How to Choose the Ideal Flooring for Your Kitchen

Kitchens are no doubt the busiest places in our homes. From the moment we get out of bed, we usually start our day by preparing ourselves our favourite cup of coffee, followed by an energizing breakfast. The kitchen is also a focal point in the home where a lot of socializing usually happens. Here we’re free to cook some delicious meals while sharing some quality and bonding time with friends and family.

For this reason, kitchens deserve to have proper flooring that can withstand all the daily hustle and bustle. This means that the flooring needs to be durable, easy to maintain, practical, and able to withstand lots of heavy food traffic. When it comes to choosing the ideal flooring for a kitchen, there are a number of factors that play an important role.

Factors to Consider Before Choosing a Kitchen Flooring

Types of Materials

Vynil

There are many types of materials that are used for kitchen floors. Out of the extensive range of options available, many people choose to add vinyl flooring for a kitchen for a number of different reasons. Vinyl is considered to be a highly durable and long-lasting flooring material, which makes it a great choice for kitchens flooring.

Being highly water-resistant and stain persistent it’s also very practical as well, considering how many spills and water leakage from the dishwater and refrigerator may occur. Due to its water resistance properties, vinyl is very easy to clean. You only need to vacuum it and clean it afterwards with a wet mop to preserve its good looking. Moreover, luxury vinyl comes in a variety of budget-friendly designs so it’s no wonder this material has become widely popular flooring for a kitchen.

Wood

Another popular choice of material for kitchen floors is wood. This type of material posses natural beauty, and durability that beats most of the other kitchen flooring materials. For this reason, many people choose to implement hardwood flooring for their kitchen as it’s stylish, sustainable, and comes in a variety of natural colours.

Moreover, this type of wood doesn’t absorb dust or debris, making it easy to clean and maintain. Still, compared to some other choices of materials, wood is much more susceptible to swelling and shrinkage that may happen more often in the kitchen than in other places in your home, due to the constant exposure to humidity and changes in temperature.

Laminate

If you want to upgrade the flooring of your kitchen, but you are not willing to spend a lot, laminate is the way to go. Having the qualities to mimic the solid hardwood flooring, many people decide to implement it in their homes, especially their kitchens. When searching for the best design, you have a variety of options available.

For instance, if you decide to opt for contemporary you can find sleek, modern-looking laminate planks for your kitchen floors. However, one of its drawbacks is that it isn’t waterproofed so when the water soaks into the layers it can easily cause it to swell and warp. For this reason, some people decide to coat it with polyurethane which proves effective in protecting this type of flooring from water and moisture damage.

Design

Besides being practical and durable, the kitchen flooring design you choose also plays a major role. With such a wide range of design choices which include different colors, textures, and patterns, you may get overwhelmed as to one which one to pick. Most people opt for vinyl as it resembles the look of stone or ceramic tile, displaying a range of patterns and colours, that match well with a number of decor styles. However, the design you pick is usually subjective.

Some people prefer the look of wood more due to its warm, and cosy appearance. Besides, wood is available in an endless choice of designs, including herringbone patterns, painted hardwood, parquet tiles, bespoke patterns, and many more. For instance, if you like the appearance of retro style, parquet tiles will pair perfectly with your midcentury furniture and other vintage details in your kitchen.

Ease of Maintenance

Even though we are all at first attracted to the appearance, we should also look for some other qualities, which are also very important in purchasing the right type of flooring. One of them is choosing a material that is easy to clean and maintain. Since different materials feature different qualities you need to know your individual flooring features so you can clean it accordingly to reduce possible damage and maintain its look for many years.

Budget

Depending on the choice of material and design, different flooring options vary between themselves in the price. Whichever you choose to buy is usually dependent on your budget and how much you are willing to spend. For instance, solid hardwood flooring can cost around $4 per square foot whether mid-priced solid hardwood flooring might cost around $8 per square foot.

If you are looking for a more affordable and budget-friendly option, vinyl is a much more suitable option than hardwood. Sheet vinyl kitchen flooring costs from around $0.50 to $3 per square foot while the luxury vinyl flooring is a bit pricier and can cost between $2.50 to $5 per square foot.