| Do you like wood floors in the kitchen? It is possible to have wood floors in the kitchen and they are multiple advantages of it. So, are wood floors best for your kitchen? |
Frankly, hardwoods were never considered appropriate for the kitchen use some time ago as it used to cause potential water damage. But through proper sealing, you can use them in any of the room of your home.
Suggested Reading: ‘Best Kitchen Flooring’
Selection in wood flooring
There are two major choices you have with regard to wood floors in the kitchen. You can go for hardwood flooring or the laminate flooring. Both of these wood flooring will make your kitchen warmer and welcoming. Seriously, who does not want a kitchen that looks exquisite and beautiful! Such kind of kitchen encourages people to spend more time and harness their cooking skills.
Hardwoods
The best thing about using hardwood is nothing can match the warmth and beauty it brings to your kitchen. Yes! They are one of the best wood floors for your kitchen. But the only drawback it has is the cost. It is a bit expensive but the value it gives to your home will be significant. It will be worth the price difference among other kinds of flooring and hard wood floor in the kitchen.
These hardwood flooring comes in various kinds of wood choices as well as you get choices in terms of the finish. So, it is guaranteed that you can get the exact look which you need. Furthermore, keeping the floors clean will not take a whole lot of time. With regular damp mopping and sweeping the floors will be clean and shiny. So, it means that the maintenance cost associated with cleaning the kitchen is less while selecting the hardwood floor for the kitchen.
Laminate Flooring
One of the best alternatives for wood floors in the kitchen especially if the hardwood is out of your budget constrain is the laminate flooring. In addition of being less expensive, this laminate flooring is quite easy to install because the finish is already present in the flooring planks.
Some of the manufacturers of the laminate flooring are aware of the issue with regard of the off-gassing process. This is corrected by most of them from the factory. So, by the time it comes to the customer, there is nothing to worry about. Now this is a great feature for the chemically sensitive individuals.
A good and proper installation of the laminating floor can make it difficult for any individual to tell the difference between wood flooring and it. This is the major reason why various households are drawn towards them. Features like low cost, durability, easy to install, etc; makes laminate floor as one of the most popular choices for flooring for all rooms in the home, and this includes the kitchen too.
Benefits of wood and laminate flooring
The major benefit of wood floors in kitchen especially both laminate and hardwood flooring is they are quite apt for families who are suffering from allergies. Hardwood floors assists in keeping your home free from all kinds of dusts, molds, mites, and various kinds of allergens. These allergens do not get stuck in the hardwood flooring like it does in carpets. So, this makes the air quality of your home better and clean.
Basically, when allergens sit on top of the flooring, it sometimes becomes difficult to remove them. But using proper removal techniques and equipments, one can remove these particles from the room and thus help in reducing the asthma attacks and allergy problems.
Wrapping Up
Now whether you are selecting hardwood flooring or the laminate flooring for the kitchen, you have to ensure that they are the best and most suitable for your family. We all know that kitchen in most of the homes is the central hub of many activities. In addition, you need to select floorings which are durable and very much easy to take care of.
It is all about selecting the wood kitchen flooring which is easy to take care as well as durable. Make sure to select the wood floors in the kitchen which can make you feel good about your kitchen. Simply to put it straight, if the floor makes you feel happy, safe and warm then you will be happy with it for many years. Just install wood floors in the kitchen and see how proud you will become of your kitchen.
We are reflooring our kitchen. We have two active dogs-average about 50 pounds. We have considered wood but have been told that the dogs will scratch both wood and laminate. I feel tile is too hard on my joints – can you give us an opinion about a flooring that will stand up to medium to heavy use in the kitchen.
Thanks
You have entered the double-bind zone. Tiles and stone, which are durable and dog-proof, are hard on your joints. Wood can scratch, but maybe if you used a hard finish, such as Diamond Urethane Polyurethane, it might help it survive dogs.
Another option is linoleum. You can make fun patterns with different colors — either in tiles or have a professional installer lay rolls that are cut in curving patterns or angles. It’s natural, doesn’t offgas and the color goes all the way through the material. Don’t get linoleum confused with vinyl, they are very different.
I have seen wide plank cedar boards at the home improvement store. Could they be used for flooring in my kitchen and dining room? I have been told cedar is very soft, but we live in an old farmhouse and don’t mind imperfections.
If you don’t think cedar is appropriate, could you suggest an alternative for a floor that is in an old country house – something plain and simple, but authentic looking and beautiful in a rustic way?
Thank you.
Cedar is exceedingly soft. It ranges from 350-720 on the Janka scale, a rating of hardness for woods. Soft wood indicates it will dent easily and won’t wear well in the long run. But if you are looking for something rustic it will fit the bill. Pine can be soft, some softer than others, and pine has been used for years — centuries even — as flooring. You can get the rustic look without the softness by using pine heartwood, oak, or walnut. If you can find them in wide plank you really have it covered with the old and rustic look. And beautiful.
would red oak flooring be ok for the kitchen about 2 inch’s or is the wider hardwood more apropriate?
