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Best wooden flooring 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. 

Wood kitchen flooring: Is wood flooring suitable for kitchens? The experts explain

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(Image credit: Christopher Horwood)

Many homeowners are unsure whether wood kitchen flooring is an appropriate choice for their space.

Wood is an ultra-desirable flooring choice because it has natural beauty, appealing warmth, durability and a look that won’t be overtaken by the tides of interiors fashion. But is it suitable for kitchens?

Both heat and moisture in the environment affect wood, causing warping, swelling and shrinkage and, because of the activities that take place in a kitchen, wood kitchen flooring is far more exposed to changes in temperature and humidity than if it was in a living space or a bedroom. 

Many different kitchen ideas feature wood flooring, and today it looks the part in both contemporary rooms, farmhouse kitchens and a whole host of designs in between, showing that our passion for the material is undimmed. 

So should wood be seen as a good kitchen flooring option? We’ve asked the experts to provide the inside track on solid and engineered timber, as well as reclaimed wood, so you can find out if wood kitchen flooring is suitable for your space.

(Image credit: Ward & Co)

Is wood kitchen flooring a good option?

‘The average kitchen is a hive of activity and a hub for families to congregate in during the course of the day, so it is essential the choice of flooring is able to withstand this,’ says Rosie Ward, creative director of London-based interior designers Ward & Co .  

‘Wood is not only a lovely natural resource that looks fantastic, but it also has great durability and therefore suits most kitchens well. In terms of style, I often like to keep the same flooring from one room to another; it provides great continuity and flow across spaces as well as helping to achieve a level of calmness.’

Bear in mind, though, that both the composition of your household and the kitchen’s location in the home should inform your decision, as a wood kitchen flooring won’t be right for every situation.

‘Many of my clients love the touch of warmth that wood floors lend their kitchens,’ says Benjamin Johnston of Benjamin Johnston Design ‘But regardless of whether they are engineered or real wood, they can take a beating in this high-traffic space. 

'Kitchen floors are faced with spills of all kinds and the occasional drop of a dish or utensil while cooking. If you prefer a pristine or highly polished look, I suggest steering away from wood floors in your kitchen. ' – so you may want to consider stone or different kitchen floor tile ideas instead.

‘On the other hand, if you prefer a home that celebrates a relaxed, casual environment, any dings and dents wood kitchen flooring might take on over time can play up the charm of a well-loved and oft-used kitchen. 

'If you decide to go with wood kitchen flooring, consider a matte finish (in both real and engineered options) as it tends to be more forgiving, or go with reclaimed wood flooring that already has an inherent character from its previous life.’

The kitchen’s position should count when selecting the flooring too, because if it’s the space accessed directly from the garden, a pool deck or the garage, damp and dirt could get regularly tracked onto it, causing harm to the surface.

Although wood can be refinished if it’s damaged, these scenarios should give you pause before investing in a wood kitchen flooring, as other choices might need less care to stay looking their best.

Is wood flooring suitable for kitchens?

Yes, wood flooring is suitable for kitchens – but some wood types and constructions more than others. We've gathered the experts' advice on all types of wood kitchen flooring, and the answers to your wood flooring questions.

Solid wood kitchen flooring

(Image credit: Junckers)

If nothing but a solid wood floor appeals, is this a sound pick for a kitchen? 

‘Wooden floors are a popular choice for kitchens as they feel warm under foot and lend an element of natural beauty to any style of kitchen, contemporary or traditional,’ says David Papworth, general manager of Junckers . 

‘Shiny surfaces and hard materials often found in kitchens are instantly softened with a wood kitchen flooring; it gives the room a balance and makes it look more homely.

‘Hardwood timbers are perfect for busy living areas as they are durable and easy to maintain. There’s also the option to install underfloor heating, although not all solid wood floors are compatible: check with the manufacturer or installer.  ’

Care of wood kitchen flooring needn’t be onerous. ‘Solid hardwood floors are easy to clean and maintain,’ David explains. ‘Vacuum or use a clean, damp mop weekly and remove rubber heel scuff marks and other non-water dispersible marks with a little white spirit on a damp cloth. Remove any excess of water on the surface immediately.’

