What is the best flooring to use in a kitchen

Best Flooring for Kitchens in 2021 – The Good Guys

Your kitchen is a rallying point for activities. So it should come as no surprise that when choosing flooring for the kitchen, you'll want something durable. Waterproof options are also a good idea to prevent floor failures from splashes and spills. These are the Top Flooring Options, built to last in your kitchen this year.

Picture this: It’s the holiday season. You’re having a bunch of friends and family over to celebrate and spread some merriment. The place is packed. There’s food, drinks, and everyone is having a grand ole time.

Now picture this: Where is everyone standing and hanging out together?

If you’ve ever had your own place or been to a gathering, you probably pictured that good time happening in the kitchen. Let’s be honest – the kitchen is the central hub of the home and the place where everyone tends to congregate. It’s a high-traffic area, that is frequently exposed to spills, dirt, and moisture. Kitchens need to have durable, water-friendly flooring, but what is the best flooring for kitchens?

Everyone circle around the island, pull up a stool and grab a seasonal beverage, as we review the options for kitchen flooring. We’ll focus on what’s hot for 2021 in kitchen flooring, different types of flooring, which kitchen flooring is best, cheap flooring options and more. But first . . .

Special Considerations Underfoot

Unlike other rooms in the home, the kitchen gets used daily – either for food storage and preparation, group or family dining, or just as a rallying point for activities. Kitchens take a beating unlike any other room – save maybe the bathroom. It’s no coincidence that both are regularly exposed to moisture. From washing dishes, sinks, cooking, ice makers/refrigerators, to regular foot traffic, moisture is a real consideration that affects every surface in the kitchen, especially the floor. When choosing flooring for the kitchen, waterproof is key.

Due to the number of kid, adult, and pet feet meandering through the kitchen each day, a durable floor is also critical. Many kitchens double as a “mudroom” with an exterior entrance and all the fun, dirt, debris, and moisture one could track from the outside to beat up your floor.

Additionally, like in a bathroom, all that moisture on a hard surface can be an accident waiting to happen. Many waterproof flooring options get extremely slippery when moisture is applied to them. Non-slip options should be a consideration for any flooring installed in a kitchen.

Remember, working with a flooring and remodeling professional, like your partners at The Good Guys, can help you identify considerations like these and put you on the path toward making the right flooring choice for your project.

Recommended Flooring for Kitchens

Factoring in those aforementioned special considerations, and others such as price (who doesn’t love cheap flooring?!), let’s take a look at some of the types of flooring that work best in kitchens.

Hardwood

Used for centuries in homes, hardwood floors continue to be a luxurious and popular choice for many homeowners. Solid hardwood floors are durable, warm, stylish and water-resistant. Yes. You read that right. Hardwood floors are not waterproof. Solid hardwoods, when combined with the proper finish are water-resistant, but long-term exposure to moisture will damage them. Spills should be cleaned as soon as possible; however, they can take more exposure than a laminate or engineered hardwood floor with composite or non-water-resistant cores can handle.

Despite this “weakness,” hardwoods are a great kitchen floor. They can also add a variety of looks over the years of their life through refinishing either to match flooring throughout the home or to give the kitchen some standalone pizazz. Depending on the finish, hardwood floors can be slippery, however, design variables such as hand-scraped or distressed finishes or plank width/length can provide extra surface area for traction.

Trends to watch for with hardwoods in 2021: lighter finishes and variety. While the deep walnut and cherry finishes are somewhat traditional and timeless, hardwood flooring for 2021 will feature lighter, more “natural” wood colors. Look for terms like “blonde” and “honey” to be big players, along with grays and whitewashes. Color variety is another continuing trend for 2021 – dark wood mixed with light and medium-tone woods provide an eye-catching floor.

Much like lay patterns for tile, hardwood flooring can be laid in patterns for added interest. Your flooring pros at The Good Guys can also help you with pattern installation that is going to be on-trend for 2021 but timeless for the future. Herringbone, diagonal and other install patterns will continue to be popular choices, but wide plank and mixing plank widths are also coming back strong.

Look for reclaimed, recycled, and environmentally sustainable choices to be popular varieties for hardwood flooring.

Laminate

Generally speaking, like hardwood floors, laminate floors are a warm, water-resistant choice for the kitchen. As they are not waterproof, homeowners should remember to factor this in when selecting laminate. Laminates have long been a less-expensive way to get the look of traditional hardwood.

