I can’t believe I am able to say this but (most of) the ugly, broken kitchen tiles are finally gone. Good riddance! I feel like we’ve been dealing with this f-o-r-e-v-e-r! And thank you to all of you who have supported me emotionally and commiserated with me along the way.
And doesn’t it look nice??
Okay, let’s go ahead and admire these nice-looking, new floors for a minute in sweet silence (and please focus on the floor, not the old and ugly cabinets) before I start nitpicking. I should really just be thankful that something – anything! – was finally done about these floors, but I could also tell you that while the vinyl looks nice, they didn’t do the best job with the floor molding and the sealing around the door frames.
And as previously mentioned, the landlords decided to not replace the tiles in the laundry room. The answer to the question of ‘why not?’ is beyond me and I had finally made peace with the fact that it wouldn’t be done, but it’s still an eyesore. I realized (belatedly) that the door to the laundry room closes on the “outside” of the door frame, but the new flooring was installed up to the “inside” of the door frame, so when the door is closed, you can still see a strip of tile on the kitchen side. They didn’t think this one through, I guess. This is probably to blame on the original owner who installed the tiles this way in the first place, but again, we wouldn’t have that problem if they had just agreed to do the whole damn thing.
Oh well, not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. This is not my house. However, I am a bit of a perfectionist and these kinds of things bother me (because I would have planned it differently). I kinda live by the motto: If you’re going to do something, do it right.
BUT, I really don’t want to sound ungrateful. I am really, really happy that this work is finally done, so let’s focus on the positive!
First of all, these guys were fast. What I thought was going to be a multi-day disruption turned out to be a mere 6-hour job for two people. They showed up 30 minutes late (and I already assumed the worst), but when they showed up, they got right to it. I don’t think they even took a break.
The new vinyl flooring does look so much nicer than the tiles. I am elated that we no longer have to walk on wobbly, uneven floors, and that I won’t be sweeping and mopping up grout every week anymore. As small and old and ugly as the kitchen is, the new floor has definitely given it a little facelift, and it makes me love it a little bit more.
We took advantage when the space was “empty” and spent 3 hours cleaning every nook and cranny in the kitchen on Tuesday night before putting stuff back. We wiped down all the cabinets, the fridge, and the oven, and I even cleaned the (old wooden) windows (as best as I could) and hosed off the screens.
The landlord came by in the early evening to inspect the work and was a little nitpicky like me. He said that it was really hard to find people to do the work though. I think they paid $900 for labor and about $500 for material. I don’t even know if that’s cheap or expensive anymore. I am just so happy it’s done.
How long do you think we have to wait before asking for the next home improvement upgrade? Ha.
Nicole MacPherson
August 10, 2023 at 5:04 pmIt looks great! Also, love the colour of your stand mixer!
San
August 10, 2023 at 7:59 pmThank you, friend :) Can you tell I have a thing for teal accessories ;)
Suzanne
August 11, 2023 at 4:55 amHooray! It looks so great, San! So glad that this tile nightmare is (mostly!) over.
San
August 12, 2023 at 4:16 pmThank you, Suzanne. I know you were all so invested ;)
Lindsay
August 11, 2023 at 5:36 amIt looks so good! And, what a good idea about cleaning while it was cleared out!
San
August 12, 2023 at 4:16 pmThank you, Lindsay. Definitely a huge upgrade to the previous floors!
NGS
August 11, 2023 at 3:00 pmYay! I’m so glad that it’s done and you don’t have to think about it anymore!!
San
August 12, 2023 at 4:15 pmThank you, I am glad also.
Rachel
August 13, 2023 at 5:09 amI love it! I think it’s really freshened it up and I’m so glad it’s done. It also looks SOO much easier to clean. Sorry they didn’t do the utility room but what a difference that floor makes!
Also, I love the green unit in your dining area. I can tell it’s a small space but looks really cozy and organized.
San
August 13, 2023 at 11:29 amThank you, Rachel. I appreciate your kind comment. I try to make the best of the little space that we have. And yes, the floors really freshened up the kitchen and they’ll be so much easier to clean.
