Best type of wood flooring for kitchen
7 Best Wood Flooring Options for Kitchens
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and likely one of the rooms you spend the most time in. As one of the most used areas in your house, finding the right hardwood floors that can withstand all that foot traffic while still maintaining their beauty is essential.
Regarded as one of the most desirable and upscale types of flooring, hardwood kitchen flooring can have a high impact on the design and feel of your home — and not to mention the added resale value they offer.
When you’re deciding on which hardwood floors are right for your kitchen, it can be overwhelming sorting through the wide variety of wood types, finishes and styles you have to choose from. To help narrow down your options, here are the top considerations to keep in mind when deciding on your hardwood floors.
Considerations for Choosing Hardwood Kitchen Floors
Before you think about styles, colors and finishes, first consider the two main types of hardwood — solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. The type of hardwood you choose will impact factors such as installation, cost and upkeep, so keep your lifestyle considerations in mind when comparing options.
Types of Hardwood Floors: Engineered vs. Solid Wood
Solid unfinished hardwood planks are one of the best options for hardwood kitchen floors because they can be sanded and refinished repeatedly over time. If you opt for unfinished planks, however, you’ll need to include the staining and finishing process into your installation plans.
Pre-finished solid hardwood planks are an attractive option if you want to reduce the amount of work required for installation. Widely available at most manufacturers, these planks come already sanded, sealed, stained and finished.
If you want the look of natural wood floors but need something more durable, engineered wood planks are a good choice. Engineered wood is more moisture-resistant compared to solid wood, and can withstand fluctuating humidity and frequent spills.
Thanks to its plywood core, it also offers more stability —which is ideal if you have an uneven subfloor.
Other Considerations
There are a variety of factors that go into choosing a hardwood floor — from the tree species to various stains, finishes and textures. Different wood species are better suited for different households, each with varying price points, and different stains and finishes will dramatically impact the overall appearance of your kitchen floors.
Species
There are over 20 different species of domestic hardwood flooring, each with their own unique qualities, strengths and weaknesses. Keep in mind that the wood species you choose will mainly impact the cost and durability of your floors, while stains, textures and finishes will mainly determine the style and appearance of your floors — although the wood species you choose will still impact all of these factors to a degree.
When choosing a hardwood species in terms of durability, think again about your lifestyle and how much stress your floors will undergo.
If you have kids or pets or you often host gatherings at your home, choose a hard species that can handle frequent traffic and activity — hickory, oak and maple are some of the most durable.
If your priority is the color and staining ability of the wood you choose, you might consider a softer species like pine, ash or birch, which tend to be lighter in color. A softer wood is better suited for homes with less activity, since they’re more prone to damage than a harder species.
Color
The color of wood you choose will influence the overall look and feel of your kitchen, so start by identifying a color range that speaks to your preferred interior style.
Lighter species like oak and maple can brighten up your space and make small rooms appear larger, and also work well with more modern interior styles. If you prefer a more classic look, dark-colored woods like cherry and walnut offer a style that leans more traditional.
Finish
Your flooring finish is important for preserving the beauty of your floors, and can also enhance the overall color and appearance of the floors you choose — the same wood species can look completely different depending on its finish.
Most finishes range between glossy, matte and satin.
Homeowners today have moved away from the once-popular high-gloss finish and are instead turning to more natural-looking matte finishes. For a clean and contemporary kitchen style, a matte finish is your best choice. If you prefer some shine on your floors, a satin finish is more subtle than high-gloss options while still adding dimension to your space.
Texture
Once you select a color and finish, you should think about the preferred texture of your hardwood floors. The texture you choose will also help enhance the overall look of your floors. There are four main types of texture: smooth, wire-brushed, hand-scraped and distressed.
A smooth wood texture is ideal for modern-contemporary interiors, and is one of the most widely used textures in homes. For something more subtle, wire-brushed textures add fine scratches in the wood to give floors a natural, lived-in look. To add more character to your floors, choose a hand-scraped or distressed texture for more prominent knots, scrapes and ridges.
