Your kitchen floor needs to be highly durable. Many things can happen to a floor on a daily basis, whether it be spills, heat, or accidentally dropped utensils. Your kitchen flooring needs to bear all the hazards and still look good. Not every flooring material is suitable for this space, and some materials last long and require less maintenance than others.
Durable kitchen flooring materials
The seven best kitchen flooring materials are:
Hardwood
Bamboo
Ceramic
Concrete
Natural stone
Linoleum
Vinyl
Hardwood
Hardwood is an extremely durable material in most parts of the house. Though it doesn’t suit areas susceptible to moisture, such as bathrooms. In the past, hardwood wasn’t considered a wise choice for kitchens because moisture is an issue. However modern sealers and polyurethane finishes are contributing to the durability and longevity of hardwood floors, making them suitable for kitchens.
Compared to other flooring options, hardwood flooring is more vulnerable to developing moisture and stains. However, many people love the aged look of a well-used hardwood floor. Furthermore, solid hardwood flooring always gives you an option of sanding and refinishing the floor to make it look all new.
Advantages:
Gives your kitchen an elegant look
Can be repaired and refinished easily
Warmer and softer than tiles
Increases the value of your home
Disadvantages:
Vulnerable to scratches, dents, and water damage
Expensive
Requires high maintenance
Challenging to install by yourself
Bamboo
Bamboo is quite similar to hardwood in look and feel but is more resistant to moisture and water damage. To give your kitchen a classy and attractive look, bamboo flooring material is your right choice.
Bamboo is more expensive than hardwood though you benefit from its increased durability. It is more difficult to refinish since there is no natural grain direction to the material. Though with the help of a professional, refinishing is definitely possible.
Advantages:
Easy to clean and maintain
Durable
Eco-friendly
Resistant to water and moisture
Disadvantages:
Vulnerable to developing scratches
Sensitive to excessive humidity and water
Ceramic tile
Ceramic tiles are made from natural clay which is glazed, shaped, and fired under heat. This makes ceramic exceptionally durable flooring. It is extremely hard and highly resistant to water and stains. Additionally, ceramic tiles (including porcelain) are heat and breakage-resistant. Under normal situations, they can last forever with only minor changes to their appearance or functioning.
Ceramic tiles are available in a wide variety of shapes, colors, natural patterns, and sizes.
Advantages:
Durable
Water and stain-resistant
Cost-effective
Easy to maintain
Disadvantages:
Slippery
Hard
Cold when barefoot
Unsuitable for upper story installation
Concrete tile
Concrete flooring is another cheap and outlasting option for your kitchen, especially if you are living on the ground floor. Oftentimes, a concrete slab will already be present underneath the existing floor coverings. This surface can be stained, polished, or treated in several ways to make it appealing and stylish flooring for your kitchen. If there is no concrete slab available, you can install a new pour over a variety of subfloor surfaces. Concrete floors are mostly found in modern-style kitchens.
Advantages:
Durable
Inexpensive
Easy to maintain
Available in various designs, shapes, and sizes
Disadvantages:
Susceptible to moisture
Hard
Feels cold on bare feet
Natural stone tile
Natural stone is a durable and lasting flooring option for any kitchen.
Natural stone flooring options include:
Granite
Marble
Limestone
Sandstone
Slate
Travertine
Natural stone gives your kitchen a very luxurious look. Granite and marble, in particular, both consist of an appealing veining that gives a floor a unique appearance. When it comes to selling your house, a kitchen with natural stone flooring is an added bonus.
Natural stone is porous and vulnerable to water and liquid stain penetration, which are both common issues in the kitchen. However, this problem can be solved with a quality penetrating stone sealer. Annual applications help solve this problem by creating an invisible coat of protection over the stone.
Moreover, different types of stones have different characteristics such as scratch resistance, durability, and hardness. When properly sealed and maintained, granite and slate can last for years. Sandstone and travertine, on the other hand, are more likely to wear with time but still perform well over long periods. Polished marble is most likely to quickly develop scratches and stains.
Advantages:
Long-lasting
Attractive look
Easy to clean
Not slippery
Disadvantages:
Expensive
Porous
Easily chipped
Linoleum
Linoleum was a popular kitchen flooring material fifty years ago and is now making a massive comeback. Linoleum is made of all-natural linseed oil, which makes the material environmentally friendly and easy to clean. If properly maintained, linoleum can last up to 40 years.
Advantages:
Flexible and soft
Requires low maintenance
Variety of colors and patterns
Biodegradable and renewable
Disadvantages:
Turns yellow when exposed to light
Susceptible to scratches
Has an installation odor
Vinyl
Vinyl is the most convenient and versatile kitchen flooring option. It is a man-made material that is highly resistant to damage, stains, and water problems. Cleaning vinyl is easy as it can be kept through vacuuming, sweeping, or mopping.
