When you’re going through a big kitchen makeover, you should carefully consider the type of flooring you’re going to install. If you’re renovating the entire kitchen, flooring should account for around 7% of the total expense. It should be done sooner in the process as well, while painting your kitchen walls may come first, flooring and cabinets should come in second before installing the countertops, backsplash, and all of the kitchen appliances.
Types of Kitchen Flooring Options
With gorgeous patterns and finishes available regardless of the material you pick, there’s no reason why your kitchen floor shouldn’t be a focal point of the room. Each kitchen flooring option has unique characteristics as well as maintenance requirements, and some are better suited to specific homes and lifestyles than others.
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is a product made up of several layers of various materials fused together to make a very durable, practical, and cost-effective floor covering. Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) and vinyl roll are the two most common forms of vinyl flooring. Although both LVT and vinyl roll are comprised of the same materials, they are structured differently to give different results. The plank format, for example, is great for imitating actual wood.
LVT is a type of vinyl flooring that is designed to imitate natural materials such as hardwood and ceramic tile and that’s why vinyl is one of the most popular sustainable flooring options made yet. Today, vinyl flooring can appear and feel virtually similar to the things they’re trying to mimic, thanks to technology breakthroughs and improved design capabilities.
LVT is available in a wide range of timeless and current designs, in tile or plank formats to mimic the look of tiles or hardwood planks. It is also available in stiff or flexible tiles and planks. Due to the opportunity to choose either rigid or flexible tiles and planks, vinyl kitchen tile flooring is a popular choice among consumers. The modular style of LVT makes it simple and quick to install, which is a significant benefit when upgrading a home or a room. Indeed, with LVT, there is no need to disrupt the daily routine for an extended period of time by blocking off one or more rooms. LVT renovations can be done while the furniture remains in the room.
Vinyl roll is a type of fibreglass-cushion-backed flooring that comes in huge, continuous, flexible sheets and is available in an almost infinite array of styles, ranging from classic and realistic to more fun patterns. Vinyl rolls are also among the most cost-effective flooring options, and they’re phthalate-free and have minimal VOC emissions, both of which contribute to healthier interior settings.
Because vinyl flooring is mostly made of PVC, it’s considered to be completely waterproof. However, the quality of installation might have an impact on their water resistance. LVT, for example, is available in planks or tiles that sit side by side, resulting in many seams. While the planks and tiles themselves are waterproof, if they are installed poorly, water and moisture can enter through the seams. Vinyl roll, on the other hand, is sold in sheets and has few, if any, seams when installed. Vinyl tile is much easier to install, but the presence of many gaps between each one allows for water to seep down through the crevices to the subfloor.
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood, being one of the most classic materials used for centuries, is still a popular choice for kitchen flooring today. Reclaimed, repurposed, and ecologically friendly hardwood has recently gained popularity among customers. Although not waterproof, you can find water-resistant solid hardwoods with the proper treatment. Spills should be cleaned up as soon as possible to minimize any further damage.
Hardwood floors can be refinished to update their appearance, which is especially useful if you’re planning a smaller kitchen makeover and don’t want to replace the entire floor to fit the new style. Hardwood flooring, like tile flooring, is available in a variety of patterns to give visual appeal to any home decor you’re trying to achieve.
Tile Flooring
Tile is a popular choice for spaces that are frequently exposed to water, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Ceramic, porcelain, and stone tile are all popular options for kitchen flooring. Tile is available in a wide range of sizes and colours, and it may be put up in a number of designs to suit almost any design motif. Tile is a quite durable flooring material, but in some cases, the grout must be resealed to remain stain-resistant.
Ceramic and porcelain tiles are similar in appearance, however ceramic tiles are more durable than porcelain. Both are very resistant to harm, yet if a dish slips out from your hands it will certainly break because of the floor’s hardness, and due to their weight, they are not advised for second-story floors. Porcelain, for example, is impermeable and simple to clean, but tile may be slippery and grout can stain, so any accidents should be cleaned up all at once.
Apart from ceramic and porcelain, stone kitchen tile flooring is more costly and requires more maintenance than its counterparts. It’s as robust as other flooring options and its porous surface makes it more likely to be non-slip. Travertine, marble, slate, and granite are examples of stone tile used in flooring. Natural stone, like other tiles, is a surface that isn’t forgiving if an item is dropped, doesn’t yield underfoot, and feels chilly without underfloor heating, which may be an uncomfortable experience in colder parts of the country.
Concrete Flooring
Concrete flooring may appear too harsh for a cozy environment, yet for a contemporary kitchen, it’s definitely worth considering. Stained concrete can be designed to seem like wood, stone, or even tile, and it can be finished to be nearly fully waterproof, though mats are still suggested near areas of high wetness, such as in front of the sink or dishwasher. It is a highly sturdy solution for kitchens, and of the most significant advantages of concrete is its low cost. Concrete flooring is a considerably less expensive flooring alternative, and because it can be created to appear like anything else, it does not have to seem cheap.