2nd option

I would try and match the colour of the cypress pine to blend in your new tiles. While your basketweave tiles are gorgeous they will just draw attention to the laundry floor - perhaps consider them for a splashback.

Whatever you do will stand out a bit, unless you tile the whole kitchen for a consistant floor finish.

Best of luck,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

before thinking about the flooring i would first be worried about floor levels...will adding tiles make the old laundry floor higher than the old kitchen floor?? my goal would be to have the whole floor at the same level and this may mean that you have to consider thinner floor covering like paint or vinyl for the concrete section and do you have a plan for the whole space showing how the new kitchen and laundry will fit in the room

Why on't you just use the timber for the whole floor

Sorry, after reading Dr Retro's comment, I've realised I neglected to mention, the concrete floor is raised slightly higher than the cypress pine. Tiling the whole kitchen wouldn't be an option. The same problem would arise where a wall has been taken out between the kitchen/dining area and the lounge room. The lounge room flows into the dining which is a small space in front of the laundry.

Placing tiles or cypress boards on the old concrete will make the floor higher than the old kitchen floor. Am hoping there is a trim that can be added to finish it neatly and avoid a trip zone.

Thanks very much for your responses siriuskey, Dr Retro and oklouise. Ideally we'd like cypress throughout- wish there was a simple way of grinding the concrete floor to lower it so anything laid on it will be level with the joining floorboards. We have to come up with something creative. The laundry hasn't been drawn up at this stage. It will consist of a 1500mm x 600mm bench with small sink at the end near the back door. Underneath the bench will be space for a front loader and shelving. This would be concealed by cupboard doors to match the kitchen cabinetry. The idea was to make it seem like a cohesive whole with the kitchen as one room. Unfortunately as Dr Retro pointed out, it seems anything we do will stand out. Good points re floor level oklouise, thank you. The mosaic basket weave tiles are thin yet strong, compared with the thickness of larger tiles. To lay cypress floorboards would make it step up even more than tiles would unfortunately.

Would you consider changing the floor plan

I think if you want the front loader washing machine to be concealed by cabinet doors, then the benchtop and cabinets will have to be deeper than 600mm won't they? I think a front loader would need at least 700mm deep by the time you consider door on it and the hose/electrics at back of it. For my kitchen, I made the mistake of assuming that because the cabinetmaker had drawn the fridge as being inset into gap in the wall that had fridge/pantry/benches, that this is how it would be in my kitchen. I took no notice of the measurements of all being at 600mm deep and so when the fridge was put in place it juts out further than everything else (because fridges are deeper than 600mm deep)......The OCD part of me at various times still looks at it and hates it and tries to think of planning solutions for it..which I never can...several years on.

Just some other thoughts..... (I will prefix them by saying, I have no expertise in this area except that I am also doing renos to a post war timber home).......I think that the tile that you are suggesting is beautiful and if you want something subtle, then you may not get another one that is both as subtle and beautiful as this one. However, if it were me, I would be looking under the floorboards (if possible) to see what is under the concrete or I would be assuming that the original floorboards are still under it. I would then be hiring a jackhammer and carefully removing the concrete. I removed the original terrazzo floor in my bathroom because I needed to change the layout of the room. It is quite a simple process and hiring a jackhammer is not that expensive. There are lighter jackhammers that woman (such as I) can handle (given they are still heavy). My floors are hardwood. The timber floors were still in great condition after I removed the terrazzo except for a couple of spots where I tried to rush the jackhammering and didn't angle it enough and hence got some small knife like dings in the floor - I am tiling over it, so that wasn't a big concern for me. Given you are renovating the whole kitchen, you may be able to salvage some good timber from areas where cupboards will be placed and patch them with other timber. Otherwise, you are likely to be able to buy cypress pine flooring that will match your existing floor and could use this for the places where concrete was removed/floor damaged or no timber flooring underneath timber. I think attempting this option would not give the look of a "fixit" as the tiles may give. You are doing significant renos, so personally I think it is worth the effort to remove the bit of concrete there. (It will create quite a lot of dust though, and you will need to wear safety glass, ear protection, dust masks at a minimum and have someone ready to progressively collect the buckets of cut concrete). Regarding the concrete that will sit in laundry cupboard, it could either be cut to give a straight line to still remain just in the cupboard area or be removed also). Many of us have dishwashers that just sit on wooden floorboards. Dishwashers are probably just as likely to leak water as a washing machine - but in those cases, we generally have the plumbing inside an adjoining cupboard that also holds the kitchen sink.........I am just thinking that you may not need concrete or tiling at all on the floor and you have done so much work so far to create a beautiful home, it would be a shame to have it not have that "planned out" look, just for the sake of removing some concrete if it is at all possible.