Best Wood Flooring Options for Kitchens: 7 Ideas
The best wood flooring for the kitchen is unique to the needs of your home and the interior style you want to create. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to choosing the right floors, there are a few tried-and-true options that function well in the kitchen and suit a variety of styles.
Whitewash White Oak Wood Flooring
For a coastal-contemporary interior theme, go for white oak wooden floors with a whitewashed stain. The light-colored tones help reflect natural light across the room, which lends a bright and airy feel to your kitchen and highlights the wood grain in an organic, understated way.
Amber White Oak Wood Flooring
If you want the durability of white oak wood but your style leans more traditional, a warm-toned amber stain could be what you’re looking for. Often used to recreate the original flooring of historic homes, this classic hardwood floor style can complement colonial architecture and also makes a great backdrop for neutral home decor.
Brown-Toned White Oak Wood Flooring
For lovers of farmhouse-style interiors, white oak wood floors in a brown-toned stain can offer a beautifully aged appearance that adds warmth and authentic charm to your kitchen. For a more laid-back style, opt for a distressed texture with features like knotting. Aside from its classic beauty, the pronounced grain pattern of oak is great for hiding scratches and general wear and tear.
Dark Hickory Wood Flooring
Hickory is a go-to choice for wood flooring in the kitchen thanks to its superior hardness and shock resistance. This highly durable wood species is perfect for active families and busy households where high foot traffic is a given, especially in a busy area like the kitchen.
For a contemporary style with subtle elegance, choose a gingerbread stain that allows the wood’s natural variation to come through. This stain is perfect if you want your hardwood floors to have some character without looking too rustic.
Hand-Scraped Maple Wood Flooring
If durability is your priority, maple is a long-wearing wood species that works well in high-traffic areas such as the kitchen. While maple is generally lighter in color, it absorbs staining well and can be stained in darker colors if preferred. A hand-scraped texture adds dimension and character to your floors, and maple wood flooring is versatile enough to work with a variety of interior styles.
Distressed Pine Wood Flooring
If you want to create a lived-in, rustic look, distressed pine wood flooring is a popular choice. While it’s a softer wood species than something like oak, pine fibers compress over time and yield increased hardness and density. The inconsistency of the distressed texture is the perfect way to add charm and character to your kitchen floors.
Ash Driftwood Wood Flooring
Ash wood flooring is an excellent choice if durability is top of mind. This wood species is commonly used in the construction of baseball bats, which speaks to its superior resistance to impact and dents.
Aside from being highly functional, it’s also quite versatile when it comes to styles and finishes and works well with virtually any type of stain. Choosing a driftwood stain can give your kitchen a modern feel with a prominent grain that adds depth and character.
Does Hardwood Flooring Belong in the Kitchen?
While hardwood flooring in the kitchen was frowned upon in decades past, it’s made great strides over the years as flooring technology has advanced. Today, they’re an increasingly popular choice for kitchen floors not only for their natural beauty but also for their functionality.
While hardwood floors are known to be more high-maintenance than other flooring types, they’re still widely sought-after as a kitchen flooring of choice. With proper treatment and care, hardwood floors can last a lifetime — and they can be refinished or restained if you want to freshen them up after a while.
Consider Your Lifestyle
Since kitchens fall into a semi-moist category when it comes to moisture-prone areas, it’s certainly possible to make hardwood flooring work in the kitchen — it just depends on the nature of your home and lifestyle.
When deciding on which hardwood kitchen flooring is right for you, consider your home’s layout and your family’s everyday habits.
Do you have a busy household with pets and children where spills and messes are common? If so, consider your capacity for staying on top of frequent upkeep and maintenance, which will be necessary to keep the floors in good condition.
Hardwood flooring is a beautiful and long-lasting choice that looks great in the kitchen, and choosing the best wood floors is ultimately a matter of function and personal taste. For more in-depth resources on how to choose the right flooring that suits your unique needs, our flooring experts are available to answer any questions you have and offer personalized recommendations.
