What type of flooring should I put in my country farm kitchen?

[Mango]

The parquet floor tiles installed 20 years ago are worn out completely. There'd been carpeting before that. Underneath it all is just regular subfloor stuff.

 

The back door is technically the front door so all the traffic from outside (think farm yard) ends up on this floor, wet, dry, mud, sand, poop, snow, dog, etc. There is a small landing of tile right by the door, 60's era brown and tan 1x1's. We had to repair that when we moved in and we used up the remainder of the extra tiles laying around. Ironically it's the same tiles that's coming up in the bathroom.

 

Because it's connected to the outside, it can get cold when the door is left hanging open. Yes, we're working on that.

 

The floor is uneven because it's an old house. There's a high spot where an addition was put on and it meets the original house.

 

The kitchen connects with the living room which is a nice oak wood floor. Totally unaffordable to replicate in the kitchen. :((

 

 

Affordability and personal installation are a must.

[Anne]

I'd go with laminate - sturdy, easy to maintain, relatively easy to install and one of the cheapest alternatives.

 

Anne

[Parrothead]

In a high traffic snow and mud area I'd stay away from laminate. Tile will hold up to snow and mud. So will sealed hard wood.

[Dandelion]

 

The kitchen connects with the living room which is a nice oak wood floor. Totally unaffordable to replicate in the kitchen. :((

 

 

 

We have hardwood floors throughout our entire main level, including the kitchen. While they look nice, I would honestly prefer tile in the kitchen. So much easier to keep clean and holds up better to wear and tear.

 

I would go with tile.

[Rebecca VA]

Heck, I'd use vinyl flooring -- there are plenty of choices that are attractive, comfortable to stand on, and easy to clean. (The comfortable part is important, so you'd want to test for cushiness.) It can be easily replaced every five to 10 years. There's no way I'd use anything else.

[Harriet Vane]

Tile, definitely. Use some throw rugs to keep it warmer. Install under-floor heating--it's wonderful.

[linders]

A caution on tile. Did tile once. A couple of months later started having knee/back problems. Added a mat where I stand the longest (sink). Continued to have problems. Started wearing cushioned shoes at all times in kitchen (which meant most of the day, really). Still had problems and hated wearing shoes all the time. Replaced tile with hardwood. Problems went away.

[magnificent_baby]

Not sure if this is really a country farm kitchen look, but I LOVED our Armstrong faux tile floor. You can use grout or piece them together without grout. Not super cheap but hold up beautifully. The best floor we've ever had.

[speedmom4]

I think tile would look nice in a country farm kitchen.

 

Elise in NC

[plansrme]

Your floor has to be nearly dead flat for tile unless you can have high spots ground down or low spots filled in. Yours may be within the parameters, but the fact that you can see high spots makes me think not. If you put down enough mortar to level it, you may lock in your cabinets, make your doors not close, cover up too much baseboard, etc. There are a lot of factors to consider with a less-than-perfect sub-floor, and you need someone to take a look in person and tell you what is possible. If you can replace the sub-floor to correct some of the issues, that may be a surprisingly affordable option. On the other hand, if the unevenness is in the foundation, all the sub-floor in the world may not fix it.

 

There is nothing wrong with vinyl, though. And it covers a wealth of problem sub-floors.

 

Terri

[Dory]

We put a high end laminate in our kitchen and I regret it regularly. If anything leaks onto the floor and I don't see it right away, the floor swells. Laminate just doesn't handle much for moisture. In a kitchen I would go with tile or vinyl.

[WishboneDawn]

Honestly, if affordability is a concern I'd just fix the floor so it's level, put down the plywood sub-floor, and seal it. It's about as practical as you can get and it looks fine until you can afford a floor you really want. And when you put down something else more permanent there's no need to strip off something else.

 

I'm getting to the old-fogey point in life though where I'm starting to value functionality way above looks.

[jolley]

Vinyl. It's the only thing that worked for our old farmhouse.

[kitten18]

I would look at the resilient vinyl tiles. I've been reading a lot about them. It seems that people are much happier with the ones that look like tile/stone than they are with the ones that look like wood. They're supposed to be very easy to install yourself.

