Talk of The Villages Florida - WHY all the ugly ceramic tile?

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- The Villages, Florida, General Discussion (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/)

- - WHY all the ugly ceramic tile? (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/why-all-ugly-ceramic-tile-130146/)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happydaz (Post 954404)

Some people like tile and have it in their whole house. Some people like wall to wall carpeting. Others prefer engineered hardwood or laminate wood floors. It is really a matter of personal preference. The one thing I notice about some people, particularly as they get up in years, is that they think their preference or opinion is the only correct one and they belittle other people's choices because they are different from theirs. Who says tile is bad? Who says engineered hardwood is no good?. Who says wall to wall carpeting isn't a good choice?

Nice post Happydaz .................... and so very true!

I like carpet. Easy to vacuum, warm and helps absorb sound.
If I had pets I would have tile or engineered wood.

One thing I don't like is cleaning a lot of tile and tripping over
area rugs. Just my personal choice.

I think everyone has a different preference.

When our new carpet gets older we will definitely upgrade to
Better carpet!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happydaz (Post 954404)

You're absolutely right Happydaz. It's all about personal preference. There is no right or wrong answer.
But I do think that people were just stating their preference and giving their perspective .
I don't think anyone was deliberately trying to belittle the choices made by other people. We really are a nice group of people.

Whether its tile or carpet its better than the linoleum our parents had in our home when we were young...we all remember linoleum don't we?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vladimir (Post 954448)

Whether its tile or carpet its better than the linoleum our parents had in our home when we were young...we all remember linoleum don't we?

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.6080...947516&pid=1.7

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 954402)

A lot of people will pay extra to back on a swamp with mosquitos and gators, rather than have a "kissing lanai".
There's a seat for every ass. :)

Barefoot, I do believe you like that saying :icon_wink:

I always find it interesting that people take positions that their tastes are the only good tastes....if you don't want tile there are homes that have carpet, if you want a location and it has tile either tear it out or cover it up, but why take shots at people that prefer something you don't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR1234 (Post 954393)

Oh my other pet peeve looking at TV houses. Here they are called 'preserve' homes and you get charged extra. Back in Michigan we call them swamps!

Well, its your choice. House with a house 12 feet away. House with a swamp behind that costs more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnyatlast (Post 954264)

When buyers think carpet holds dirt, they've probably not really hand scrubbed the tile grout lines with a brush to see what kind of dirt grinds into grout and sits in it, even with weekly, meticulous washing of the floor by hand.

I've lived in Florida for over 30 years with tile everywhere but the bedrooms.
Never have I ever had to scrub the grout and we've always had dogs.

I can't imagine what would be going on in a house that the grout would be so dirty.
Even with dogs, we've never had a problem where the grout was discolored had to be scrubbed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR1234 (Post 954072)

We've been in the process of looking for a new home. SO many of the homes have that awful ceramic tile in the entire home. WHY??? As many homes as we have looked at, I've never seen one of those houses that looks warm and inviting....even with rugs on them. I understand having it in the kitchen and baths, but the entire house...UGH!
My question....what do we have to do to put other flooring down? Does that have to be jack hammered up first?

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR1234 (Post 954094)

I SO agree!!! Not trying to offend anyone and I do realize some people have allergies, but it's not like we are at the beach here or anything!

We would like hardwood and good carpet, and know we will probably have to put in ourselves. Just trying to figure out what the process is to do that over ceramic?

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR1234 (Post 954393)

Oh my other pet peeve looking at TV houses. Here they are called 'preserve' homes and you get charged extra. Back in Michigan we call them swamps!

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoMar (Post 954502)

It would appear that you have many issues with the houses here. I sense an "attitude." Most people today choose porcelain tile, not ceramic. With porcelain tile, the color is throughout so that if you do get a chip, it usually won't show unless the chip is significant. It is also very easy to replace one tile. With engineered wood or real wood floors, there is always a maintenance (sanding, waxing, etc.) issue depending upon the foot traffic. If you have pets, that can be a real issue with scratches and scuffs. With carpet, you will always have the traffic pattern in and out of the kitchen and hallways or from the bedrooms to the bathrooms. Tile is usually easy to remove but is a very dirty/dusty job.

