Choosing the best Kitchen Floor for your home has often been labeled as a ‘quandry’. But when you understand that durability, safety and ease of cleaning need to be your main focus, then life becomes so much easier.
Here are four more popular choices for kitchen floors… and obviously carpet is not one of the them!
Tiled Kitchen Floors
Tiles are quite possibly one of the more popular finishes for a kitchen floor.
Generally there are two types of tiles used: Ceramic and Stone.
In the durability stakes these rank very high, and stone is more durable than ceramic.
Safety can be an issue – in particular with ‘high gloss tiles’ as they will be slippery when wet. So be sure to clean up any spills as soon as possible.
Tiles are easy to keep clean, but take note that porous tiles in paler colours can stain easily – and once again spills should be cleaned up as soon as you can.
Further upsides to tiles is that they are cool underfoot and look great for years to come. They fit quite nicely into the traditional or modern styled kitchen. They are also a great non-allergenic flooring option.
The downside is you have a higher risk of breaking items that you accidentally drop.
A quick tip when choosing your tiles is that pale tiles and larger tiles make small spaces appear larger.
If you’ve recently visited a tiling store and are a little confused about the different brands and types of tiles, eg. Vitrified Tiles, etc. please contact us at Nouvelle and we’ll help you choose the best tiling solution for your needs. You may also like to take advantage of our contacts in the tiling industry – giving you access to better quality products and better costings.
Wooden Kitchen Floors
Well sealed timber is durable, whereas unsealed wooden floors can dent and scratch easily. If not installed and maintained correctly, in some extreme cases wooden kitchen floors have been known to warp and crack.
With regards to safety issues choose a less glossy finish to your wooden floor to avoid overly slippery areas when wet.
Wooden floors are easy to clean, particularly is you’ve chosen a sealed finish.
As wood is softer than tiles and concrete, breakage of dropped items is less likely to occur.
Upside of woorden floors is that they can work in either the traditional or modern kitchen. And like tiles, they are a great non-allergenic flooring option. They are also a popular choice for homes in colder regions, as opposed to cold tiles and concrete.
Also note that wooden floors need regular treatments to maintain their looks, moisture resistance, and durability. This includes stripping and sanding every few years.
As we are all fast becoming aware of the environmental impact our lifestyles are causing, choose wood that is certified as a product of sustainably managed plantations, or consider using recycled timber.
Vinyl Kitchen Floors
Vinyl floors are made from plastic and are very durable. Quality vinyl flooring is heat and stain resistant, as well as waterproof.
This choice of flooring is easy to clean; all you really need is a wet mop and some cleaning supplies.
Textured vinyl flooring isn’t as slippery as non-textured, highly polished vinyl or stone and tiles when wet.
Breakage when dropping things isn’t as high as tiles and concrete either, but like wood there is the potential to scratch and dent vinyl flooring.
Vinyl flooring is available is an endless array of colours, patterns and textures. And with the designs available you can easily duplicate the look of wood, bamboo, cork, marble, stone and tiles.
Vinyl, Laminate and Linoleum flooring (which have the same advantages as vinyl) are the most popular choice for investment properties because of their durability and low maintenance. They are also fairly comfortable underfoot, and as this type of flooring can muffle sound, it is a great choice for apartment kitchens. Another upside to vinyl is that it’s low allergenic.
Concrete Kitchen Floors
Although the ‘look’ of a concrete floor is not for everyone or every style of kitchen, concrete kitchen floors win the ultimate durability award.
They are easy to keep clean and varying textures can be used to create a non-slip surface.
Breakage of dropped items is high.
But the upside is they are cool underfoot in hot climates, and are non allergenic.
