The kitchen is a tough area to decide on when it comes to flooring. On one hand, the kitchen flooring must remain flexible enough to support the legs and back. On the other hand, however, the flooring must keep out water and food to maintain its appearance. The right kitchen flooring requires little maintenance and can keep up with the demands placed on it by a modern kitchen. Spills and accidents will occur frequently, putting a strain on any flooring that is installed in the kitchen area. To prevent serious upkeep issues and future expenses, it pays to do the research necessary to find the best flooring.
Wood flooring has long been used in the kitchen, but it can lead to high maintenance costs. Wood aborbs moisture, causing severe maintenance issues. When a wood floor absorbs too much moisture it can begin to bow up or down in the middle, producing an unsightly and uneven surface. The only solution to this problem is to sand down the bowing section, or to rip out the entire floor and start over. Neither of these are very attractive options, and involve many hours as well as thousands of dollars. While a properly constructed and processed wood floor may resist these problems, wood flooring is definitely more likely to break down because of these problems.
More reliable options include slate and ceramic tile. Tile and slate do not suffer from water exposure, and do not suffer from warping or cracking. As fairly rigid materials, they undergo little expansion or contraction.
Slate and ceramic flooring are available in a broad range of colors and shades. Slate and ceramic flooring are also very slip resistant, making them a safer surface to use in the kitchen as well. Hardwood flooring can become slick, especially if it has been exposed to moisture. When using slate as a kitchen surface, be sure to go with a low gloss or finish for extra slip protection.
Laminate flooring is also another viable option in the kitchen. To achieve that hardwood look without the maintenance issues, laminate flooring can be a wonderful alternative. Laminate flooring is easy to install, affordable, and very resistant to both absorbing moisture and food stains.
Laminate flooring is also designed to withstand a great deal of foot traffic and pressure. The kitchen is a high stress area for flooring, and should be treated as such. Choosing the right kind of flooring will give homeowners lasting durability, with low maintenance requirements.
Filed under Home Improvement Tips by on Jul 5th, 2010. Comment. 
Have you examined your kitchen floor lately? How does it appear? Is it dull and discolored? Are there tears in the tile or linoleum? You may need to replace it. What is the best way to replace your floor? There are great deals of options for covering your kitchen floor. Here are some things you may wish to take into consideration.
Linoleum flooring
Linoleum will apply in one large section, usually. It seems like a simple installation. It is not easily installed. It is best to have it professionally installed. It does not cost much, however installation cost may be higher that you plan on.
It is very long lasting. This will make it cost effective. Good linoleum that it properly installed may last up to forty years. If you plan on staying in your home for a long time, it is a good investment.
Some linoleum is made from all natural materials. It is environmentally friendly. You can have a special coating on your linoleum floor. This will make it stain resistant. Most spills will wipe off easily. The natural beauty of linoleum will look for a long time. You may spill your Zojirushi rice cooker on the floor. There should be no problem cleaning it up.
Vinyl tile
One of the best buys for your money is vinyl tile flooring. It is made from several layers. If you can, buy tile that has a protective film layer, built in. You will have a scuff resistant floor. It will also be easy to clean. Perhaps you may need to move your dining room furniture set to the kitchen, while you do improvements. You will not have to worry about scuffing the floor.
If you get no wax tile, it will not have the protective coating on it. Look for thicker tiles. That means they have more layers. This will make it stronger. Vinyl will not wear as long as linoleum. It will not usually increase home values either.
Laminate floors
Some people believe that laminate flooring is not good for kitchen use. This is not the case, today. Its layered construction makes it gouge resistant and very strong. If you drop your hand mixer on the floor, it should not hurt it.
You can have laminate flooring that looks like almost anything. Would you like the look of real wood? Maybe you want a stone floor. Laminate will look very realistic. This is due to a special image layer, within.
Final thoughts
Is it time for a new kitchen floor? You may find prices similar for vinyl tile, linoleum, and laminate. There will be a large price variance within each product. Usually laminate is the most expensive. Linoleum is in the middle. Vinyl tile will be the least expensive. Shop carefully and explore all of your possibilities.
Filed under Remodeling by on Jun 5th, 2010. Comment.
