Execs/Cons & Kitchen Wooden-look Choices

Hardwood flooring within the kitchen is the primary in a collection of posts the very best use of hardwood, each stable and engineered, in each room of your own home. After our publish about Laminate flooring within the kitchen we had few emails asking what our opinion was of a kitchen with wooden floors, so right here is the Dwelling Flooring Execs view.

Hardwood flooring shouldn’t be dominated out of the kitchen. It’s true that moisture is hardwood’s nemesis, however most kitchens aren’t as humid and moist as full loos or damp basements, two areas the place stable hardwood isn’t the most suitable choice. Nonetheless, it’s price noting the benefits and drawbacks hardwood brings to the busiest room in the home.

You may also try our favourite kitchen flooring concepts right here.

Listed here are the professionals and cons of hardwood flooring for kitchens. The part concludes with ideas and ideas to think about should you resolve to put in kitchen wooden floors.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Wooden Flooring in a Kitchen

Listed here are the professionals and cons of wooden flooring for kitchens. The part concludes with ideas and ideas to think about should you resolve to put in kitchen wooden floors.

Execs of wooden floors in kitchens:

You may have a number of hardwood species and elegance choices for the kitchen, and they’re all naturally stunning.

Wooden flooring within the kitchen preserve consistency in a house with an open ground plan the place the hardwood flooring is utilized in adjoining areas.

Wooden flooring is extra reasonably priced than tile and polished concrete, and aggressive with LVT, when the price of supplies and set up is taken into account. DIY set up is simpler than tile and concrete too.

Kitchen wooden floors supply excellent worth over the 50-100 years they final, and homebuyers are drawn to hardwood.

Hardwood flooring in kitchen settings are hotter and simpler on ft in contrast with stone and ceramic tile, particularly once you’re standing throughout prep and cleanup.

Wooden kitchen flooring are simply maintained.

Correctly sealed wooden resists staining and water harm, and kitchens aren’t as moist and messy as typically perceived.

Cons of wooden floors in kitchens:

Prolonged publicity to moisture from leaking pipes or home equipment most likely will harm hardwood flooring within the kitchen when tile and concrete wouldn’t be harmed.

Whereas they may final indefinitely, kitchen wooden floors must be frivolously sanded and recoated each Four-7 years for moisture safety and refinished as wanted, maybe each 12-17 years relying on put on, if their magnificence is diminished.

Dwelling Flooring Professional ideas for putting in hardwood within the kitchen:

• To guard towards scratches and dents, use hardwood within the kitchen that has a excessive Janka Hardness ranking. The perfect home woods are hickory (1820), laborious maple (1450) and white oak (1360). Imports to think about are Ipe/Brazilian walnut (3680), Santos Mahogany (2200) and Jarrah (1910). Keep away from pine and different coniferous woods on account of their softness and water absorption.
• Select a hardwood flooring product with wealthy and assorted character, so gathered dings and scratches received’t stand out. This can delay the necessity for refinishing. High hardwood flooring producer Coswick speaks so far, saying,

“Extremely textured wooden species and wirebrushed finishes work so properly in kitchens and different excessive trafficked areas [because] most floor damages mix virtually seamlessly into the prevailing texture.”

• Seal hardwood flooring within the kitchen after set up (website completed vs. manufacturing facility completed hardwood), so layer or two of sealer bridges the gaps between planks to stop moisture from seeping between them.
• Take into account an oil-based polyurethane sealer as a result of it is going to permit the wooden to “breathe,” releasing moisture. Water-based polyurethane traps moisture.
• Put pads on the underside of chair and desk legs to stop dents and scratches; decide up and transfer fairly than drag heavy objects.
• Clear up spills promptly.
• Don’t permit moist footwear or an umbrella to take a seat on hardwood.
• By no means use a steam cleaner on hardwood as a result of moisture will be pressured into the joints between planks.
• Shut off the water, name a plumber and your hardwood flooring specialist instantly should you uncover a leaking pipe or a fridge or dishwasher that’s wetting the flooring.
• In the event you’re nonetheless leery of wooden floors within the kitchen, take into account engineered hardwood. It has a stable wooden high layer over a composite wooden base. The bottom is much less inclined to warping and enlargement/contraction brought on by absorbing moisture after which drying out. The draw back to engineered flooring is that the hardwood layer isn’t as thick as stable hardwood, so it might probably solely be refinished a couple of times in contrast with three to 5 occasions for real hardwood.

The underside line is that there is no such thing as a motive to keep away from utilizing wooden floors in kitchen areas. One of many main consultants on dwelling renovations agrees.  Tom Silva, of This Outdated Home, is a fan of wooden floors in kitchens. Whereas he’s been misquoted elsewhere, his full touch upon the topic is,

“Whereas some really feel it’s an uncommon alternative now that there are such a lot of completely different flooring choices, I personally assume hardwood is a superb alternative for the kitchen. All people finally ends up spending lots of time there, and wooden floors can add quite a lot of ‘homeyness’ to the kitchen.”

