Home Improvement: Tile?

What would you do with this tile, if you bought this home?
It covers 1,200 square feet covering the entire first floor.
It appears to be Terra Cotta.
It has chips and cracks throughout.
The grout is crumbling.
It has some sort of film that appears to be a poor wax job or white wash.

The options we are aware of:
Rip it all out and replace with other tile.
Re-grout and resurface
Cover with laminate and/or carpet

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method?
Which is more cost-effective long-term?
Are there other options?
What would you choose?

Here are some pics.

 

For your sake and for the sake of future owners of your home, do it right or don't do it at all. One of the things I really hated in doing demo and fixing up our old 1929 house was ripping out layers and layers of stuff--wallpaper, paint, tile.

Laminate over the top is probably the easiest option. Laminate is also very easy care. However, it is also prone to dents (scratches, not so much). I love the laminate in our apartment. It's very easy to keep clean and care for. Since you have a lot on your plate, it might not be feasible to do it right right now, and this would be a quick, easy way to fix your floor into something more family friendly.

 

My first option would be to check the expense/work of regrouting and repair.

Second option would be to tear it all up and replace with different/better tile, or hardwood.

If it were my house, I'd go one of those two directions.

 

Neither of those options are very child friendly, though. Kids can do a lot of damage, even unintentionally. Ceramic tile is hard and a pain to clean, hardwood scratches and dents.

 

If the grout is sealed properly, cleaning it is fairly simple. Decent quality tile properly installed will practically last forever too. Granted, many hardwood floors can be scratched or dented. But lots of people are actually going for a weathered look now. There are also hardwoods available (though pricey) that are incredibly dense and difficult to scratch or dent.

Carpet, though it can be vacuumed, harbors all kinds of dust and grime that you can't see. I personally don't care for linoleum because it can be torn, scratched, or dented easily, and wears much faster than most other options.


Also, the OP did ask what *I* would choose.

 

In my climate, a tile floor is COLD. I like to go barefoot in the house, and in the winter I hate the cold tile on my tootsies. It can also be slippery, especially if wet.
We have engineered cork flooring in one room and I love it. It's solid, but feels not as harsh. I like hardwood also.

 

This is very true.

 

When we saw the house hubby was completely turned off by the tile. Were it not less expensive (by 40k) with more land tha n any other options before us, he would have crossed it off the list because of the tile alone. It took some convincing to get him to look past the tile at the overall awesome that this house is.

That said, I do feel that the crumbling grout must be dealt with before moving in because otherwise it won't be touched for at least 2 years.

 

How old is the house? Any idea how long the tile has been down?


Whatever you do, make sure you fix it right the first time, even if that means laying down a new surface below the tile first. You don't want to be right back here in 2-4 years.

 

We learned from a neighbor that the original owner of our house was really into masonry and tile laying. He put down the tile himself. The home was built in 1999. It has been through 3 owners since. The tile in bathrooms is beautiful and timeless. The floor in the downstairs is the only concern.

 

The reason I asked was because I'd be concerned about hidden problems (like the underlayment being bad, or having moisture problems) if the tile had only been down a couple of years and was having major problems already. If it has been down for a decade or more, I'd be less worries about that. Cracks and chips happen over time, depending on tile type. Grout issues after many years, especially if the grout wasn't resealed or maintained properly, are also common.

 

Thanks, Borla! This is good to hear. I was worried that the crumbling grout was an indication of underlying issues, but it's good to know that it has simply exceeded its expected lifetime without regular care.

Hubby admitted the other night that he would love having a nice Terra cotta floor, so if we were able to restore it then he'd be happy. We'll see what we can learn and figure out what tools we need to get this done on such a huge scale.

 

Just to clarify, I don't think it absolutely removes any chance of other problems. I would just be far less worried about other problems knowing it has likely been down 10-15 years.

Also, some of the problems that could cause tile to crack or grout to wear (like an uneven floor, especially with large tiles like those) are not really going to matter if you are replacing it with laminate, carpet, most hardwood floors, etc.