Understanding Flooring Options for Kitchen Designs

Flooring features throughout your home, but in a kitchen design choosing the right flooring can be especially challenging.  Why is this? Kitchens are busy places that are prone to moisture, splashes, and dropping heavy items. They are also high-traffic spaces with daily foot traffic and pets moving throughout the room. Kitchens are also part of your home’s design aesthetic, especially if your kitchen is part of an open plan layout, where your kitchen is integrated into adjacent dining and living areas.

When choosing flooring for a kitchen, you must select a material that carefully balances style and functional considerations. Factor in the appearance of your chosen material and how it will feel underfoot, especially in a kitchen where you tend to spend a lot of time on your feet. Consider who uses your kitchen and how willing you are to follow a careful cleaning and maintenance routine. Balance this against your remodeling budget to find the perfect material for your kitchen design.

There are many materials available that let you create the look and feel you want for your kitchen design and that will last for years to come. Let’s explore the key flooring options available for today’s kitchen designs.

Role of Flooring in Kitchen Functionality and Style

Flooring is the foundation of any kitchen design that sets the tone for your space and establishes your room’s functionality. Durability is essential in a room like this that is used daily and must withstand mess and moisture. High-performance materials offer resilience, durability, and a sophisticated style.

Flooring influences your kitchen’s style with the material, texture, color, and finish you select. Floors cover a large surface area and can transform your space’s style with a sleek, modern edge or warm, rustic charm. For example, materials such as large format, neutral tiles create a more minimalist style while hardwood that shows off natural wood grains give your kitchen a more traditional look.

The material you select for your flooring must work together with cabinets, countertops, backsplash, and accessories. Find a material that works with your space and helps to pull your design together into a cohesive style. For example, a patterned tile, deep hardwood tone, or darker finish LVP flooring can beautifully contrast sleek, light toned cabinets.

Choose luxury materials like hardwood, porcelain tile, or luxury vinyl plank/tile that will enhance your space. Each has its own pros and cons, and it helps to understand the relative benefits of each when selecting the perfect material for your kitchen. Let’s explore some of the top choices for kitchen flooring.

Hardwood Flooring

This beautiful, natural material brings a timeless quality and warmth to any kitchen design. It is a popular luxury material for kitchen remodels that enhances any style of kitchen depending on the wood type and finish you choose. The distinctive textures, a wide range of plank sizes, and finishes make hardwood a versatile material. It is particularly versatile given the fact that it can be refinished multiple times to update the look or restore its original look and feel.

Choose a durable and resilient wood type for a kitchen design, such as oak, maple, or hickory. Each of these wood types is known for being hard-wearing so they can withstand heavy foot traffic. They each have a unique look and differ in how they appear once stain is applied so be sure to browse options in person so you can better understand the look and feel of your preferred choice.

Natural hardwood is sensitive to moisture and prone to warping when not carefully maintained. If you choose to include wood floors in your kitchen, make sure you are ready to manage humidity levels and to clean up spills straight away. You can also include mats and runners in key locations, like by the sink, to help protect your floors. Dirt and debris left on hardwood floors can scratch the surface, so make sure you sweep or vacuum regularly. Use gentle cleaning products designed for wood to preserve your floor’s finish. While they require a careful cleaning and maintenance routine, hardwood floors are an investment that can last decades, particularly when you refinish them over time.

Tile Flooring

Tile is a top choice for kitchen flooring as it offers highly durable materials and versatile style options. You can choose from a range of tile materials including ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone, each with its own unique characteristics.

• Porcelain tiles are particularly well-known for being durable and moisture-resistant, making them ideal for a high-traffic room like a kitchen.

• Ceramic tiles are also hard-wearing, but porcelain is a denser and harder option, which makes it more durable.

• Natural stone tiles like slate and marble bring a unique, natural beauty to a kitchen design and are generally not slippery due to their natural textures. However, they are typically not as durable as their manmade counterparts, as they can be prone to scratching, chipping, and etching when they come into contact with acidic substances.

