Guide to choose the Best Flooring for Kitchens | Types of Kitchen Floor | Kitchen flooring - HOMESLIBRO

Guide to Choose the Best Flooring for Kitchens | Types of Kitchen Floor | Kitchen flooring

The ﬂoor in your kitchen is likely to suffer from more wear and tear than ﬂooring in any other room in your home, so choose something that can deal with all your requirements. In addition to choosing something that looks good, you also need to consider how much maintenance it will require.

CHOOSE THE LOOK

Flooring that’s suitable for a kitchen broadly falls into three types: tiled, wood, and seamless. Tiled and poured ﬂoors create a contemporary look and can withstand the most wear; wood and tiles are good choices if you want an informal, rustic look.

TILED

A tiled floor is a classic choice for a kitchen. When choosing tiles, consider the size and ﬁnish: large tiles make a space look contemporary, while smaller tiles give a room a more traditional feel. The more grouting there is, the more cleaning the ﬂoor will require.

WOOD

Wood floors should be well sealed, and must be able to withstand both the foot traffic of a busy space and the raised moisture levels of a cooking area. Planks can appear visually longer and wider, so are a good choice for small and narrow kitchens.

SEAMLESS

Seamless designs, which include sheet vinyl, rubber, and linoleum, and poured ﬂoors like concrete and resin are essentially one piece of ﬂooring without any seams. The latest sheet ﬂooring designs are upmarket and good for small areas.

CHECKLIST

When calculating the number of tiles, hardwood, or laminate flooring you need for your project, add at least 10 per cent extra to the total amount as a contingency.

If you are laying tiles, particularly large tiles, your subfloor must be perfectly level. If you have floorboards, you will need to cover them first with marine plywood.

If you have a sound, flat concrete floor or an existing flat tiled floor, you can lay new tiles right on top, but check first that the raised level of the new floor will not obstruct any doors or other moveable items in the room.

CHOOSE THE MATERIAL

The material you choose will largely depend on your budget and whether you prefer the look and solidity of tiles or a warmer, softer feel like vinyl or rubber. If installing underﬂoor heating, check which materials are suitable to use with it ﬁrst.

TILES

PORCELAIN

Hard-wearing porcelain is a versatile choice available at a variety of prices, designs, and glazed and unglazed ﬁnishes. Seal unglazed tiles before and after grouting.

CERAMIC

Ceramic tiles are good for large areas. Available in a variety of colours, shapes, and textures, they are cheap, hard-wearing, stain-resistant, and don’t need sealing.

QUARTZ COMPOSITE

If you want a coordinated look for your countertops and ﬂoor, this may be a good choice. It doesn’t stain, hide dirt, and rarely chips or cracks, but it is expensive.

TERRAZZO

This expensive ﬂooring is made of marble chips set into the cement with a colour pigment added. Endless combinations of colours and ﬁnishes can be achieved.

CONCRETE

Extremely hard-wearing but costly, concrete tiles are available in various sizes with a polished or matte ﬁnish. The polished effect is easier to clean, so it suits a kitchen.

TERRA-COTTA

Medium-priced terra-cotta is very porous so the tiles must be sealed to prevent staining. Choose from a range of shapes such as classic square or brick-shaped tiles.

TRAVERTINE

Though expensive, this natural stone ﬂoor is available in either a sleek, polished ﬁnish or a rustic, tumbled look with soft edges and a spongelike appearance.

LIMESTONE

These expensive tiles range from chalky white to honey in colour and often reveal details of fossils within. Choose polished gloss tiles or rougher, matte ﬁnishes.

SLATE

The uneven “chipped” surface of black or grey slate sometimes has ﬂecks of gold or orange, and always creates a dramatic look. It is medium to high in price.

LAMINATE

These laminated decorative ﬁberboard tiles are available in a range of colours and designs, including slate and travertine, and are a low- or medium-cost option.

VINYL

Vinyl gives an authentic look to the material it mimics. Prices depend on the brand. Cheaper versions have a self-adhesive backing, so are easy to stick to the ﬂoor.

RUBBER

Medium-priced rubber comes in a range of colours and textures. Smoother surfaces are easy to clean; low-proﬁle textures, like studs, provide extra grip underfoot.

WOOD

HARDWOOD

Good medium- to high-cost choices that will not react to heat and moisture include mahogany, walnut, and teak. Buy pre-sealed or seal with lacquer or linseed oil.

ENGINEERED WOOD

The construction of this medium-priced wood (layers of hard- and softwood boards topped with hardwood lumber) makes it less likely to warp than hardwood.

BAMBOO

Bamboo is medium- to high-cost and eco-friendly. While moisture-tolerant, it still needs to be sealed. It can either be left in its natural colour or stained.

LAMINATE

Low- to medium-cost laminate planks have realistically textured ﬁnishes and detailing to give the appearance of real boards like oak, maple, and teak.

VINYL

Wood-effect vinyl looks authentic and is easier to care for than the real thing. It is available at a range of prices. Expensive vinyl should be professionally installed.

SEAMLESS

CONCRETE

A poured concrete ﬂoor is installed whole, then polished into a perfectly smooth surface. It is an expensive option, but comes in a range of colours and is durable.

RESIN

An expensive poured resin ﬂooring offers a seamless ﬁnish. Highly contemporary, it’s available in both matte and gloss ﬁnishes and a range of colours.

RUBBER

Practical, hardwearing, and warm underfoot, medium-cost rubber comes in a huge range of colours and textures—the smoother surfaces are easier to keep clean.

VINYL

Modern sheet vinyl is cheap or mid-priced and is available in a huge range of designs that reproduce the look and texture of many different ﬂoor surfaces.

LINOLEUM

Medium-priced linoleum is made of natural, sustainable ingredients. It is easy to clean and scratches or dents only if heavy objects are dropped on or dragged across it.

ZONING YOUR KITCHEN FLOOR

If you have a large open-plan kitchen with dining space, dividing the dining and cooking floor areas into separate zones will make your scheme look more successful.

1. Choose a rug in colours that match the palette of your kitchen and place it beneath the table and chairs. Make sure that you buy a rug large enough so all the chair legs can stand on it comfortably, even when they are pulled out.

2. Stay away from light-coloured flooring or a rug with a deep pile or weave that will retain dropped food, and choose a material that’s easy to clean.