We are deciding on flooring for the new kitchen. Note that kitchen and dining room are essentially one big room, although there is some definition of the line between the two, so the two rooms could have different flooring materials. Our two preferences right now are ceramic tile and hardwood. Looked at cork for the kitchen, but I’m not sold on the durability yet.
Seems like everyone is shying away from ceramic tile, because it is so hard on your feet if you spend a long time in the kitchen cooking, as i do. What is the experience of you folks? Hardwood, I can see if you throw a knife at someone and miss, you might hurt the floor. Who has what, and do you like it? Why?
Replies
Tile is not only hard on your feet, it's also unforgiving on anything that is dropped. Glass will break and drop a knife and you will break the tip or crack the tile.
It's hard to beat the look of hardwood. Right now, hardwood floors in kitchens are very fashionable. I think it depends on the style and decorating of the house as a whole. If you go the hardwood route, choose the type of wood and the finish carefully, as some will be better for an area like a kitchen that requires more durability. The wood flooring folks here would know more about that than myself.
If you go tile, I think bigger tiles look better on floors than smaller. Try to pick something that will look good with a dark colored grout. Depending on the style of the house, slate or saltillo tile can look really cool in a kitchen. If you choose different materials for the kitchen and dining room, you will also have to consider how you will handle the transition between the materials.
Overall, my opinion... wood looks better and tile is more durable (but less forgiving). My kitchen currently has vinyl sheet flooring, which I hate, but I drop lots of stuff and nothing has ever broken or hurt the floor.
I`m in the same boat as you right now. Im planning a kitchen remodel and the wife and I are at odds over flooring. Just as you our "dining area" is part of the kitchen but Id like to transition the flooring to help define the two spaces. I love the look of hardwood, but my personal experience tells me its a bad idea. You really need to take special care of a wood floor especially in a kitchen. Ive got four kids, two of which are old enough to "help" themselves to beverages, kitchen sink etc. I see what abuse the existing ceramic tile floor is subject to. I doubt a wood floor is going to hold up over time unless Im extremely diligent regarding maintenance. ( I barely have enough time to mop existing floor) I know the down side of ceramic tile but its durability just makes sense. I am considering linoleum, although Ive never been a huge fan. If the room were a smidge bigger Id consider tiling the perimeter,(in front of cabs and appliances) and using wood in the center area.
I dont know if Ive helped you any, but it helps me too think out loud every now and then.
P.S. If you`re "throwing" knifes around, I dont think damage to floor should be your only concern!
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Our Bruce oak kitchen floor is going on 12 years old. It still looks fine with biweekly cleanings with Bruce's floor cleaner. But we've always kept scatter rugs protecting the areas of worst splatter, in front of the sink and the stove and under the petfood dishes. They get pretty ratty looking and we replace then every couple years.
Next house is breaking ground in a couple of months. We like the look of stone/tile, but its too hard and the grout is a pain to keep clean. So we are going with Amtico high-end vinyl tile, with the looks and texture of slate or quarry tile. Unless we hear a lot of negatives from people who've used it? Anyone?
I'm impressed with cork flooring and plan to look into it much further as there has been a surge in interest for residental use. Try this discussion forum for some active discussions regarding cork from people that are looking to those that have it installed.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/flooring/
Regards,
Ken Fisher
http://www.floridawoodfloors.net<img src="http://www.floridawoodfloors.net/Banner3.jpg" width="370" height="99" border="0"> </a>
Hardwood Flooring Installation Services. "Serving Florida...and Beyond"
http://www.floridawoodfloors.net
You can't beat the tile floor with dark grout for durability in the kitchen. The scatter rug idea is good on tile, also. We use them in the work areas to cushion the feet.
We put an oak floor in a new kitchen constructed on the site of a former screen porch four years ago. Used an oil finish, and it still looks new after regular moping, two teenagers and a dog.
In our first old house we had used Watco oil finish on maple floors. Found out that wasn't marked any longer. Then we found Penofin interior oil finish (They have a website: http://www.penofin.com/interiortip.htm). We applied it ourselves. It has a great sheen, has held up very well, and if we ever would need to touch up we don't need to deal with the poly process. Of course, if you're into high shine this wouldn't be for you.
Photo of kitchen, showing floor, here:
http://www.users.muohio.edu/karrowrs/6104/kitw.JPG
Lighting dosen't show the sheen of the floor finish.
I've done both types in kitchens for my customers. I have found that if you go with tile it should be big (12x12 or larger) and should not be flat. The undulations in the tile really do help your feet. Dark or colored grout is a must, I usually use a medium gray. If your sold on hardwood also think about Pergo or similiar, unless you drop a heavy object with a sharp corner it seems to hold up really well.
From a transition stand point, do everything you can during the design phase to make sure the two different materials are set so they are even.
Bing
"if you throw a knife at someone and miss, you might hurt the floor."
You talk about that so casually............
Makes me think of the song: "One Day When You Swing That Skillet, My Face Ain't Gonna Be There"
I thought about you naked twice today.
Then I got cold and put some clothes on.
I think lifestyle dictates kitchen floor. We have 3 youngish boys and 2 large dogs. On any given day there are usually 4-5 youngish boys and an extra dog or 2 running around here. The high end laminate floor we put in 2 years ago paled in the face of this abuse, and is being replaced by saltillo in the kitchen and family room.
Wood floors are beautiful, but we put them into our last house and after 3 years they were significantly damaged. They just don't hold up to cross country skiis, roller blades, hockey sticks, puddles of chlorinated pool water, etc. Scatter rugs became slide pads in no time, even with rug pads underneath.
When we had two boys we had even odds. With three they take on the pack mentality. We'll civilize them eventually, but for now I'm willing to let a few dropped dishes break if it means I don't have to spend my days hollering at the kids. It's all in your lifestyle.
"A completed home is a listed home."
I agree about flooring fitting lifestyle. Our wood kitchen floor has enjoyed the last 12 years when we only had one tag-along daughter still at home, and still it has been a constant worry. The next home is being planned for grandkids and just lower maintenance all around. BTW, she's 21 now and has just taken a job in Boston, moving out next Monday. Maybe we'll feel lonely when we're empty-nesters, but right now it feels more like Martin Luther King put it -- "Free at last, thank God all mighty, free at last!"
Over supper I summarized what I had read so far to DW. Her response was "I think I know how I'm leaning..." I think we are now leaning toward ceramic tile. I was particularly interested in the comment about using tile with some roughness, as opposed to smooth tile. It had never occurred to me that the smooth tiles would be a problem, I was thinking the reverse....
Thanks to all.
"free at last"??? Maybe in another 15 years. Just like Cloud Hidden. But then again, as they say, are you a victim or a volunteer?
Oh definitely a volunteer. We even adopted some of 'em, included this last one, as I once wrote about in that adoption thread. Still, we're both a lot older and tireder now than we were back when we volunteered.