
The Best Flooring for Kitchens
- Hardwood Flooring Hardwood flooring remains a popular choice for kitchen flooring because it gives the home a warm, natural feel. ...
- Tile Flooring Tile flooring has been a popular option for kitchen flooring for decades. ...
- Vinyl Flooring Vinyl flooring is a budget-friendly type of resilient flooring, which means it’s known to be pretty soft and comfortable on the feet. ...
- Cork Flooring ...
What is the best type of flooring for a kitchen?
What is the Best Flooring for a Kitchen?
- FLOOR TILE (CERAMIC OR PORCELAIN)
- SOLID HARDWOOD
- VINYL FLOORING
- ENGINEERED HARDWOOD
- LAMINATE FLOORING
- STONE FLOORING (SLATE, LIMESTONE, TRAVERTINE, ETC.)
- MORE KITCHEN FLOORING OPTIONS
Which kitchen floors are the most durable?
Which Kitchen Floors are the Most Durable? Natural Stone. From smooth, sleek granite tiles to rougher but harder-to-clean slate, natural stone tiles come in 12x12 and 18x18 squares and an infinite number of looks. Ceramic Tile. If you're wary of the natural stone budget, check out today's ceramic tiles. Hardwood. Wood is gorgeous. Laminate flooring.
What are the best types of kitchen floors?
The best kitchen flooring to buy
- Aqualock 12mm Laminate Flooring French Grey Oak: The best flooring for speedy installation. ...
- Karndean Da Vinci CER13 Eisen: The best for family kitchens. ...
- Topps Tiles Woodeves Grey tiles: The best kitchen flooring on a budget. ...
- The Natural Wood Floor Company Oak Aged Parquet Oiled: The best flooring for a classic kitchen. ...
How to choose the perfect kitchen flooring?
Choosing the right backsplash material
- Height. The “standard” height for a kitchen backsplash is 4 inches high. ...
- Countertops. Your countertops and your backsplash meet in the middle, so you need to make sure that they complement one another and work in harmony together.
- Budget. ...
- Focal points. ...
- Practical considerations. ...

What type of flooring is best for kitchen?
Tile is a go-to option for areas with frequent exposure to water, like kitchens and bathrooms. Ceramic, porcelain and stone tile are all common choices for kitchen flooring options. Tile comes in many sizes and colors and can be laid out in a variety of patterns to suit just about any design theme.
What is the easiest kitchen floor to keep clean?
Vinyl flooring is probably the easiest to clean out of all the options listed here and also one of the easiest to maintain. Also known as Cushion Floor, vinyl flooring is available at a good price and can take plenty of wear over the years, which is why many will come with a 15 year warrantee.
What is the best waterproof flooring for a kitchen?
Vinyl Flooring Some engineered vinyl plank options, however, are easy to install and provide added stability and dent resistance. Once installed, vinyl flooring is easy to clean, waterproof, and stainproof. You can choose from a variety of styles and colors, even some options that resemble wood flooring.
What is the most low maintenance flooring?
Here are five long-lasting materials which, generally speaking, come with lower maintenance costs:Quarry tile. Quarry tile is about as durable as a flooring product can get, although it offers little design versatility. ... Carpet tile. ... Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) ... Epoxy flooring systems. ... Polished concrete.
What flooring looks cleanest?
What Floors Are Easiest to Clean?Hardwood Makes It Look Easy. The enduring popularity of hardwood floors is for good reason. ... Luxury Vinyl Cleans Up Nice. ... Carpet Comes Clean. ... Laminate = Low-Maintenance. ... Need More Flooring Help?
Which floor tiles dont show dirt?
Ceramic tile with matte finish is an affordable option that works well for keeping dirt out of sight. This finish will also make your tile much less slippery when wet. Be sure to keep your tile sealed to keep moisture, stains and maintenance to a minimum.
What tile floor is easiest to clean?
vinyl, porcelain, and laminate are probably the most popular and cost-effective tiles that are easy to clean.
Is laminate or vinyl flooring better for kitchens?
To avoid the risk of water damage, a better flooring option for kitchens is LVT or vinyl roll. And, similar to laminate, both of these vinyl options are available in a range of wood designs.
What to Look for in the Best Kitchen Flooring
Looking for great kitchen flooring is a lot like looking for the best flooring for dogs. You want it to be durable, easy to clean, and at least water- resistant (features that also make for great mudroom flooring ).
The Best Flooring for Kitchens: 10 Great Options
As you can imagine, there are many types of flooring that can be installed in a kitchen! Here’s a quick breakdown of our favorites.
