Since this thread started I've moved house and renovated two more bathrooms and this "step" issue is definitely becoming a headache. You know, we are such slavish followers of trends, I just have to wonder at times how much we are becoming victims of them too. When I built my first house over 50 years ago, most homes were built on piers with timber flooring and concrete was only used in bathrooms and laundries, but the levels were adjusted so when tiles were laid in wet areas the transition was minimal. Floor tiles were also thinner than today's tiles, in most cases they were smaller tiles too and not these great slabs we use today that obviously need to be thicker for strength. Now we are building more slab on ground homes, no provision is being made for the thickness of floor tiles to ensure a more seamless transition between areas. My front entrance is tiled and has a 2cm "step" down to the lounge and family room areas and even that 2cm I find people constantly tripping over. I plan on removing these tiles and replacing the whole entry/kitchen/family area with vinyl planking. Carpet in the lounge room helps offset that step a little but I was told recently by people who have addressed this issue this way that putting an extra layer of underfelt within the doorway area works very well to help offset this problem. When I renovated the ensuite I now have this step issue but the tiles had been glued down with an unknown product of super strength that gave my bathroom guy a lot of grief trying to jackhammer up - took him 2 days to remove them and screed the floor to his standard - and he decided he could not do the main bathroom in a realistic time frame to meet the price he quoted me, he felt he could not even guarantee the standard of work he wanted to achieve so his suggestion was to tile over the existing tiles and when he got to the doorway he would add an extra part tile sloping to down to the floor level similar to what pucciplan described with his timber. He assured me he had done it with many other renovations, it was barely noticeable and would solve the issue much easier and cheaper for me and far less time consuming. In the meantime as I have carpet in the hallway we heard of the idea of using an extra layer of underlay and I've chosen this option. My laundry is right opposite the bathroom and those tiles will be replaced too. On close inspection of the original construction, we discovered no waste drain was put into the laundry, the tiles were drained towards the external door, which is apparantly acceptable .............EXCEPT, they then put a dam across the floor inside the doorway to stop rainwater coming in under the external door!!!! Now the laundry tiles will be laid over the top of the existing ones as well to allow for any possible accident needing drainage. Fortunately I've had no weather issues but we will put a rubber flap at the base of the door, just in case, and I will again do the extra layer of underlay under the carpet and hopefully will achieve a satisfactory result. At least the two doorways will match. Quite frankly though, I'm finding so many design issues these days, I really think the whole home building industry needs a thorough overhaul. I think as I age too, so many more issues are coming to light BUT they are obviously issues that could affect anyone of any age. I think we need to forget "trends" that don't consider the big picture of things and come back down to basic commonsense. HU - I'm really at a loss as to how your builder managed to get a 6.5cm step to the bathroom, that is absolutely ridiculous. The only thing I can think of is there may have been a slope issue for drainage, but surely it could still not have been that much, anything that much out should have been picked up when the building was inspected during construction. "Normal" is a good excuse for laziness or shoddy workmanship. I think from reading your posts, you are in an apartment?? You would then have slab floors?? Therefore I can't see the need for the step to be above 2cm. Definitely take this further - Fair Trading should be able to help you, the standard heights for steps varies according to location and use - it is a bit of a minefield to work out. Good luck. Amanda - how did all your renos go in the end? Sounds like you are still sane. :)

Several decades ago, I grew up in a house with cork tiles in kitchen and sunroom - and I was a convert from then. Cork is warm to look at and to walk on, and is very forgiving when you drop things on it. Since then Ive had houses with tiles in both bathroom and kitchen (not my choice), and more than half an hour standing doing kitchen/meal prep, used to give me aching legs. I could never figure out why tiles were so desirable by all and sundry, until I found their advantages in a hot climate in summer - cool underfoot. But when I bought my recent house I was intent on putting cork down, but found I had vinyl wood-look planking in the kitchen - I have learned to love it, as it is : comfortable to walk/stand on (must have a good underlay?), things don't smash when I drop them, and so easy to clean - I really love it now, and with a couple of polyprop non-slip mats from Briscoes for extra underfoot comfort, I'm sold... Hope you solve your dilemma soon... :-D