HOWEVER – many flooring manufacturers are now offering “waterproof laminate” which features a rigid core made of waterproof material that adds strength and stability. These do away with the perceived weakness to moisture.

These new laminates still have the advantages of traditional laminates – including the flexibility of installation. Most laminate floors can be clicked together and either permanently installed (glued down) or floated, allowing for installation over uneven subfloors.

Much the same as hardwood, lighter finishes will be the trend for 2021. Gray washes, light woods, and mixed colors will lead the style parade. Also look for longer plank lengths, even up to 36” and 48”, combined with wider planks (as wide as 8”!) to be a trend for all wood and wood-look laminates.

Mimicking solid hardwood flooring’s distinctive colors and patterns remains a primary selling feature of laminate floors. Hand-scraped, distressed, rustic, and “reclaimed” looks will all continue to be popular for 2021, as homeowners continue to want unique, realistic looks for their floors. Pattern installs like chevron or herringbone remain popular and assist with achieving those looks.

Tile

A classic and durable look, tile flooring has long been the go-to option for wet areas. If installed, grouted and sealed properly, tile can last a lifetime and sometimes longer. Tile is, anecdotally-speaking, the number one most popular option for kitchen flooring. A wide variety of kitchen floor tiles are available, so it’s helpful to understand the differences and narrow it down to a few options you prefer.

Remember – your advisor at The Good Guys can help select the best kitchen floor tile option for your project and you should take them up on this offer!

Here’s a look at the most popular varieties of tile for kitchen floors.

Ceramic or Porcelain

One of the most durable, and most popular tile for kitchen floors or walls. Ceramic tiles are man-made from natural materials – in this case, clay – and baked to a finish. They are available in a wide variety of styles, shapes, colors, and patterns.

Ceramic tiles can handle spills, splatters, and messes dished out in most kitchens. While they won’t damage the tile, these messes can stain grout, so where possible they should be cleaned up as soon as possible.

Among the most popular style of ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles are 100% waterproof and can handle just about any stain. They are harder than standard ceramics due to a higher temperature baking process which strengthens the tile for durability. That durability can make them slippery in some finishes, so be on the lookout for slip-resistant tiles or tiles with non-slip features like patterns or texture. These are found commonly on ceramic and porcelain tiles meant to look like wood or natural stone, which can be difficult to install, so give your professional partners at The Good Guys a call.

Natural Stone

Another great tile option for kitchens is made of natural stone. On the higher end of the price scale, stone tiles (think marble, granite, etc.), like ceramic, are offered in a variety of colors and patterns, however, the most popular options tend to feature colors or patterns that occur naturally, rather than man-made.

Natural stone tile does require a bit more care than porcelain or ceramic. Typically, they need to be sealed following install and re-sealed at regular intervals as time progresses. But with proper care, they are a beautiful and tough surface for your kitchen.

For 2021, tiles continue to be popular as kitchen flooring. Especially those that mimic traditional hardwood floors, with planks and “grain” finish details. Larger tile sizes remain popular, as they have in previous years. Plank tile 8” wide by 48” long is a big hit, as are 12” x 24” ceramic tiles. Despite these trends, subway tiles will continue to be popular, along with decorative mosaic tiles. Traditional square tiles were trending down in recent years, but in larger formats, they are making a comeback in popularity!

Mixing tile sizes and patterned installations will be popular again in 2021. Installing a room entirely diagonal, or even using a herringbone or chevron install to spice up a more traditional tile, are just a few of the options.

Vinyl

Perhaps the most popular flooring option in recent years, and for 2021 shows no signs of slowing down. But many people looking for kitchen flooring don’t know anything about modern vinyl flooring. This is not the sheet vinyl your parents used to have; this ain’t mom’s linoleum!

Vinyl flooring today, which was formerly a purely commercial product, is most popularly offered in tiles and planks, and popular varieties of vinyl will be referred to as LVT or LVP. These stand for “Luxury Vinyl Tile” and “Luxury Vinyl Plank”. Basically – you’re getting good vinyl either in a tile or plank. Most importantly in the vinyl acronym world is the reference to vinyl as WPC or SPC: Wood Plastic Composite or Stone Plastic Composite.

