It’s been a nice, quiet weekend — one where I actually felt productive because I had time and energy to get things done. Why? Well, my mom took the kids for the weekend. I don’t think my house has ever been this clean.
We heard from the contractor a few days ago; he wanted to call to make sure we didn’t think he had forgotten about us. Huh? Contractors do that?! This one’s a keeper. Anyway, he informed us he could probably start toward the end of this coming week, so we’re excited that this project is finally — FINALLY — coming to fruition. But now I’m panicking about flooring, which I had kind of sloughed off on because this project never seemed to be happening. I wanted a floor that wasn’t too expensive, was easy to clean, and helped bring that 1950s vibe to the room. After looking at what seemed like fifty million samples of vinyl flooring, nothing really looked quite right. I found myself troubled by the same dilemma as when I was looking at countertop samples: everything seems to be neutral. I wanted something different — something that would give my home its former 1953 glory without resorting to linoleum. Tall order, I know. I kept coming back to the rather uncreative standard black-and-white vinyl sheet flooring, but I almost feel like that’s going too far in trying to achieve the 50’s look. I don’t want my house to look like a diner; I want it to look like the flooring is original to the house.
Cost is a factor; that is why I’ve been centering my search around vinyl. With two boys in the house, I do not want to risk laying down a spendy tile floor just to have it demolished by them. Don’t think they can do it? You obviously don’t know my boys.
I’ve been spending a lot of time at Retro Renovation, looking at all of Pam’s articles on flooring. I’ve been fascinated by some of the brands and types of flooring that she runs across, especially the “streaky tile” chocies from Congoleum. My biggest fear, however, is that I’ll install the tile and hate it beyond belief.
Can you tell I have an issue with non-rescindable decisions? It makes renovating oh-so-fun.
