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By Soo Kim
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A video of a homeowner finding a hidden surprise beneath the flooring of their kitchen during renovations has captivated viewers on TikTok.
The discovery was captured in a clip posted by @wiggy__, which has garnered more than 13 million views since it was posted on June 8.
Text overlaid on the video says: "Lifting the millennial gray vinyl flooring … look what we found."
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The clip shows a woman grabbing the tip of a corner of the flooring and peeling it back while looking up at the camera. The footage later shows the vinyl completely removed, revealing a checkered pattern of green-and-white tiles on the floor of a kitchen setting.
A caption shared with the post simply says: "Tiles > vinyl."
The global flooring market was estimated to be valued at $360.7 billion last year, and forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.8 percent from 2025 to 2030, according to a report by Grand View Research, a market research firm headquartered in San Francisco.
The report notes that "increasing demand for aesthetic, superior, and durable floor covering solutions and changing consumer trends in floor design have aided the growth of the flooring industry over the past few years."
There has been a broader trend of increased spending on home renovation in recent years. A recent survey by Houzz, a home design website, found that the median renovation spending in the U.S. jumped by 60 percent between 2020 and 2023, rising from $15,000 to $24,000.
Seven out of 10 renovating homeowners were invested in interior room remodeling in 2023, according to the report.
Viewers on TikTok were amazed by the finding in the viral clip, with several perplexed by what the previous owners covered the floor with.
User arlo2507 noted, "Why do millennials cover up such beautiful, tiled floors?" and @woushingchan also asked: "Why the hell would anyone cover that up with vinyl flooring."
Sasso posted: "A GREEN AND WHITE CHECKERBOARD FLOOR???? I swear millennial gray and shabby chic ruined houses."
User Starr wrote: "When did ppl [people] start hating colors. everything is gray or white when everything used to be so colorful."
User bananass noted: "you know what? respect to the previous owners. they may have bad taste but at least they had the decency to cover the floor up instead of ripping it out."
Others were not as convinced about the tiles.
MangaHaikuReview said, "I don't think this is the win you think it is," and @gnarsteez11 wrote: "PUT IT BACK."
User @rwdluv noted, "now the floor is cold," and Ad126359472 agreed, saying: "Good, now its gonna freeze your feet when you're walking barefoot."
User @._xitlali_.0 wrote: "It's cute but it doesn't fit with the room."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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