Home » our home » remodeling » Downstairs renovation progress and our wood-look ceramic tile…….

Downstairs renovation progress and our wood-look ceramic tile…….

I feel like we are finally making some progress! It’s been almost 11 months since our family room was flooded, like a lot of other homes in Illinois. We are finally getting to the point where the playroom will be usable again which will be a huge relief. I love spending time my kids, a lot, but not Little house on the Prairie style aka The Long Winter where we are all crammed in 600 square feet while there’s 2 feet of snow outside. It’s amazing I made it through without being committed. I had to show you our wood-look ceramic tile we just put down in the playroom/office area.

Wood look ceramic tile By Marazzi in Saddle bought at Home DepotHere’s a first peek at the playroom! We decided on using wood look ceramic tile from Home Depot. We wanted something really durable. A few area rugs and we’ll be good to go!

downstairs rehabThe Wall color is Early Morning Mist by Benjamin Moore. I wanted something light and airy since it’s a smaller room. And the transom window lets some light in and keeps the room from feeling too closed in.

Farmhouse trim and transom windowWe decided on a  farmhouse style trim, I’ll be finishing that this weekend hopefully and we can move all the toys in there!

Ikea shelf for inside closetWe are adding a closet in a former open nook area. While I love nooks, we need the storage space. See that battery? 3 weeks ago on the heaviest melting day in Chicago our sump pump and back up both went out.After a moment of tears and panic, it was all replaced and we are now have all new ones. If you have a sump pump and don’t have a backup you really need to get one.

Ikeas shelf inside of closet

The closet shelving is a $39 Ikea unit. It fit perfectly with the space after we chopped the bottom off.

That is also one of the  openings to our crawlspace. Even though it’s all concreted, the kids insist it’s really scary.We are making a simple door for it which will basically be a panel of plywood with a hinge.

downstairs rehab the color is early morning mistI also wanted to show you a peek at the other side. It’s coming a long. Hopefully we will be tiling in the next month, so that will be usable and we can get all of our other furniture back downstairs, especially the TV!

 And then I can get to the fun part of decorating!

Microsoft Word - Document2 2

18 Comments

  1. Good things come to those who wait (to decorate), am I right? 😉
    I, too, am anxious to get to the decorating stage of our project.
    Soon!

  2. Love that tile – that’s a great idea. We’ve had two floods in the past few years – no fun. Your space will be great when it’s done!

    It’s about time for this long winter to be over with; I don’t recall a longer one!

  3. I am digging that wood look ceramic tile!
    I had no idea there was such a thing.

    You guys have been through a trial and hopefully
    your family is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

    Your mention of sump pumps has me wanting to go check on mine. Eeek!

    I really hope that we don’t have the rains like last year.
    I live a few towns away from you. We too had a bit of flooding, but not quite as bad
    as your experience.

    Can’t wait to see the finished product!

    1. Thanks Joann! I agree with the rains. It makes us nervous every time we hear there is going to be a big one. We know we are being overly paranoid because this house has never had water in it’s 54 years. It was hopefully just a freak thing! We have lost power a few times and have been very happy we have a backup!

  4. Love the wood tile! Can I ask what the tile name is from Home Depot? We are preparing to finish our basement and I have learned that with a Golden Retriever, tile is the best option to avoid scratched wood floors! I also have a sump pump with no backup (ugh!)!

    1. The color is Saddle and the brand is Marazzi. They have a few different colors, I went with the one closest to our hardwood on our main level.

  5. Jen, the playroom is really coming together! I also love that wood look ceramic tile. I recently went to a Floor & Decor Store and was blown away by the variety of styles and finishes ceramic tile comes in these days. It’s been quite a while since we were in the market for flooring, so there are a lot of new choices out there. Can’t wait to see the finished room!
    xo
    jeanne

  6. So sorry to hear you were flooded! Your tile and paint color are gorgeous! It’s going to be a wonderful playroom when it’s done. .
    love and blessings~
    Lynda @ Gates of Crystal

  7. Jen, I Love the look of this floor! We were thing of putting in a wood floor into our kitchen, tile is much easier to maintain. Do you find the floor to be cold? Did you put it down or have someone lay it for you? I am seriously considering this alternative.
    Thanks for Sharing!!
    Huggs, Nancy

  8. Great minds think a like. I have that ceramic floor in my bathroom in white. I just love it. You will too. Everything is coming along, that’s great.

Comments are closed.