Slate kitchen flooring blends seamlessly with most decors because of its many shapes, colors, and styles. Slate is a perfect material for the kitchen for many reasons among which are its durability and its natural slip resistant trait in comparison to many other materials on the market today. If slate is sealed properly it is highly moisture and stain resistant.Â
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The most common colors for slate stone kitchen floors are black and white but it is also available in many other colors to match almost any style that you are going for in your kitchen. If you want to go for a truly unique look you can mix and match different colors along with different shapes and sizes to create a one-of-a-kind floor. A huge plus is that you can match slate countertops easily to the flooring which will help you blend the entire room together a little bit easier.Â
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Slate is also a great choice in colder climates because it is ideal for radiant heated homes. The radiant heat warms the tiles and makes a very comfortable material to walk on in the cold winter months. Slate flooring is on the softer side of the stone family which is good and bad. Good because it is a little bit easier on the body in case you fall (plates and anything breakable will still break on it if dropped). On the downside is the fact that it is a little more likely to dent and scratch in comparison to say granite but it is still very durable for every-day use.Â
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Pros:
-Slip and stain resistant (when properly sealed)
-Easy to match to almost any decor
-Very durable and able to withstand rough day-to-day use
Cons:
-Yearly sealing to ensure that the floors remain both stain and slip resistant
-On the more expensive side of the flooring choices that you have
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Slate will cost between $14-35 dollars a square foot for the materials. Just like other types of stone flooring slate is not a do-it-yourself project unless you are a very experienced handyman and also have some experience working with stone. On top of the cost of the materials themselves figure on adding about $5-7 dollars a square foot for installation cost. Other then the higher cost slate flooring offers many benefits along with a beautiful look that will last a long time.
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Hello my name is Steven Tikas and I have a website that I have dedicated to helping people make an informed and educated decision when dealing with kitchen remodeling. For more specific information about slate flooring or general kitchen flooring chioices available for your kitchen check out my website.
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling by on Jan 11th, 2009. Comment.
For a long time rubber floors where just used in restaurants but are now quick becoming more popular with regular home owners. Forgiving under foot and able to assume heavy traffic while at the same time being easy to clean and slip resistant make rubber flooring a great choice for large families that love to cook.Â
Rubber is available in a wide range of colors and patterns and because the color is even through-out the entire material it does not fade or show wears like many other flooring materials.  With the ease of care and the fact that it does not fade over time rubber is a choice that can last for the rest of your life and beyond. Another big benefit to rubber is that it is very reasonably priced.Â
Rubber is available in tile and sheets and for a little bit more as interlocking tiles which make installation easier. Not the easiest thing in the world to install but not beyond the realm of something an experienced do-it-yourself would be able to do. Perfect for installation around any area of the kitchen where it is likely to be spilled on by grease, water, or any other type of liquid.
Pros:
-Durability|Strength
-Easy to look after and maintain
-Soft underfoot
Cons:
-Can be hard to find a good source to buy from-Not something that is as easy to find as ceramic tile but because it is gaining in popularity recently it will get easier and easier to find. Make sure you buy rubber floors for your kitchen that has been treated to resist grease as the kind you find for gyms and other areas usually is not treated the same as the type used in a kitchen.
Rubber kitchen flooring will cost you about $3-4 dollars a square foot plus the cost of installation which will vary by area because it is not something that every flooring installer can do. For someone looking for a material that is going to last year’s while being easy on the knees and great on clean-up rubber kitchen flooring is a great option in your search for the perfect kitchen flooring material.
Hello my name is Steven Tikas and I have a website that I have dedicated to helping people make an informed and educated decision when dealing with kitchen remodeling. For more specific information about rubber kitchen floors or general kitchen flooring materials available for your kitchen check out my website.
Filed under Home Improvement Tips by on Nov 28th, 2008. Comment.
A concrete kitchen floor is one of the most versatile flooring materials available to you today. It is able to take on just about any look that you are going for in your new kitchen. Also because of the nature of concrete if you ever do want to change it to another flooring material it is much easier to change then a lot of other materials because you do not need to rip it out to install a new material just install over the old concrete. This however will probably not be something you think about because of the beauty and resilience of concrete.
