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Wood in kitchen


7 Tips for Wood Flooring in a Kitchen

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It’s hard to beat the natural beauty of wood flooring, but it’s not a traditional choice for a kitchen, due to the greater risk of damage from water and traffic in this room. Yet wood flooring is currently trending in today’s kitchens, so if you’re considering it for your home you’ll want to be informed about species options, installation, and maintenance to reduce the possibility of damage.

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1. Learn why wood is trending.

In addition to its good looks, wood is becoming popular flooring for the cook space so as to create a visually seamless surface between the kitchen and an adjacent dining room or a great room. Many homeowners prefer this cohesive look to the start-and-stop feel of different flooring in adjacent rooms. Additionally, wood has a warm, soft sensation underfoot, unlike ceramic or porcelain tile, which can be uncomfortably cold on bare feet or on a crawling infant’s knees. Because the kitchen is such a busy, spill-prone area, however, it’s important to consider the potential downsides of wood before installing it in this room.

2. Remember: Wood and water don’t mix.

When wood becomes saturated, it can swell, warp, or even split—so even a small dishwasher leak that goes undetected for some time can damage a section of a hardwood floor. A splash here and there, however, especially if it’s wiped up quickly, poses less risk. Consider your family’s habits. If spills are rare and you’re vigilant about the state of your kitchen appliances, a hardwood kitchen floor should hold up just fine—as long as you give it a polyurethane sealant every four to six years to maintain a high level of water resistance.

RELATED: 7  Ways You May Be Ruining Your Wood Floors

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3. Go the hard way.

The number of attractive wood flooring options at your local home improvement store can be confusing. So be sure to select a species that’s hardy enough to withstand the high-impact traffic typical of kitchens. Everyday comings and goings in street shoes, as well as movement of chairs and stools, could scratch or dent a wood floor. Pulling a major appliance away from the wall so a technician can work on it can also mar wood flooring, leaving deep scratches. (Fortunately, there are some effective ways to repair scratches on wood floors, but these often only minimize their appearance and rather than make your wood floors 100 percent again.)

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The wood flooring industry uses the Janka Scale to rate the hardness of various types of wood—the higher the rating, the harder the wood. To learn the hardness rating of the wood you’re considering, check out The National Wood Flooring Association’s Janka Scale. Wood with a Janka rating over 1500, such as hickory or Brazilian walnut, will withstand the increased traffic in a kitchen better than a softer type of wood, such as white ash or beech.

4. Let wood acclimate.

Whether you enlist a professional contractor or have the skills to put down the floor yourself, the wood must be allowed to acclimate to your home before installation for best results. Most wood flooring is stored boxed in unheated warehouses, where the climate is often quite different from the temperature and humidity of residences. If you install wood flooring before it acclimates, it could swell or shrink slightly and your floor could end up with gaps between the planks. Acclimation involves cross-stacking the boxes of planks in your home for anywhere from one to three weeks, depending on species. Recommended acclimation periods can be found in the manufacturer’s installation and warranty information.

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5. Compare prefinished and unfinished planks.

The simplest way to install wood flooring is to purchase prefinished planks, which provide a finished floor as soon as they’re nailed down. Yet when it comes to kitchens, prefinished flooring is not preferred. Prefinished planks typically have slightly beveled edges that give the floor a finished look, but these bevels create tiny tracks between the boards that allow spills to run down between the planks.

Even though it involves additional work, opt for unfinished planks, which are completely flat, for your kitchen. After the planks are installed, the entire surface should be sanded, stained, and then sealed. This offers a uniformly smooth surface, seals the gaps between the boards, and protects the flooring better against spills.

6. Seal and restore your floor.

A good sealant makes the difference between a wood floor that withstands traffic and spills in a kitchen, and a floor that’s easily damaged by water spots and scratches. Both water-based and oil-based sealants are available, but for kitchen use, a quality oil-based sealant, such as Varathane’s Clear Matte Oil-Based Polyurethane (available from The Home Depot), will provide the greatest protection. The downside to applying an oil-based sealant is the longer drying times, some requiring up to 24 hours before you can walk on the floor.

Photo: istockphoto.com

7. Take good care.

Whether you choose to put in a new wood floor in your kitchen, or you’ve moved into a house where it’s already installed, the following care and maintenance tips will help you keep it looking good.

Photo: istockphoto.com

Photo: istockphoto.com

Consult a flooring expert

Find licensed flooring experts in your area and get free, no-commitment estimates for your project.