WPC and SPC refer to the core of the vinyl flooring. WPC uses wood and polymers in the core for stability and strength; SPC vinyl has a stone/plastic composite core, made largely of stone dust, stabilizers, and PVC to strengthen the tile. Both feature a foam or cork backing to soften the floor underfoot and deaden sound. The vinyl layer from where the floor gets its name is the prominent feature of these floors, showing the near-infinite colors and patterns, and they’re topped with a wear layer for added protection from scrapes and spills.

Both vinyl types are fully waterproof and can be installed “floating” above the subfloor. They’re a great option for kitchens and even bathrooms, they can even be installed in basements -- if you have a kitchen in the basement. And let’s be honest, if you do, that’s awesome!

While vinyl flooring is a bit softer than some other options (looking at you, ceramic tiles!), it’s still a tough, durable flooring solution. Popular trends for 2021 include the most popular variant of the vinyl: wood look. Vinyl designed to mimic solid hardwoods is responsible for driving the vinyl market, offering customers the look of wood, with a softer underfoot yet extremely durable product.

Vinyl flooring will also continue to move toward lighter colors and finishes for 2021. Look for the whitewash and “blonde” coloring on wood look and gray on stone look vinyl. Interesting “finish” patterns are also becoming more popular like wire, and vinyl is offered in a near-infinite array of colors and patterns. The same install patterns that are popular for hardwood will also be for your vinyl think chevron, herringbone or diagonal and look to install in a pattern or patterns to tailor the unique look to your home.

Stained Concrete

Perhaps the most basic and most durable kitchen flooring option is stained concrete. Offering a sleek look that can be tailored to be modern or traditional, concrete is extremely durable and can be sealed to completely waterproof, which is necessary as concrete typically absorbs most fluids. .. Frankly, most homes have concrete sub-flooring in them today. However, you’ll need to work with a professional like your pals at The Good Guys to properly prepare the surface for staining.

Concrete floors can be stained to look like wood, or stone, even some tiles. It can be slippery once finished, however, there are options to make the flooring less slick. So mats in the kitchen probably are a good idea wherever excessive moisture may occur – think in front of a sink.

Look for lighter finishes, as we saw with the other flooring products. As there are no tiles to specifically install and arrange, the unique looks come from the finish, including the color and patterns.

Stained concrete is one of the best cheap flooring options for 2021 as well, so it can be a great economical option for your kitchen floors. Want it to look like marble? No problem! Want hardwood or traditional ceramic tile looks? No problem!

As you can see, 2021 is going to be an exciting year for flooring. If you’re interested in bringing some of that excitement home to your kitchen, contact your flooring pro partners at The Good Guys for help on choosing the best type of flooring for your job.

Best Flooring for Kitchens in 2022

Jump To: What to Look for in Kitchen Flooring | Best Flooring for Kitchens | Shopping by Floor Style | DIY vs. Professional Flooring | Our Recommendation

For many families, the kitchen is a huge focal point in their homes. It’s not only a place where you cook meals, but it’s also a gathering spot for your loved ones and guests to spend time and make memories.

From farmhouse styles to more contemporary materials, homeowners have endless options for customizing the looks of their kitchens. When you’re trying to decide on the best flooring for the kitchen, consider factors like the amount of traffic it has, your family’s risk of messes, and your style preferences. Read on to learn about the best flooring for kitchens.

What to Look for in Kitchen Flooring

When you’re planning a flooring project in your home, you must first decide on the material and style of flooring you want to install. Here are some things to think about when you’re shopping for new kitchen flooring:

Does your family make a lot of messes? Your flooring should be able to withstand a little wear and tear based on your lifestyle. Certain floors are designed to be more durable against spills and other kitchen messes. Do you have kids or pets in the home that are more likely to cause an accident?
How much comfort are you looking for? Do you spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals or entertaining large groups? Standing for hours in the kitchen can impact your joints and back. Some styles of flooring, like tile, can be uncomfortable after a long time. Resilient flooring, like vinyl and cork, can be more forgiving.
What is your personal style? Your flooring should match your personality and design preferences around your home. Consider design themes like a modern style, a farmhouse look, or something funky-chic. Think of the patterns, textures, and colors that you’d enjoy seeing in your space.
How easy is the maintenance? Some materials of flooring require higher levels of maintenance than others. If you’re looking for an easy floor cleanup routine, explore your options in vinyl and tile flooring. They’re often easier to maintain than hardwood floors.
What is your budget? Some types of flooring, like authentic hardwood, are more expensive than others, like linoleum. Include your budget in the decision-making process for your new flooring. Also, make sure to measure the square footage of the area you want to renovate. Since many flooring manufacturers charge by square footage, having these measurements can help you estimate your costs.

