Kitchen Floors?

Parent Cafe
21

Granted I’m in a rental home right now but we’re buying in the next 6 months. I have seen so much honey gold (ie- ORANGE!!!) hardwood floors and cabinets, I could just cry! I mean, of course the wood is gorgeous but that orange is just a no. I already have names saved to my phone for re-finishing wood floors.

I’ve also had tile (Kit, Ba, laundry/mud) and I actually really liked it. Yes it chipped when little S dropped a glass bottle but I found it very easy to maintain. I also liked the contrast b/w the laminate (very dark wood-like) in the rest of the downstairs.

However, I will never get laminate in my own home. Yes it looks beautiful and is easy to maintain, for awhile. I remember moving a rug and the padding underneath was just sticky enough to actually remove some of the coloring from the laminate. It can also easily warp as well. Very thankful we sold that house as that flooring was going to need replacing very soon.

22

It’s not pretty. Not pretty at all. In fact I think it’s flat out ugly. But I’m grudgingly starting to really love the cork we put in. It’s comfy on the feet, dropped things don’t tend to break, it doesn’t show every little bit of dirt and it’s been unexpectedly durable.

23

I have pergo vinyl tiles which look like ceramic in my kitchen. I really like the look, but unfortunately it has gotten a lot of small “cuts” and dings over the past 8 or so years. Not sure what we will do next.

24

We remodeled the kitchen with porcelain floor tile. So far it is good. Supposed to be the most durable and easiest maintenance.

25

I have the ceramic tile in my house which shows very well. No problems with grout as we resigned ourselves to fact that it’s going to be dirty gray No toothbrush scrubbing the grout here! Big kitchen, lots of use, 20 years, big family, heavy wear. It works well transitioning from open family room and dining room which have wood floors. The look is A1 IMO, and all that have assessed it, including realtors.

Drawback is that it is very unforgiving both on anything breakable that is dropped and on joints. It can also be very slippery if it gets wet. There is also the distinct possibility of the tile chipping or cracking if anything heavy is dropped on it but we have extra tile should that happen. It has not.

I have a second home that is older and more down on its heels in appearance, something we will retain, as it’s an old family home. The kitchen is circa 1940s-50s and the black white checkerboard tiles had to go as they looked awful, were damaged and the black was bleeding onto the white. We wanted something quick, cheap and easy, just to make the place look decent. Also wanted something easy to clean, something that did not show dirt, as it is an entry way from back yard and gets heavy traffic. Also, the floor is not as level as it should be. We went the quick, cheap, easy route with a gray pebble look vinyl sheet that is unprofessionally laid down as the floor space is does not require any seams. The result is … OK.

The vinyl was quickly bought at Lowes, cheap (under $80), easy to install (just stuck on top of old, miserable flooring, just a little exacto knife cutting to fit, easy to clean (it’s all vinyl), doesnt show dirt as the pattern looks like pebbles or gravel in shades of gray., forgiving on the joints and droppage. It also has some traction, unlike the slippery slick ceramic tile. For the money, and a quick fix, it is fine.

We are now looking to put something more durable and permanent down. The vinyl has cuts in it and the edges that we so amateurishly just stuck under the molding and appliances are curling up. It looked good for the first years, and then the wear and tear became evident. It’s scruffy looking now, though nothing like that nasty black/white tile.

We want something that is more in character with a vintage kitchen, metal cabinets and period seating set. The black and white tile is classic for that time period but I believe it shows too much dirt and stains that the heavy traffic this room endures regularly. White is not going to cut it unless mixed in without distinct lines in a pattern. The adjoining butler’s pantry and dining room are a warm med/dark brown wood, that isn’t going to look right in this kitchen. I want a light colored floor as the kitchen gets very little natural light. What I have now works, but would have to be replaced every other year. I’m thinking maybe a more durable vinyl, but even that is not very durable. We are talking very heavy duty use here.

So I am looking… Still looking. Checking out ideas.

26

We had wood floors in kitchen of the house where my children grew up. It was a centuries-old house and the floors were gorgeous. They were also comfortable to stand on for a long time. In this house, the kitchen is in a modern addition and it has tile. The tile is hard, but it is heated, so the floor is never cold. It’s actually the best-heated room in the house. I’m thinking of getting those gel mats for the area near the stove and the sink.

27

We got luxury vinyl tile (LVT) through Costco about 5 years ago and I love it. It was priced about the same as tile but dishes are less apt to break. It’s easy to clean and important to me because I love to cook, easy on my legs. I don’t see it on-line now but our neighbors got the same brand we did a couple of years later and also love it.

28

We put in factory finished hickory floors in kitchen/dining room, living room and a hallway three years ago and it’s held up very well. Empty nesters without pets. The boards are 4 or 5” wide (I forget) and the hickory is very rustic so any dings we’ve gotten are not obvious. It’s a light color overall with dark knots. Hickory is a very hard wood, IIRC, harder than oak. Might be too rustic for some.

29

My oldest is having their kitchen redone. Not a super high end remodel, the contractor recommended LVT.

I had a contractor at my house and he said that most of the kitchens he is doing are going with LVT.

I had wood floors in my last house. We redid the finish twice in the kitchen in the 12 years we were there. I liked them, they scratched like crazy.

