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Kitchen Flooring, Kitchen Idea

Doing Kitchen Remodeling? Which are the 5 Best Flooring Options?

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When you are planning your kitchen remodel, choosing the flooring is an important step. While the look is bound to have importance for, after all, you want the whole room to look fantastic. You also need to keep in mind the “work” of the floor. The kitchen is a hard-working space, and the floor takes a lot of traffic and abuse. This means you should consider durability, cost and the style when choosing the best flooring option for your DIY kitchen remodeling. Let’s take a brief look at five of the best options for kitchen flooring, and summarize the pros and cons of each material.

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One of the most important features of the kitchen is the flooring and, yet, it is easy to overlook or make a hasty choice. Let’s face it, choosing the floor is not as fun or exciting as choosing the cabinets, color schemes or kitchen accessories. Nevertheless, the choice you make with the floor has a big effect on the success of the kitchen design. The flooring plays into the appearance of the room and, of course, this is the part of the room which takes a pounding. Whether from people coming and going, food spills or someone dropping your big metal tray (again). Arguably, the kitchen floor sees the most action in the whole room. This means when you choose your new kitchen floor you want to consider the aesthetic, the strength, and durability of the material. Don’t rush this choice because you want your beautiful new floor to look the part, and last too.

Keep reading, and we will reveal the pros and cons of the five best flooring choices for a DIY kitchen remodel.

#1. Porcelain Tile

5-flooring-options-CabinetExpress-Porcelain-TilePorcelain tile has consistently been a popular choice for kitchen designers. This is because the material is very strong, damage resistant, and waterproof. You can source tiles in many different colors and styles, which makes them very versatile as well. Whatever, the theme you are planning for your kitchen remodel, you will find a tile to fit the design.

Many people are familiar with ceramic tiles. However, in the kitchen porcelain tiles are better because they are more waterproof than ceramic, as well as being harder. This makes porcelain tile the best choice in the kitchen when you need the extra durability.

Porcelain tile has a lot of benefits. Are there any cons? Well, if you have children you may want a surface which is a bit “softer”. Tiles can be slippery when wet, and anything you drop is bound to smash.

#2. Vinyl

5-flooring-options-CabinetExpress-VinylOn the same note, if you have children, and a lot of dishes get dropped, then vinyl might make a better choice for your family. The surface of vinyl is soft, so dropped items are less likely to break. Furthermore, you can pad around comfortably in bare feet because of the softer surface.

Vinyl makes a good choice if you are on a budget, the material is easier to fit and much cheaper than tile. The surface is waterproof, and stain resistant. From afar, you could mistake vinyl for tile, and you will find it on sale in many different colors and styles.

The cons? The main downside of vinyl is the fact it won’t last as long as tile, and other harder materials. Also, it has a cheaper feel to it. If you are spending a lot on your kitchen remodel, vinyl flooring may look out of place.

#3. Hardwood Flooring

5-flooring-options-CabinetExpress-HardwoodEverybody loves hardwood flooring and this choice increases the value of your home because of its popularity. The style works particularly well with farmhouse, rustic or country kitchen styles. If you are remodeling your kitchen with a plan to sell your property soon, then a hardwood floor can make a good choice.

Sure, hardwood floors are beautiful but what about the cons? Hardwood floors can be susceptible to damage, dents, and scratches. Plus, water or other liquid spills can stain the wood. This means maintenance because the floor needs regular, tender and loving care.

#4. Laminate

5-flooring-options-CabinetExpress-Laminate-VS-HardwoodLaminate is to hardwood floor what vinyl is to tile. You can lose some of the hardwood floor cons, and gain some pros. Laminate looks very much like wood, and from a distance, you wouldn’t know better. However, the laminate is more resistant to damage, easier to clean and doesn’t need maintenance. The material is also cheaper than getting a hardwood floor fitted. This material is a perennially popular choice for kitchen flooring and isn’t too difficult to fit yourself if you’re doing a DIY kitchen remodel. The choice works well with a lot of design styles and comes in different colors and textures. This means you have a good chance to find a laminate which will work well, whatever the theme of your kitchen remodel.

The cons? Well, it looks like wood but it isn’t really wood which means it won’t add the same value to your home, or if you’re trying to impress the Joneses… Well. Only you know how much that really matters.

#5. Green/ Sustainable Flooring

The new flooring material on the block, green flooring, is steadily increasing in popularity. These sustainable materials will make a good choice for many people, especially if you want to remodel with a clear conscience. There are currently two primary offerings for people to choose from: Cork and linoleum.

Cork

5-flooring-options-CabinetExpress-CorkAs a waterproof material, which is also soft, cork is similar in properties to vinyl. Things are less likely to break when you drop dishes. Also, the softness makes walking on the cork floor much more comfortable than tile or stone floors.

However, the con of cork is that you need to reseal the floor every few years, which means it has an ongoing maintenance cost. Another potential downside is the fact it only comes in one color which means it may not work well with every kitchen design.

Linoleum

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Linoleum is waterproof, resilient and comfortable to walk on. The material is a bit harder and stiffer than vinyl, but softer than tile. One good advantage is that if the surface does sustain a scratch it is not very noticeable. This is because the color exists throughout the material, rather than having a surface color like vinyl and laminate. Linoleum comes in many different colors and styles which means if your heart is set on the material, you won’t need to design around it! You can find a color, and style, to perfectly fit the rest of your kitchen remodel.

The cons? Linoleum can come with a protective coating or without. If yours doesn’t have a protective coating, you will need to clean and wax every few years. This means, as with the cork flooring, you will have some maintenance costs and tasks.

Five Excellent Choices… Now, which one?

Perhaps, one of these materials has already jumped out as a winner for the design of your kitchen remodel. If not, then think about your whole design concept so far. Then, narrow down your flooring choice by balancing the material attributes. At the same time, identify which attributes are most important to you.

For example:

Do you want hard, and long lasting? (Porcelain, tile)

Or, softer and perhaps less long lasting? (Vinyl, cork, linoleum)

Do you want to have zero maintenance? (Tile, laminate, vinyl)

Or, you don’t mind doing some maintenance every few years? (Hardwood, cork, linoleum)

How big is your budget? Lower cost = vinyl, laminate, cork, linoleum. Higher cost = Tile, hardwood

What about the style? Do you want to ooze classic sophistication? (Tile, hardwood)

Or, reflect modern trends? (cork, linoleum).

Ask yourself these questions, and others that you think are relevant to your personal circumstances. Then, if you still have questions, come over to a kitchen showroom store near you and have a look at of those options mentioned above. And, voila! You will find making the right choice for your kitchen floor much easier.

5-flooring-options-CabinetExpress-showroom Flooring Station

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