Engineered wood kitchen flooring

(Image credit: Ted Todd)

An engineered wood floor could be a suitable option for your kitchen. It is still a real wood floor, and can have an appearance that’s hard to tell apart from solid wood flooring. So how is it distinguished from solid wood kitchen flooring, and does it have any advantages over it?

‘The main difference is the way the planks of flooring are constructed,’ explains Robert Walsh, owner and founder of Ted Todd Fine Wood Floors . ‘Engineered wood floors are available as planks, parquet and panels and can be really transformative in any space. 

'Created by layering sections of solid wood bonded together with the grain of each piece running in a different direction to its adjacent layer, it enhances the plank’s strength and resilience.  

‘Layering wood in this way also reduces the wood’s natural tendency to expand and contract, meaning it is perfect to lay over underfloor heating and to use in areas like kitchens. 

'The quality of an engineered wood floor is largely determined by the depth of the top layer of wood (known as the wear layer). The thicker the wear layer, the better in terms of look, feel, sound and durability.’

Reclaimed wood kitchen flooring

(Image credit: Ted Todd)

Reclaimed wood is another timber flooring option, and can be sourced either as solid wood or in the form of an engineered floor. But is it suitable for kitchens?

‘There is nothing to say that reclaimed and antique flooring shouldn’t be used in a kitchen area, especially if they have an engineered construction,’ says Robert Walsh. ‘It’s always best to avoid large build-ups of water when using a wood floor, but thanks to our in-house finishes, our antique and reclaimed woods are able to battle back against everyday splashes and spills.  

‘Reclaimed pine, for example, is a wood that is naturally very clean and light, whilst having calming properties, making it ideal for use in the kitchen, whilst reclaimed teak resists rot, insects and decay, meaning it’s another lifetime choice for any room, including the kitchen.

‘Choosing reclaimed or antique wood kitchen flooring goes a lot further than buying character,’ he adds. ‘Reclaimed timber reduces environmental impact through re-use, helps to preserve forests by decreasing the need for new timber, and reduces any environmental footprints associated with producing a new wood floor. 

'Wood flooring that has been crafted from reclaimed and antique wood not only gives the wood a new lease of life, it also prevents the need for more trees to be cut down.’

Wood lookalikes for kitchen flooring

If you’ve ruled out a wood floor for your kitchen because it isn’t appropriate for your kitchen’s location, your household, or your budget, there are alternatives which can create a similar look.

Luxury vinyl kitchen flooring ideas can have an authentic wood appearance thanks to today’s technology and manufacturing, and some vinyl tiles even have a wood-like texture. It is easy to clean and maintain.

Laminate has long been popular as an alternative to wood at a lower budget; it won’t look identical, of course, but can create a similar warm impression and caring for it isn’t hard work.

Consider tile, too. Both ceramic tile and porcelain can replicate the appearance of wood and prove easier to care for in a busy household. 

What is the best wood floor for a kitchen?

The best wood floor for a kitchen will depend on your particular circumstances and lifestyle, but solid wood, engineered wood and reclaimed wood can all be possibilities. 

‘One of the perks of solid wood is that it can easily be sanded down and re-finished in a different tone if you decide to re-decorate,’ says Rosie Ward. ‘I would go for a hardwood such as oak, maple or cherry, as opposed to a softwood, for greater longevity – it is worth the investment. Engineered wood is a more cost-effective option. 

‘Reclaimed flooring is more expensive than solid wood, but is the most sustainable wood kitchen flooring option.’

When you’re selecting wood kitchen flooring, think too about aspects such as the color, thickness, size and style of boards, advises David Papworth. 

‘A wide board wooden floor really comes into its own in a large, open space where the plank width and length can be fully appreciated,’ he explains. ‘A more rustic and country-style look can be achieved by using a floor with lots of natural variations in the timber. 

'The grading of the timber flooring makes a big difference to the appearance of the finished room – a more natural or rustic grade can make a large area look interesting, whereas a more uniform floor can add a very polished look to modern kitchens. 

‘While oak is a perennial favourite, very pale floors make the most of natural light by reflecting it back into the room. Choosing a dark floor can create wow factor and a more dramatic look. Parquet floors, especially herringbone patterns, are becoming more and more popular and they are now available in many different timbers and finishes.’

What is the best flooring for a kitchen?