Vinyl can begin to wear after 7-10 active years of use in the kitchen. However, it is the least expensive and most DIY-friendly among all the other flooring materials. The modern version of vinyl flooring, luxury vinyl is a top-quality flooring option that is available in styles that look similar to wood or stone.
Advantages:
Inexpensive
Water and stain-resistant
Durable
Comfortable
Flexible design
Easy to clean and maintain
Disadvantages:
Not biodegradable
Not resistant to damage
Hard to remove
What should you consider when choosing a floor?
Durability
Choose the material that can withstand frequent spills without leaving stains and is unbreakable when kitchen utensils fall off.
Resistance to water
Your kitchen is a semi-wet area so choose a flooring material that does not get damaged in case you or your child accidentally spills any liquid.
Easy to clean
Kitchens are areas highly prone to messes and spills, so ensure that your flooring is easy to clean.
Design-friendly
Choose a flooring material that complements the rest of your home. With a wide variety of kitchen flooring options available, you can select any material that is resilient and stylish.
Ready to install the perfect flooring?
Kitchen flooring must be durable, stylish, and require low maintenance. The proper installation plays a massive role in the longevity and strength of flooring material. Contact Flooring HQ to help you choose the best flooring material that matches your requirements. Our experienced professionals guarantee a clean and proper installation of your new kitchen flooring.
Wood-look tile is the prominent floor covering in the current flooring market. Flooring HQ supplies over 200 wood-look tile options that will make your property stand out from the rest! Wood-look tile is composed of either porcelain or ceramic tile with a wood grain texture inscribed on the surface of the tile. So, not only does the tile look like wood, but the tile has a grain-like texture mimicking the feel of wood flooring.
Why is wood-look tile so prominent in the flooring market?
Cost!
Wood-look tile is known to be a cheaper flooring option compared to tradition hardwood flooring. Wood-look tile can start at the hundred-dollar range, whereas hardwood flooring can start at the thousand-dollar range.
Durability!
Wood–look tile is a durable option compared to traditional hardwood. Wood-look tile is more resistant to scratching as well as everyday wear and tear. With the known durability of wood-look tile, it can be installed in any room of your home.
Moisture and Stain Resistant!
Porcelain is the primary tile used in the production of wood-look tile. Porcelain clay is fired at high temperatures making this tile product dense and less porous than other products allowing porcelain wood-look tile to be moisture as well as stain resistant.
Color Options!
With the use of high definition ink-jet technology there is a multitude of colors to choose that will match your room’s theme.
Come in and play today in our showroom and let us design your new favorite room of your home!
Design Advice for Wood-Look Tile
Grout!
Selection of Color…With over 200 wood-look tile options here at Flooring HQ there is a vast amount of color options of wood-look tile for your personal flooring needs. Here is advice on a design tip for choosing the color of grout for your wood-look tile installation. With high definition ink jet technology, a variety of colors and shades will be represented in your selected wood-look tile for your home. Our staff will guide you through a color wheel of grouts suitable for your personal flooring needs. Our experienced opinion here at Flooring HQ is to first detect the darkest shade in your flooring sample. Second, choose the color of the grout to be a shade darker than the one found in your flooring sample. Why a shade darker? The darker shade of grout will create an optical illusion of an outline around each tile. This illusion generates an image of an individual planks of wood casting shadows around the outline of each tile. The final product is a continuous floor composed of wood-look tile that will trick the mind into seeing alluring hardwood planks.
Rectified versus Pressed Edge!
Know the difference…Rectified edge wood-look tile is a highly regarded option. Rectified edge tile is manufactured to ensure a minuscule grout line which will provide an illusion of a harmonious floor covering. Rectified edge wood-look tile is typically selected for wood-look tile installation because of the ability to have a minimal grout line has the appearance of hardwood flooring. Pressed edge wood-look tile is a favorable option if you are looking for a slightly larger grout line. The cost to manufacture as well as install pressed edge wood-look tile is typically known to be a less expensive option. Our staff will help guide you through your selection of wood-look tile edges based on your design dreams for your home.
When bringing a new baby home, flooring should be a top consideration. The type of flooring throughout the house will impact your baby’s life in many ways. Babies spend a lot of time on the floor playing, learning to crawl, and learning to walk, so it is important that the flooring be soft but also easy to clean. If you will be bringing a new baby home soon, consider the following flooring types for your home.