Best Flooring for Kitchens: The FAQs
Now that we’ve gone through our favorite options for the best kitchen flooring, let’s cover a few important FAQs.
Conclusion: What Is the Best Flooring for a Kitchen?
The best flooring for a kitchen often comes down to how you plan on using your kitchen.
What kitchen styles can be complimented with tile?
You name an interior design style and we will find you a tile or hardwood product to match! Shaker, urban loft, farmhouse, shabby chic, coastal, contemporary or rustic any of these kitchen styles can be complimented with a tile or hardwood floor.
Why is tile better than hardwood?
Budget and ROI – Tile edges it over hardwood when it comes to budget simply because of the enormous range of tile options available. This is surely one of the reasons tile is such a popular choice for the kitchen, with tile starting at less than $1 a square foot, no matter what your budget there is always a tile to suit.
How much does luxury vinyl tile cost per square foot?
A really great choice for rentals, apartments or just refreshing your kitchen on a budget. Luxury vinyl tile meanwhile is challenging laminate in that $2 to $4 per square foot price range. If you want a wood or stone look flooring for cheap there are plenty of reasons to consider LVT.
What are some good alternatives to wood and tile?
In many ways we feel that materials like slate, marble, granite, sandstone and limestone are a great compromise between wood and tile, offering both resilience and a look of nature.
Is vinyl flooring more resilient?
With spills, either from cooking or the pets water bowl, vinyl is a lot more resilient (indeed much vinyl flooring is called resilient flooring). Of course you don’t want flooding on your floors but you don’t have to fret the same way you do with wood or laminate floors.
Is laminate flooring cheaper than hardwood?
The issue (mainly) is quality, yes laminate is a cheaper flooring option, but please don’t take that as a green light to go and buy flooring at 79 cents a square foot. Always aim, if you can, for something mid-priced or above.
Is hardwood flooring good for a kitchen?
One advantage a hardwood floor in the kitchen does offer is the possibility of flooring continuity throughout the rest of your home. If you have a large open plan kitchen diner and living room, or if you simply have hardwood in the other rooms of your ground floor, then it makes a lot more sense to carry the hardwood through to the kitchen.
What type of flooring is best for a kitchen?
Most popular/preferred Kitchen Flooring Options (Higher end): Hardwood floors and Tile Flooring. In Mid to higher end homes, the preference (and often expectation) is to use hardwood flooring or tile floors for the kitchen.
What are the advantages of laminate flooring?
One advantage to laminate flooring is that they are relatively scratch resistant, so that can hold up pretty well if you have pets and a busy household. A second big advantage to laminate is that they can often be installed on top of concrete and tile ( as long as the room is level and the sub-floor isn’t wavy.
How thick is Coretec Plus?
Coretec Plus is an engineered vinyl plank (meaning it’s layered in the same way that an engineered hardwood is constructed. It’s 8 mm thick so it has some dimensional stability and it helps make it feel like real hardwood flooring (and not like vinyl).
Where are laminates made?
They are most often made in China, and some may contain formaldehyde which isn’t safe (and it may not be CARB compliant. Many of these stores are under legal investigation, not just the one you can see in this 60 Minutes Investigation.
Is solid hardwood good for a kitchen?
Please note that I would strongly recommend solid hardwood for kitchens over engineered wood. If you have a concrete sub-floor, and your choice is between engineered wood and tile, I’d probably recommend tile for your kitchen. Please also note that I would strongly recommend unfinished hardwood over pre -finished hardwood for kitchens.
Do kitchen tiles delaminate faster?
And, for rooms that more wear and tear and more moisture, like kitchens, they delaminate and wear down faster.
Does tile work with radiant heat?
Tile floors work well with radiant heat; they conduct the heat better making your feet warmer.
What is the best flooring for a kitchen?
Slate is one of the best kitchen flooring choices for a number of reasons , but namely, because it’s slip-resistant and very durable. It comes available in blue, gray, red, and orange tones, with attractive veining in the same colors. Granite tile is very hard, making it a good choice for high traffic areas.
What is design friendly flooring?
Design-friendly: When all is said and done, you want your kitchen to look just as good as the rest of your home. With today’s flooring options, you can have an attractive kitchen floor that’s resilient to boot. Flooring manufacturers offer a wide assortment of materials that are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing.
How many squares of natural stone tile?
Natural stone tiles are available in two-inch squares for creating a mosaic look and come in up to 18-inch squares for a more streamlined design. Clean your stone tile floor with a wet mop and soapy water.