 

I'm thinking about putting them in DS's room (I'm desperate to get rid of the carpet in there). We have porcelain tile throughout our main floor (and I love it) but I want something quieter/softer for an upstairs bedroom. You can install them with our without grout. I'm leaning toward no grout because I have enough grout to clean.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

We have vinyl tile in our laundry and bathroom downstairs, they look like stone tile. They have a lifetime warranty on them, and have held up to high traffic. That area of the house is where we come in and out most often. I think it would hold up nicely in our kitchen as well.

[gardenmom5]

I just redid my kitchen floor. I had pre-finished hardwood with a "40 year" finish. the 'ultra-hard finish chipped when things were dropped on it - I much prefer finish on site with Swedish finish. . . . . . . . I put in 12 x 24 quartzite tile - it's recommended it be sealed (I'm not sure if this was presealed, or the stone is just that hard. I poured vegetable oil on a tile scrap and it just sat there, and did nothing.), and we used a urethane grout that does not need sealing. (but cleans more easily than the epoxy grout). I would not use slate - it's too soft. Porcelain tile also comes in many styles, and is very durable and does not need sealing. we had some fun science experiments with tile samples. drop water, oil, vinegar, etc. and see what happens to them.

[Ottakee]

I would look at the new vinyl plank floorings---100% waterproof and look like wood, or the vinyl tiles---same idea just in tile format. Since you couldn't match the hardwoods exactly the tile might look even better. Dh installed ours and had they offered it when we put laminate throughout the house we would have done that instead of the laminate.

[matrips]

Vinyl gets a bad rap because it isn't 'in' or high end. But seriously, it can take the water, dirt and a good scrubbing and keep on going. Wood is too sensitive. Vinyl is also more comfortable to stand on than tile would be, and not near as cold. I'd get a good mish-mosh color that will easily hide dirt! Not any kind of light or solid color! This is what I'd do if I was planning to live there and wanted to have a floor that worked with my life. Vinyl or linoleum (if they are different). If you are planning to sell it very soon, then go for something else.

[briansmama]

I love hardwood floors in a country kitchen.

[KatherineNaomi]

We recently put a new floor in our kitchen and our main concerns were affordability and durability. We ended up putting in a groutable vinyl tile from Home Depot called Trafficmaster Ceramica. It's a sticky tile but much more substantial than the typical vinyl tile. You can grout it and it's really hard to tell without touching it that it's not ceramic. And because it's vinyl, not ceramic, it's pretty forgiving if your floors aren't perfectly even.

[Mango]

Vinyl sounds like what will be most practical. It really resonates with me to have the ability to change it out again in 10 years or so. :))

 

Yes, the waves in the floor are very visible. It's now the character of the house.

 

I'll look at those armstrong tiles. Did you have a link?

[plansrme]

Have you ever looked at Marmoleum? I do not know how diy'able it is, but it makes a lovely floor and is quite period appropriate.

 

Terri

[PeterPan]

Not sure of the dimensions of your space, but you could also do tile in the outdoor entryway (yes), bring it in just for the mudroom/entrance, and then switch over to vinyl. That's what I have. I happen to have a commercial grade vinyl that is just mind-bogglingly durable and stands up to dh's boots. Had regular vinyl, and that was horrible with boots. If you don't have a space that divides nicely for the two surfaces, then just do vinyl and be practical. Get one with no texture, just smooth, and get it with as much mils of coating as you can afford. Mine keeps up with me, and let's just say I'm no Martha Stewart. ;)

[zoobie]

Cork? I love cork floors. Or the real, old fashioned linoleum.

[Jan in SC]

If wood is too expensive, I would do black and white linoleum.

[Janie Grace]

Vinyl all the way. I had ceramic tile in our last house and I hated it. My back hurt constantly from standing on it. It's cold and stuff breaks on it all the time. I lost about a third of my glasses/plates because of that tile! Ceramic tile is "in" but there is NO WAY I'd get it. I love vinyl. Easy to clean and the new stuff looks really nice.

[Lucy the Valiant]

Our farm kitchen (also a front-door / back-door gets-all-the-stuff situation) has vinyl flooring that LOOKS like gray slate - several people have commented that they were surprised it's not actual slate.

 

It's wicked durable, easy to clean, takes the beating the kids give it, and is not a small fortune to replace in 10 years or so.

 

Ours looks like this (this is not my picture; ours is in my kitchen):

 

[Cera]

I woud choose a tile designed to look like slate (sealed slate would be my first choice but it's pricey).