10 Most Elegant Kitchen Floors To Sweep You Off Your Feet!

- Not Literally Though!

It’s the kitchen that is the heart of a happy family. If you want your kitchen to be as fabulous as your cooking, there are lots of different options for your floors. In this detailed review, we go through the most elegant kitchen floors from laminant, real hardwood, hardwood floor staining and even cork floors.

1. Wood Engineered to Be Rock Solid

An engineered wood floor is made of multiple layers of both hardwood and plywood whereas solid hardwood is a simple solid wood piece and no layers. The main challenge in any kitchen is to protect the floor from water and food spills. Moisture, as we all know, plays havoc with wood’s health. Moisture is responsible for the untamed expansion or shrinking of hardwood floors.

No worries! Engineered wood flooring has proven to be less vulnerable to moisture damage and dents… It’s sturdy and way more durable. It doesn’t require any refinishing. It’s easy to install and low in maintenance. It’s “not very demanding” behavior makes it a hit with homeowners. You will find a lot of variety in the visuals- Hand scrapped for a timeworn effect, distressed for rusticity or wire brushed for the character. You can’t tell an engineered floor from a hardwood solid floor- they look and feel alike.

2. Bamboo Flooring 

Bamboo is a really interesting floor style. It makes the room feel peaceful and serene like Bali. It’s also extremely durable. This floor reflects light and keeps the space brightened and energized. Add to this, it is as hard as traditional hard wood.  Bamboo flooring is rated high in style and durability but can also be expensive.

• Vertical bamboo has a uniform striped look
• Horizontal bamboo shows ‘knuckles’ in the grain pattern
• Strand woven bamboo mixes the fibers together for interlocked effect. This one is the hardest and the most expensive one.

However, on the downside, as Bamboo grass absorbs water, it is prone to damage from excessive humidity. It is moisture and temperature sensitive.

3. Oak Floors for that are Timelessness

For that unmatched, timeless character, go for oak. White oak and Red oak are two well-liked options in oak flooring. Red oak has medium to heavy grains and shows rosy undertones whereas white oak has linear grains and is less impacted by stains and spills. It throws modern vibes around the space and provides better contrast with the overall décor of your home.

If you plan to go for hardwood oak, my suggestion is to use rugs around the work areas like cooking and dish cleaning. Engineered ones are less susceptible to damage.

4. For those Feather-Footsteps,  Say Yes to Cork

If you are the kind, who loves to spend long hours in your kitchen, Cork is the floor for you. Cork floor is filled with air cells and that is what makes it spongy and cushiony. These floors are known to be easy on joints.

Moreover, here is to the running around of the children in the house. Glasses and dishes are less likely to break on a cork floor due to its softness! What’s more, this floor is water resistant too and is perfect for kitchens.

Cork flooring is constructed from the bark of trees. In that sense, it is eco-friendly. Cork regenerates itself in nine years whereas a tree takes 30 years to grow. Cork costs same as hardwood.

Cork floor has this unique feature where it fits both traditional and contemporary spaces. It’s hypo allergic trait adds to its value. It is also resistant to mold and mildew.

However, on another side, heavy objects can damage this floor. Sliding around of items can tear the surface require finishing and refinishing every five to ten years.

5. Rustic Wood Plank Flooring

Rusticity is modernism too.

For a primitively styled kitchen, you can go for long wood planks. You get box planks in nested bundles. My personal choice is 5 or 6 feet long planks. Longer the planks, more the rusticity. Accessorize the rest of your kitchen with time old metal utensils. Moreover, experience the magic of traveling back in time!

6. Dark Wood Stained Floors Are Beautiful 

Wood is in but sometimes a no wood look fetches a lot of appreciations. Stain it black- coal black and see the effect. Blackwood flooring adds warmth to the overall look. You can balance it out by adding lighter hues around the space.

You might get visuals of wood grains from certain angles, but that’s all about the wood in it.

7. How Much Wood is too Much Wood- Wood Palooza Floors

Imagine an all wood kitchen floor, beams, cabinets, Kitchen Island, window trim, door trim. Did I miss anything? A woody kitchen; and yes, all stained, not painted. Try it.

8. Brazilian Walnut- A Formula for Happy Dogs

Are you a dog lover? A pampered dog and a wooden floor have never gotten along. Your best bet here would be Brazilian walnut floors. They are exotic, dense, and the hardest hardwood around. They are dog-friendly and resistant to scratches. There you go- a happy dog and happy floors!

9. The Floors that Quietly do their Job- Kempas Flooring

You see them as reddish-pinkish brown wood straight from Indonesia and Malaysia. You stain them dark for warmth in the air. It’s a no-fuss floor that highlights spaces around.

You do have some cons. Over a period, it darkens with exposure to sunlight. It has high levels of acidity and can degrade metals.

10. Tigerwood- Dramatic Effect

These floors are evidently showy and dramatic in nature. You would love the patterns- tiger stripes, zebra lines and not to forget those white contrasting grains!

Protect them from the sun as it may fade the darker stripes. These floors ask for constant care.

Conclusion

Now, that you are equipped with enough knowledge and ideas, pick the one that suits your style and hire professionals like GERS Flooring. We are having more than 20 years of experience as a flooring contractor. We offer mixed of quality and value. Call our experts today at (908) 679-5371 and get a free estimate.

With 10 different choices of flooring you can accessorize your kitchen to your hearts content. Let us know what you think, leave a comment on our homepage at Gers flooring or Flooring Ideas With Splendid Varieties Of Hardwood