Kitchen Flooring

Know Your Requirements to Get the Perfect Floor






Kitchen flooring is important because nothing can help freshen up an older home, or help in the sale of a property or inspire your kitchen workspace like a new or remodeled kitchen.

Kitchen is not only a high traffic zone but it is highly prone to heat and spills as well. One needs to keep the floor in a good shape and for this it needs timely inspection. This will ensure proper repairing or renovation of the floor to reduce the damage.

Every floor shows signs which express the need for renovation. So how do you identify if your kitchen's floor needs repair or replacement? Simple! Follow the following list of points to get an idea about the state of your floor.

How to Identify If Kitchen Floor Needs Repair?

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, goes the adage and I cannot emphasize enough its application in daily life. Its true for almost any aspect of our life as prevention is always better than cure. Here are the symptoms that you need to look for in your ageing kitchen

Cracks

This is when the floor of your kitchen requires immediate attention. Cracked surface of the floor not only spoils the décor of your kitchen but it also makes the kitchen sub-flooring prone to damage. Cracked floors give room for spills to ooze into the sub-flooring causing damage. If the problem is left untreated then the kitchen sub-flooring may rot.

Soft Spots

Soft spots on the floor show that there is a serious problem with the sub-flooring. If this is the case, then replacing the tiles or surface wood won’t solve the problem. You have to change the sub-floor or boost its strength before installing a new floor.

Outdated

Outdated flooring not only makes your kitchen visually unattractive but also degrades the home value. Renovating the floor of the kitchen will recoup the losses. This is the simplest way to add value to the kitchen décor as well as to the house.

Stained

Stains and scuffs are most common signs of old flooring as it is more prone to spills and traffic. Stained floor gives a shabby and dirty look to the kitchen. In case the flooring has worn out, then you must consider it changing at the earliest.

Warped

Warps are commonly observed in old and worn kitchen floors. These warps on flooring of the kitchen are signs of severe water damage. Warped kitchen flooring makes walking uncomfortable and difficult. Besides this it also indicates that both the sub-flooring and flooring needs complete renovation.

Tips on choosing Flooring Material

  • You spend most of your time in the kitchen standing. Then don’t you think the floor should feel comfortable to your feet? Some of the options for a great floor include Vinyl, Laminate, Linoleum and Cork.

    However, hard materials like Tiles, Stone or Concrete can be used, along with kitchen rugs wherever appropriate for standing. Carpets are not very advisable for durable and stain-resistant floorings.

  • Ideally the kitchen flooring should be easy to maintain. Now days kitchen has become a part of the mainstream living space. Its but natural that it receives a lot of people starting from growing kids to unaware visitors. Chances are that it will face the wrath of stains from sauces or your hubby’s favourite dish that contains so much of oil.

    When you have a floor that cab easily cleaned from such stains, your life becomes easier in maintain the good looks of the kitchen for a long time to come. I prefer Vinyl, Laminate, Glazed Ceramic Tiles and Linoleum for flooring as they are way easier to maintain.

    Tips for a cleaner floor

    • No matter how stain-resistant the flooring materials are, you should always clean up the spills immediately.
    • Take extra care of floorings such as concrete, matte ceramic tiles or stone as they have the tendency to stain easily (e.g., resealing them periodically).
    • If you decide on textured flooring just take care not to choose flooring with too much texture, because that will be difficult to clean.

  • If you have small kids in your home then chances of brittle glasses and cookware falling onto the floor is high. In such a case a floor material that can absorb the impact is the ideal choice. I would go for vinyl, cork or laminate, given the circumstances.

  • If the traffic to the kitchen is high, durability of the floor is required. Concrete, Stone or Ceramic Tiles, some kinds of Wood and Laminate may also be durable, but you have to be cautious about not allowing them to absorb water.

    As far as maintenance is concerned, wood is my first choice because a wooden floor can be renovated after a number of years. With other floorings, you will have to replace them completely after they wear out.

  • For elderly people or children its better to avoid slippery floor. Stay away from glazed ceramic tiles, some kinds of stone (e.g. marble) and waxed wood.


Kitchen Flooring Plans

Among the various kitchen flooring plans that you may have, the most popular are the following

  • L-shape

    The L-shape requires the refrigerator and sink to be placed against the same wall and the stove on the adjacent wall.

  • U-shape

    The U-shape, on the other hand, separates the stove, sink and refrigerator by placing each one of them by a different wall.

  • One-wall

    This plan is most effective for those whose space is limited. In this case, the stove and the refrigerator are placed against the same wall and the kitchen sink on the opposite wall.

  • Open plan

    If the kitchen can be extended into other areas such as the living room or family area, the open area kitchen plan comes to picture.

A perfect kitchen flooring plan is one that goes along with the tastes of people in the house. Before deciding on the flooring to be used, talk to your family and take their opinion. It’s a happy feeling to have your family involved in such decisions.




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