Find local pros

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Hardwood Flooring in Kitchens Review: Pros & Cons

Hardwood is regarded as one of the most desirable of flooring materials, and it almost always adds value to a home. But it's also well known among professionals that hardwood floors are somewhat high-maintenance and are a poor choice for wet locations. Some flooring manufacturers make claims that the factory finishes make their products water-resistant, but it's worth noting that they are never described as waterproof. Hardwood is easily discolored by water and the fibers can swell, which can cause the entire flooring surface to buckle. Manufacturers always caution against the installation of hardwood in rooms where wet conditions are likely, and even installation against concrete slabs is questionable since moisture can migrate through the concrete.

And yet, there is a gray area when it comes to kitchens since these rooms can best be described as semi-moist, or sporadically moist. It may be possible to use hardwood as a flooring material, but much depends on the nature of your household. A very busy household or a home designed so that traffic comes directly into the kitchen from a pool deck or garage is probably not the best place for a wood floor. If you are considering wood flooring for the kitchen, you will have to take some precautions, and also keep in mind some of the other qualities of hardwood that might make you reconsider its use.

Cons

Types of Hardwood Flooring

Many aspects of hardwood flooring—costs, maintenance, installation, etc.—vary depending on what form is being used. Hardwood flooring used in kitchens and elsewhere generally falls into one of several types:

Solid unfinished planks: Installing solid hardwood planks, then staining and finishing them in place, gives the best possible wood flooring for a kitchen. With this installation, the boards butt up tightly together and are covered with a sealer coat that covers the entire surface, providing protection that won't be penetrated by water or staining materials. And solid hardwood planks have one very big advantage: They can be sanded down and refinished several times over the life of the floor. Solid hardwood floors have been known to last a century or more. This is the best form of hardwood for kitchens, though increasingly rare.

Solid prefinished planks: Many manufacturers now offer prefinished solid hardwood planks, which take some of the extra work out of flooring installation. Prefinished flooring has increasingly replaced unfinished flooring as the favorite. The planks are sanded, sealed, stained, and finished at the factory, which means the installer doesn't have to do it after installation. However, prefinished hardwood flooring is sometimes milled so that the planks have slightly beveled edges, and this design can be problematic in kitchens.

Engineered planks: This type of flooring is created by bonding a thin veneer of hardwood to a base of plywood or MDF. This type of flooring is always prefinished and is often created with a "click-lock" system in which the planks interlock at the edges. This makes it possible to install it as a "floating floor" with no attachment to the subfloor. This form of hardwood is the easiest for DIYers to install. Engineered hardwood is quite stable thanks to the plywood core, and many types are suitable for installation against concrete slabs.

Reclaimed planks: There is a growing market for using repurposed hardwood flooring, such as the materials salvaged when factories, office buildings, or bowling alleys are demolished. This option is very appealing to anyone interested in eco-friendly building practices since it uses recycled materials. Most larger communities have retailers who specialize in repurposed building materials, such as Habitat for Humanity's ReStore outlets. If carefully installed so that boards butt tightly and a good sealer is applied, reclaimed planks can be an acceptable choice for kitchens.

Watch Now: The Pros and Cons of Hardwood Floor

Hardwood Flooring Cost

The cost of hardwood flooring varies greatly depending on the type of wood and the quality of the product. Surprisingly, there is not a huge difference between costs for solid hardwoods and engineered hardwoods. Although engineered woods use less actual hardwood, this is offset by manufacturing that is more complicated and costly. And these products provide an easier installation process that people are willing to pay for.

For solid wood flooring, the general range of costs for materials alone is between $5 and $10 per square foot for standard domestic hardwoods, such as oak, maple, and cherry. Tropical hardwoods (mahogany, Brazilian walnut) cost $8 and up. For engineered hardwood, costs can be as little as $4 per square foot to as high as $13, depending on the type of wood, the thickness of the veneer, and the quality of the finish.

In addition to the cost of materials, expect to pay anywhere from $6 to $12 per square foot for professional installation. The wide range of labor costs is affected by local labor standards and the complexity of the job. For example, a floor installation that requires removal of an old floor or structural reinforcement will cost more than a floor laid on a fully prepared subfloor.

Maintenance and Repair

If the right type of hardwood flooring is installed and if it is kept properly sealed, a hardwood floor in the kitchen is fairly easy to care for. In kitchens, the best flooring installation is one where the boards tightly butt up against one another, and where the floor is kept well sealed to block moisture from penetrating. Under these conditions, maintenance is a very simple matter of sweeping and periodic wiping with a barely-damp mop or hardwood cleaner.

