Professionals/Cons & Kitchen Wooden-look Choices

Hardwood flooring within the kitchen is the primary in a sequence of posts taking a look at the very best use of hardwood, each stable and engineered, in each room of your home. After our publish about Laminate flooring within the kitchen we had few emails asking what our opinion was of a kitchen with wood flooring, so right here is the Dwelling Flooring Professionals 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 below are the professionals and cons of hardwood flooring for kitchens. The part concludes with suggestions and strategies to contemplate in case you determine to put in kitchen wood flooring.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Wooden Flooring in a Kitchen

Listed below are the professionals and cons of wooden flooring for kitchens. The part concludes with suggestions and strategies to contemplate in case you determine to put in kitchen wood flooring.

Professionals of wood flooring in kitchens:

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

Wood flooring within the kitchen keep consistency in a house with an open flooring plan the place the hardwood flooring is utilized in adjoining areas.

Wooden flooring is extra inexpensive 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 wood flooring 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 while you’re standing throughout prep and cleanup.

Wooden kitchen flooring are simply maintained.

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

Cons of wood flooring in kitchens:

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

Whereas they’ll final indefinitely, kitchen wood flooring ought to be calmly 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 suggestions for putting in hardwood within the kitchen:

• To guard in opposition to scratches and dents, use hardwood within the kitchen that has a excessive Janka Hardness ranking. One of the best home woods are hickory (1820), laborious maple (1450) and white oak (1360). Imports to contemplate are Ipe/Brazilian walnut (3680), Santos Mahogany (2200) and Jarrah (1910). Keep away from pine and different coniferous woods as a consequence of their softness and water absorption.
• Select a hardwood flooring product with wealthy and various character, so collected dings and scratches gained’t stand out. It will delay the necessity for refinishing. High hardwood flooring producer Coswick speaks thus far, saying,

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

• Seal hardwood flooring within the kitchen after set up (web site completed vs. manufacturing unit completed hardwood), so layer or two of sealer bridges the gaps between planks to forestall moisture from seeping between them.
• Think about an oil-based polyurethane sealer as a result of it would enable the wooden to “breathe,” releasing moisture. Water-based polyurethane traps moisture.
• Put pads on the underside of chair and desk legs to forestall dents and scratches; decide up and transfer reasonably than drag heavy gadgets.
• Clear up spills promptly.
• Don’t enable moist sneakers 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 compelled into the joints between planks.
• Shut off the water, name a plumber and your hardwood flooring specialist instantly in case you uncover a leaking pipe or a fridge or dishwasher that’s wetting the flooring.
• In case you’re nonetheless leery of wood flooring within the kitchen, take into account engineered hardwood. It has a stable wooden prime 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 will possibly solely be refinished a few times in contrast with three to 5 instances for real hardwood.

The underside line is that there is no such thing as a purpose to keep away from utilizing wood flooring in kitchen areas. One of many main specialists on dwelling renovations agrees.  Tom Silva, of This Outdated Home, is a fan of wood flooring 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 totally different flooring choices, I personally assume hardwood is a wonderful alternative for the kitchen. All people finally ends up spending numerous time there, and wood flooring can add an excessive amount of ‘homeyness’ to the kitchen.”

We heartily agree.

Kitchen Wooden Flooring Options

When you have thought of all of the variables – location, finances, ease of set up, humidity – and nonetheless really feel that stable or engineered hardwood is just not appropriate in your kitchen, there are a selection of other choices that – although by no means precisely like the actual deal – will however provide the traditional look of hardwood. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Wooden Look Laminate: Timeless Aesthetic, with heat brown stain

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

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

But when the worth of stable oak is past your finances, then a less expensive possibility can be a superb high quality wooden look laminate, which frankly solely the very skilled 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.

Professionals of laminate over hardwood:

Often less expensive than hardwood; simple set up.

Cons of laminate over hardwood:

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

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

In case you’re seeking to bridge the hole between traditional and fashionable, then you definitely’re aiming for transitional décor which will be enhanced with a conventional hardwood flooring in darkish brown that has a touch of grey tone and texture to provide it a extra fashionable really feel. A stunning 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 effective alternative if you’re considerably involved about humidity ranges in your kitchen; nonetheless, if you’re really, very involved then choosing the extra resilient LVT flooring is the way in which 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.

Professionals of LVT over hardwood:

Superb for humid conditions; fashionable know-how permits good high quality LVT designs to look very genuine.

Cons of LVT over hardwood:

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

Wooden Look Vinyl Sheet: Modern Aesthetic, deep grey

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

In case you like this look, however have a really restricted finances plus issues about humidity then you definitely may take into account putting in vinyl sheet. As with LVT, fashionable printing methods makes the designs on at present’s vinyl sheet look far more like the actual 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.

Professionals of vinyl sheet over hardwood:

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

Cons of vinyl sheet over hardwood:

You would wish to see a pattern up near test how genuine it appears to be like; 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 definitely may choose the sunshine and ethereal aesthetic of minimalist or Scandinavian interiors. The important thing to this look is to decide on a flooring that’s as near the pure wooden state as doable, one that’s simply very calmly 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 light-weight wooden in a kitchen surroundings can be potential injury from filth and meals spills that would stain. An honest polyurethane end ought to 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 could possibly be a greater possibility. Right here’s an instance from Marca Corona – from their Cottage assortment within the Grey colorway – that captures the minimalist/ Scandi aesthetic completely.

Professionals of wooden look tile over hardwood:

Arduous carrying and simple to wash; wonderful for extremely humid environments.

Cons of wooden look tile over hardwood:

While it would sure appear like the actual factor, ceramic tile doesn’t have the identical softness; the higher high quality wooden look tiles are usually not any cheaper than respectable hardwood flooring.