Try These 7 Best Flooring Options for a Kitchen Remodel

Remodeling a kitchen involves a lot of planning to ensure that everything looks appealing and functions effectively. One of the trickiest parts of the kitchen to renovate is the floor.

There are so many types of flooring available that it may seem incredibly difficult to narrow down your choices.

To help make this decision a little easier for you, it’s a good idea to understand the pros and cons of the best possible flooring materials for your kitchen remodel.

Hardwood Flooring

There’s a very unique and warm appeal to hardwood floors. They tend to fit perfectly in nearly every room in the house including the kitchen, but this hasn’t always been the case.

In the past, hardwood flooring hasn’t been a very good option for kitchens. The reason behind this is that hardwood doesn’t hold up very well to moisture, and kitchen floors tend to deal with a lot of moisture from spills, steam and condensation.

With the innovative advances in sealing, finishing and veneers, hardwood flooring stands up to moisture better than ever. It is still susceptible to moisture if the floor is not properly maintained over time, but damages can be repaired fairly easily by a simple refinishing process.

In addition, hardwood floors increase the value of your home, which is an especially great benefit if you’re remodeling your kitchen to get your home ready for selling.

Sheet Vinyl Flooring

One of the most cost-effective and easiest flooring options to install in your kitchen is sheet vinyl.

Unlike tiles and panels, sheet vinyl is custom cut to your kitchen’s layout, allowing it to provide durable protection to every inch of your floor.

Installation requires professional assistance since sheet vinyl needs to be laid out precisely in order to stick properly, but the installation process is otherwise quick and easy.

Sheet vinyl is water-resistant and extremely easy to clean. It doesn’t hold the cold nearly as much as tile, and the texture is soft and comfortable.

One of the most appealing benefits to sheet vinyl is that it comes in a nearly endless array of styles and colours, making it one of the most versatile options when it comes to choosing a new kitchen floor.

While sheet vinyl has a lot of advantages, there are some disadvantages.

For instance, since sheet vinyl utilizes strong adhesive to attach to the floor, it is difficult to remove cleanly. It may also damage any flooring that is underneath the sheet.

Linoleum Floors

When it comes to cost, you can’t get much better than linoleum.

However, being one of the lowest options in price doesn’t mean that you’re getting lower quality. In fact, linoleum is extremely durable, easy to maintain, simple to install and can last for several decades before needing replacement.

Like vinyl, it also comes in a vast array of colours and styles to fit any kitchen’s decor.

While linoleum is durable enough to easily stand up to everyday use, it is susceptible to dents and gashes from sharp utensils falling on the floor and the claws of pets.

The colours may also fade due to years of exposure to sunlight.

Cork Flooring

While it may seem like a strange material to use on your floor, cork is actually a fantastic flooring option for kitchens.

It is very resistant to water, it’s soft and spongy and it’s safer than many other flooring options since it is slip-resistant.

Cork is also increasing in popularity as a flooring option since it is very sustainable and environmentally friendly.

While cork is technically made from trees, it is only made from the carefully harvested bark of cork oak trees. The bark regrows in several years with minimal damage to the tree. Cork flooring is also recyclable.

There is a lot to love about cork flooring for kitchens, but there are also some negatives to keep in mind.

For instance, it is susceptible to indentations, which allows it to be easily damaged by the feet of certain appliances such as ovens and refrigerators. It also requires sealing every few years to maintain its durability and resistance to moisture.

Bamboo Floors

One of most popular materials used in thousands of items today is bamboo.

The sleek look of bamboo is beautiful and stylish. It has a smooth and comfortable texture while also being amazingly durable.

In addition, it’s a sustainable material and environmentally friendly.

While you may think that a limitation of bamboo is lack of variety, this type of flooring actually comes in dozens of colours and tones.

The main downsides to bamboo are that it has a weakness to moisture. It is manufactured in such a way that makes it resistant to water, but it’s still a problem with the material.

In addition, while bamboo can be refinished to revitalize your floors after experiencing damage and discolouring over time, it is more difficult to refinish bamboo floors than hardwood floors and may require the assistance of a professional.

Porcelain Tiles

A staple in most kitchens and bathrooms for decades, porcelain tile provides full waterproof protection for your kitchen floor.

Porcelain is also very durable, easy to clean and resistant to staining. There are thousands of beautiful patterns and colours available for porcelain tiles, and the bright and shiny nature of porcelain makes any kitchen pop, which is especially effective in a freshly remodelled kitchen.

The most well-known issues with porcelain tile are that it’s easy to slip on and it’s slightly tricky to install. In addition, it is one of the pricier flooring options and takes a bit of energy and skill to repair any damages.

Stone Tiles

While some porcelain tile can mimic the look of stone, there’s no matching the real thing.

Stone has such a unique and striking texture and aesthetic look that it will make any kitchen look amazing.

There are various types of stone to choose from such as limestone, marble, granite, slate, sandstone and many others. Each type of stone has their own unique colours, patterns and textures to suit your preferences, and stone tile will easily increase the value of your home when it comes time to selling.

Not only does stone look good in a kitchen, but it’s also the most durable of the flooring choices, and provides you with a slip-resistant surface.

While there are many upsides to stone, there are some drawbacks. Stone tile is extremely heavy, it’s the most expensive flooring option out there, and installing it is fairly difficult which requires the help of a professional.