Reclaimed brick floor in kitchen/diner?

[LittleMilla]

Has anyone done this? We'd been looking at a rough limestone floor but it's looking too expensive and so I'm considering other options.

Like the look of this but my questions are:

• can we still do underfloor heating (this is a must for the space as we're short on wall space for any radiators)
• any ideas on cost? We've got loads of rec yards near by but I know that much of the cost of the stone we love is in the laying of it
• is it a bit, well, shit?

We're planning this kitchen, well a copy of it. Painting it a light dove grey colour.

Due to start work quite soon now so feedback is really appreciated. Thanks

ime reclaimed brick is expensive, although ive not seen a floor in rl.
would it not be very dusty? youll have to have it sealed or something?

I have an original brick floor in my hallway. It's very thick, I doubt you would feel underfloor hearing through it. Don't find it dusty but it is sealed. We looked into getting the thin 'fake' ones to continue theme into kitchen but then discovered flagstones.

We have original brick floors in some of our downstairs.

They are incredibly impractical (presumably reclaimed ones would be somewhat less genuine so to speak and so a bit more practical), and I have been told they are also astonishingly expensive to buy.

I agree that kitchen looks beautiful but really, I would certainly avoid brick floors from our experience.

This is our favourite. Problem is that with 35 sqm to cover and being quoted £70 per sqm to have it laid, it's just going to be too expensive.

We've looked at slate but I just think it's too dark (generally) and lacks any real wow factor. And it'll still cost a couple of grand!

DH is sick of thinking about alternatives so I am getting slightly desperate. It's a lot of money and I really don't want to f*ck it up or compramise.

Also thought about a herringbone parquet. Again, any thoughts?

Thanks and sorry if I sound desperate!!

Do think about the cleaning (she said cheerily) - are you going to want to bleach the grouting and the tiles with a toothbrush, for example? Because you might find yourself doing that. I do - except I can't be bothered any longer and so we have grubby grout.

Parquet sounds a little awkward if you had a flood at any time.

How much per metre can you afford? How about working that out and then working back from that?

Quarry tiles?

www.kitchenclarity.com/2009/08/english-style-cottage-kitchen/

We would like to spend £2.5k on the floor, ideally. Including fitting.

My reasons for opting for slightly 'rough' floor is that I'm a pg working slattern with a toddler (and cleaner, thankfully) and hope that it'll hide a multitude of sins. Does the sealant not stop grout going weird?

The parquet floor apepals because it will hopefully get better with age and I want flooring with some soul IYKWIM.

No, the sealant does not stop the grout going weird. Take it from me.

I think (speaking as a fellow slattern) you probably want a slightly mottled grey pr cream floor. In the nicest possible way. e.g. a mottled limestone rather than high gloss black floor.

So you can afford £71 / m including fitting.

We had something like this in a previous house and it worked moderately well, bar having to go at the grout with bleach on a toothbrush.

Love your choice of kitchen and love the reclaimed brick though like everyone everyone else I would worry about the practicality.
Personally I would go for traditional flags or slate like this: www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/313/rajah-riven-slate-tile/?cid=19

Thanks Grendels. DH is coming around to the suggestion of us having a different floor for dining bit vs. kitchen so the mandarin stone might be feasible. Builder has come back and basically said reclaimed bricks are a frigging nightmare (as per everyone's comments!) and we should steer clear. So that ends that thought.

Will see what builder says about getting proper parquet fitted...

If you do reclaimed brick, the underfloor heating might be difficult. In terms of parquet, you may have difficulty with under floor heating with wood, you may have to go for electric mat style rather than hot water underfloor heating, if at all.

How about rubber tiles or amtico type flooring if natural stone is proving too expensive.

My friend had the brick floor like in the picture, it was in her entry hall kitchen, dining area, and hall to the bedrooms, at first she loved it (one reason she bought the house) after a few months she hated it with a passion, it was hard to keep clean and really hard on her feet/back with standing in the kitchen cooking washing up. She saved for another year to be able to get rid of it and replace it with wood floors, which after 12 years she still loves.

I know nothing about floors but..wow, what a gorgeous kitchen.

We have an original brick floor in our kitchen. It is a yellowy clay brick though, not red.

We cleaned and sealed ours, and then used a dry lime/dry fine sand mix in the gaps (not grout/mortar). The 'bricks' (though they are actually half depth) are laid touching, so the gaps are small, just around the irregularities in the brick shape. The lime and sand mix works down into the gap, so I will need to top it up every few years.

The floor is a wonder! I have toddler twins, so you can imagine the abuse it takes! I wipe up spills as they happen, but I've only wiped it just for cleanings sake about 3 times in 18 months I brush it about once a week with a soft bristled brush, which contributes to the loss of lime/sand, and hover if I drop a glass.

I love my low maintenance floor

I should also have said ...

Don't buy expensive glasses and crockery. There is no chance for anything that is dropped.

It doesn't surprise me that your builder put you off reclaimed bricks - they're all different shapes, sizes and depths, which makes them a pain to lay!

I still love my floor though.

The parquet is beautiful but it will cost an absolute fortune to fit - I really don't think you'd buy it and have it fitted for £71pm.

When you say £70 to have the limestone laid - do you mean that's the labour only? That strikes me as massively expensive. If it actually includes the cost of the tile too, then it comes in at under your £2.5k!!!

Thanks all for replies.

Builder coming on Monday with final plans and hopefully budget to sign off. I am aiming to squeeze him on labour to lay the floor. His argument for the cost is that it takes ages to level out the flooring, lay the actual tiles with grouting and then sealing. However, I too suspect we could get it laid cheaper and will ask mandarin stone for their quote.

Thanks all for kitchen compliments. Given how much MN has helped me get this renovation done, I feel duty bound to post snaps of the finished article!