The best flooring for a kitchen is one that has the visual appearance and feel you prefer, and suits your household and lifestyle in terms of durability and maintenance. 

Balancing up these elements when choosing the best kitchen flooring for you is crucial for a successful room design and flooring that stands the test of time.

Wood kitchen flooring is the right choice for many and solid wood, engineered and reclaimed all have their individual merits. 

If you are concerned about kitchen flooring costs, though, a wood lookalike in vinyl, tile or laminate (see above) can provide a similar appearance on a budget, although the feel will be different.

If you want a flooring material from nature but wood isn’t right for your home, natural stone tile, properly sealed, is easy to look after and hard wearing.  

Sarah is a freelance journalist and editor. Previously executive editor of Ideal Home, she’s specialized in interiors, property and gardens for over 20 years, and covers interior design, house design, gardens, and cleaning and organizing a home for H&G. She’s written for websites, including Houzz, Channel 4’s flagship website, 4Homes, and Future’s T3; national newspapers, including The Guardian; and magazines including Future’s Country Homes & Interiors, Homebuilding & Renovating, Period Living, and Style at Home, as well as House Beautiful, Good Homes, Grand Designs, Homes & Antiques, LandLove and The English Home among others. It’s no big surprise that she likes to put what she writes about into practice, and is a serial house renovator. 

What is the best floor for the kitchen? Tips from PlazaReal in St. Petersburg

During the overhaul of an apartment, the question inevitably arises of what is better to make the floor in the kitchen, what materials are preferable, what can and should not be used for this purpose. We give an overview of the most popular flooring and demonstrate how they look in the interior.

Which floor for the kitchen to choose so that it is waterproof, durable, beautiful and serves for many years? Focusing on the above description, the pros and cons of each material, it will be easy to understand which coating will be the best finishing option in your case:

Ceramic tiles

Clay tiles have been used for flooring since ancient Roman times. Until today, it ranks first among all types of floor coverings. True, it is not so easy to figure out what is better to put on the floor in the kitchen, because manufacturers offer an incredibly large number of variations of durable and beautiful floor ceramics.

Ceramic tiles for the kitchen on the floor are easily combined with any design style. You can choose an option for both classic and loft or high-tech. Interesting color panels are laid out from it. It is easy to choose an option that imitates natural granite, marble, expensive wood.


When choosing ceramics, you need to remember that wall tiles for the kitchen are not suitable for the floor, they are used only for wall cladding. As a floor covering, tiles with a hardness of at least 4–5 and a wear resistance index of at least 4 points are used. Then it will serve as long as the life of the building itself is calculated.

The floor is tiled with a trendy geometric pattern.

When figuring out which tile to choose for the floor in the kitchen, you need to remember one important point. This is a place where you can spill anything on the floor: water, juice, vegetable oil (remember Bulgakov's Annushka!). The smooth surface thus turns into a skating rink. If you are concerned about "safety", it is better to pay attention to matte, non-slip tiles.

In fairness, we note or clinker. And one more thing: due to the special hardness, when a glass or crystal wine glass falls on the floor, there are no chances of survival (unlike laminate and linoleum).

Porcelain stoneware

This modern material appeared only about 30 years ago and firmly "settled" as a floor covering in public buildings and offices. Manufacturers produce various versions of porcelain stoneware, many of which are suitable for laying the floor in the kitchen in private houses and even high-rise apartments.

If, for example, the question is which floor to choose for a country cottage, porcelain stoneware tiles will be in place. It has a fantastic density: in ordinary ceramics, the degree of water absorption is about 10%, and in porcelain stoneware slabs it is less than 0.5%. She is not afraid of frost, has no limitations, a couple of disadvantages of a ceramic floor. It is quite cold, so usually a heating system is provided for it. In this case, you can not use tiles made of red clay: only white is suitable.

Laminate

Wood is not the best choice for covering the floor in the kitchen, as it reacts to moisture and temperature changes. For those who cannot refuse it, or the design suggests a wooden floor, a laminate will be a good alternative. The material is a two-layer plate covered with a moisture-resistant film and decorated with natural wood on the outside.

Positive qualities: the laminate is difficult to scratch, it retains its shape and original appearance well. Withstands temperatures up to 28⁰C, under such a coating you can safely equip a warm floor. The variety of imitations is huge: from dark oak to light birch, smooth boards and with a pattern of natural wood. Service life, depending on the class, 15–50 years.