The Best Flooring for Kitchens

For years, homeowners continue to choose hardwood—or materials that resemble hardwood—as one of their top options for kitchen flooring. However, with new technology and unique family demands, there are new and innovative solutions for kitchen flooring. You just have to decide what’s the most ideal for your household.

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring remains a popular choice for kitchen flooring because it gives the home a warm, natural feel. It’s an especially great option for homes with open floor plans. Hardwood flooring can easily blend from the kitchen into a home’s living space.

Traditional wood flooring needs some level of care and maintenance, but more and more manufacturers are using sealers to help protect these classic floors. These finished hardwood floors require less maintenance. You can also try engineered wood flooring. It gives you an authentic wood look with a top veneer that provides more durability.

Tile Flooring

Tile flooring has been a popular option for kitchen flooring for decades. With many options for material (like porcelain, stone, and ceramic), tile gives homeowners a lot of options for customization. Tile flooring comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles; you can even lay it in various patterns for an artistic twist.

Tiles are known to be durable and are a great choice for homes with high-traffic areas. They’re also easy to clean and maintain. One of the drawbacks to tile flooring, however, is the grout in-between. It requires regular resealing to prevent staining. Also, tile flooring can be more expensive than other flooring options.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring is a budget-friendly type of resilient flooring, which means it’s known to be pretty soft and comfortable on the feet. It can also be forgiving when accidents occur and someone drops a dish on the floor. Vinyl can come in planks or large sheets, which means installation requires exact measurements and precise cutting. Some engineered vinyl plank options, however, are easy to install and provide added stability and dent resistance.

Once installed, vinyl flooring is easy to clean, waterproof, and stainproof. You can choose from a variety of styles and colors, even some options that resemble wood flooring. One con of vinyl flooring, however, is that it can be susceptible to dents from the weight of heavy appliances after long periods of time.

Cork Flooring

Cork flooring is quickly becoming a popular trend in kitchen flooring, as it’s a more comfortable option than some traditional materials. This material has a unique look that can add to your home’s design aesthetic. It’s also an eco-friendly choice for flooring. Cork flooring tiles and planks are made from tree bark, which means they’re sustainable materials.

This warm, soft flooring can help relieve the strain of standing in your kitchen for hours when preparing family meals. Cork flooring is affordable and a great option for the DIY homeowner. However, it is not as durable as other flooring types, sometimes getting dents and scratches more easily. It can require a higher level of maintenance, needing to be replaced every 3-4 years.

Get a quote on the best type of flooring for your home today

Kitchen Floors by Color

Kitchen flooring comes in a variety of colors to complement your existing decor and cabinetry:

Grey: This color of flooring can cool down a space and create a contemporary look. It’s a good option for many homes because it easily complements most decor.
Honey: This shade for wood flooring gives a warm and welcoming tone, while still being pretty light.
Blonde: This lighter wood shade gives your home a breezy and airy feel. It leaves room for lots of flexibility for decor.
Dark Charcoal: This dark color can give the home a modern and trendy look. Use it to contrast with other decor around your home.
White: Bright and bold, white can help to open up your home. Whitewashed wood can give it a beachy vibe, while white tile modernizes your space.
High variation: Many floors are designed with patterns or multiple colors to add character and personality to your space

When you’re shopping for new flooring, consider choosing colors that contrast with your kitchen. For instance, dark espresso floors pop against white cabinets for a dramatic look. Or, if that’s not your style, go for a simple and modern monochrome style.

Kitchen Floors by Texture

Some flooring materials also come with an option for different textures:

Distressed: This makes it appear as if the wood plank has been through extreme wear and tear. It may include scrapes and burns to achieve an aged look.
Hand-scraped: This wood has been marked with long scrapes that vary in size and appearance in each plank. After being installed, it creates a special handcrafted effect.
Wire-brushed: This flooring has subtle wire scratches on the wood panels. They can appear smoother and more uniform than other textures.
Reclaimed: This wood has been recycled from barns or pallets and has unique textures that could tell a story.

