The Different Types of Kitchen Flooring Options
If you plan to remodel your kitchen, you are probably wondering what kitchen flooring options are available. The cost, look, durability, and ease of cleaning are all important factors in choosing kitchen flooring options. This post will outline the floors I would consider for my kitchen, why I would prefer them and the cost.
Why Is Kitchen Flooring Important?
Flooring is expensive, so you want to choose something you won’t get tired of. Flooring in a kitchen gets a ton of wear, so you want to ensure it is durable. The flooring in your kitchen gets dirtier than any other floor in your home, so you want to make sure it is easy to clean as well.
Examples Of Kitchen Flooring Options
Hardwood Finished-In-Place
Finish-in-place means raw wood is installed, then sanded, stained, and sealed in your home. This hardwood should be 3/4” thick by widths from 6” to 12.” Finished-in-place is the most expensive option beginning at $10 per square foot (the price heavily depends on the wood you choose and the board size.) This hardwood should only be used if you know exactly what you want and will love and want to live with it forever. Authentic finished-in-place hardwood floors require a lot of planning because they take so many steps to finish, and the floor cannot be walked on many of those steps.
Tony and I built a home in 2003, and we had white oak, finished-in-place hardwood floors installed on the entire first floor. We sold that house in 2008, and I still miss those floors. At the time they were installed, I chose a darker stain. Boy, if I lived there now, I would strip them down to their white oak glory and apply a matte clear coat!! Finished-in-place hardwood floors are durable and can last over 100 years with the proper care. They are also easy to clean up. I often vacuum with a soft floor bush and mop (with a nearly dry mop head) weekly. The spin mop by o’cedar is the best. Pump the mop 12-15 times to get most of the water out!
Pre-Finished Hardwood
Close in price to finished-in-place, but a tad less because they are less labor-intensive. The floor material should cost more than finish-in-place, but the installation labor is less. With refinished hardwood floors, they come with a factory-applied finish that is very good. Often, many thin layers of polyurethane are reinforced with UV protection, scratch protection, and the like. These floors are also 3/4″ thick by widths from 3″ to 12″ and should start around $8.50 per square foot, installed (price heavily depends on the species of wood you choose and the size of the board.)
Pre-finished hardwood floors come clean and last like finish-in-place hardwood flooring. They can be refinished, but be prepared to pay the refinisher that first time. The factory’s finish is no joke, so they will go through sandpaper like crazy and take a few days longer to sand down.
Engineered Hardwood
Engineered hardwood starts at about $7 per square foot, installed. Usually around 3/8″ thick and widths from 5″ and up, engineered hardwood is a thin piece of plywood with a very thin piece of wood (called veneerer) on top. The finish is good and holds up well, but I don’t feel you would be successful in refinishing them. Some are advertised as you can refinish them once, but I’m skeptical. I would have to try it before I would endorse refinishing. Engineered hardwood is what we have in our current home. We are seven years in and are a long way from needing to refinish.
LVP
LVP starts at around $4 per square foot. Installed, LVP is as fake as anything ever, and yet I really, really like it! They look very realistic to me, the price is excellent, they wear like iron, and if you have an O’Cedar mop, clean up like a breeze!! I would seriously consider them for my own home. I’ve put it in many homes and don’t get bad feedback, and they are great with small children and large dogs. I can’t think of a reason not to use them unless you can afford hardwood and love solid hardwood.
Tile
Tile is my least favorite. Expensive to install and hard to clean. Yes, you can mop them, but if you want to clean the grout, get a scrub brush, get down on your knees, and start scrubbing. Ugh! I can’t say much positive about tile floors other than there are many options. I wouldn’t recommend them, and I hope I never have to have them in my home.
Where To Purchase?
Where to purchase? I recommend buying flooring from a local supplier. Google “flooring for sale near me” and sort through the list. Look for local businesses versus big chain stores. They will have access to good local installers and less hassle delivery options, and they will advocate for you if something goes wrong.
Closing
Knowing your options when selecting flooring for your kitchen remodel will help remove some of the pressure when you are trying to pick out so many things! Consider your budget, the look you are going for, durability (do you have small children or large dogs or both?), and finally, ease of cleaning. This information will ensure you get the right floor for your home. Happy remodeling!
For more free information on home remodeling, visit my blog. I want you to remodel your home without fear of being ripped off, going massively over budget, or having your home torn up for months.
If you are already working on a home remodel and need some friendly, honest advice on what to do next, sign up for my 1-on-1 coaching! For 30 minutes, I will answer any question about home remodeling and work as hard as possible to get you over whatever is hanging you up.