However, if these conditions aren't met, hardwood in a kitchen can create a much different experience. Scratches, traffic wear, and other issues can easily compromise the seal coat and allow moisture or stains to permanently damage the wood. And certain forms of flooring are less suited to kitchens. Many prefinished hardwood flooring products have beveled edges that create grooves that channel water down between the boards. This usually doesn't happen with solid hardwood that has been properly sealed with an uninterrupted top coat of polyurethane.

Despite their hardness, these floors are very susceptible to scratching and they will be damaged by toenails of pets and general wear-and-tear. Make sure to choose hardwood flooring that can be sanded down and refinished. This means that solid hardwood will be a better choice than most engineered hardwood flooring. There are, however, some upper-end engineered products with very thick veneers that can be refinished. The refinishing process can range from light screening to remove the surface finish to more aggressive sanding that removes a thin layer of wood to erase scratches and damage. Either way, a fresh coat of varnish is then applied.

Design

Hardwood is considered a premium flooring material and it almost always adds real estate value to a home. It offers visual warmth and texture and creates an earthy naturalness that can work with virtually any architectural style. If hardwood flooring has been installed elsewhere in the house, using the same hardwood in the kitchen allows for the flooring to uniformly flow throughout the house, unifying the decor.

Hardwood Flooring Installation

At one time, most hardwood floors were built with unfinished planks, but it has become much more common for new floors to make use of prefinished flooring.

The installation process for hardwood flooring varies according to different product types. Solid hardwood planks are usually milled with a tongue-and-groove design that allows the boards to lock at the edges. They are usually attached to the subfloor with nails driven down through the edges of the boards and into the subfloor, using a process known as "blind-nailing" which requires a special nailing tool. Solid hardwood boards are sometimes glued down using construction adhesives, such as when they are installed over concrete or an existing hard floor, such as ceramic tile.

Engineered hardwood and some prefinished solid hardwood planks are attached with a modified tongue-and-groove system, sometimes known as "click-lock." These floors are usually "floating floors" that simply rest on a thin dense foam underlayment pad without any attachment to the subfloor. The interlocking edges allow the flooring to float as a large mat over the underlayment. This method also has the advantage of allowing the floor to expand and contract with seasonal temperature and humidity changes.

After installation, unfinished flooring is stained by hand and is then coated with a polyurethane varnish that protects the finish and prevents moisture and stains from penetrating. This protective surface finish should be renewed every few years, especially for kitchen floors.

Solid hardwood flooring planks are usually installed by professionals since the installation is difficult and requires special tools. Engineered hardwood flooring, on the other hand, is often installed by DIYers; the process is similar to that used for other types of click-lock floating floors, such as laminates or luxury vinyl planks.

Top Brands of Hardwood Flooring

Almost all of the giant flooring brands now offer prefinished hardwood floor products, both solid and engineered. For unfinished hardwood, your best bet is to seek out a local specialty flooring store.

For prefinished flooring, consider these brands:

Comfort and Convenience

In kitchens, hardwood makes for a slightly more comfortable flooring surface than harder materials, such as stone or ceramic tile, but it is considerably harder than more resilient flooring materials, such as vinyl or cork. Dishware may well survive falls onto hardwood flooring, but at the same time, a dropped can of vegetables could dent the wood. Hardwood will also feel warmer underfoot than ceramic or stone tile, though not as comfortable as vinyl.

Hardwood vs. Luxury Vinyl Flooring

Since hardwood's real drawback in a kitchen is its susceptibility to moisture and scratching, a flooring alternative to consider is one that is fully moisture-proof and more resistant to wear—luxury vinyl flooring (LVF). Also known as vinyl plank flooring, luxury vinyl is a thicker form of resilient vinyl, manufactured in multi-layer planks that join edge-to-edge to form a floating floor that rests on a foam underlayment pad. New manufacturing techniques are allowing luxury vinyl to take on the look of many different materials, including stone and wood. So realistic are these floors that you may need to view them on you hands and knees to recognize that the planks are actually made of vinyl.

Luxury vinyl is completely impervious to water and most stains; it's easier to install than most hardwood flooring and much less expensive. Unless you are insistent on wood because it is a completely natural material, it is worth considering vinyl planks instead of wood for your kitchen.

Is Hardwood Flooring in the Kitchen Right for You?