We heartily agree.

Kitchen Wooden Flooring Options

When you have thought of all of the variables – location, price range, ease of set up, humidity – and nonetheless really feel that stable or engineered hardwood isn’t appropriate on your kitchen, there are a variety of different choices that – although by no means precisely like the true deal – will nonetheless provide the traditional look of hardwood. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Wooden Look Laminate: Timeless Aesthetic, with heat brown stain

A really traditional look, choosing stable hardwood with a heat brown stain is an aesthetic that works with each conventional and fashionable furnishings, making it an important alternative for flooring that may adapt as kinds and tastes change.

Right here’s the proper instance from Armstrong, an oak ground from their Paragon stable hardwood assortment – right here within the Bending Creek colorway.

But when the worth of stable oak is past your price range, then a less expensive choice can be a great high quality wooden look laminate, which frankly solely the very educated knowledgeable may inform other than a real stable hardwood. Right here is an instance of a stunning heat brown laminate with a touch of purple tone, additionally from Armstrong, however this time that includes acacia wooden within the Cayenne Spice colorway.

Execs of laminate over hardwood:

Normally less expensive than hardwood; straightforward set up.

Cons of laminate over hardwood:

Can warp in very humid situations, select the highest quality you could find and guarantee it’s correctly sealed.

Wooden Look Luxurious Vinyl Plank: Transitional Aesthetic, with grey undertones

In the event you’re seeking to bridge the hole between traditional and fashionable, then you definately’re aiming for transitional décor which will be enhanced with a conventional hardwood ground in darkish brown that has a touch of grey tone and texture to present it a extra fashionable really feel. A beautiful instance of that is the engineered maple from Mannington Maison Versailles assortment within the Fountain colorway.

Now, as we’ve stated, engineered hardwood is an efficient alternative in case you are considerably involved about humidity ranges in your kitchen; nonetheless, in case you are actually, very involved then choosing the extra resilient LVT flooring is the best way to go. Right here’s an instance, additionally from Mannington, that includes a textured hickory design from the Adura Seaport assortment within the Wharf colorway. You must also check out Armstrong’s Luxe plank vary.

Execs of LVT over hardwood:

Excellent for humid conditions; fashionable expertise permits good high quality LVT designs to look very genuine.

Cons of LVT over hardwood:

May lack that actual really feel of wooden underfoot – LVT is basically a product manufactured from vinyl and excessive density fiberboard.

Wooden Look Vinyl Sheet: Modern Aesthetic, deep grey

Grey toned hardwood flooring could be very a lot of the second nowadays, so if you wish to create a kitchen design that’s resolutely up to date then select one of many many pre-stained and delightful grey toned hardwood flooring. Right here is a superb instance from Shaw Flooring, from their engineered Acacia assortment, within the Cocoa colorway.

In the event you like this look, however have a really restricted price range plus considerations about humidity then you definately may take into account putting in vinyl sheet. As with LVT, fashionable printing strategies makes the designs on right this moment’s vinyl sheet look way more like the true factor. For instance, take a look on the beautiful particulars on the Metropolis Park vinyl sheet assortment from Shaw Flooring, right here within the Signage colorway that mimics stunning gray-toned hardwood planks.

Execs of vinyl sheet over hardwood:

Greatest for low budgets; steady sheet of vinyl is an excellent choice in extremely humid conditions – no cracking and minimal chance of leaks inflicting harm.

Cons of vinyl sheet over hardwood:

You would want to see a pattern up near examine how genuine it seems to be; positively doesn’t really feel something like actual hardwood.

Wooden Look Ceramic Tile: Minimalist/ Scandi Aesthetic, with gentle and ethereal tones

If the earlier choices appear too darkish for you, then you definately may want the sunshine and ethereal aesthetic of minimalist or Scandinavian interiors. The important thing to this look is to decide on a ground that’s as near the pure wooden state as potential, one that’s simply very frivolously stained, or maybe whitewashed. This one from Bruce Flooring – their stable oak in Snow Peak colorway – is an ideal instance.

Nonetheless, the one concern you may need about placing such a lightweight wooden in a kitchen setting can be potential harm from dust and meals spills that would stain. A good polyurethane end must be safety sufficient, but when your kitchen goes to be a critically excessive visitors zone then an easy-clean, laborious carrying, wooden look ceramic tile may very well be a greater choice. Right here’s an instance from Marca Corona – from their Cottage assortment within the Grey colorway – that captures the minimalist/ Scandi aesthetic completely.

Execs of wooden look tile over hardwood:

Laborious carrying and straightforward to scrub; glorious for extremely humid environments.

Cons of wooden look tile over hardwood:

While it is going to sure seem like the true factor, ceramic tile doesn’t have the identical softness; the higher high quality wooden look tiles aren’t any cheaper than first rate hardwood flooring.