What is the Best Hardwood Floor for a Kitchen?
“Hardwood floors in your kitchen? Are you asking for trouble?”
Fifty years ago, most homeowners frowned upon hardwood as a flooring choice for a kitchen.
Linoleum was in vogue, and ordinary hardwood posed too many problems — from possible water damage to lack of resistance to dings and scratches. Even today, a lot of homeowners shun the idea of putting down hardwood floors in their kitchens.
But hardwood floors have changed a lot since then. They are an increasingly popular choice for a kitchen, and they’re often a smart choice — a hardwood floor can do amazing things for the design of a home, and it will even withstand quite a bit of use if properly cared for.
So if you come across a client who would like hardwood floors installed in their kitchen, here’s some information about the types, species, and types of finish that are recommended for the job.
Engineered vs. solid floors in a kitchen?
The engineered vs. solid debate takes place almost every time there’s a hardwood floor installation. And the answer usually depends upon the homeowner’s unique needs and geographical factors.
Ultimately — just as with any other area of the home — the choice of engineered or solid floors depends on the location of the kitchen in the house and the humidity fluctuations (or lack thereof) in the geographical area, as well as the substrate it is being installed over. Some very specialized substrates examples include concrete or gypsum concrete with radiant heat tubing.
Engineered wood can be installed in above-grade or below-grade environments and over radiant heat, whereas solid wood is mostly installed in above-grade environments.
If more stability is needed because of the geographical location of the house and the tendency of the humidity to fluctuate, engineered wood is probably your best bet to avoid cupping and gapping.
If the homeowners want engineered floors in their kitchen, you’ll usually want to install engineered unfinished hardwood floors instead of prefinished. The beveled edges of prefinished floors are difficult to clean, and a kitchen is one area of the house that needs almost constant cleaning and maintenance.
For more dimensional stability in solid floors, choose rift sawn over quarter sawn or plain sawn.
No matter what kind of flooring you’re looking for––engineered, solid, prefinished, unfinished––we have it in stock. Click here to check out our selection of hardwood floors.
Choosing a finish for the kitchen floor
The finish you choose for a hardwood floor in a kitchen is especially important due to the kitchen’s above-average exposure to daily wear and tear.
The finish has to be water-resistant because of the potential for the presence of water on the floor. It also has to be durable enough to hold up to the heavy foot traffic that a kitchen typically withstands.
If you’re putting down unfinished wood, a durable, catalyzed waterbased urethane finish is a great choice because of its ability to resist water damage compared to an oilbased finish. Moisture-cured urethane is also particularly moisture resistant and durable, making it a great choice for a kitchen floor.
Shop our full line of hardwood floor finishes.
For added durability, UV floor curing is an excellent system to use. The curing process makes the floor particularly resistant to foot traffic. Click here to read our guide to UV curing systems for hardwood floors.
Some inspiration for your kitchen flooring projects
In a kitchen, the species and its hardness rating is not as important as the finish you choose, but you definitely have to consider the design aspect of what you’re installing. Here are some ideas that you can present to your clients, taken from Houzz. Click here for our guide to marketing your contracting business on Houzz.
For a sleek, modern look, go with a dark wood like mahogany or stain the floors a dark color:
Traditional Kitchen by San Francisco Architects & Building Designers Gast Architects
For extra durability, go with an especially hard species like hickory, which happens to also have a distinguished look, as in this diagonal floor:
Contemporary Kitchen by Denver Kitchen & Bath Designers Exquisite Kitchen Design
For a rustic look, go with a classic like wide plank Eastern white pine or heart pine.
Its knottiness will lend a traditional, down-home feel to the kitchen:
Traditional Kitchen by Belmont Architects & Building Designers Hart Associates Architects, Inc.
For a hip, rustic look, go with handscraped or distressed wood flooring.
Transitional Kitchen by Scottsdale General Contractors Luster Custom Homes & Remodeling
For a simple, classic look, go with white oak coated with a natural, clear finish:
Midcentury Kitchen by San Jose General Contractors Flegel’s Construction Co., Inc.
