesuit · 02/04/2017 12:54

My BIL has a kitchen with white tiled floor. It's never dirty. However shoeless household, no pets, live-in domestic help.

I would definitely try the mopping robot.

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 02/04/2017 12:55

Are there products you can buy that will seal the floor, so you could apply when it's just Ben cleaned. I'm sure there must be something.

Totally agree about pale grouting. A neighbour had all the pale grouting removed from her tiles and replaced with dark grey.

abbey44 · 02/04/2017 12:59

Springer I've got a floor like that too - and two Weimaraners, who have enormous filthy feet - so I can truly sympathise. I've invested in any number of products and machines to clean the bloody thing, but it's still a nightmare to keep clean for longer than five minutes. Literally, with the puppy. I even had someone in to pressure wash it and seal it with something expensive, but that was an abject failure.

I'm selling the house. It's the only way out.

abbey44 · 02/04/2017 13:01

Wando you've obviously never had a flagstone floor....

sizeofalentil · 02/04/2017 13:25

Could you paint it with dark grey floor tile paint?

EddieVeddersfoxymop · 02/04/2017 13:30

May I just add, don't go too dark with the replacement flooring. I have very dark grey and it shows every piece of fluff, white cat hairs, crumbs......Angry

WasabiNell · 02/04/2017 13:39

Yes I would. I can second amtico or moduleo, I have dark grey tiles with a bit of a pattern on and they never show up crap or dog hair Grin