Carpet or Carpet Tile
Carpet is a popular flooring type for nurseries and living rooms in homes with children because of the softness. The issue with carpet is that most of the softer types stain easily and are difficult to completely clean. Carpet tile makes it easy to replace the flooring in high traffic areas regularly or when spills and stains occur. Some carpeting may also be stain resistant or easier to clean. Ask professionals at the flooring store when shopping for carpeting about carpet options that are good for children.
Sealed Cork
Sealed cork is soft and resilient underfoot, but is easier to thoroughly clean than carpet. The flooring is also sound absorbing, insulating, and eco friendly. Cork will scratch, however, and may not always look perfect if it is highly trafficked. The flooring will have to be refinished every so often and will require frequent cleaning, as dirt not only shows but scratches the surface and creates grooves. Cork is similar in appearance to wood.
Wood Floors
Wood floors are extremely durable and long lasting, so they offer a sound return on investment. The floors are also easy to clean, which is a plus with all of the spills and messes that are bound to come with a new baby in the house. The issue with wood floors is that they are hard and can be cold or warm depending on the outdoor temperature. If wood floors are selected, throw rugs can make a comfortable place for your baby to play and learn. It is also important to make sure that the floors are well maintained, with no splinters.
Large Rugs
Large rugs are an easy and inexpensive option that can cover many different flooring types. Rugs can be taken out and cleaned more thoroughly than carpet, but offer the comfort and softness. Rugs will become worn and have to be replaced more often, however. If you want to create a theme that you expect to change as your baby grows, you can select a rug to fit that theme.
If you wish to replace your flooring before your new baby comes home, call 407-262-7979 and talk to a flooring professional about the options that fit your needs and preferences.
There are several considerations when it comes to selecting eco-friendly flooring. Flooring that has a long life cycle is good for the environment because you do not have to replace it frequently, so resources are saved. Flooring that is salvaged, reclaimed, or sustainably sourced is eco-friendly because it is obtained by means that do not directly cause harm to the environment. Installation materials, padding, and any other materials used should also be considered for their eco-friendliness.
Doing a little research before selecting your flooring can mitigate the impact on the environment in a big way. You may also save yourself money and ensure a healthier home for yourself and your family, too.
Check the Certifications
FSC Certified wood flooring is flooring that has been harvested in a sustainable manner. NSF 140 is flooring certification for carpet sustainability. There are also USA EPA ratings and Underwriters Laboratories Environmental Claim Validations that speak to the recycled content and sustainability of flooring. When in doubt, ask your local flooring store about which products have been certified as environmentally friendly.
Find out Where It’s Produced
Flooring that is produced locally is automatically better for the environment because it doesn’t have to be transported from far distances. This saves fossil fuels and protects the environment from the emissions that would otherwise be expelled into the air during transport. When you purchase flooring that is produced locally, you also support your community, which may be a priority.
It might be difficult to find flooring that is both sustainably sourced and produced locally, so it may be necessary to trade one for the other when making a selection.
Look Into VOC Emissions
VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are chemicals and pollutants that are emitted into the air from flooring and the materials used to install it. VOCs pollute the air inside of homes and can even cause health issues for inhabitants. In the past, most flooring materials had high VOC emissions because not much was known about them. This is becoming more widely addressed, though, and most flooring store professionals can help you find flooring that will not affect your indoor air quality.
Opt for Durability
Even if a flooring material is not natural, locally produced, or sustainably sourced, the durability of the flooring can still make it a somewhat eco-friendly choice. Saving on having to replace the flooring for many years can save natural resources, save manufacturers from having to produce the flooring, and save you from having to procure tools and other materials needed for installation. By investing in good, solid, durable flooring, you may do your part in helping the environment.
To find out more about eco-friendly flooring options, call 407-262-7979 today!
‘Tis the season to open the pool and fire up the grill. If you have a pool home, this is the start of a wonderful time of year for entertaining friends and family and really getting the most from your home. However, if your flooring is in need of repair or is unsuited to high traffic and perpetual wetness, you may wish to consider replacing it with flooring that better fits your needs. The right flooring will be durable, easy to clean, and will help keep your guests and family members safe.
Linoleum
Perhaps the most cost effective solution for water resistant flooring is linoleum. There are many different styles of linoleum flooring to choose from, so you can pick and choose your favorite to make your room look the way that you want it to. When making a selection, however, be sure to consider the texture of the linoleum. Linoleum flooring that is the wrong texture can get slippery when wet, putting your pool guests at risk for falls.