Concrete used to be very plain and boring, but as most things has changed, and in a great way, over the years.Once it was only possible to get concrete in unimaginative colors and styles but today there are many more looks out there for concrete. Because of concrete natural properties you can paint or stain it to add a little something and along with being easy to maintain you have an awesome material for your kitchen.Â
Pros :
-Ease of maintenance and repair.
-Highly durable.
-Number of options
-Easy to change for a different look or a complete different material.
Cons:
-Much harder and dropped objects and joints compared to some other material.
If not correctly looked after concrete will stain and crack over time.
If properly sealed and maintained concrete requires nothing more than sweeping and the occasional moping to stay looking as new as the day you got it. The cost range for concrete kitchen flooring is a little wider than most others due mainly to the different looks that you are able to achieve. The average cost ranges from $3-15 per square foot and can higher if you want to be very creative. If you mix the durability with ease of maintenance concrete kitchen floors can be the ideal pick for your family and situation.
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Hello my name is Steven Tikas and I have a website that I have dedicated to helping people make an informed and educated decision when dealing with kitchen remodeling. For more specific information about concrete kitchen floors or general kitchen flooring options available for your kitchen check out my website.
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Filed under Home Improvement Tips by on Nov 27th, 2008. Comment.
Depending on what look you are trying to achieve the grain of the bamboo flooring can go either horizontally or vertically. If you go with the horizontally grain it will look more natural than if you go with vertically strips. The vertically strips tend to be narrower which might suit you better if that is the look that you are going for in your kitchen.Â
Bamboo can be very moisture resistant if sealed correctly so usually it is not something a normal homeowner would want to tackle without some professional help. If you have ever had hardwood floors you know they will look beautiful for years to come if taken care of properly, which entails not much more then sweeping and moping, and bamboo floors are not any different.Â
Pros of Bamboo:
-Environmentally friendly-Bamboo fields take a fraction of the time to grow in relation to trees.
-Resilient and strong
-30-40 year life span
-High fire resistance
Cons:
-Not available in a wide range of colors-due to its popularity this is changing quickly and will continue to do so in the future to come.Â
-Moisture-This is only a problem if they are not sealed acceptably
The cost of bamboo floors is between three and nine dollars a square foot installed which is half of what comparable hardwood floors would be. If you are looking for the look of hardwood floors without the associated expense bamboo kitchen floors are going to be a great pick for you and your family. Bamboo offers a lot of bang for your buck combining functionality, enviornmentally friendly, and incredible durablity.
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Hello my name is Steven Tikas and I have a new website that I have dedicated to helping people make an informed and educated decision when dealing with kitchen remodeling. For more specific information about bamboo kitchen flooring or general kitchen flooring choices available for your kitchen check out my website.
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Filed under Home Improvement Tips by on Nov 26th, 2008. Comment.
A fast growing trend is kitchen flooring is cork kitchen floors. Made from the bark of the cork oak tree it is incredibly resilient as well being green. A cork oak tree can grow in 9-14 years and the bark is removed and used to produce the cork, this process does not harm the tree, and it actually regrows itself. Cork flooring is also very soft under foot and some people compare it to walking on air, due mainly to the million of air cells inherent to cork.Â
Cork does not offer the variety of some other flooring materials but it does offer a very wide range of options, and like anything else that is gaining in popularity it is bound to increase. Available in planks as well as tile it offers a wide range of looks that will appeal to most people and kitchen styles. The natural colors of cork are not that wide ranging but it can be baked to produce a wide variety of colors and styles.Â
Pros:
-Durable to impact while being easy on the body
-Possesses a natural heat and sound absorbtion ability
-Fire and water resistant (water resistance depends on if it properly installed and sealed)
Cons:
-Lack of the same variety of options
-Will fade in sunlight
-Must reinforce any area with a heavy appliance on it to prevent damage
Cork kitchen floors are very well priced for the many positive features that it can bring to your kitchen remodel. Starting at four dollars a square foot, installed, and going up from there depending on the color that you choose. If you’re looking for a kitchen flooring option that is environmentally friendly along with being durable, soft, and resistant to many different types of mold, insects, and fungus cork kitchen flooring would be a great choice for you and your family.
Hello my name is Steven Tikas and I have a website that I have dedicated to helping people make an informed and educated decision when dealing with kitchen remodeling. For more specific information about cork kitchen floors or general kitchen flooring choices available for your kitchen check out my website.