In addition to color and texture, you also have the design option for how your tile or planks will be laid. Many professional floor installers can use designs like a herringbone pattern, large square tiles, wide planks, and chevron to name a few.

DIY vs. Professional Flooring Installation

Many homeowners prefer to complete their own projects around the home. While you can save money when you install flooring on your own, it can be more beneficial to work with a professional. Installing kitchen flooring requires delicate work and advanced tools to get the job done correctly.

Hiring a floor installation professional means you’re working with a team that is insured and has experience working with homes of all sizes and shapes. They’ll ensure that your measurements are correct. Installing new flooring requires precise measurements at all the corners and angles of your space, then cutting tiles or planks to the exact dimensions of your space. The pros already have the proper tools and equipment to get the job done well.

They can also remove and dispose of your existing flooring. Then, to finish the job, they will install accessories at room entrances or areas where flooring changes, as well as a sealant around the perimeter to ensure longevity.

Free Quote: Get your quote on professional flooring installation today

If you’re remodeling or making repairs to your kitchen, LL Flooring is a company to consider for your flooring needs. With nearly three decades of experience in the industry, LL Flooring offers a vast selection of hardwood, tile, vinyl, and cork flooring options to suit every style and need.

To get started on your next project, schedule an appointment online for a professional consultation at one of the company’s hundreds of locations across the country.

Free Quote: Get your quote on kitchen flooring today

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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 are based on natural clays of various grades, pressed and fired at high temperature. The most important features are durability and environmental friendliness.
Vinyl tile is a new generation multilayer material. Produced by hot pressing. Combines the best qualities of laminate and PVC linoleum.
Porcelain stoneware - made from kaolinite clays, quartz sand, feldspars and coloring pigments. It is fired, acquiring the strength of a monolith.
Marble is a natural rock formed from limestone subjected to high pressure. The color and pattern depends on the impurities of the minerals copper, chromium, manganese.
Laminate - 4-layer board coated with paper or cardboard impregnated with resins. The pattern applied to the surface is covered with a protective film.
Cork - cork oak bark, light, practically not abraded, not subject to decay.
Linoleum - an artificial material on a foamed or monolithic basis of PVC (hard varieties) or on a polyester basis (soft). For the kitchen floor, the first ones are more practical.

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 slabs 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:

The subfloor must be level and dry. The thinner the linoleum, the stricter the requirements.
Small bulges and irregularities will be evident, in addition, linoleum quickly wears out in such places.
Plain or stone patterned flooring is laid lengthwise away from the window to give the flooring a more uniform appearance.
When cutting the material, there is always a margin for "cutting" to the walls. Usually it is 5-7 cm.
After gluing, linoleum must be “rolled” with a heavy roller or a special board.

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:

service life up to 35 years, does not fade, does not scratch;
easy laying, does not require a perfect base;
is harmless to health, does not emit harmful fumes;
is not afraid of water, household chemicals, does not slip;
is a durable material that does not crack on impact.

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-leveling. 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:

Brittle - Dropping heavy objects, especially metal, can cause chips, scratches, and cracks. Eliminating them is difficult.
Reaction to acids - marble has a calcareous composition, so acidic sauces, wines, juices destroy it and leave indelible stains.
Polished slabs are very smooth - slipping on the floor is dangerous, and falling on the stone is not very pleasant.

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

Which floor is better in the kitchen: a comparison review of 7 options

Choosing a kitchen floor for an uninformed person can be a difficult task. It is more important to give preference not so much to beauty as to practicality. And if possible, combine these two parameters. We suggest you deal with the flooring for the kitchen. Ideal floors in this room should be moisture resistant, easy to clean from household and food contaminants (fruit juices, wine, fat, etc.), have a durable surface, be decorative and fit into the overall design of the apartment (house). Many modern floor coverings meet these parameters in one way or another. Let's pay attention to the most suitable options, as well as analyze their advantages and disadvantages during operation. After that, you can decide for yourself which floors are best in the kitchen.

