The kitchen is the centerpiece of your home where the life is bubbling, dishes are dropping, meals are cooking, and kids/pets/folks are ever checking in tempted by alluring smells. The kitchen is the most heavily used facility in any dwelling, and floors here must be strong enough to withstand the test of intensive foot traffic, dishware epic falls, and countless food spills. At the same time, kitchen flooring must remain stylish, express your unique personality, and show off your taste. How to choose the best flooring for kitchen and get your money’s worth? This list of kitchen flooring ideas is to give you a dose of inspiration that you need for your kitchen remodel project.
BEFORE EMBARKING ON THE SEARCH FOR THE BEST FLOORING FOR KITCHEN
Do a thorough estimate of your kitchen from the point of these considerations:
- Do you live alone or with a crowd of relatives/cohabitants/animal companions? For instance, if there are small children or people with reduced mobility in your family, opt for non-slip floors to ensure the safety of all members.
- Compliment, not spoil. Floors should be in accords with an overall kitchen style, whether it is rustic, hi-tech or minimalist. Consider the kitchen size, color scheme, textures, and patterns. Should that large bottom surface serve as an effective contrast or become a logical continuation of an overall palette?
- Ease of maintenance. With never-ending food spills and grease splashes, kitchen floors get grimy very quickly. If you do not intend to spend hours on sweeping and mopping, choose kitchen floor materials that are easy to clean, moisture-resistant, and mold-proof.
- When it comes to a kitchen renovation, the entire budget is likely to be divided among cabinets, countertops, illumination as well as plumbing and electrical works. Make sure, flooring fits in the finance plan. Note that if it is a not DIY project, getting new flooring instead of the previous one may also involve significant expenditures on removal, underlayment, installation, and waste disposal.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF KITCHEN FLOOR OPTIONS
While some homeowners want to enjoy a rampageous extravaganza under their feet and cover the kitchen floor with patchwork, coins, leather belts, pebbles, wine corks, and even bottle caps, others subscribe to more traditional floor materials which are never boring! Here are the most popular kitchen flooring ideas to please any eye and accommodate any budget.
FLOOR TILES
Tiling is, probably, the first thing that comes to mind when speaking about kitchen flooring. Tile is ultra-strong to withstand heavy movement, spills, and moisture which are so typical for most kitchens. Floor tiles neither absorb cooking odors nor grow moldy. Sturdy and durable, tiling can be a very reasonable investment, not to mention its power to go with absolutely any kitchen style and décor. Tiles can be arranged in all possible patterns to indulge the most sophisticated preferences. Kitchen tiles are generally made of ceramic, porcelain, metal, glass, and stone. Tiles are manufactured in various formats, but if your kitchen is rather small, consider using large-format tiles – it will make your miniature kitchen look more spacious while minimizing the number of grout lines, too. Though all types of floor tiles are very durable and beautiful, they do require proper sealing to withstand moisture and tracked-in dirt.
Long standing/walking on hard floor tiles may also be quite painful for legs and backs while the cold surface of tiles is not very pleasant to touch barefoot. What is more, breakable kitchenware has no chances to survive if dropped on a tiled floor. All this means that tiled floors must be covered with mats or soft rugs to avoid the abovementioned hardships.
Floor tiles must be cleaned regularly, otherwise, grout will gradually absorb the surrounding dirt and eventually spoil the whole picture. Use a damp cloth or mop to tidy up tiles but do not use abrasives to prevent scratches.
VINYL FLOORS
Vinyl is a resilient, economical, and sheen material for the kitchen bottom. Kitchen vinyl flooring is available in a multitude of colors and patterns and can perfectly imitate prestigious and expensive coverings such as hardwood or natural stone. Vinyl underfoot is elastic and warm – it is a true pleasure to stand on it barefoot! And as for fragile dishes, they will hardly break if dropped on vinyl kitchen flooring.
Modern vinyl floors have a heterogeneous (multilayer) structure. Some brands produce vinyl pieces featuring 7-9 layers! But generally vinyl panels are composed of four main layers:
- An upper layer is a polyurethane coating that gives the flooring wear-and-tear resistance;
- A printed decorative layer that has an aesthetic function;
- The basic quartz-vinyl layer that serves as the foundation for the whole construction. From below and above, this layer is reinforced with various fiberglass backings and plasticizers;
- A lower layer absorbs vibrations and buff loading during exploitation of the kitchen vinyl floor.
Vinyl flooring is produced in a form of planks, sheets, and tiles, all of which can emulate hardwood, ceramics or some exotic materials.
All forms of vinyl come in an ocean of colors and designs, both realistic and fanciful, so you can arrange them in any pattern and make a bold fashion statement.
Vinyl is a very durable covering that is not prone to developing scratches, stains or fades, which makes it one of the wisest choices for families with hyperactive kids and critters. Most types of vinyl floors, especially luxury ones, have an antimicrobial finish to scare away fungi, mildew, and other tiny parasites.
Periodic damp sweeping without harsh detergents and waxing is enough to keep vinyl kitchen flooring good as new.