Non-Slip Carpet
Non-slip carpet is another relatively inexpensive flooring option that will help to keep the flooring remodel within a certain budget. The right non-slip carpet option will be water resistant and easy to install, as it can go right over existing flooring. There are more waterproof carpeting options than ever before, so you can choose carpeting that is stylish and plush if you aren’t fond of the traditional flat, dark colored indoor-outdoor carpeting.
Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic tiles are durable, easy to clean, and can be obtained in textured patterns to prevent slippage. Ceramic tiles also come in hundreds of different sizes, colors, and shapes, allowing you to completely customize the floor and obtain the look and feel that you want. Unfortunately, ceramic tiles are somewhat laborious to install and require a sturdy foundation that can support the heavy material. Ceramic tiles may get somewhat pricy, but are long-lasting so you shouldn’t have to replace the flooring for a long while.
Vinyl
Vinyl is very similar to linoleum and can be obtained in easy-to-install peel and stick tiles or in sheets. Vinyl comes in many different colors and can even be made to look like wood or stone flooring. Vinyl sheet flooring is generally a better option for a poolside room, because it does not have the gaps in between the tiles where water may reach the subfloor. As with linoleum and tile flooring, it is important to consider the texture to prevent slippage if this option is chosen. This may be a cost effective, beautiful solution.
For advice and assistance with picking out the best flooring option for your poolside room, call Flooring Headquarters today.
Luxury vinyl is a flooring option that can fit most homes and commercial buildings. Luxury vinyl comes in dozens of different colors, textures, patterns, and shapes, allowing a wide range of options that can transform a space quickly and easily. Luxury vinyl is resistant to stains, scratches, moisture, and fading, so it will look beautiful and last a while. If you are considering installing luxury vinyl in your home, the following are a few benefits of choosing this material.
Replicates Natural Materials Well
Many types of luxury vinyl are made to look like natural hard wood, but the material can also be made to look like slate, marble, and other types of stone. Luxury vinyl is much easier to work with than these options and is often a fraction of the cost. Luxury vinyl can make a room or a home look lavish with minimal time and cost.
Affordable Flooring Option
As vinyl goes, luxury vinyl is more expensive than other types of vinyl, but is on the inexpensive side of flooring options. The durability of the product also helps to mitigate the need to replace the flooring every few years, as with many inexpensive options. Additionally, the flooring is easier to install than most options, which may help to save on the costs of professional installation and even flooring installation tools.
Environmentally Friendly Options Available
Luxury vinyl is available in options that meet Green building standards for sustainability. This can help to reduce the impact to the environment and may make the home eligible for certain certifications, if combined with other sustainable practices and construction elements. Professionals at your local flooring store will be able to help you find environmentally friendly options that meet your preferences and budget.
Easy to Clean and Maintain
The recommended cleaning for luxury vinyl tile is damp mopping, a faster and simpler solution than the cleaning procedure for many types of flooring. Simply sweeping will generally make the flooring look clean and it is easy to sterilize as there is no danger in getting the flooring wet. As long as the flooring is properly installed, no seepage will get beneath the protective top layer, so water and spills will be easy to completely dry.
Comfortable and Functional
Unlike concrete and ceramic tile flooring, luxury vinyl tile is a resilient material that is comfortable to stand on for long periods of time. The multiple layers of vinyl, backing, and foundation provide “give” that can act as a cushion for feet and ankles. Adding underlayment beneath the flooring may help to reduce sound and protect the flooring while further softening the impact of the flooring on the feet and ankles.
In you are considering installing luxury vinyl flooring, visit Flooring Headquarters today to review your many options.
“I used Flooring HQ for ceramic tile in my New Smyrna Beach condo, for hardwood in my Orlando home, and for laminate in my Orlando office. Every installation was magnificent! The selection was great, and they did everything they said they would, at competitive prices.”
JIM T.
“Thanks for the free estimate HQ! We couldn’t be happier with the new hardwood floor in our kitchen. Your customer service is top notch and you definitely took care of us with the quote you gave us! HIGHLY recommend!”
NEIL S.
“Very good sales people, service and pricing. Exceeded expectations.”
JIM G.
“I bought carpet and tile from Flooring HQ for my kitchen and downstairs bedroom and hall area. Their selection was great and the price was even better. The salespeople were really knowledgeable and were able to answer all my questions and concerns. I highly recommend Flooring HQ.”
VICKI C.
“I’ve purchased from Flooring HQ for many years. Our latest project just getting rid of all carpet in the house and replacing it with wood floors is now complete. We have always received great quality at a fair price.”
“I used Flooring HQ for ceramic tile in my New Smyrna Beach condo, for hardwood in my Orlando home, and for laminate in my Orlando office. Every installation was magnificent! The selection was great, and they did everything they said they would, at competitive prices.”