Linoleum – trustworthy flooring

Probably the most common flooring in kitchens is linoleum. This material is resistant to abrasion, not afraid of moisture and hot steam, easy to clean, it is unlikely to leave a mark after a heavy object falls. Linoleum is characterized by an inexpensive price, as well as a very simple installation method that you can master on your own. In addition, linoleum, thanks to a huge assortment, allows you to implement a variety of design ideas. It can be either a plain floor covering or an imitation of various more expensive materials: tiles, parquet, stone, metal.

The surface of linoleum can copy any materials, including ceramic tiles

The disadvantage of linoleum is the formation of dents at the location of heavy furniture (refrigerator, cabinets, etc.). However, if furniture is installed in your kitchen “for centuries” and you are not going to move it, then you should not worry about the presence of dents - you will only find out about their existence when you replace the flooring.

Ceramic tiles – the apotheosis of practicality

Ceramic tiles have a durable surface that is colorfast, resistant to abrasion and does not interact with household chemicals. Tile flooring will not react to excess moisture or even flooding by neighbors.

Modern tiles are very decorative and allow you to decorate the kitchen floor space in a variety of styles. Recently, tiles that copy various “noble” materials have become very fashionable: valuable wood, natural leather, precious metals, marble or other expensive stone.

For the kitchen, it is better to choose tiles with a matte or even embossed surface, which can protect you from falling, for example, if you spill liquid on the floor.

Matte black tiles accentuate the minimalist design of the kitchen

Unfortunately, along with the advantages, tiled flooring also has disadvantages. If a heavy object, especially a metal one, falls on the tile, it is likely that a crack will remain on the ceramic surface. In this case, to resume the decorativeness of the floor, the broken tiles will have to be changed. Another disadvantage of the tile is the cold surface, walking on which barefoot, especially in winter, is a controversial pleasure. This problem can be solved by laying a rug on the tile, or by installing an underfloor heating system under the ceramic surface.

Wooden floors - a symbol of nobility

In the kitchen, a wooden floor speaks eloquently of the good taste and well-being of its owner. Most often, we associate such a floor with parquet, but besides it, there is another fashionable material today - wooden tiles, made in the form of tiles of various shapes and sizes.

Wooden tiles - a way to create an unusual texture of the floor

When choosing a floor covering made of wood, you should give preference to hardwoods - they are more durable and durable. If you come across a parquet (tile) from a thermal tree - take it without hesitation. Wood aged at high temperatures is freed from all its shortcomings. It does not absorb, but repels water, does not shrink and does not swell, does not warp. At any temperature and any humidity in the kitchen, thermowood parquet will not lose its appearance and properties.

Laminate - MDF (chipboard) parquet

Laminate is often used for kitchen flooring as a natural but cheaper substitute for parquet. The basis of the laminate are chipboard or fiberboard dies, on top of which paper with the desired pattern is glued. Usually this pattern imitates wood, and of any species, including valuable and exotic ones. Some manufacturers try to be original and produce a laminate that is almost indistinguishable in appearance from ceramics, marble, granite, slate, etc.

The strengths of laminate flooring are the warm surface, easy maintenance and easy installation. Laminate could become one of the best floor coverings for the kitchen, if not for one “but”: it is afraid of moisture, and in the kitchen the humidity is very often increased. If liquid is spilled on the floor, it should be wiped up immediately. If you are flooded by neighbors and puddles stand on the laminate for some time, then the coating will be hopelessly damaged. Chipboard will swell and it will not be possible to restore the surface.

Laminate is practically indistinguishable from natural parquet

Concrete - why not?

Concrete is mainly used as floor covering for outdoor areas. However, modern decorative treatments allow concrete to be included in the list of indoor coatings. For the kitchen, such a floor would be a great choice - it does not react to moisture, or to elevated temperatures, or to force loads in the form of falling pans or metal table legs. This coverage is almost permanent. It can even be made warm if you put underfloor heating cables under the screed.

Concrete floor with colored inclusions - an interesting and practical solution

Concrete floors themselves look dull, so they use the acid staining process. This allows you to change the color of concrete beyond recognition, making it imitate marble, slate, granite, wood, ceramic tiles.

Cork floors - soft and warm

Cork floors are not yet widely used in our kitchens. To a greater extent, this is due to consumer distrust, which is based on the opinion that such soft floors are not durable and cannot cope with the high humidity of the kitchen. Actually it is not. The cork is absolutely not afraid of moisture, it does not swell, does not warp and does not rot. In addition, the cork has a remarkable softness and natural warmth.