12 Kinds of Kitchen Flooring You Should Consider
It's a heavily trafficked room, so it needs a floor to match.
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Renovating a kitchen is hard (and typically very expensive) work, so, you'll want to make the best design decisions for your space before investing your time and money. When it comes to flooring, there are quite a few options to suit different tastes and budgets. One of the most important things to consider is durability, as kitchens are high-traffic rooms that need to handle a bit of wear and tear—and, of course, food stains. Below, peruse our primer on the best types of kitchen flooring before you renovate yours.
Concrete
If you’re going for an industrial style, concrete is a great option for kitchen floors. It’s low-maintenance and durable, but it can be difficult to install. You’ll have to work with an engineer to make sure your house can support the weight of a concrete floor.
Ceramic Tile
With perhaps the widest variety of styles of all the flooring materials, ceramic tiles can be customized to fit any space. They’re popular in kitchens for their durability, but like stone tiles, they’re hard underfoot. Grout lines are also a major concern, as they can get dirty easily.
Hardwood
Hardwood flooring is an ever-popular choice for kitchens, as it comes in a range of colors to suit your aesthetic. It feels a bit softer underfoot than tilework, and it can be refinished if it becomes slightly worn. The only downside is it can be expensive, depending on the type of wood.
Cork
You might be more familiar with corks as a stopper in your wine bottle or as a push-pin board, but the eco-friendly material can also be used as flooring. It’s particularly great for kitchens, as it provides a comfortable, cushion-like feel underfoot. Cork needs to be finished to as to protect it from spills, and like hardwood, it can be refinished if it needs to be spruced up.
Bamboo
As with cork, bamboo is a renewable resource, so it can be used as an eco-friendly flooring choice. Though it’s actually a grass, bamboo functions like hardwood in terms of flooring. While it is susceptible to scratches, it can be refinished.
Like laminate, vinyl is a reasonably priced synthetic flooring material that’s water-resistant and durable. It not only comes in numerous styles, but it also takes two forms: sheet vinyl, which is rolled onto floors in large sheets, and vinyl tile, which can imitate ceramic.
Stone is one of the most elegant materials for kitchen floors, and it often comes with a price to match. But there’s a vast range of stones that come at different price points, from slate to limestone to marble. As a naturally durable material, it’s a great fit for kitchens, though it is a bit harder underfoot than synthetic materials and hardwood.
Terra Cotta Tile
Though terra cotta is technically a ceramic material, the earthenware is made from a reddish clay that gives it its signature hue, making it stand out from its cousins. Color variations can range from beige to charcoal. When considering terra cotta tile for your kitchen, be sure to pick a high-density material, as low-density ones are porous and susceptible to staining and water damage.
Linoleum
Though the idea of linoleum might conjure visions of your grandma’s retro kitchen, the flooring material has been picking up in popularity. Unlike its brethren vinyl, linoleum is actually made from natural materials and is quite eco-friendly. It provides a springiness that makes standing on it quite comfortable, but it can get dented and discolored over time.
Laminate is an affordable alternative to hardwood: it’s a synthetic flooring made of layers of resin and fiberboard that comes in a variety of styles, often mimicking wood or ceramic. While the material does have a more superficial feel than hardwood, it’s highly durable and is easy to install on your own.
Pros
Cons
Terrazzo flooring is a timeless composite material that's either poured in place or precast, which can be used for both floors and walls. It's typically made of fragments of quartz, granite, glass, and marble, combined with cement or polymeric.
If you're into a bit more pizzazz when it comes to design, look no further than mosaic flooring. This creation originated in Ancient Rome and typically includes colored stone, glass, or ceramic tiles, all of which are put together by plaster.
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