J
August 13, 2023 at 1:37 pmYAY! What a long drawn out process this has been! So glad it is finally fixed.
I had a long chat the other day with a friend who lives in a brand new home, one where they were involved in the decision making and decor, paid for upgrades, etc., and just like your experience, some things were not done well, and will bug her forever. Sigh. Which was also the case for us the last time we had upgrades, which was quite awhile ago now, back in 2007.
San
August 14, 2023 at 9:51 pmThank you, Julie. I am so glad it’s done… it’s just unfortunate to hear that you and your friend also had experiences with “subpar” repair work. Sigh. I was hoping that wasn’t common.
Elisabeth
August 14, 2023 at 1:56 amI think your kitchen looks so cozy and welcoming. Love the floors and they will definitely be easier to keep clean. I’m also extra impressed with the before/after slider. Wowzers – those are some impressive blog skills!!! And also very fun to do. I may have had a juvenile moment of just sliding it back and forth and smiling about how fun the process is…haha.
San
August 14, 2023 at 9:15 pmThank you – sometimes it helps to see your space through someone else’s eyes. It does look cozy now with the new floor :) Haha, and it made me smile that you got a kick out of the slider. It’s a plugin for WP and then you can just use it like any other “block” in the editor.
Kim
August 14, 2023 at 9:11 amIt looks so so good! And we would notice things like that too. My husband is an Enneagram 1 so everything he does have to be done as perfectly as possible.
But yay! And that labor seems cheap to me! Maybe wait a couple months before asking for the next thing? LOL
San
August 14, 2023 at 9:34 pmI am glad I am not the only one who pays attention to the details ;) that makes me feel better.
Stephany
August 19, 2023 at 7:37 pmIT’S FINALLY DONE!! I can’t believe how long this saga was drawn-out and how much work YOU had to put in to get it all completed. The new floor looks amazing and yes, it will be so much easier to keep clean. Hooray!
San
August 20, 2023 at 11:56 amThanks friend <3 I am so relieved and happy.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
August 19, 2023 at 11:51 pmIt does look so much better. What an improvement.
It would me drive me crazy having the old tiles in the back and even seeing them when the door ist close. But it is a rental… sigh I am glad this is done and you have a functional kitchen again.
What would your next home improvement be?
San
August 20, 2023 at 12:02 pmThank you <3 I am so glad it's finally done. The next home improvement I'd ask for is replacing the windows. They're so old and drafty.
Lisa of Lisa’s Yarns
August 20, 2023 at 5:51 amOMG finally! So glad this saga is behind you! It turned out really nicely! I would much prefer that kind of flooring to tile. Way easier to keep clean and tidy!
San
August 20, 2023 at 12:07 pmThank you <3 I am so glad it's finally done. We've really enjoyed the smoother floors for the last two weeks :)
Kristen | kristenwoolsey.com
August 20, 2023 at 4:05 pmYay, yay, yay!! I know you are so happy to have this over with! And from the pictures it looks so nice! I’m sure you’ll appreciate the lower maintenance material.
San
August 23, 2023 at 7:27 pmThanks so much. It’s been few weeks now and I can say: we’re so happy with the new floors!
Anne
August 24, 2023 at 12:52 pmOK, that slider thing is impressive! ;)
Seriously, I am just SO GLAD that this is behind you, even if they did it kind of half-a**ed. I’m like you – do it once, do it right – but I can see why you decided to pick your battles on this one. Yay for a functional, nice-looking floor.
San
August 26, 2023 at 2:15 pmThanks friend, I appreciate this so much.
Currently | August - theinbetweenismine
August 29, 2023 at 4:09 am[…] | about the new kitchen floor. Yes, I promise I will shut up about it soon, but I had to include it one more time for the […]
Five Things Friday Vol. 72 - theinbetweenismine
August 29, 2023 at 4:10 am[…] Our kitchen floor is done. I am really thrilled I don’t have to give you any updates on this drawn-out process […]