Most tile surfaces, especially ceramic and porcelain, are easy to clean and maintain. They need regular sweeping and occasional mopping, and most materials are stain-, heat-, and moisture-resistant and can withstand heavy foot traffic. Since tiles come in an almost endless array of sizes, shapes, colors, patterns, and textures, you can easily personalize your design with your tile selection.

The downside of tile, particularly when compared to hardwood flooring, is that tile can feel cold and hard underfoot. This could be especially difficult in a kitchen design, where you spend a lot of time on your feet. One option is to add underfloor heating to enhance your experience and add warmth to your kitchen. A kitchen remodel that includes replacing flooring is an ideal time to make this upgrade.

Luxury Vinyl Plank/Tile (LVP/T)

Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) and Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) have transformed the way vinyl is used in flooring. Vinyl flooring has evolved from the simple, low-quality vinyl sheet products once used as a budget-friendly flooring choice, to the new vinyl materials that closely resemble natural materials. These modern options for vinyl flooring are a luxury option that has transformed kitchen flooring, giving you a high-end aesthetic in a durable, moisture-proof, low-maintenance surface.

Luxury vinyl is thicker and more durable than standard vinyl flooring. It also uses the latest technology to print realistic imaging that allows it to closely imitate natural products like wood planks and stone, as well as a range of tile surfaces in different colors and patterns. Luxury vinyl is comprised of several core layers topped by a print layer, which is your design. On top of this is the wear layer, which is what makes LVP/T so durable, waterproof, and easy to clean and maintain.

The waterproof quality of LVP/T is one of the biggest selling points for using this material in a kitchen design. Worrying about spills and splatters is a thing of the past with this surface underfoot. Luxury vinyl also requires only a simple cleaning routine, including sweeping and mopping. Since it is softer underfoot than tile, LVT is also a more comfortable choice for a busy kitchen design where you are on your feet for an extended period of cooking and cleaning up.

While LVP/T is hard-wearing, it can show signs of wear and tear in high-traffic spaces over time. Unlike natural hardwood, LVP cannot be refinished to extend its lifespan. However, the tradeoff is worth it for a moisture-proof, easy-to-clean surface that almost matches natural wood in its appearance.

Laminate

Laminate flooring is an affordable choice that is ideal for a more budget-friendly kitchen remodel. It is also one of the easiest surfaces to install, which helps to keep the cost down. Laminate offers versatility in the range of styles available since it also uses a print layer that lets you mimic hardwood, stone, or tile in almost any color or pattern. This means you can choose laminate flooring to complement any style of kitchen design, from rustic to modern.

There are limitations associated with laminate flooring that you must consider when selecting this flooring material for a kitchen remodel. Laminate flooring has limited water resistance, as extended exposure to water can lead to warping or bubbling. This means it is not suitable for high-moisture areas, areas prone to spills, or rooms with high humidity. It is also not as hard-wearing as luxury vinyl and requires a more careful maintenance regime to keep it looking good.

Choosing a Floor Material That Fits Your Needs

There are many factors to consider when choosing flooring for a kitchen remodel. Your final selection must balance style needs with functional requirements, along with your remodeling budget allocation for flooring. Consider the look and feel of your kitchen’s design aesthetic and choose a flooring material that works together with cabinetry, countertops, backsplash, and more to create a cohesive design.

Assess your household, who uses the kitchen, and how often, including kids, visitors, and pets. Balance your style considerations against a flooring material that will stand up to your home’s daily wear and tear. Finally, look at the daily and long-term maintenance requirements of your flooring choice and make sure you are happy to keep up with any cleaning and maintenance routine.

Thankfully there are many choices available for kitchen flooring, so you are sure to find one that checks all the boxes! If you are ready to embark on a kitchen remodel, contact our team to get started. Our experts can help you create your ideal design and find all the products you need to complete your kitchen upgrade.