oh..to answer your original question..i say basketweave over travertine if you choose tile option

@ siriuskey, thank you for your thoughts on this, yes, will consider a change to layout where possible. There was originally a doorway from the kitchen into the hallway which previous owners blocked up to put their fridge space when they opened up the loungeroom to the kitchen. Part of the doorway had to remain where the plasterboard meets the cornice. We've rebuilt the wall and raised the height of the plasterboard so that cabinets can neatly line up with it as best as possible. This area will need to be used for fridge space. Please see photo.

Thanks Audrey1967. Yes, you're right, it will probably need a greater depth than 600mm to be concealed by doors. I hear you, re the fridge space too. I wonder if an integrated fridge could work in your space?

We're still in the planning stage re the laundry space, was originally thinking to build an external laundry, and not use the old laundry area as a laundry at all, then there was the idea of having it behind tall cupboard doors like a butler's pantry, but would prefer it to be an open space to allow the back door and leadlight window to be in view (rather than hidden behind a wall or doors). Are trying to create a bright and airy feeling to the space, whilst also having enough storage, ensuring reduced clutter. The house doesn't have a linen cupboard so creating more storage area is important.

@ Audrey1967 , again thanks for sharing. Wow, fantastic jackhammering the bathroom terrazzo yourself, you must be so happy with the outcome!

There are no floorboards under the concrete here. Made a cool discovery when looking under the laundry floor- old newspaper that was used when the concrete was set :-) See the photo!

Been thinking about demolishing the concrete, though came back to the tiles.

I wonder if there is any possibility of asbestos being in the old concrete of the laundry floor. I read somewhere that they used asbestos as filler in concrete paths, patios, garage floors etc. The asbestos company didn't mention it, but they took away the old bathroom mosaic floor tiles, as it was thought to be in the tile adhesive. Also I'm in NSW are there any regulations re waterproofing for laundries? True, many have dishwashers on timber floors, and I wonder about European Laundries in cupboards. Are they waterproofed?

@Audrey1967- just clarifying, the tile you feel is subtle and beautiful is the basketweave? I now have a better photo of the basket weave on the floor.

So what you are saying is that the original kitchen is where I have marked it, can you offer more measurements an any old floor plans.

My thought was to move the kitchen back to it's original spot and use tiles from the launry cupboard across into the kitchen in front of the window an down along the other wall behind a possible island, Have you checked what depth a lino would be instead of tiles

Yes, exactly, you've marked the original kitchen. I don't have an original floor plan, but the back door would have been to the left of the back wall of the kitchen. There was no internal access to the laundry. The dining and kitchen were a room off the hallway and the living room was a separate room. Only way into the kitchen was the hallway or back door. The kitchen would have been very small when the back door was along the back wall. The bench in the photos below was not a standard size- narrow.

Perspective from lounge room

Kitchen- very distorted camera lens

Kitchen from lounge room

Original sink

removed wall, tiles are 20cm square

Laundry space room only for tub and washer

Hi, a small level change is always a trip hazard. Trick is to make it a real step up so it’s obvious.

