Tiled floor in Lounge & Dining Room??

[BristolIrishGirl]

We have an old cottage style house that has two massive stone fireplaces with woodburners in both our lounge and dining room. We are thinking about decorating them this year and we would like to put down stone effect ceramic tiles in both rooms. We are not carpet fans and already have laminate in all the bedrooms and tiles in all the bathrooms. Ultimately we would like to also tile the hall, kitchen and utility - they have laminate at the moment.

When you come into the house you have to go through either the lounge or dining room to get to the kitchen - it's a long narrow kitchen that runs along back of rooms and in typical cottage style - one room leads off another. We have no direct access to our back garden so everything tends to get taken through the house and the lounge especially is an extension of our kitchen.

We have two small DC so will get a big rug for the lounge until they are a bit older.

Are we crazy or has anyone else got tiles in their living areas?

we have tiles in the kitchen/dining room - and it works really well for us (although if you drop anything it shatters and travels a long way).

We have the original tiles and brick floor throughout our house (17th century farmhouse)- it is very cold underfoot. Very very cold in contrast to the bits with rugs on. We go round with slippers and thick socks on, and friends know not to come and visit without thick socks and slippers. But you can be very messy on the non rug bits, no problem about carrying dripping logs across the room, no problem about dropping crumbs / tea etc.

Did I mention it's cold underfood?

I'm thinking of doing this in a holiday cottage that I've just bought. The thought of sand being brought into the house is putting me off carpets. Guess it could be cold and draughty in the winter but a couple of big rugs should help with that.

it isn't the tiles per se that make it cold - it is the fact that you have no insulation under your 17th century floor.

Ah yes, that's very true. If you were laying them from scratch, you could have masses of insulation.

If we didn't have the orignal tiles, we would have looked very seriously at doing underfloor heating, and installing a ground-source heat pump.

We did think about under floor heating but have been told that the mats are fairly useless and to do it properly means channelling and screeding floors, putting in pipes etc, which is a massive amount of work and expense - not to mention it will raise the floors which then means that we would also have to raise the fireplaces - not an option - especially given we have installed the woodburners recently!!!

I have found that some tiles feel warmer under foot than others depending on their finish. My sister has a tiled lounge and loves it - although her daughter is almost 15 - not 1 and 3 like mine so she doesn't really have to think about safety issues.......

I myself thinking of tile-style laminate flooring for our kitchen/diner, which may be less cold than tiles? Tiles it is nice to look at, but may be very very cold.

Could you look at the underfloor heating mats again, especially if you get the heat reflecting insulation boards, unless it raises the floor too much? Haven't heard negative things about them at all (what have ppl said?)

Proper wooden floors not an option?

Tiles can look lovely like the worn flagstone type and are very practical. Obviously have to be a bit careful, ds when 3 had his head glued in A&E after running and slipping on a tiled floor and another friend's dd, who has marble floors, had to have extensive dentistry.

But aunt has flagstones in her cottage but cottage very small and cosy, roaring fires and an aga.

Floors are too uneven so would have to build a suspended wooden floor first to then put down a real wooden floor.

Re: under floor heating mats - I've been told that they are expensive to run and that you need to basically keep them on most of the time especially through tiles to get any warmth from them - don't know if true or not.

Might look into it - although just pushes up cost of doing rooms even more........

We have tiles through kitchen/dining/ living room. With underfloor heating. It was here when we moved in and we loved the look of it. Now not so sure.
I can never get the heating to the right temperature.
Have 1 DS and when he was a baby I was paranoid about him staying on the rug. We had a lot of bumps and bruises, and still now it is very hard on his head if he trips!
Doesn't seem to huge difference in Winter/Summer bills, so don't think it is that expensive. Only on Nov-Feb/Mar, but we have heating as well.
Easier to clean
TBH I wouldn't do it again, I would stop at the living area and then have wood or carpet. But I guess it's just what you are used to and yours sounds lovely.

I have tiled open plan kitchen dining living room but also have a seperate sitting room which is carpeted and cosier.I don't think I would have just tiles and no 'warmer' space

No, I think it would be cold, noisy and just not at all cosy.

I'd have reclaimed wooden floors and lots of rugs if you don't want fitted carpets.

Oh yes, the noise is actually quite noticeable. My mother's voice literally echoes.

How about going for Amtico or something similar in a tile design?