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At some point, you'll likely ask the question, 'what floor is the best fit for my kitchen?' Our kitchens are the central action stations of our homes where we cook, prepare, and keep our lives running on schedule. While it's crucial for our kitchens to have a good fit-out, with functional hardware installed, the kitchen floor is perhaps an even more fundamental element to consider when designing or remodelling our kitchen spaces. Because of the foot traffic and mess they endure, the material we use for our kitchen floors really need to be taken into thoughtful consideration.
Kitchen floors have come a long way since the humble days of tiles and floorboard. Today on homify, we're presenting 8 interesting things about the humble kitchen floor that you may not have come across before, with a versatile look at the full range of materials on offer for your kitchen.
Carpet in the kitchen? It's not as crazy as it sounds. Sure, the kitchen is a hotbed of activity and often produces a lot of mess, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider a little carpet element if the space demands it.
Having a little carpet in the kitchen can give the space warmth and character; it's also rather handy in the event of any potential spills, such as glasses and cups, which would break instantly on a stark, hard floor but might just be saved by cushy surfaces like carpet. In this regard, it offers a layer of protection. Of course, carpets become very dirty very quickly, and with all the foot traffic, grease and mess that the kitchen attracts, it's certainly a risk. We'll leave it up to you!
Natural stone floors bring an effortlessly robust feel to a kitchen space. Their almost primordial appearance can easily deliver a sense of quality and permanence. But is natural stone actually the best option? Would an artificial alternative be a suitable replacement? What are the ins and outs of choosing stone for the kitchen floor?
Whether sandstone, slate, limestone, marble (as is the case here) or otherwise, stone can give a striking aesthetic, but it has its drawbacks. In terms of spills and mess, citrus and fermented drinks pose a threat to stone if not cleaned up immediately; similarly, overly hot, wet or abrasive elements can cause aesthetic damage to the stone if not careful. Stone is solid, and aesthetically, it triumphs against any replica or faux material. Yet it can be a little sensitive. Ultimately, if it's taken care of properly, and given appropriate maintenance, it'll last for generations, leaving your kitchen looking fabulous.
Yes, it's true that kitchen floor design has come a long way in recent years, yet for some of us, the classic, tried and tested methods never go out of fashion. Take the humble kitchen tile for example: while they may not be anything new as such, they remain as they always have been: resilient, functional, easy to clean, and – with the right pattern, design or tone – aesthetically beneficial to any kitchen space.
This is a fabulous example of how the kitchen tile refuses to go out of fashion: subtle blue and black star patterns against basic white background enhance what is an already very well appointed contemporary kitchen with lingering hints of the past. This kitchen blends old world with new world fabulously and seamlessly, and the tiles make it all come together. For that classic edge, a tiled kitchen can't be beaten.
It's always a challenge to create a truly harmonious kitchen space - why not chat to a professional to gain a bit of extra insight into your kitchen's design potential?
'What is a self-levelling floor?,' we hear you ask. It's a good question. Self-levelling generally refers to a specific type of concrete cement flooring, which is different from other varieties because it offers 'high flow characteristics' that work to deliver more effortless grades of flatness and smoothness (while using much less water than traditional concrete mixes).
Basically, it means that using concrete for your kitchen floor has never been easier or more accessible. Self-levelling overlays can also correct uneven floors, as well as serve as an 'under-flooring' for carpet, tiles or other materials. But as we see here in this great, minimalist setup, plain concrete can be a fantastic feature flooring in its own right.
In our era of petrochemical products, we've refined all kinds of new plastic-based alternatives to traditional flooring, and a lot of them are fantastic choices in the right kitchen setting. One of them is laminate flooring, also known as 'floating wood tile' in some parts of the world: a multi-layer synthetic flooring method, involving tile strips that are fused together through a lamination process.
Thick and durable, laminate flooring makes a great solution – especially for newer homes that don't wish to implement real wooden floorboards or tiling. It's little wonder that we've seen a spike in the popularity of laminate flooring in recent years: it's 'wood effect' is often just as aesthetically pleasing as the real deal, delivered for just a fraction of the cost.
PVC, aka polyvinyl chloride, is another compound material that has enjoyed great domestic popularity in recent years. PVC flooring is a common form of flooring these days, and comes in the form of small tiles composed of both PVC and fibre. This produces a thin and relatively hard flooring, while the small size of the tiles mean that any damage can be replaced without much hassle, or compromise to the rest of the flooring.
On the down side, the glue beneath the tiles can erode quickly, making the floor prone to breakages and fast wear and tear. This can make it difficult to clean over time too. However, PVC is a highly affordable alternative and can be installed in just a fraction of the time that it takes for other materials.
Did you ever consider a cork floor for your kitchen? If not, you might want to. Cork offers so much more than just the small cylinder in the end of our wine bottles. There has been a spike in the range of cork products available in recent years: from carry bags and fashion products, to domestic flooring.
Here, we see cork flooring used to its full potential in a delightful cottage-style kitchen. The material has a lot going for it: it's sustainable, shock-absorbent, easy and light under the feet, and interesting to look at. It can be dyed or stained to suit multiple aesthetics, and can be easily manageable on a budget: a fantastic, and unique alternative.
Did you enjoy that Ideabook? Why not take a look as some more kitchen inspirations with The handy guide to kitchen flooring?
Of course, there's no substituting a classic. Wood flooring has been keeping kitchens up and running for centuries. They remain the ultimate go-to for instant character, rustic charm and sense of unyielding strength and permanence. Sure, they can stain poorly if left untreated, and when treated, can mark and scratch.
Still, as we see in this fabulous scene here, wood is a truly class act that can make all the difference between a good kitchen, and a great one. If it's in your budget, or if you're blessed to have it already existing in your home, the virtues of wood cannot be overstated.