For more ideas, search Houzz for “hardwood floors in a kitchen” and take a look through the results.
Floor care: Especially important in the kitchen
Just like in any other area of the home, hardwood floors can last a long time if they’re properly cared for. But the hardwood floors in a kitchen are extra susceptible to damage.
To protect yourself from callbacks, you’ve got to advise your clients appropriately.
Any spills or leaks should be taken care of as quickly as possible to prevent damage to the finish. Suggest that they put mats in any areas where the floor is exposed to water and spillage, such as the areas in front of the sink and the stove, and to wipe up any spills immediately after they happen.
If you’re working in a remodeled kitchen, you could suggest that the homeowners install drainage systems underneath the dishwasher and refrigerator to limit damage in case of any leaks.
Since hardwood floors are becoming an increasingly popular floor covering for a kitchen, don’t be surprised if you get a request for one of these projects. Take this inspiration and knowledge with you to the jobsite and you’ll be sure to have a successful and stunning installation!
Click here to browse our hardwood floor selection and find the materials you need for your project, or call (800) 787-1786 for more information.
tips for choosing and laying flooring
We are all used to seeing tiles, linoleum, porcelain stoneware or laminate on the kitchen floor. However, not everyone is satisfied with such materials - this is quite understandable, because each of them has its own disadvantages and advantages that can tip the scales of your choice in one direction or another. Let's look at the features of these coatings.
What to lay on the kitchen floor
- Everyone is pretty tired of linoleum on the kitchen floor, besides, it wears out pretty quickly. Hot splashes may damage this material; nine0010
- Porcelain stoneware flooring resists hot oil, boiling water and cigarette ash. This material washes well and is not afraid of moisture, perfectly 'friendly' with warm floors. However, porcelain stoneware is very "cold" and "hard", if you drop a plate on it, it will inevitably break. In addition, in an unpolished form, it looks unpresentable, and polished, especially wet, it is very slippery and, slipping on it, you can get seriously injured;
- The same can be said about the tiles laid in the kitchen, the floor of which is cold even in summer.
Unlike porcelain stoneware, the pattern on the tile can wear off over time, and the appearance of the coating becomes unaesthetic. In addition, tile can break when heavy objects fall on it; - Laminate is considered an excellent option for the kitchen. However, some do not like him because of his unnaturalness, besides, he is cold and "noisy". To avoid "noisiness", you need to lay a cork substrate under the laminate, and this entails additional expenses. nine0010
That is why people began to lay parquet boards in the kitchen. This material attracts with its warmth and "naturalness". In addition, some especially aesthetic tenants want the floors in the entire apartment to look like a single whole. Manufacturers have no choice but to meet the needs of customers and create parquet boards that are not afraid of moisture, steam and oil splashes.
Things to remember when laying parquet boards in the kitchen
- In the kitchen, parquet boards will last longer if you use wood types that are more neutral with respect to water.
These are oak, teak, merbau and larch. In addition, you need to purchase a high quality board to be sure of the quality of the wood; nine0010 - Do not install wood species that do not tolerate moisture well on the floor in the kitchen: ash, beech or maple. the color of the laminate, and so that it does not “noise”, lay a cork substrate under the laminate from below;
- For installation of a warm floor “under the parquet”, it is necessary that the screed be laid on the heating mats with a layer of 3 to 10 mm, then the heating will be more uniform and the parquet gloss will not deform; nine0010
- It will be necessary to attach soft material to the legs of kitchen furniture so that the parquet board does not lose its aesthetic appearance during operation;
- If you have underfloor heating installed, you need to approach the choice of parquet board very thoughtfully, and choose the one that can be laid on the “warm floor”. A two-layer hardwood flooring is best for this purpose, but some models of a three-layer board will also work for this case.
Such a variant of parquet exists, but it is much more expensive than the one that is usually laid in residential premises; nine0010 - When operating such a floor, it should be remembered that wood is a poor conductor of heat and correctly build the temperature regime.