How much does cork flooring cost?
Expect to pay $3 to $8 per square foot for cork tiles in square or plank shapes. Cork tiles can be installed by an enthusiastic homeowner—they’re available in peel-and-stick, glue down, or snap together assembly. Professional installation, if desired, can run an additional $2 to $4 per square foot.
What kind of stone is used for flooring?
Choose from a handful of natural tan, gray, red, and brown earth tones, depending on the type of stone you choose. The following types of stone are commonly available in flooring tiles: Travertine is smooth underfoot, non-slip, and available in light-to-medium soft earth tones.
Is sheet vinyl waterproof?
Sheet vinyl offers wall-to-wall waterproof floor protection, which is always welcome in busy kitchens that see a lot of spills. Vinyl flooring doesn’t get cold in the winter (as, say, ceramic tile can), so it’s comfortable underfoot all year round.
Is cork flooring good for kitchens?
Cork flooring is soft underfoot and slightly springy. It reduces sound transfer, so it’s a good choice for homes that have a living area beneath the kitchen.
What is the best tile for countertops?
Limestone: a soft and pretty tile typically used for countertops, it's too soft for busy kitchens but can be used for accents in low-traffic areas
What is the most durable and expensive bamboo flooring?
Strand woven: the most durable and expensive solid bamboo flooring, made of pulped bamboo that is pressed and formed into very dense blocks of material and formed into planks
What is bamboo flooring made of?
There are three types of bamboo flooring: Strand woven: the most durable and expensive solid bamboo flooring, made of pulped bamboo that is pressed and formed into very dense blocks of material and formed into planks. Engineered bamboo: flooring planks topped by a layer of bamboo and a waterproof coating.
What is ceramic tile?
Ceramic tile, a material made from natural clay that is shaped, glazed, and fired under heat, is an extremely durable flooring material that very hard and impervious to water and stains. Ceramic tile—including porcelain—is resistant to heat and breakage, and under normal conditions, it can last indefinitely with little change to its appearance or function over time. Ceramic tiles are also available in numerous colors, faux natural patterns, as well as sizes, shapes, and even mosaics, giving you a wealth of design options.
Is bamboo flooring harder than hardwood?
Bamboo flooring looks and feels like hardwood, but it's actually harder than hardwood. Bamboo flooring can look different depending on its color, grain, and pattern. The manufacturing process of turning bamboo into flooring makes the material more resistant to moisture and water damage. Bamboo is becoming an increasingly popular choice for kitchens since it's considerably more durable than wood.
Is bamboo harder than wood?
Similar to hardwood in look and feel, bamboo is actually harder than hardwood, and its manufacturing process makes it more resistant to moisture and water damage. It is an increasingly popular choice for kitchens since it is considerably more durable than wood.
Do kitchen floors last longer?
Between spills and drips, heat and dropped utensils, as well as the constant plod of feet, the flooring in this space needs to handle multiple hazards and look good while doing it. Not every material is well suited for this location, and some kitchen flooring options will last longer than others and with less maintenance. Balancing style, function, and comfort is the key to making the right choice.
What is the best flooring?
Luxury vinyl plank is among the best all-around flooring options on the market. It can be installed in virtually any room, space or area. It also has a large output, resulting in competitive pricing and multiple style options.
What is below grade flooring?
Below grade, then, is a flooring surface below ground level. Usually this is reserved for basements, but can be any floor that is below the ground level. Only certain flooring is suitable for below grade installation.
What is LVP in kitchen?
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP). Waterproof, simple install and more style options than most others make a great kitchen floor.
How much does a ceramic tile cost per square foot?
Not only are they highly durable, but they are also affordable. Even high quality tiles can be found for less than $2 per square foot. However, you do need to be cautious when making a selection, as these tiles can also reach as high as $8 per square foot.
What are the drawbacks of ceramic tile?
While ceramic tiles are a top option, they aren’t without their downsides. One of the biggest drawbacks is that tiles tend to get and stay cold. Unlike other flooring options that can retain heat, tiles are mostly cold underfoot. This can make that walk to the morning cup of coffee unpleasant.
How far above ground is a floor?
When talking about the grade, this is essentially the distance above (or below) the surface of the ground. Above grade means your floor is at least 18 inches above the ground surface. This is suitable for all flooring types.
Can a kitchen be a high traffic area?
Certain flooring options are not well suited for high traffic areas, and a kitchen can become a high traffic area. The more appliances and furniture you have, along with their weight is also another concern you should have.