Incidentally, it is not flooring that makes a house "warm and inviting." You are seriously mistaken. It's the decorating . . . the window treatments, the pictures and wall hangings, the fabrics which are used, interesting table top items, etc.

There is a difference between a "preserve" and a "swamp." Why the negativity? A preserve means that the property will never be built upon and will always be natural with wildlife, and knowing nothing will ever be built in the specified area. It is always worth the extra premium. A swamp is wet and will always be wet and probably with insects which are attracted to the wetness and dampness.

This post made me feel bad. We just bought a new home with ceramic floors throughout. I think it looks nice, something we have never had, and I can't wait until we can live our dream in this house next year (and our upcoming 2-week visit at Christmas). The words "so ugly" seem so harsh. it's a personal preference. There are plenty of homes that are not tiled throughout. In fact in our house-hunting I think we saw more homes that weren't tiled throughout. I can't wait for Christmas and get down there (from Chicago) and plant my feet on my "ugly" ceramic floors!

Again, sorry if I offended anyone....I'm just frustrated with having to spend upwards of $400-$500,000 and then having to remodel it all! To 'me' the tile seems cold, if you enjoy it....then sure don't let my opinion make you feel bad!
Now that hubby and I are getting a little older and have gone through (as of Tues) 6 operations this year. I had to take up ALL area rugs in our house that I had in kitchen and baths. When someone is on crutches,cane or a walker....those rugs can be treacherous!

Also, as far as the 'Swamp' we will probably be buying on one of those too! As Barefoot says we would rather be kissing mosquitoes and alligators than another lanai.....so don't take that personally either ;-)
After living in TV as snowbirds for 8 years, wouldn't want to be anywhere else....just don't like the houses. I'm sure all of your houses are lovely though!

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Bieniaszek (Post 954257)

My neighbor up north in CT was a General Manager for a car dealership. I once asked him what do they do with "that" car that is the wrong color, wrong options, etc etc etc that just sits on the lot for a long time.

He said the exact same thing to me and it made me laugh when you posted that quote :1rotfl:

milford connecticut......born and bred.....what a conincidence......

Quote:

Originally Posted by Medtrans (Post 954588)

I gathered that the o.p., when saying "ugly" ceramic floors, was referring to garish colors/textures/sheen(?) of tile being used in new construction homes. I haven't seen that….most tile I've seen here is very neutral, and the matte finish tiles look nice. It's just that many of us have seen people tear out brand new flooring and put the cold, hard tile/grout even in the bedrooms. That is what looks "cold", even with area rugs.

As for the look of the tile in used homes here, I've seen too much of it having grout lines in traffic areas markedly darker and dirtier than the surrounding areas, and that doesn't improve with mopping and hand washing the tiles. Basically, grout like that never looks clean.

The other thing homebuyers and owners object to, which is information sellers need to know, is that many of us came here to escape the cold and be able to walk around barefoot in our homes here without feeling cold all over again. Cool tile floors are okay in the summer here, but not in winter. Cold feet=Cold All Over.

The other reason is a barefoot reason too. It's the feeling of grit when walking barefoot on bare floors in the house. We have cleaning service every 2 weeks and I vacuum twice a week in between. I can feel grit under foot the day after vacuuming, and it feels like we need to vacuum again (daily). The way grit gets into the house is mainly from the golf cart in the garage, close to the entryway. We have rugs inside/outside the doorways, but grit still tracks into the house because it's in the entry rugs.

Yes, everyone has a right to their own taste--elegant, understated, tacky, or garish. That's their business. But I think what the o.p. brought out clearly was the foolishness of having to tear down to the slab and throw out expensive floorings when buying a new house, or a used one with lots of money already spent on upgrades. He/She is telling sellers what they and other buyers are seeing.

Realtors and Sales Reps give feedback to sellers, and the thread contents are good info for sellers and homeowners thinking of changing their flooring, which is not a cheap venture.