{"id":104231,"date":"2020-01-19T15:06:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-19T20:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/?p=104231"},"modified":"2020-01-17T15:20:08","modified_gmt":"2020-01-17T20:20:08","slug":"best-flooring-for-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/best-flooring-for-kitchen\/","title":{"rendered":"Best flooring choices for your kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether\nyou\u2019re planning a full or partial kitchen renovation, the good news is that\nthere are myriad options when choosing the best flooring for your kitchen<\/a>, and those choices are available\nat a variety of price points. We\u2019re no longer restricted to tile, linoleum or\nwood flooring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s\na rundown of some of today\u2019s best kitchen flooring options and some of the pros\nand cons of each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best environmentally friendly\nkitchen flooring options<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If\nyou\u2019re concerned about off-gassing or passionate about leaving the smallest\nenvironmental footprint as possible, you may want to stick with options that\ndon\u2019t include vinyl or heavily manufactured floorings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those\ncan include cork, bamboo, new or reclaimed wood, and stone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wooden kitchen floors<\/a> are a huge trend these days and\none that\u2019s likely to continue for the next decade or so. If your kitchen\ncabinets are painted, glass-fronted or melamine, wood can provide some much\nneeded visual warmth as well as design continuity between your kitchen and the\nrooms adjacent to it. Both hardwood and softwood floors are expensive. If you\ncan find a source of reclaimed wood or salvage flooring from your own\nrenovations, reclaimed wood might be your best option, especially for smaller\nkitchens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bamboo,\nwhile gorgeous, is not a great idea for kitchen flooring. While it\u2019s an\namazingly renewable resource and very durable, it\u2019s also highly reactive to\ntemperature and humidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cork\nflooring is a great choice for kitchens and is both environmentally friendly\nand durable. It does, however, need to be resealed every few years. Check out\nthe cork flooring options available and you\u2019ll discover you\u2019re not confined to\nnatural cork-colored flooring. Dyed cork is available in a whole range of color\noptions, from mint green through dark red to bright purple. And it\u2019s available\nin tile, sheet, and plank formats. Cork is also both warm and comfortable\nunderfoot. If you spend a lot of time (or long stretches at a time) cooking,\nit\u2019s a lot easier on your legs than almost any other kind of kitchen flooring.\nCork can be dented over time, so choosing a near-industrial grade of cork\nflooring is important for a high traffic area. Bright sunlight can also cause\ncork to fade, and light is important in a kitchen. If your kitchen has a\nsouthern exposure, this may not be the best flooring choice for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stone\nfloors are beautiful, luxurious, environmentally friendly and extremely\ndurable. You will be limited in your color choices if you choose stone kitchen\nflooring, and you\u2019ll also pay a premium for them. Artificial stone floors are\navailable in a wider color range. But the beauty of slate or stone floors is\nthe natural color variations and textures. The other unexpected premium you may\npay for stone floors is replacing dishes. If you drop it, you break it. There\nis also the beyond slippery-when-wet factor. You need to wipe spills up\nimmediately, not to protect your floors but to make sure you get from the\nfridge to stove without a mishap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last\nbut not least is linoleum. Made primarily from linseed oil derived from flax\nseeds, it can also include jute, cork powders, wood flours and tree resins.\nLinoleum could work very well if your kitchen has a retro theme, and is\navailable in many color options. Installing linoleum is a renovation that won\u2019t\nadd anything to your home\u2019s value, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best comfort options for kitchen\nflooring<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cork,\nsoftwood, and vinyl flooring are your best kitchen flooring choices if you\nspend a lot of time in your kitchen cooking and baking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vinyl\nflooring is cheap, durable, and highly water-resistant. Think of it as\nlinoleum\u2019s \u201csynthetic cousin.\u201d It also comes in almost-infinite options:\nsheets, planks, and tiles and in almost as many designs as you can imagine.\nThere is some very good vinyl \u201cwood\u201d flooring on the market these days. It\u2019s\nalso warmer and softer than either wood or ceramic tile floors, and a padded\nunderlayer can sometimes be added for even more cushioning. It is, however, one\nof the least environmentally friendly flooring options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best design options for kitchen\nflooring<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wood\nis \u201cin\u201d for kitchen flooring, whether it\u2019s real or engineered hardwood or vinyl\nplanking, and the first two options can add significant value to your home.\nWood flooring can provide nice design integration in a more open-plan home, but\nbe careful not to create wood overload if your kitchen cabinets are wood as\nwell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stone\nfloors are a time-honored, casually elegant option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Porcelain\nand ceramic tiles are extremely durable. The color and design combinations are\nendless, from mosaics to marble. Porcelain tiles are harder and less porous\nthan ceramic tiles. If your kitchen isn\u2019t absolutely level or your house is\nsettling, these tiles can crack easily and repeatedly in problem areas. They\u2019re\nnot indestructible either: a hammer falling off a counter can crack or chip one\nof these tiles.\n\nThere\u2019s no one best\nflooring choice for all kitchens. Try to eliminate some options based on price,\navailability, and difficulty of maintenance and installation.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"