Kitchen Flooring
We spend a lot of time in the kitchen; let's enjoy it to the max! Probably one of the first things to consider is to match the kitchen flooring with the cabinetry and countertops. And right up there with the aesthetics is comfort, of course!
You'll notice that flooring products are very similar to countertop materials in what they offer for style, comfort, and durability.
What's hot? Surprisingly, linoleum is returning because of the huge movement towards caring for the environment. Although it's something you might remember from your grandma's kitchen, people are choosing it once again because it's made of natural products. The word linoleum has its roots in latin, meaning "from flax or linen plus oil". It is extremely quiet, comfy, and durable. You're looking at $4 to $22 per square foot.
What's not? Well, carpet is probably the least practical and most unsanitary choice for this particular room; even berber, known to be durable, would not be a wise choice for the kitchen.
Aesthetically speaking, people are going for cork, stone, ceramic tile, and natural wood. You could be paying up to $100 per square foot here. Laminate offers the look of wood without nailing you in the wallet. It's as easy to clean as lino, very durable, and doesn't fade or stain like real wood.
Cork, in all it's naturalness, truly ads warmth and richness to your kitchen. It's tough, resilient, water resistant, and has the additional advantage of absorbing sound.
Stone flooring is most commonly granite, marble, or slate. Stone is very beautiful, if you like the man-made look, but cold and hard on the legs. It's obviously very tough and is suitable to install over radiant heating.
Tile flooring includes ceramic (clay covered with a ceramic stain), porcelain (thicker with color throughout), and quarry (unglazed shale and clay with color throughout). It's durable, easy to clean, and will fit over radiant heating as well.
Wood flooring in North America is most often maple or oak and provides a variety of handsome looks. If it's polyurethane coated it can be easy to keep looking great. However, the natural wood you must wax can prove to be high maintenance.
Another option to consider is vinyl. At $1 to $10 per square foot it is ideal for the kitchen because it's resilient and easy to maintain.
One last tip: Be aware of what lies beneath your flooring because this can affect the success of your flooring choice.