When choosing what is best to lay on the floor in the kitchen, you need to take into account the shortcomings of the material. So, the laminate can not be filled with water when washing. If moisture seeps through the edges, the lamellas will begin to swell. Pay attention to special varieties for the kitchen: a special moisture-resistant wax impregnation is applied to such boards on all sides, including the ends.

Laminate flooring needs to be laid on a soft substrate, but even this does not save neighbors from noise if you do not like to walk around the house in soft slippers. Do not drop pans and knives on the floor - for all the strength of the material, chips and cracks cannot be avoided in this case.

Valuable quality of a laminate with locks: a damaged board can be easily exchanged for a new lamella, so you need to leave some margin when laying.

Linoleum

When discussing which floor is better to make in the kitchen, we will definitely remember the well-deserved and once very popular linoleum. You should not compare modern varieties of this material with those that were produced twenty years ago. It has a lot of advantages: economical, wear-resistant, has a wide range of colors, is not afraid of moisture.

If you decide that laying linoleum on the floor in the kitchen will be the best option, you need to keep in mind a few rules:

Today, linoleum is produced not only in rolls, but also cut into tiles. This expands the design possibilities, facilitates the installation of coatings and reduces the number of scraps. The appearance of linoleum is the most diverse. It successfully imitates natural stone, wood, and even metal. Stylish modern prints allow you to choose the flooring option for the kitchen in any style.

Cork floor

The original cork floor in the kitchen is not a cheap pleasure. However, it is a very durable and environmentally friendly material. Cork is obtained from the bark of a special type of oak that grows in the Mediterranean countries. It is warm, it is pleasant to walk on it barefoot, perfectly dampens sounds, does not absorb moisture, and is resistant to household chemicals. She is not liked by bugs and other rodents, she is not affected by mold. In addition, such floors have antistatic properties, which means that dust does not accumulate on them.

Cork is a rare and valuable material, so it is used economically. Two types of floor coverings are made from it. The first is chipboard panels covered with a thin bark veneer (0.5–1 mm). The second variety is more expensive: it is 100% natural material. The bark, crushed into crumbs, is pressed to obtain slabs, which are then decorated with veneer. Such a cork is called granular.

If you have finally found something to lay the floor in the kitchen and cork floor is your choice, please note that the plates must be varnished, or it will need to be applied after laying.

Remarkable quality of a stopper — elasticity. The cork floor is not only pleasant to walk on: it also has a beneficial effect on the musculoskeletal system, reducing the load on the spine.

Vinyl floor

A new interesting material for lovers of experiments - PVC vinyl tiles for the kitchen on the floor. This is a cross between tile, linoleum and laminate. It is quite flexible, easy to install, at the same time comparable in strength to stone, and its decorative possibilities are simply endless. In appearance, the floor can look like granite, marble, there are textures that accurately imitate wood or even leather.

Advantages of vinyl flooring for the kitchen:

Of the disadvantages of vinyl tiles, only its relatively high cost can be noted. But given the indisputable advantages, it fully justifies itself from all points of view. This is a great alternative to traditional ceramic tiles.

Screed

Under the self-leveling floor in the kitchen, two different operations are meant. More often they mean putting the base in order before laying laminate, carpet or linoleum. This is actually getting a thin, perfectly even screed using a dry water-soluble mixture. If it is brought to a liquid (spreading) state, it is often called self-levelling. Most "levelers" have a porridge-like consistency, which is distributed with a special tool.

The second option for self-leveling floors is the use of mixtures based on polyurethane or epoxy resins, on which, after pouring, you can not lay another coating. The composition can be transparent or colored, various decorative elements are added to it: figurines, shells, stones. As a result, they get a kind of 3D self-leveling floors, and the kitchen turns into a real work of design art.

Marble

Natural marble floor in the kitchen is beauty, elegance, style. But there will be a lot of trouble with him. Both during installation and in subsequent operation. The greatest advantage of marble tiles is that they instantly transform the look of the room, giving it a luxurious, regal look.

