Kitchen Training w/ Baby Gates

We have had our pets(11 month male pug/10 month old female Shih Tzu) for about 8 months now..Since we got them they have both had the run of the house..while we worked regular 9-5..
Both WERE paper trained, except when our Pug started marking at 6 mos, then the paper training went out the window! They have both been altered.
Lately we decided to gate them off in the kitchen. It' seems like a safer environment with only a crate,pillow, potty pad, & toys and water on the floor, and minimal worries in terms of damaging the household .

should we keep the potty pad? Only the female uses it consistently...the male sometimes uses it, but unpredictably.
If we take away the pad, then the female will hold it, but the male might go anyways...seems kind of pointless, if we're gonna clean up after 1 of them anyway. (Mind you it is easier to Swiffer a mess, rather than steam clean / wet vac the carpet.)

Some suggested that we crate the male during the day, but that might seem drastic, having reduced their run from all over the house, to just the kitchen already. Having him in the crate for 8 hours doesnt seem like a right idea.
They were crate trained for nights only, we never left either crated in the day. Now they only have full run of the house when we are home.
Anyone out there stand by kitchen training, successful and find this method practical?

Any advice appreciated.

Have you taken him to the vet to see if there might be a reason why he's peeing in the house. Could be a bladder infection or something. I wouldn't think a neutered male would "mark" otherwise. How did you housetrain him in the first place? I would go back to that until he stops peeing in the house. If he's peeing in the kitchen but not on the pee pads, I would restrict his space a little more. If not by crating, maybe you could try an X-pen. I just bought one of the large playpens, the kind with the 6 plastic panels for our puppy. They're kind of expensive but I got mine on e-bay, gently used.