Flooring Options for Your Busy Kitchen

Has your old, tired kitchen floor seen better days? Or maybe you’ve inherited an ugly floor from the previous homeowner? Make your kitchen look brand new as well as functional with these flooring options below.

Decide Which Flooring Material is Right for You

Here are a few questions to consider before choosing new kitchen flooring:

Room dimensions – What is the size, shape, and square footage of the kitchen in your house? Do you have a galley kitchen or a rectangular space for food prep?

Lighting – Does your kitchen receive plenty of sunlight or is it dark during the day? A light-colored floor can brighten a shaded kitchen space.

Material choices – With the wide variety of materials available it can be difficult to decide. Do you like the look of natural wood, engineered wood, tile, vinyl, or laminate?

Your current kitchen colors and décor – Consider your kitchen’s color scheme when choosing flooring options. Warm, natural colors are a good choice as they blend well with almost any décor. And if you decide to change your décor at a later date the floor will still look great.

For more information on choosing new kitchen flooring click here.

Available Kitchen Flooring Options to Consider

Natural Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood floors are beautiful and feel good underfoot. However, choosing the best hardwood flooring for you and your needs can be confusing given the vast variety of finishes, species of wood, and board widths available.

Hardwood Species

Although oak is one of the most popular choices, the following wood types are also available:

• Brazilian Cherry – This kind of wood has a deep reddish-brown color and dark grain. It is one of the most beautiful hardwoods you can buy. Plus, it is twice as strong as red oak and sturdy enough to take what the most active family can dish out.
• Maple – Maple flooring has a lighter, softer tone and grain making it ideal for darker north and west-facing rooms. Maple comes in colors ranging from creamy white to pale red. It is also dent-resistant making it one of the best choices for high-traffic areas.
• Bamboo – Bamboo flooring has become more popular as it’s sustainably grown and crafted from a quick-growing, renewable source. Available in a wide range of colors, bamboo flooring is more durable than traditional hardwood flooring.
• Hickory – Hickory wood flooring has high contrast grain patterns and beautiful color variations. Hickory’s hard density makes it ideal for those well-traveled areas in your home including entryways and hallways.
• Red Oak – With its rich, reddish color and lovely grain pattern, red oak floors emit a warm glow. One of the top choices in hardwood floors, red oak looks excellent in a cozy kitchen or den.
• Pine – Rustic and knotted with warm, yellow tones, pine flooring ranges in color from light beige to deep golden amber. Pine is perfectly suited for a country home or woodland cabin.

The varieties of wood styles available include boards, planks, wood border, parquet, inlay, and custom designs.

Tile Flooring

Cost and ease of maintenance make tile flooring a popular choice for thrifty homeowners. Furthermore, tile comes in a wide variety of materials, colors, textures, and finishes. Tile material selections include porcelain, terracotta, and natural stone.

Ever popular natural stone tile adds an earthy, high-end touch to floors. Natural stone flooring options include:

• Granite – Granite is a rock formed from volcanic activity. Granite tile is an ever-popular choice for its strength, plus the myriad color and pattern choices ranging from pristine white to deep black.
• Marble – Marble is a rock composed of an interlocking mosaic of carbonate crystals. One of the most luxurious flooring options, translucent marble makes a high-end statement in an entryway or bath. Attractive veining and an extensive range of color options make marble tile an ideal choice.
• Slate – Slate is formed from layers of sediments on the ocean floor. The unique texture and vibrant colors of slate make it an ideal choice for any room in your home. Slate is durable, and both fade and scratch-resistant.
• Limestone – Limestone tile is formed by rocks pressurized by ocean water. The rocks develop a strong, stable surface making a durable flooring option. The muted, natural colors of limestone vary from soft beiges to light tans. If you’re looking for a clean feel, limestone is a perfect choice.
• Travertine – Beautiful travertine is one of the most durable stone tile floor choices. Travertine’s patterns and textured appeal plus soothing neutral colors add eye-pleasing appeal to any room. Plus travertine is well known for its ease of installation and minimal maintenance.

Vinyl Flooring

Another economical, low-maintenance flooring option is vinyl. Vinyl is an excellent choice for areas that are prone to moisture or high humidity such as a kitchen, bath, or basement. Furthermore, for a busy kitchen, medium to thick vinyl is best. Vinyl flooring is available in planks, peel-and-stick tiles, and sheets.

An extensive variety of authentic looks include wood plank, stone, and granite patterns.  Additional product enhancements are available for a vinyl floor including added scratch and stain resistance and extra cushion underfoot.

Concrete Flooring

Concrete in plain grey is no longer the only game in town. With a wide range of colors, stains, aggregates, and sealers now available there’s almost no limit to the creative design options for concrete. And for long-lasting durability and low maintenance concrete floors top the list.

Versatile and water-resistant when sealed, concrete can be shaped, stamped, and stained to look like brick pavers, natural stone, polished marble, or almost any look you desire. Additionally, concrete flooring is also energy efficient as the surface absorbs heat in the summer and works well with radiant heat in winter.

Now that you know more about flooring options for kitchen spaces visit Lowe’s or your favorite home center to start your new flooring project!

(Photo Courtesy of Nancy Hugo)