Marble has many natural shades, the unique pattern of the stone is not repeated. It is easily cut, polished, acquiring a soft satin sheen. From it you can make any decorative pattern, up to a stone mosaic. It is absolutely safe, environmentally friendly material. However, like any other, it has a number of disadvantages that make it difficult to use in the kitchen:

Marble is a porous material, so it is necessary to protect the plates from the penetration of household liquids. It is advisable to consult with experts on which flooring is best for the kitchen in order to prevent staining of the material. Marble tiles are thick and quite heavy. For it, you need to prepare a solid foundation, laying starts from the center of the room towards the walls.

In conclusion, we note which floor to make in the kitchen is up to you. The best solution is at the intersection of practicality, relevance in design and your financial capabilities.


Back to the list of tips

The best wood floor for the kitchen

Floors are the literal and metaphorical basis for interiors. They set the tone for a room, make furniture and décor items special, and can be a unique element in their own right that accentuates a space.

Photo source: Barlinek company, www.barlinek.com.pl

Such an important part of the interior as the floor should be fashionable, but also timeless, unique, but not overpowering kitchen design. The world returns to the roots and original materials - wool, leather, stone and, above all, wood.

Let's take advantage of this trend, because wood is more than just a fashion statement. The wood used in flooring creates a kind of microclimate because it is constantly "breathing", that is, absorbing moisture when there is a lot of it and releasing it when the air gets too dry. Wood is also an excellent acoustic and electrical insulator, it stores heat very well and is a great solution for allergy sufferers. However, all these health benefits of the tree are just the beginning of its benefits.

Photo source: Barlinek company, www.barlinek.com.pl

Wooden floor: parquet, planks, wooden panels

Wood is one of the oldest materials used in houses. It is beautiful, timeless and fits into any arrangement. When choosing a floor from this raw material in the kitchen, you must remember to choose the right type of wood, impregnation and proper care. We will advise you on the dilemmas an investor will face when looking for the perfect wood floor to meet the demanding conditions in the kitchen and how to care for it.

Photo source: Barlinek, www.barlinek.com.pl

If wood, what kind?

Wood has always been present in the kitchen, and even at a time when it was somewhat supplanted by less demanding materials - tiles and flexible carpets - it was still tied to wooden structures. That's right - the kitchen is a room where the wood is subject to staining, mechanical damage, flooding. For this reason, the choice of wood flooring for this part of the house must be considered. If we care about a hard board, we'd better choose moisture-resistant breeds. These include oak, beech, maple, sycamore and more exotic ipe (lapacho), badi, jatoba, campas, merbau, doussi, sucupira. It is also important that it is first grade wood with a uniform color, no knots and a uniform grain.

Photo source: Barlinek company, www.barlinek.com.pl

Floorboards

The boards are not only beautiful, but also extremely durable and resistant to damage. They work great with floor heating - they can be installed in a floating system and glued to the ground. Their transverse construction means they are not exposed to the weather and we can be sure of their quality for many years. Modern design focuses on authenticity and naturalness.

Photo source: Loft Kolasiński Jacek Kolasiński

Multilayer boards

This is another way to create a beautiful wooden floor. Such a board is usually made of 3 layers of natural wood, and the design protects them from warping under adverse conditions. This is the best way for wood flooring in areas subject to frequent contact with water, dirt and temperature fluctuations. Their big advantage is the fact that such boards are varnished at the factory. To do this, it is designed like ordinary floor panels, that is, a tongue and groove, which greatly speeds up the work and allows for quick disassembly, and even in the case of installation without glue, reuse.

Important!

Floorboards have a layered structure that is designed to reinforce their structure. Most often there are 3 layers - the bottom and middle are made of cheaper wood and the face is made of fine wood.

Photo source: Bogaczewicz Architecture Studio

Laminate floor panels

The cheapest way to create a wood effect on the kitchen floor is with floor panels. The wood-look laminated surface (this is a wood-based product) and the board base enhance their durability while retaining the natural wood look. Laminated panels are protected from moisture - this is expressed in the abrasion class.

Important!

The floor panels are also laminated. They consist of HDF or OSB boards, on which a wear-resistant layer imitating wood is applied.

Photo: Katarzyna Kraszewska. Company: Architektura Wnętrz

Should I use boards in the kitchen?

Not all wood floor manufacturers recommend them for kitchen use.

Learn more