Filed under Home Improvement Tips by on Nov 24th, 2008. Comment.
The kitchen can be a challenging area to provide flooring for. On one hand, the flooring must remain flexible enough to support the legs and back. On the other hand, however, the flooring must be resistant to stains and a high level of foot traffic. The right kitchen floors require little maintenance and can keep up with the demands placed on it by a modern kitchen. Spills and accidents will occur frequently, putting a strain on any flooring that is installed in the kitchen area. To prevent serious upkeep issues and future expenses, it pays to do the research necessary to find the best flooring.
Wood flooring has long been used in the kitchen, but it has a tendency to suffer under harsh kitchen conditions. Wood aborbs moisture, causing severe maintenance issues. When a wood floor absorbs too much moisture it can end up crowning or cupping, leading to a surface that must be replaced or sanded down. The only way to fix this problem is to sand it down, or to rip out the entire floor and start over. These options are both time consuming and costly, and involve many hours as well as thousands of dollars. While a properly finished and maintained wood floor may not be as susceptible to these issues, wood flooring is certainly more prone to suffer from them.
More reliable options include slate and ceramic tile. Tile and slate do not suffer from water exposure, and do not suffer from warping or cracking. As fairly tough materials, they experience little expansion or contraction.
Slate and ceramic flooring are available in a broad range of colors and shades. Slate and ceramic flooring are also very slip resistant, making them a better surface to use in the kitchen as well. Hardwood flooring can become slick, especially if it has been exposed to moisture. When using slate as a kitchen surface, be sure to go with a low gloss or finish for extra slip protection.
Laminate flooring is a great alternative to both wood and slate. To achieve that hardwood look without all the associated upkeep problems, laminate flooring can be a great alternative. Laminate flooring is easy to install, affordable, and very resistant to both absorbing moisture and food stains.
Laminate flooring is also engineered to work under heavy loads and traffic. The kitchen is a high stress area for flooring, and should be given flooring that will withstand as much. Choosing the right kind of flooring will result in a lifetime of great quality and low maintenance.
Find additional info on flooring go to Hardwood Flooring Installation
Filed under Home Improvement Tips by on Nov 21st, 2008. Comment.
| Buy Westhollow Laminate Flooring |
Although carpet and hardwood are great options in many areas of the home, they are sometimes unsuited. Spaces like the kitchen, or garage, commonly demand a higher level of toughness and resilience. Carpet absorbs stains and moisture too easily, leading to a dingy looking surface that may also attract odors. Hardwood offers a tougher surface than carpet, but it also falls prey to moisture. A moist hardwood gradually warps and cracks. After many seasons of expansion and contraction, moisture damage can become very apparent with a hardwood floor.
Areas in which water damage and accidents occur can result in scratching or gouging in the flooring as well. Hardwood laminate flooring is a great answer to all these problems and more. With a laminate floor, decorators can have the classic appeal of hardwood if they so desire, while dodging many of the usual pitfalls. Laminate flooring is largely impervious to moisture problems and will not absorb water. Stains are not an issue, and with prompt clean up, should not leave a mark at all.
Best of all, laminate flooring is very well priced, and can be found in a large selection of shades, colors, and styles.
Installing Laminate Flooring
Installation of laminate flooring is also fairly easy. When first purchasing a set of laminate flooring tiles, check each to make sure there are no broken tiles. Once certain that the entire package is intact, give the tiles a few days to adjust to their new environment. There may be some contraction or expansion involved when the laminate flooring tiles arrive in a new setting.
Make certain to follow all manufacturer guidelines that are included with the tile product. Specific instructions on how to glue the tiles are critical, and can affect the overall aesthetic quality and durability of the end product. It is also important to ensure that the tiles are placed with a quarter of an inch space between the wall and the flooring. Although an extensive set of tools is not needed for in home installation, you may have to cut the tiles to fit around corners, fireplaces, stairs, etc. A wet tile saw would provide all the cutting power needed for laminate flooring.
Also note that having a level surface for installation is also crucial. Be certain to fill any holes in the subflooring, or sand away any protruding areas that might stick up afterward.
Filed under Home Improvement Tips by on Nov 11th, 2008. Comment.