Kitchen flooring: what's your pick?

Picking out a kitchen flooring solution is not easy: there are so many factors to consider! Do you need some guidance through the maze? Read the article!

Whether you’re restyling your old kitchen or you’ve decided the apartment you’ve just moved into needs a bit of a refresh, one of the key decisions you are going to have to make is about how to style your kitchen floor. Now, we’ve taken a look at how to style your kitchen countertops, and that’s quite a tough decision as well. However, this decision is as tough, and in a way, maybe even more. Why? Well, think about it for a second: true, kitchen countertops have to deal with stains, oil, food, high temperatures, sharp objects, and so on. But, you will soon realize that you can totally double that for kitchen floors! Besides the occasional (or should we say, “frequent”) stain, your kitchen floor will also have to endure shoes and high heels! Because let’s be realistic, we don’t always have the time to take our shoes off, and besides, this habit is not even that customary in that many countries. That’s why you should carefully consider the pros and cons of the various options before settling for a specific kind of kitchen flooring. Ready to take a look at the most popular picks?

Take a look at more by TM Italia here!

Natural stone

Natural stone is one of the most popular choices when it comes to styling a kitchen floor. There are various reasons for this. First of all, there is not one type of natural stone, but maybe even too many! There is travertine, marble, limestone, marble, and many others. This makes it possible not only to choose a specific type of grain, texture, quality and color, but also to choose exactly which properties you’d rather your kitchen floor to have. For instance, there are not going to be two stones with the exact same strong and weak points. There are substantial differences among all type of stones when it comes to features such as long-term durability, scratch resistance and hardness. Of course, the main weak point all stone tiles have in common is that they are naturally porous materials, which means it is in fact relatively easy to stain them permanently. However, you always have to consider that annual application of a quality, below surface chemical stone sealer can create an invisible coat of protection over the stone, preventing these issues.

Like Dada kitchens? Click here for more!

Marble

Of course, marble is part of the natural stone category as well; still, it most definitely deserves its own paragraph. Marble is one of the most classic choices when it comes to kitchen floors. The reason behind its popularity are several. First of all, it is one of the classiest materials: it’s got no rivals in creating a classy and borderline fancy environment. Then, it comes in so many shades that it’s virtually impossible not to find the one that works for you. Still, as basically any other stone, it is extremely porous; this means that it will easily absorb stains unless it’s cleaned very quickly. Moreover, it is a less resistant stone than others, so scratches are not uncommon. In fact, compared to the other stones we mentioned earlier, marble is probably the least durable and the most susceptible to scratches. That said, it’s still going to last you for years, as long as you take a proper care of it! A smart solution is the one pictured below: get some marble tiles with a rustic vibe! This way, your floor will look spotless even with a few marks and scratches.

Click here if you'd like to see more by Petra Antiqua

Linoleum

Ever considered linoleum? It is a material that was very popular in kitchens 50 years ago, and which is making a comeback today. Made from all natural linseed oil, linoleum is environmentally friendly, easy to clean and maintain, and if properly cared for an installation can last for upwards of 40 years. Still, as not everything is perfect, there can be quite a few drawbacks to it. The main drawback, when it comes to linoleum, is that it really isn’t water-resistant -- at all. Don’t get us wrong: during normal everyday use it should be fine. However, in a kitchen accidents can happen. Imagine your dishwashers breaks, or a pipe bursts and a flood occurs: the entire installation can be ruined. Because of similar reasons, you also have to avoid low-quality bargain basement linoleum options, as they can curl when faced with humidity.

You can find more kitchen layouts by Euromobil here

Hardwood flooring

Is hardwood an option you should be considering? Well, yes. There are several advantages that make hardwood one of the best materials to style your kitchen floor with. For example, it’s never going to look outdated: true, there are always different trends ruling the interior design world, but they’re never going to affect the popularity and contemporaneity of wood. Then, it’s an unmatched material when it comes to warmth and visual appeal; so, if you want your kitchen to look warm and cozy, you should most definitely choose hardwood. In addition to this, hardwood is durable, which means you can keep the same wooden floor for decades, and it’s low-maintenance too! Of course, we always highly recommend getting your timber floor sealed properly, so that nothing extreme will happen to it. Scratches are likely to start appearing on it at some point though, and this is something you should keep into account before deciding on hardwood flooring.

Would you like to explore more kitchens by Soluzione Móveis? Click here!

Is it wood?

No, it isn’t! If you love the warm, golden glow of wood but just hate the idea of a kitchen floor that easily get scratched, then the perfect solution for you are tiles that resemble wood, but that are actually made of different, more resistant and durable materials.

Take a look at more amazing ceramic tiles by Marca Corona 1741 here!

Porcelain tiles

If you’re not a fan of timber floors but prefer the sleek look of tiles, then porcelain is probably your best option. Durable and easy to clean, it will create an elegant, refined atmosphere that has no rivals -- well, almost: marble is pretty elegant too. The advantage here though, is that you’re not going to have to worry about stains never coming off, or long-lasting damages. If a tile breaks, all you have to do is simply replacing it with a new one: nice and easy.

A sleek kitchen tile design by Ceracasa

Colorful ceramic tiles

This is by far the best solution for you, if your goal is to create a fun, colorful environment! In fact, variety is probably one of the main features of tiles. Relatively inexpensive if compared to other long-lasting materials such as natural stone and hardwood, ceramic tiles allow you to define every single detail of the look of your kitchen. There’s no color scheme or pattern you won’t be able to try out!

Would you like to see more ultra-colorful designs by Ceramica Fioranese? Click here!

Concrete

When is concrete an option you should consider? Well, if you have a ground level kitchen, concrete can be another inexpensive and long lasting option for you, even more so because in some cases, a concrete slab will already be in place beneath existing floor coverings. This surface can then be polished, stained, or treated in a variety of ways to make it stylish and attractive for the kitchen. Even if there isn’t a pre-existent slab, you can pour a layer of concrete without going through too much of a hustle!

Take a look at more contemporary kitchens by Cesar!

Bamboo

Bamboo is a bit more of a niche option when it comes to kitchen flooring. It’s got very similar features to hardwood, of course. Even though it is naturally a bit more water and damage resistant, it still needs to be treated with a good sealing agent. However, once it receives this treatment, a bamboo floor can be easily cleaned; moreover, if it ends up looking too worn out, it is also fairly easy to sand it down and polish it back to perfection.

You can find more by Panaget here