Decisions. Decisions.

When it comes to a kitchen remodel ... all you seem to do is make decisions.

What will I store there?  Where will I put this?  What color of trim?  What kind of hardware?

But this should be easy for me .... after all, I spent 25 years of my working career in draperies, flooring, furniture and kitchen design.  Piece. of. cake.

NOT!

Today .... I will talk about my flooring decision ... and how I haven't quite made it yet.

Currently ... in our kitchen we have wood.

Sixteen years ago ... I talked Honey into ripping out Congoleum 40010.  Little brown brick like thing.  You've seen it.  Once upon a time ... it was EVERY. WHERE.

And underneath the brown bricky vinyl was a 4" fir floor.

The original floor in the house.

My heart fluttered.

I was in love.

We had it sanded.   And I talked Honey into painting the floor with a floor paint.

Twice.

First a dark green and then a deep orange-y terra cotta.  The terra cotta color would wear ... and we would get the green ... like years of wear on the floor.

And we got this.

And I loved it.  And I still love it.

Sort of.

First ... I am a messy cook.  I bake bread a couple of times a week ... so flour is on the floor.

I make noodles and pasta .... so more flour is on the floor.

I can tomatoes .... so water and tomatoes are on the floor.  Mixed with the flour.

I make jam .... so sticky stuff is on the floor.  Mixed with the flour ... the tomatoes and the water.

And I regularly drop eggs on the floor .... cuz I am certain there are no more eggs tucked into my hem of my shirt!

Need I say more????

The 120 year flooring is currently on life support.

And now ..... looks like this.

Every where ... the tongue and groove are breaking out leaving splinters and flourtomatoestickystuffeggdirt material  in the grooves of the floor.

Great vintage farmhouse look ......

Not so much on the clean-ability.

So ... I want something that works for me and we chose Forbo Marmoleum Click.

We talked about doing a pattern but by the time the table, the hutch, the bookcase, the island, the cupboards and 5 doorways are accounted for ..... you won't see any pattern anyway.  So it will be a solid color.

Forbo's Click is a DIY dream .... you can put it down on any floor and "click" it together.  And you can't see the seam.  It fits extremely tightly together for a very smooth finish.  It comes in 12" squares or 12"x36" panels.  We chose that size as it will be even easier and faster to install.

It has three layers ..... a solid environmentally sound linseed oil-based linoleum layer, an engineered wood substrate and a layer of cork that deadens sound and helps "float" over the floors imperfections.

I sound sold, right???? 

I am but ............................

What color do I choose???

The main cabinets will be the ivory on the right with a flat panel shaker style door.  The sink base and baking center will be the willow wainscotted cabinets with a coffee glaze with furniture styled features.

In the store .... I was convinced I wanted the center sample or the sample to the left.  But the left sample (Barbados) blends into the cabinet so much .... there is no difference in tones.  The center (Caribbean) seems too gray for me ..... and I hate gray.

Except for hair ..... I like gray hair.  :)

Finally the right sample ... is Van Gogh.  A little more yellow than I thought I wanted.  I keep going back to it ... which should be a sign.... but its not quite a billboard yet!!!!

Wall color is Sherwin Williams blonde which is a chameleon of a color and the original wainscoting -- is an antique white.  Yea .... the original wainscoting is still in the kitchen.

You old house lovers can be jealous now.  ;)

So ............ talk among yourselves.

Let me know if you have a consensus.

I need to look at countertops.