But to do this you would need to raise the door and it looks like you have matched window to door height, so the alternative is to make the slight level change stand out by a contrasting floor And a tiled rear entry can help protect those lovely pine floors. If you go the herringbone add a black gloss edge strip to finish off. Personally Id do this tile as a splash back and a bigger version on floor, but choose what you love and enjoy, trust your gut, do they still bring a smile to your face or just doubt.? post your completed pics Please

@Kate Partenio, thanks very much for your thoughtful response with this. I am fond of the idea of a tiled front and rear entry for protecting the timber floors and because they are easy to clean, plus create a foyer like entry space. Thanks for noting this, and the importance of contrasting the floor so the step up is obvious. Also I love this, "do they bring a smile to your face or just doubt?" Thank you! Excellent points, will post pics when done. :-)

It may be possible, will have to look further into this and the cost involved. Thanks

@siriuskey, I think the tiling across and the island breaking up the tiles a good idea, but I don't think the space will allow the room for an island without being too poky, especially as have to keep the fridge/ pantry space where it is due to the overhang and cornice from old doorway. What sized island did you have in mind?

do you have a floor plan to show if there woul be another space for the laundry

Just played around with your space an no matter what it is all very small. I notice in one of your photos that you showed a large gas cooker an in the drawing of the planed kitchen it shows a 600 cook top and no Dish washer.

This new layout allows for your large cooker and a dishwasher, where you currently have the fridge becomes a Pantry, that wall could be reduced back further to open up the whole space.

I now have the dining at the rear of the house with large sliding doors to an alfresco out door living area, you could find second hand doors to fit within the window space.

Anyway just something that you might consider

Gorgeous brick pavers, I love that look for the floor! It has a rustic appearance yet you're right- sophisticated, even an elegance. I think this would suit the feeling I'm wanting for the room, the pine boards have a rustic appearance, this would go well with them. We have a 1m square oak table with cross back chairs for the dining section and a La Spezia 3 light pendant (Beacon), farmhouse sink, timber hood cover to give you an idea of the look we're going for.

Thanks very much for your thoughts on this. I like the idea you're going with, but yes, we have the window and door in already. Door could be trimmed if necessary. It wasn't until the window was already made and the wall sheets and cladding was removed that we realised the original kitchen layout had the back door next to the window, and the door into the laundry section was a modification. I most likely would have put it back where it was originally or had double doors. It made no logical sense for the back door to be a thoroughfare through the laundry, eliminating valuable storage space. I may have just left the kitchen in the original layout and made an entry into the laundry from the kitchen side for a laundry/butler's pantry with fridge in there. Removed the side window for more wall space for storage and changed the existing door to a window. But it's too late now, the outside of the house has all been newly clad so doors and windows are as is.

There's no other possible place in the house for a laundry. It is a very tight space. Plan to build an external laundry studio in the future. The one in the house would be temporary, yet need it to accommodate a washer dryer combo for now, and be suitable for prospective buyers/renters in future if the external laundry doesn't eventuate.

This is the original 1960's floor plan. A previous owner made internal access into the laundry and made bench space where the original back door was, the next owners opened up the living to dining room and blocked up the hallway doorway which became the fridge space.

The cornice didn't match up in the hallway though where the old doorway was. They had made a shelf from the cut out on the hallway side, and the protruding section in the kitchen side became a kind of bulkhead for the fridge.

Old hallway

We've rebuilt this so that it could have an upper cabinet on the kitchen side/ hallway later if needed. But the lack of space in the hallway didn't allow us to build a linen cupboard, so that will also be needed to be included somewhere in the house. At this stage, thinking we will have to configure the laundry space to have a linen cupboard/ broom cupboard between the dining room and laundry section. Open to ideas too for storage in that limited laundry area space. I'll add more measurements to the floor plan for reference.

We have two 600mm wide pantry cabinets for that "fridge" space area. See photo below. Would either use both cabinets and have an integrated fridge in one of them, or allow one pantry cupboard and space for a slim free-standing fridge.

Wow! I have just written the above before seeing your new comment. That's an amazing use of the space. Very open plan and awesome to get a sense of it in 3D. Wish I'd known of Houzz and shown our floorplan before we embarked on this journey! I love your idea here and the dining room at the rear of the house with sliding doors, this completely opens up and modernises the space. What an incredible transformation this layout would make, absolutely stunning.