Anthony, red oak flooring would be good in the kitchen. There are pros and cons to any board dimension you use in your house, but visual preference is probably the most important determining “factor”. The narrower boards can lend a look of long and narrow to a room, and it might not matter a bit. I was worried about that look when I installed bamboo in my house and chose the horizontal cut instead of vertical to keep an already long/narrow house from seeming more so.
If the wood is quality and you like it, go for it. And be sure to finish it, if it’s raw, with a low VOC water-based polyurethane like Diamond Coat Varathane Polyurethane for floors.
I have original oak wood floors in my living and dining room. I would like to put wood flooring in my kitchen and adjoining family room. Do I have to use the same wood in these rooms? Thanks for any ideas you may have.
Hi Barb,
No, you don’t have to use the same species of wood for the flooring project you have in mind. You can use any kind of wood that you desire! ;~)
We are having to remove our kitchen tile due to a lot of cracking from settling of our house. We have hardwood in the adjoining living room that and it is a little higher than our kitchen. I was thinking possibly about just continuing the wood on top of the tile so we wouldn’t have to chip up the tile. That would also make the floors the same heighth and be easier on my joints in the kitchen. Some have discouraged having tile in the kitchen because of possible water damage. What are your thoughts. Thanks, Dianne
Diane,
Lots of people have tile in their kitchen area – if there’s water damage, you’re going to have water damage regardless what kind of flooring you have (well, except maybe epoxy or concrete!). Actually, so long as there’s no way for the water to get under the tile, there should be no damage – in other words, so long as everything is sealed well………. I guess I just don’t understand the reasoning of ceramic tile being damaged by water more easily than wood.
If you’re really set on hardwood floors, I’d suggest removing the tile. It’s going to be less weight on your joists if the tile is removed and a new subfloor put down before you put down hardwood.
Hi,
We are trying to decide between an already finished red oak (pickle barrel) engineered wood floor and a hardwood floor that would require staining. WE are putting the floor in the kitchen.
Which is the better choice? The engineered does have a 30 year warranty and is made by anderson. It is very pricey about 9.00 a sq foot.
Thanks for any suggestions.
rich
Hi Richard,
I’ve got a couple of articles on the site to help you decide:
Engineered vs Solid Hardwood Flooring
and
Engineered or Non-engineered Hardwood Flooring
Hope they help to answer any questions you may have!
After reading several of the articles on this site I have concluded that the fewer chemicals you use the better your health is going to be. Richard, I’d go for the red oak because it’s more environmentally friendly (recycling and pre-finished). And it’ll be faster and neater for your home.
Hello-
I already have oak floors throughout my house except for the kitchen. I was thinking about getting wood floors installed in my kitchen. The kitchen, of course, would not match the wood floors in the rest of my house. Have you seen this look before? I am unsure of the final outcome.
Thanks for your advice. Maurine
I think it would look fine Maurine. It really boils down to whether you want a closer-match or not; since it’s in a whole different room the flooring can be different. If you decide you want the floors to match better, you can always use a stain to try to get a closer match.
We have glued hardwood floors in kitchen, entrance, half bath, and family room. After 16 years, the wood is detaching from glue. My husband wants stone (and extend to dining room which is not a separate room off entrance)in all areas. We will take up the floors we have, of course. I lean towards hard wood again in all areas. One thing that is a disadvantage to hardwood is traffic of moving chairs in and out have worn the floors. I have put pads on chair legs, but just did not save flooring. In Houston, is the stone the preferred choice? What is the most popular choice today?
Hi Valerie,
I’m not quite sure what you mean by *worn out* the flooring. Any kind of flooring needs to be maintained to look it’s best – regularly applying finishes to protect the coating. If you like hardwood and want to go with that again, they I’d say that you should do it if you’re positive that this is what you’ll be happiest with.
I’m not anywhere near Houston, but any kind of stone, brick, tile, etc. would be good choices. Saltillo seems to be pretty popular in southern states. Same thing though – any of these flooring types require regular maintenance.
Hi there,
By hardwood do you mean solid wood?
I am new to the interior design game having just bought a house but want solid wooden flooring in the kitchen. What type of wood would you recommend?
Thanks
Hello Awena,
There are so many hardwoods available and I don’t know what qualities are most important to you. Things to consider are hardness (look up “Janka scale” at google), color, how much/little grain you like, whether you want something exotic, if you plan on buying an environmentally friendly flooring product (cork, bamboo, etc.), your budget, etc. I think you’re going to have to do your own homework on this one! ;~)
Hi, my wife wants me to install hardwood flooring in my kitchen. how would I nail the planks that go next to the under the sink cabinets and dishwasher? thanks