Karelia parquet board is not afraid of moisture and temperature fluctuations
Finnish Karelia parquet board is designed in such a way that it perfectly tolerates temperature fluctuations, as it has a top quality wood layer. To prevent such floors from rotting, larch or northern pine is used as the material for the bottom layer, which perfectly resist the appearance of mold and do not deform. This company produces parquet models that can be laid on a warm floor, both with electric and water heating. nine0003
- The Profiloc interlock allows this flooring to be laid without gaps, which also prevents moisture from penetrating under the parquet, and the special technology used to cut the edges makes it possible to obtain an almost airtight flooring.
This makes parquet boards produced by this brand an excellent option for those who want to have just such floors in the kitchen. Thanks to Karelia products, kitchen and parquet have become compatible; - The edges of the Karelia parquet board elements are treated with a special wax composition, which makes the floor waterproof. This prevents the floor from swelling and cracks; nine0010
- For the manufacture of such parquet, a special varnish is used, the wear resistance of which is quite high. In addition, such lacquered parquet does not slip even when wet, which reduces the risk of household injuries in the kitchen, such a coating allows you not to be afraid that wet cleaning will ruin the floors. If Karelia parquet is laid in the kitchen, you can wash the floor several times a day - this will not harm it at all;
- The thickness of the top layer of Karelia parquet is such that in the event of surface damage it can be sanded two or three times; nine0010
- This well-known brand produces parquet boards that are not inferior in quality to natural solid wood parquet.
In production are used: oak, beech, wenge, merbau. The quality of the wood used is very high, it is constantly monitored, and the lumber is selected before being sent to the factory; - Karelia's wide range of similar materials gives you freedom of choice and creativity.
- With proper care, the package of this company will last you 20-25 years without losing its appearance;
- Karelia parquet board meets the required quality criteria and has ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates, and also meets the requirements of M1 classification and the Japanese F **** standard, which makes this product in demand in the world.
If you still decide to lay a parquet floor in the kitchen, then the products of the Finnish company Karelia will be an excellent choice.
Other materials of section Parquet board
Parquet board
Parquet board laying from the Company Park
Parquet board
Parquet board and warm floor
Parquet board
Parquet board: How to calculate the amount of material
PARKET BOOK
Errors that occur when laying parquet boards
| Which parquet underlay is best? Today, when laying parquet boards, several different types of substrates are used - membranes that separate the concrete or wooden base and the floor laid on it. They are made from different materials, each of which has its pros and cons. Below we will consider the distinctive features of a parquet board substrate, which will allow you to figure out which one is the best option for use in the renovated room. 
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The wood floor can look shiny or matte. By choosing one or another surface treatment, you can give the room an elegant and festive look, create a neutral base suitable for any interior, or create an eco-style design. Wherever you decide, the quality of Kahrs finishing materials guarantees that your floor will remain in its original state for many years to come. The best type of hardwood flooring is the one that suits your design. nine0003 
Gloss is the most brilliant, most reflective option. Moderate shine gives satin varnish. The effect of raw wood is well emphasized by the completely matte composition. When choosing, consider the pros and cons of using one or another type of lacquered parquet board in a particular interior. An eye-catching glossy floor will work well in a living room and can brighten up a kitchen. When renovating a nursery or bedroom, buyers usually prefer more relaxed finishing options. In rooms with a high throughput load and offices, it will be especially appropriate to cover the parquet board with a matte varnish. nine0003 
This type of finishing allows you to preserve the natural color of wood and emphasize its texture. Under oil, the parquet board with a pronounced pattern, with an artificially aged and brushed finish, looks especially good. nine0003 
You will find any Kahrs finishing products that you may need, including tinted varnishes and oils, at Leader-Parquet showrooms. In difficult situations, it is better to resort to the help of professionals to restore the coating of the parquet board. You can order the services of a master restorer, as well as see photos with examples of his work in the "Restoration and repair of parquet" section. Remember that with proper care, Kahrs parquet flooring installed in your premises will look like new for decades! nine0003 