30

We have site-finished 5" hickory. It is one of the harder woods for floors which was important to me after seeing what my dogs did to oak floors in the past couple houses. There are some small dog scratches if you look very closely, but it still looks great. Haven’t had any dings from dropping things.

Hickory is not necessarily rustic. Our house is very elegant in style so I chose a select-grade rather than character-grade wood. It’s stained a darker brown and looks really good. Vacuuming and a quick mop with Bona is all it takes.

31

We have Australian Cyprus in our kitchen. Water has not been a problem. Held up well for 20 years but probably needs refinished.

32

I am pondering this as well. My downsize house has cigarette stained old sheet vinyl. Someplace under the layers is wood, probably maple given the neighborhood style. When I get around to a remodel, not sure what I want. My previous house had maple. I hand scraped off the glued down vinyl, folks came to refinish and discovered it was water stained black. So we had new maple installed, which held up fairly well over 25 years. I had it buffed and the coating reapplied once. But a few black water marks did appear, due to a leak in the steam pipe system that took time to diagnose. Over time I learned that old maple can stain black. It can be bleached out, but some of the character is missing after bleaching. Oak does not stain, but is more expensive, thus traditionally used less in kitchens. Wood seems to always look nice, even with dings and I found it far more forgiving in terms of dirt and cleaning than even the funky sheet vinyl.

The institution where I work has wood grain vinyl tile. There is a color warmth to it. However the fake wood ridges catch dirt, and it needs powerful washing to get it truly clean periodically.

About 20 years ago, we finally took the carpet out of the house I care for as a rental, and put in a higher grade vinyl. It may not be fashionable, but it still looks great, is easy on the feet over wood and does not chip or get ruined by water.

Bamboo is interesting, as it is pretty and forgiving to the feet and dropped dishes. Or perhaps if the floor reveal after layers of vinyl are gone shows more ruined maple, I will sand and paint it.

33

Wow, the replies have been remarkable, but I’m more confused now then when I posted. LOL

Heading to the Floor & Decor store this weekend to look at samples and pick the brains of the pros.

Will keep you posted.

34

Adding…my first kitchen had maple floors, and I loved the clearness of the wood. I have oak now…and I do like them, but I periodically wish I had paid the extra for that maple.

My next house will have all maple or bamboo floors in the living areas.

35

I have needed new floors for years and could not decide what to get. My kitchen has the original sheet vinyl which looks awful. Living and formal dining have carpet that has seen better days. The entry area has sort of a marble-look tile. I have decided to replace all four areas (entry, living, formal dining, and kitchen) with wood look ceramic tile. They are 8 x 24 planks. I used it in my guest bath and I love it. My brother is a tile setter. The tile, thinset, and grout are bought and in my garage (since July). Brother is much in demand and doesn’t have time for me!

I debated about getting tile, but I have a huge dog in the house. The washer/dryer area is also part of the kitchen so I was afraid of wood. I worried about tile being hard, but I am on a concrete slab, so the floor is already hard. And I live in Texas, so the “coldness” will be much appreciated 10 months out of the year. I will put a large area rug in the living room and probably try the gel mat at the kitchen sink. I live alone so I don’t have to cook so therefore don’t spend a lot of time standing around in the kitchen!

36

I have the old Pergo planks from 17 years ago. They have held up remarkably well—look like vinyl, but show very little wear. 2 dents, but I have to point them out for anyone to see them. 4 kids grew up in this kitchen so lots of use. Warped a little under the refrigerator during the ice maker flood, but moved the refrigerator forward and can’t see it!

I’m planning on putting a commercial grade luxury vinyl plank in my office next month: bathrooms, labs, staff lounge. Hoping it holds up and doesn’t scratch too much. The 20 year vinyl looks beaten up.

Not sure I’d ever put real wood in my kitchen. Our floor takes a lot of abuse and spills.

37

I’m stuck on wood. When I moved to FL, everything was tile/marble. Etc… hard on feet and to keep clean. Now I have 5” ripply maple all thru house. I wish I had extended it into bedrooms.

38

The “new” (well, 1997) aluminum oxide finishes seem to be indestructible (other than denting when a can edge falls, but that dents everything except carpet). Our aluminum oxide acacia kitchen floor shows no stains (and hardly any dents) after 10 years.

39

Redid our Tampa house when we moved in several years ago. Agree with tile being cold and hard. Did not choose wood for floors because neighbors had a water leak from a toilet inlet and it ruined theirs when we first moved in (did carpet in bedrooms, living and family rooms- nicer to sit/walk on- up north winter sensibilites as well, glad for thee carpet in FL winters).

How slippery would wood floors be? I made sure our tile had a good slip coefficient. Will never redo this house but there are some nicer options now for laminates I may have gone for. Water damage in a kitchen is likely in my book.

Oh- I like the golden woods- cabinets here, some contemporary furniture and old house cabinets. We did grays/whites a couple of decades ago for old house that was in style when we sold. This house has golden oak (did maple cabinets) beams and fireplace mantel et al that match our furniture and kitchen- maybe it will be in style again when we sell.

40

A plug for bamboo. We put bamboo floors in the kitchen of a house we bought in 2001. We lived there (with young kids) and when we moved in 2008 had to rent it (crash in the housing market). We have since had 3 tenants, all families with young kids. I was over the other day and the floor looks great.

Every other house we have had / lived in (we move a lot) has had wood floors in the kitchen, and I love it.