Hardwood flooring is a good choice for your kitchen if you can afford it, are willing to be diligent about caring for it, and want the appeal of wholly natural flooring material. It will be a less successful choice if you have a busy or messy family, or if you have budget concerns.

90 interior design ideas with wooden elements from SALON.ru

Natural wood is one of the first materials to be used in interior decoration and furniture production. Today, there are a lot of options for designing a kitchen set, milling facades - from glossy films to metal plates. However, wood grain kitchen designs are widely used and remain one of the most popular options.


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Design: Amber Interiors


What kind of interior is a wood-look kitchen suitable for?

Provence and Country - these are the interior styles where a kitchen with wooden facades fits perfectly. The set can be completely made of wood, even against the background of wooden walls it will look harmonious - it will not even occur to you that there is too much wood here.

Author of the project: Anna Vasilyeva

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Project author: Tatyana Ilyina-Sorokina


In loft apartments, designers also often use a kitchen with wooden elements. Here, the wood can be darker and with rougher textures - this is only welcome in the loft style.

Design: Kartun architectural bureau

Author of the project: Oksana Tsybakova


Wood look kitchen design in contemporary style is gaining momentum. True, in these interiors it is not customary to make a completely wooden kitchen, it is better to combine natural textures with modern ones - gloss, glass.

Project author: Anastasia Kovalchuk

What material is the wood effect kitchen made of?

Solid wood

Solid wood kitchen looks noble and solid, it will decorate any interior. Oak, ash, alder and birch sets are the most durable and strong. nine0003

Advantages of solid wood kitchen:

Disadvantages:

Design: Bakharev & Partners


Design: Amber Interiors




Author of the project: Marina Kutepova


Veneer

A set with veneered fronts is almost indistinguishable from solid wood: it looks like wood, smells like wood and also feels like wood to the touch. Surprisingly, just 2.5-3 mm of cut wood on a pressed panel helps to create a unique interior without spending a lot of money. nine0003

Design: 4 rooms

Advantages of veneer:

Disadvantages:

Author of the project: Anastasia Dolgina

Photo: senstyle.su

Foil

MDF facades can imitate wood, cover them with a film with a wood pattern. This is a fairly common way: it is important to choose a quality manufacturer so that the headset decorates the interior, and does not ask to be hidden.

MDF kitchen advantages:

Faults:

Project author: Yulia Sidorova

Project author: Daria Vlasova

Plywood

Kitchen made of plywood has an unusual appearance, it is usually covered only with a colorless varnish to preserve the light warm shade of birch. nine0003

Advantages of plywood furniture:

Drawbacks:

Designed by Helen Pinault and Julien Schwartzmann

Project author: Victoria Zolina

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Wood-look kitchen design: ideas and photos

Modern kitchen furniture manufacturers offer many design options for kitchen units. You can choose the one that suits your interior.

All-wooden kitchen

Wood-look kitchen in the interior of a country house looks especially harmonious, regardless of the shade - light, dark or red. This is due to the fact that a completely wooden set looks massive: there should be a lot of air and light in the room so that the furniture does not “press” on the psyche. Therefore, designers advise using wood in large volumes in spacious country kitchens and in apartments with a large area. Another way to balance the intensity of the wood is to paint the walls in a light shade and choose white dining furniture. nine0003

Photo: retrouvius.com

Author of the project: Olesya Tishchenko

Combined set


A great way to fit a wooden kitchen into the interior is to combine different textures, highlight only some parts of the set with wood.

Design: Arca Design

Design: Enjoy Home


Project author: Maria Mikena



Author of the project: Marina Izmailova


Design: Cartelle Design

Photo: Instagram @allanborgez

Authors of the project: Svetlana Yurkova and Lena Nikitina


Project author: Irina Krasheninnikova


Design: Chado

Project author: Anastasia Dolgina



Authors of the project: Sofia Vyganovska and Agata Melerska


Authors of the project: Oleg Klodt, Anna Agapova


Design: GM Interior

Design: KRAUZEarchitects

Design: Taupe Home

Author of the project: Oksana Tsymbalova


Design: Line Design studio

Design: VizDiz


Author of the project: Maria Biryukova


Project author: Natalya Barkovskaya


Project author: Tatyana Shcherbinina

Authors of the project: Zuzanna and Bohdan Museliak


Author of the project: Anna Morozova

Which materials are best combined with wooden elements? nine0016

Project author: Agnes Rudzite

Project author: Maria Polikarpova

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Project author: Julia Sologubova


Ceramic tiles : when choosing the color of the ceramic backsplash, pay attention to the tone of the wood on the kitchen fronts - they should not “interrupt” each other. It is better to choose neutral white, gray colors.