Hi , I did a major repaint of my kitchen when I moved in last year (this is the second time I've done this in a home). From salmon pink doors and tiles with plastic pink handles, it has transformed into quite a lovely kitchen with crisp white benchtops and doors, retro aqua blue splashback tiles and chrome hardware. I didn't paint the floor tiles because it is not a good idea, it won't last. And I think in your case, the kitchen floor will not look as bad when you take care of the cabinetry and countertops (and appliances - don't forget the sink, this made a huge difference to my kitchen which had a horrible stained "white" fibreglass sink and plain tap). The only regret I have is that I was convinced instore by a staff member to use water-based enamel on the countertops and this was not a good idea as it marks and stains at a feather's touch and I am always scrubbing it with magic erasers to bring it back to white. Just use oil-based enamel, preferably gloss, and it will clean up beautifully. It will just yellow in about 5 years' time, which isn't an issue if you're not using crisp white like me. Step 1: remove all handles etc. and sand back the melamine/formica surfaces and vacuum up all dust. Wipe down all surfaces with methylated spirits to remove any other dirt and - especially - oils. Step 2: Undercoat all surfaces with White Knight Grip Lock Primer (keep this stuff on hand, it is magic and can be used for a million things). Give it two coats preferably. Step 3: Paint doors and cabinetry with a good quality high gloss acryclic. You can use oil-based enamel too, but it's easier to work with acrylic. It doesn't really scratch unless the cat tries to jump up above the cabinets and claw its way back down when it misses - in other words, don't run knives or screwdrivers down the doors and they'll be good. If it scratches, get a small artists brush and touch up with your leftover paint in the tins. It takes two seconds and is as easy as to do. Step 4: paint the countertops with an oil-based enamel. Clean up with turps. Do two coats and use a good quality brush. Give it a good few days to dry, a week is good if you have the time as it hardens in this time and becomes very strong - so put your camping gear and laundry sink to good use during this time! Step 5: put on new handles and hardware, install new sink and appliances and enjoy the makeover. For the tile splashback, follow the same steps, making sure you give them a good sand. You can use gloss acrylic here too. It will scratch if you knock it with a sharp object, but again, keep the touch up paints and a small artists brush handy. In your case, because the splashback doesn't go all the way up, I'd also consider chiselling the tiles out out and using a panelled splashback from somewhere like Ikea or Bunnings or a store that orders Laminex panels. They can be pretty cheap, and although not perfectly beautiful are a lot more attractive than those tiles. If you can save the tiles (the tile glue is probably old and brittle) and sell them, someone will love them on ebay! And even re-tiling with some cheap/chuck out tiles isn't difficult or expensive in that space if you are at all handy. Splashbacks in burnt orange or red would blend with the cream and floors. Other alternatives for the countertop (particularly if you don't want to patch up the gaps from the older, larger stovetops and sink) is to put in an Ikea or Bunnings (or similar) cheaper benchtop. I have also tiled a benchtop before and this worked really well with the added benefit of being able to put hot pots straight onto the benchtop. Don't use low end wall tiles. Use a stronger tile so they don't crack. Again, with your oh so brown floors, if you stick to lighter colours for the cabinetry (eg. antique white or cream) and a more sandstone-ish colour for the benchtops (or match the cabinet colour to the benchtop so you don't have to paint it and set off with the coloured splashback), the floors won't look as bad. Also, you can put a floor runner along the length of the kitchen hallway (in front of the oven/fridge area) if everyone in the house is generally steady on their feet and don't tend to trip over everything and this will break up the brown beautifully and you will barely notice the tiles. All in all, it cost me about $200 for the paint and equipment plus handles, sink and big shower tap, but it has meant that I am delaying my kitchen reno for a number of years, as I really like the kitchen now and everyone comments on how great it looks. None of this is hard to do. As a female, I have no problems doing all this myself as long as I have the time from work. But my father was a painter for 40 years, so that's why I can get the scoop on the best paints etc. to use on these projects. Good luck! PS: Don't let anyone tell you to whack some fancy paint on the doors and it will be done in a jiffy - it will peel off. Sand and grip lock prime - this is essential if you want it to look good longer than a couple of months.

Judy, do you know if the stepped facade on the art-deco extension is hiding a roof gable or is it purely decorative? If it is only decorative (and heritage regulations allow) I would remove those top 2 courses to make it a simpler box shape. Not essential, but in my opinion that stepped gable is not very attractive, and makes it look more like a public building than a residence. This would simplify and give it more of a modern look, but still be genuine art-deco. The house is already a combination of different eras, so adding a bit of a modern touch will not detract and is more honest when you are renovating anyhow. I would paint the driveway terra-cotta to match the tiles, garage door green to match the roof and change the cladding on the garage front wall to flat fibre-cement panel rendered and built up to a straight line parapet on the front. Paint all walls white, including the rendered panel over the garage door (IMHO this is the only colour that really works with art-deco). Remove the shutters and paint window frames and other trim the dark charcoal you already have on gutters and other trim. The middle section of the column should be that same colour as the top and bottom for its shape and proportions to read well. I would probably leave the stone paths as they are, as they seem to match the dark surround to your front porch tiles. With the front fence I would remove the wrought iron, then extend the pillars up to 2m and fit batten screens between them. To alleviate the sun-load on the western window after those shutters are gone I would instead plant a screen of high growing vegetation inside the front fence, e.g. a row of bamboo. That would give you a better outlook and still provide sun shading and street privacy.