Choosing the Perfect Flooring for Your Kitchen
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Known as the ‘heart of the home’, the kitchen can be a very active and functional space. When it comes to choosing the right kitchen flooring, it is crucial to select a practical material that is hard-wearing alongside being aesthetically pleasing. As there are a wide choice of materials and styles available, it can be difficult to work out the right kitchen flooring for you. To make that decision easier, we’ve listed six of the most popular kitchen flooring options alongside their pros and cons:
Solid and Engineered Wood Flooring
Wooden floors are a popular and timeless classic that leaves a lot of people divided on whether they have a place in the kitchen or not. While long-lasting and durable in the right conditions, they are also susceptible to warping from heat and moisture exposure in the wrong environment. Gaps between the organic wood boards can also lead to problems with significant heat loss. If you’re determined to have this classic floor, it’s important to make sure there’s plenty of ventilation in your kitchen and that the floor is properly maintained by being sealed or stained regularly.
A more practical choice is engineered wood flooring. Made from fastened pieces of real wood and wood shavings joined together with a special adhesive, engineered wood is more resistant to moisture and temperature changes. However, as with all wood products, any leaks or water spillage should be removed immediately from the surface.
Laminate Flooring
A budget-friendly and often popular choice for kitchen floors is laminate. The technology of laminate flooring has improved dramatically over time and laminate is now capable of replicating more expensive floor tiles or real wood flooring. Laminate is a strong choice as it is resistant to stains and scratches, making it ideal for a busy kitchen that is prone to spills. For kitchens with particularly heavy use, you can also opt for laminate featuring extra water-resistant properties.
Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring (LVT)
Another cost-effective favourite for kitchen floors is luxury vinyl tile (LVT). Like laminate, it can realistically mimic natural materials such as wood or stone. LVT is incredibly durable in its resistance to water, stains and scratches, putting it above laminate and wood (it’s also an excellent choice for bathrooms!) LVT is known for its soft surface, meaning dropped items won’t break as easily as they would if they were dropped on a tiled floor, for example. However, LVT can be more easily damaged, dented and punctured by sharp objects, so be careful with sharp kitchen knives!
Tiles
There’s a wide variety of floor tiles available that can be used in a kitchen, with the most popular being porcelain, ceramic and natural stone. Porcelain tiles are a favoured choice for kitchen flooring as they need little maintenance (no sealing is required) and they are hard-wearing, alongside being highly stain-resistant. Ceramic tiles are cheaper than porcelain but they’re also incredibly durable, being able to resist water, heat and heavy impact.
Natural stone tiles like marble and granite have a unique and aesthetic and many people love the organic appeal. However, while natural stone tiles are heat and impact-resistant, they are also susceptible to water and liquid damage, harder to keep clean and require regular maintenance and sealing.
Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo is becoming an increasingly popular choice for kitchens. With a similar look and feel to wood, bamboo flooring is a sustainable and more durable alternative that is resistant to moisture and water damage. However, it’s important to note that bamboo can look different depending on its colour, grain and pattern.
Cork Flooring
Cork flooring is another environmentally friendly choice that’s gaining popularity within kitchen design. Cork is soft to walk on, which is helpful if you’re a keen cook who spends a lot of time standing at your countertops. This softness also means that crockery and delicate items won’t smash as easily if dropped. The uniqueness of cork is that it has antimicrobial and hypoallergenic properties, meaning it’s a natural repellent to bacteria and mould (even rodents). Whilst cork is water-resistant, it isn’t waterproof and this could cause problems if the flooring isn’t sealed properly.
When it comes to selecting the right flooring for your kitchen, material durability, maintenance and aesthetics are not the only things that you need to take into consideration. It’s important to also look at your budget and lifestyle so that you can weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each flooring material. Take time to consider all options carefully and choose wisely so that you elevate the design of your kitchen to create a warm and welcoming home.