WOOD FLOORS IN KITCHEN
Rich, noble, and exquisite, wood is the ultimate choice for kitchen flooring. Screaming with natural beauty and peculiar coziness, wood floors may produce an inimitable ambiance and warmth giving your kitchen interior a chic twist. Wood floors can easily rise to a challenge of frequent stains and spills and will gladden your eyes for many years ahead. However, if once you get bored with the cloying surface beneath the tread, you can easily get a fresh touch by refinishing, staining or painting wood floors in your kitchen.
So, wood flooring refers to floorboards made from various types of timber including oak, birch, pine, cherry, walnut, rosewood, bamboo, maple, and many more. If treated carefully, the wood surface will last a lifetime. By saying “carefully”, we mean not letting water stand for too long on the wood floor, not exposing the kitchen floor to direct sunbeams, wiping spills immediately, and avoiding oil-based chemicals and abrasive cleaners when tiding up.
Wood flooring runs the gamut of colors which only Mother Nature can offer: caramel, burgundy, yellow, pinkish, brown, blackish to name a few out of a galore of options. All woods have their unique grain patterns, while an abundance of distressing techniques provides for creating truly a one-of-a-kind kitchen floor ornamentation.
LAMINATE FLOORING
Kitchen laminate flooring provides a durable and appealing solution for households with bustling traffic. Laminate perfectly imitates the appearance of precious woods or tiles while boasting a dramatically lower price tag. Laminate excellently defies stains and scratches, while maintenance is no sweat. Another important feature of laminate kitchen floors is that this material has a good fire-resistance level (even cigarette ash will not leave any marks on high-quality laminate) and high stability against mechanical damages. And laminate one of a few floor coverings which are considered hypoallergenic because it does not have any harmful substances in its chemical composition.
With all its strong points, laminate kitchen flooring has one essential drawback: laminate boards do not tolerate prolonged exposure to water. Water can badly affect the joints of laminate planks making them swell up. To avoid this, laminate joints should be treated with some moisture-repellent product (gel, cream or spray).
As for design, laminate flooring for kitchen is second to none. Occurring in every color of the spectrum with all nuances in between, laminate also comes in diverse finishes, shapes, and textures so that you can create an eminently phenomenal floor in your kitchen.
CONCRETE KITCHEN FLOOR
Concrete flooring works great for kitchens because it is virtually indestructible! Ease of cleaning, absolute resistance to water, and scant fire risk only contribute to the concrete’s overall popularity as the kitchen bottom surface. Concrete is permanent and will never need any refreshment or reapplication. The only possible problem with concrete kitchen floor is that it can be slippery when damp, so it is recommended to treat such a floor with a sealer to add some traction and, consequently, minimize slippage.
Think that concrete for a kitchen floor is a dull and pessimistic decision? Never so! There exist all sorts of powdered pigments which are added to the liquid concrete solution before it is poured. What is more, cured concrete can also be beatified through acid-staining – a mix of water, acid, and inorganic salts that is applied on the concrete surface to produce an idiosyncratic visual texture.
Finally, if one day you fall out of love with a concrete floor in your kitchen, you will not even have to remove it because concrete makes a great subfloor for any other type of covering!
With all its strengths behind, concrete kitchen floor does have a few disadvantages. The first is cracking. Still, if the underlayment below the floor is stable, cracking will hardly grow in a problem bigger than aesthetic. The second is toughness and coldness: bare concrete floors are difficult to stand on for long periods, but this problem is very easy to tackle just by laying some footcloth or wearing house shoes.
And the third concern about concrete kitchen flooring is sealing. Since concrete has a porous structure, it is prone to absorbing stains if not sealed correctly. Sealing should be done not less than every two years to protect concrete from undesired staining.
STONE KITCHEN FLOORING
Classically beautiful, natural stone flooring not only makes a loud design statement but also dramatically boosts the property value. Graceful look and sheer durability of natural stone have no rivals which could beat it.
As for materials, stone flooring is most often made of granite, limestone, marble slate, and travertine tiles. Whatever the type, stone flooring never fails to give your home a cozy, pleasant ambiance. Natural stone flooring is eco-friendly, too, and will never give off pesky or dangerous volatile toxins. Additionally, stone kitchen flooring is not slick, which makes it a safe option for households with small children or physically disabled members. Stone flooring also offers a sufficient level of insulation, helping keep your dwelling warm during cold weathers and cool when it is hot outside.
Every piece of stone flooring is unique and is never repeated. Stone tiles have distinctive veining, coloration, and natural characteristics, helping you to obtain a matchless kitchen floor design.
The only serious disadvantage that stops homeowners from choosing natural stone for their kitchens is expensiveness. Yes, natural stone is a luxury not everyone can afford, but there are tons of alternatives which look as magnificent as stone but come at a fraction of the cost!
So, we have considered the best flooring for kitchen. We hope that we have helped you with the choice!
Groysman construction remodeling company will help you to realize all your ideas! Turning to the Groysman Construction Remodeling Company, the experts will help you implement the best solutions.
