How To Choose Floorings For Kitchen Renovations
Whether you’re renovating or installing a kitchen for the first time, it can be tricky trying to choose the right kitchen floor for your home.
Of course, you’ll require a kitchen floor that can withstand spills, stains and water damage. You’ll also want one that can stand the test of time and put up with loads of foot traffic because people will be utilising this space at all hours of the day for years to come. You’ll also want one that is a breeze in the upkeep department and a design that’s easy on the eye.
After all, once those renovations are done, you’ll be spending a tonne of time there, so you’ll want to beautify the interior of your kitchen as much as you can while making it easy to clean.
But how do you know, precisely, which floor you should pick for your kitchen? Well… read our hot tips below to help you figure out what type of kitchen floor is best suited to your home, then get stuck into those renos.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is becoming an increasingly popular option in modern Australian homes, particularly when it comes to the kitchen.
These robust floors are scratch and scuff resistant, meaning they’ll be able to withstand the shoe marks of any guest who forgets to take them off at the door before coming into your home. Further to this, they are water-resistant so they’ll be able to put up with any water that happens to slosh over the sink when you’re doing the dishes.
On top of this, laminate ranges, such as the Quick-Step Impressive Ultra Range, come in a variety of attractive designs and styles that are sure to enhance the visual experience of your kitchen. With realistic woodgrain effects, these slim planks look just like natural timber floors minus the timber.
To top it all off, the Quick-Step Impressive Ultra floors are incredibly easy to maintain. You can sweep up crumbs and mop up spills in the blink of an eye, and all it takes is a sweep and a light mop to bring them up to a factory standard sheen.
Available at much cheaper prices than real wood and natural stone floors, laminates are our personal recommendation when it comes to completing kitchen renovations on a budget.
Just make sure you mention to your flooring consultant that you want to install laminates in your kitchen so they can direct you to the most suitable ranges for this part of the household.
Wood Floors
The classic wooden floor is a fantastic option for the modern Australian kitchen.
The supple sheen of floorboards underfoot can expand the feeling of spaciousness within a kitchen and add a touch of understated elegance that won’t fade over time like other flooring options might.
However, you’ll want to make sure you pick a wooden floor that is suitable for a water-prone environment, such as the kitchen. This is because wooden planks typically swell, warp and change shape when exposed to condensation and moisture over lengthy periods of time, making it a questionable option for the kitchen.
Nevertheless, should the wooden floor be that which your heart desires most for your kitchen, there is still hope.
The Australian Select Timbers range features a host of high performance engineered wooden floors that can withstand the pressures of kitchen life where solid timber floors cannot.
Unlike natural wooden floors, engineered planks are comprised of several layers of wood and fitted with a durable top layer that makes it much more impervious to the effects of water damage.
At the end of the day, if you want to clad your kitchen floor out in real wood (and you want to prolong its lifespan), you’ll want to avoid solid timbers and opt for the engineered wood alternative.
Tiles
There is a reason that most kitchen floors are fitted out with tiles. This is because tiles are the most superior option for water-prone and steamy environments like the kitchen.
Available in an array of natural and manmade materials and designs, you can rest assured that there is a tile out there that will be able to transform the vision you have for your kitchen into a reality.
Nonetheless, should you move forward with your decision to use tiles in your kitchen, know that they may cost you more in the long-term.
This is because you’ll want to get your tiled floor sealed by an expert then re-sealed regularly over the course of its lifetime to insure its integrity and longevity, particularly if it is a porous tile such as terracotta, which can be susceptible to water damage.
Natural Stone
Like tiles, natural stone floors are highly effective in kitchen environments if they’re sealed properly.
Also, as the most expensive flooring systems, natural stone floors such as marble or slate will add an element of uptown luxury to your home.
The downside is that it can cost a lot to buy the product and have it installed, so if your renovations are driven by a budget, you’re probably better off leaving these on the shelf.
The Verdict
Our personal favourite, particularly for renovations on a budget, is the Quick-Step Ultra Impressive range or other laminates.
Gorgeous, easy to install, cost-effective and having all the traits necessary for performing in a kitchen, they tick all the boxes for an ideal kitchen floor.
Should your laminate floor ever become damaged, each unit can be pried up and replaced individually, meaning the repair process is cheap and easy.
Nevertheless, the other options listed above are also great for kitchen floors, so long as you take the right precautionary and maintenance measures to ensure their quality and lifespan.