Design: Open Visual studio, Maxim Tsabius

Designed by Steven Gambrel


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Project author: Elena Lazutina


Photo: antica.su

Design: IVA


Author of the project: Anna Vasilyeva


Designed by Anna Begg

Design: MiR Buro

More ideas for decorating a kitchen under a tree:

Author of the project: Yulia Vlasova

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Authors of the project: Shamsudin Kerimov, Katerina Kudinova

Designed by Stephen O'Connor and Annick Ole

Authors of the project: Svetlana Yurkova and Lena Nikitina

Project author: Natalya Mukasyan

Author of the project: Valeria Veselova

Author of the project: Victoria Skorobogatko

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Designed by Grit Lefebvre

Project author: Ekaterina Uglova

Author of the project: Elena Bogdan

Project author: Elena Zorina

Project author: Irina Krasheninnikova

Project author: Irina Krasheninnikova

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Project author: Irina Orekhova

Designed by Kelly Wearstler

Designed by Leon Seiven

Authors of the project: Maria Karpova and Olga Borisova

Wood in kitchen design.

Modern trends

The most popular color in the interior is white. Many fear it, considering it to be easily soiled and difficult to care for, too sterile. But at the same time, white kitchens are increasingly found in our homes and apartments. nine0003

The combination of white kitchen fronts with light wood in decoration or furniture elements are recognizable signs of the Scandinavian style. He is loved by many for bright, uncluttered rooms that are filled with the warmth of wood. Such a kitchen always looks spacious, stylish and modern. Wooden surfaces are guaranteed to soften both the cold tones of facades or walls, and the shine of metal household appliances.

In addition to white, in tandem with wooden floors, countertops, shelves or ceilings, the colors that are gaining popularity now are perfect: indigo, dark green, gray, dove, black, blue, mint, emerald blue. nine0003

Wood with its warmth and natural texture perfectly balances these deep and cold colors.

Table and top

Wooden table (wood look) always looks stylish and respectable. In this case, the working wall can also be made in this color. A competent combination of the color of facades and work surfaces will create the necessary effect of volume and complex space. nine0003

For large and spacious kitchens, a light wood floor and island option is suitable. Whatever the color of the facades and walls, such a center of heat will transform the kitchen!

A table can become a bright object of your modern kitchen if its top is made of sawn wood. Usually the edges of such a countertop have an uneven line, and the surface itself retains a pronounced texture. The effect of wild, untreated wood is created.

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Shelves

If you don't want to use too much wood in the interior of the kitchen, you can do with small inclusions: several hanging or open shelves in a set in the color of the tree (ash, bleached oak, sonoma oak, etc.). This will immediately give the kitchen a cozy look and volume.

For some, open shelves raise doubts about practicality, but there is a great desire to hide all kitchen accessories and utensils in blank cabinets. In this case, we propose to make the lower tier of wall cabinets in the color of wood and a little less in depth than the upper one. The depth effect will be preserved, and you will have the opportunity to hide everything behind opaque doors. nine0003

Additionally, purchase accessories for the kitchen in the color of wood, there are now a huge number of them and there is a lot to choose from. The design of the kitchen will take on a finished look, and simply, it is very convenient.

Wood and stone

This kitchen is part of the Interjero Architektūra project. Its stylish design attracts the eye and makes you consider everything to the smallest detail!

The lines are clean and concise. However, richly textured materials and beautiful, deep colors immediately make the kitchen look trendy, interesting and sophisticated. nine0003

A chic combination of blue-gray kitchen cabinets (very trendy) and high-gloss white fronts, golden oak wall cabinets and Cherner bar stools in smooth wood. All these elements are united by a black marble work wall and countertop. It is natural just like wood, but has a gloss that echoes the facades and straight lines of the headset.

Everything is very organic and in trendy design. The spectacular point in this design is a luxurious gilded chandelier. nine0003

Wood in the kitchen Loft, industrial, country, farmhouse, chalet. Rough forms, perhaps thick boards and beams, a combination of different types and textures of wood. Wood with a pronounced texture. All this will help create a fashionable and individual interior of your kitchen.

Walls and ceiling

Wall and ceiling decoration with wood is a very good technique to highlight, emphasize a certain area in the interior of the kitchen.

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