A Crime of Passion: How Floors Went From Concrete to Cherished

A Crime of Passion: How Floors Went From Concrete to Cherished

Have you ever lived on concrete floors for an extended period of time? They’re cold, they’re hard, they’re dusty, they’re not the most delightful thing to look at, and furry family hate them. Our friends Autumn and Aaron Shultz know what it’s like. As do their cats Itsy and Leo. But how did they come to live in this concrete jungle? “It was a crime of passion,” Autumn said.

“Our floors were 10 years old,” Autumn said. “It was contractor grade carpet in a disgusting ‘gray-beige’ color that had definitely outworn its lifespan. The high-traffic areas were disgusting and one day we just couldn’t take it anymore, so we ripped them up.”

The Shultz shopped around but couldn’t find exactly what they wanted, and needed.

When it came down to it, Autumn said the trust factor and amount of options are what really made them jump with City Tile.

“We had another company come out to give us a quote. That company brought two samples: one was too expensive and one was ugly. We really felt pressured to choose, so we did. But when we woke up the next morning we thought ‘Wait, that’s not even really what we want!’ so we got our deposit back.”

From there they went to City Tile and found the perfect floors for the downstairs of their townhome. The Shultz project included a wood laminate from Mannington’s Restoration Wide Plank Collection called Hillside Hickory in Acorn. The choice to go wood-look laminate came from a desire for the timelessness of wood flooring in a home, and higher resale value, along with the ease of cleaning and price point of a laminate floor. Making Mannington a perfect fit.


For the kitchen update, they chose a dark tile from daTile’s Heathland Field Series called Ashland with Sterling Silver colored grout. The rich elegance of Ashland pairs perfectly with Mannington’s wood laminate, and brings a deeper style to their kitchen in contrast with the light walls.


“City Tile let us make up our own mind, and guided us when needed,” Autumn said. “If you find something you love that is out of your price range, they’ll point you in a different direction to find something you’ll also love but will fit your budget. There was no pressure to get something that wouldn’t work for us.”

City Tile also installed the flooring in the Shultz home. Although they had done much of the footwork (see pulling up floors in a crime of passion), our team still ensured that everything was perfectly prepped for installation, which was described by Autumn as incredible; “They went above and beyond, even when we were being floor-zillas. And you really appreciate that when you know these are the floors you’ll be walking on every day.”

When asked how they celebrated their renovation, Autumn recalled her husband, Aaron, simply laying on the fresh floor and taking in the smooth feel of anything but concrete, and the cats followed suit.


For more recent projects stories, visit our blog. Want to submit your story? Do it here! And if you’re ready to talk new flooring, visit us in the showroom!