The best floors for your kitchen

If you’re looking to update the floors in your kitchen and you’re feeling overwhelmed with choices, we don’t blame you! A quick scroll through Pinterest showcases an array of flooring options for kitchens now available in a variety of styles, colours and patterns.

Choosing the right floor for your kitchen depends on a number of factors. Because there are pros and cons to every floor type, we’ve broken down our choices based on durability, style, resilience, cleanability and return on investment.

If you want something that’s… Stylish

If you want a floor that matches any decor and will never go out of style, you can’t go past hardwood floors. They’re perfect for open plan areas, creating a unified look between your kitchen and living areas. Hardwood floors are not only stylish, but they’re durable and add value to your home thanks to their long life span. Available in two types, we recommend engineered hardwood for the kitchen as it’s unique construct offers greater dimensional stability. Which means it’s less susceptible to changes in humidity and temperature fluctuations which are common in kitchens.

If you want something that’s… Durable

Durability is an important factor for any kitchen floor. Why? It incurs heavy foot traffic, it has heavy items like chairs and tables moved across it regularly and it would cop the odd kitchen utensil being dropped on it. For a tough floor we would opt for hardwood floors, stone or tile.

Photo source: Homes to Love

If you want something that’s… Resilient

Standing in the one place for long periods of time can be tough on your muscles and joints, so if you’re the kind of person who spends hours in the kitchen cooking – resilience is an important factor to consider. Vinyl and Cork are extremely resilient flooring materials due to their higher levels of cushioning. And not only are they softer to walk on, they’re slip-resistant too! Still need convincing? These two materials are also water-resistant and moisture resistant which makes them perfectly suitable for the kitchen.

If you want something that’s… Good value for money

If you love the look of more expensive materials but you don’t have the budget for them – laminate is the perfect choice for you. Laminate flooring imitates the look of hardwood, tile and slate just to name a few – but at a fraction of the cost. Easy to install, laminate floors are finished with a durable wear layer that makes it resistant to moisture, stains and general wear and tear.

If you want something that’s… Easy to clean

The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in any home, it’s also one of the messiest. If you’re looking to cut down on the cleaning that will follow the cooking of many meals (and messy children and pets) Vinyl is your answer. This budget friendly option is not only water-resistant and stain-resistant – it’s also resistant to mold, mildew and moisture. A quick sweep or light mop is all you need to keep Vinyl clean. Other benefits? Unlike stone or tile, Vinyl is far more forgiving when it comes to dropping the odd item – perfect for any clumsy chefs out there!

Photo: Terra Mater Resiplank in Savannah