Kitchen Floor Question

[jen3kids]

Dh and I have decided to begin the process of redoing our kitchen.  We currently have light coloured maple hardwood flooring from the front door through the hallway and in the kitchen.  There is doorway into the kitchen, so what we do in the kitchen doesn't have to go all the way to the front door.

Today we went to Lowes to look at some flooring options - luxury vinyl tile, ceramic tile, bamboo, cork, laminate, engineered wood.

I really hate the idea of tearing out perfectly good hardwood, but we are both tired of the colour of the hardwood and and its bevelled edges that are a pain to keep clean.  Our cabinets are light maple and so is our table, so we have a lot of the same colour and we want to mix it up. Dh really likes the look of light quartz countertops with a medium grey cabinet, and I'm ok with that too, but the floor is a big question mark right now.... 

I love the idea of cork, but it might be too soft.  We saw some interesting LVT today, but it seemed to have the same annoying grove between the planks.  Dh loved the bamboo, but it was $$$.  We both liked a Pergo product, but tearing out hardwood to put down fake-ish plastic product just seems wrong.

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

  

[Liz CA]

Well, I was die-hard tile but now I have softened to accept a nice, easily cleaned vinyl. For me it's all about how easy it can be cleaned - no grooves where stuff gets stuck, etc. I suppose I would base a decision on how dirty the floor gets generally. Do you have dogs / cats = dog hair or cat hair that gets stuck between planks? Are your teens good with kitchen clean-up? Pergo was fine for our loft years ago but it does not clean or look like hardwood and I heard in rooms where water spills are more likely, Pergo is not the best choice - even though someone else may have more info on that. I would consider high end vinyl unless someone knows a good reason why not. Tile is hard on your joints and feels cold but looks great and most of the tile I had cleaned fairly well.

 

[jen3kids]

14 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

Well, I was die-hard tile but now I have softened to accept a nice, easily cleaned vinyl. For me it's all about how easy it can be cleaned - no grooves where stuff gets stuck, etc. I suppose I would base a decision on how dirty the floor gets generally. Do you have dogs / cats = dog hair or cat hair that gets stuck between planks? Are your teens good with kitchen clean-up? Pergo was fine for our loft years ago but it does not clean or look like hardwood and I heard in rooms where water spills are more likely, Pergo is not the best choice - even though someone else may have more info on that. I would consider high end vinyl unless someone knows a good reason why not. Tile is hard on your joints and feels cold but looks great and most of the tile I had cleaned fairly well.

 

 

I really don't want tile for a variety of reasons.  

Do you have plank tile, or sheet tile?  The plank tile we saw today all have grooves, similar to our current maple floor, which I hate.

In answer to your questions - a cat that sheds, but not horribly, and teens and dh that don't pay much attention to floor spills.

LVT seems to be so environmentally unfriendly - to make it and it will never decompose.

[jen3kids]

18 minutes ago, peacelovehomeschooling said:

We put in black and white ceramic tile floors in our kitchen.  I love them! 

Since you have nice hardwood floors in there, I would consider making other changes that you want to the kitchen before doing anything to the floor.  It may be that once you put in counters and paint the cabinets, you decide you want to keep the floor as is.

 

One thing I forgot to mention is that we are taking out the island and making a U shape counter instead and we will need to find out if there is maple under the island.  It isn't likely so we have to figure out what to do in that space if we decide to keep the current hardwood.

[Acorn]

We bought real linoleum last year. I love it. The ease of vinyl but more eco friendly. It took a couple calls to find a sales rep. 

[jen3kids]

5 minutes ago, Acorn said:

We bought real linoleum last year. I love it. The ease of vinyl but more eco friendly. It took a couple calls to find a sales rep. 

 

I thought linoleum and vinyl were the same thing!

 

[gardenmom5]

if it's real wood - what about refinishing it? (most engineered would should take at least one refinish. check the thickness of your wood layer)  it will have to be sanded, which should cut down the bevel, then you can stain it a color you like before putting a finish on it.

[gardenmom5]

14 minutes ago, jen3kids said:

 

One thing I forgot to mention is that we are taking out the island and making a U shape counter instead and we will need to find out if there is maple under the island.  It isn't likely so we have to figure out what to do in that space if we decide to keep the current hardwood.

a good flooring store should be able to match - it would be cheaper than replacing all floors.

[alisoncooks]

Some of the LVT has "micro-beveled" edges.  This means the planks sit tight up against each other. We recently installed a wood-look vinyl plank in our kitchen, and there is very little space between pieces. They're almost flat and flush. 

[Liz CA]

45 minutes ago, jen3kids said:

 

I really don't want tile for a variety of reasons.  

Do you have plank tile, or sheet tile?  The plank tile we saw today all have grooves, similar to our current maple floor, which I hate.

In answer to your questions - a cat that sheds, but not horribly, and teens and dh that don't pay much attention to floor spills.

LVT seems to be so environmentally unfriendly - to make it and it will never decompose.

 

We had sheet tile with darker grout so any dirt would not be so noticeable. Today's grout cleaners do a pretty good job but it's still labor intensive.

Maybe ask a few more questions regarding biodegradability or check this out: https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Sustainable-Flooring

[EMS83]

I vote for ceramic tiles--sealed tiles, sealed grout.  Sealed everything.  ?  Wood floors would not survive in any fauceted room in our house.  ?   LVT would be my next choice, sans grooves.  

[Annie G]

I second the suggestion of seeing whether there is a way to fill under the island with wood to match and then sand and stain a color you prefer. You might even sand away a lot of the bevel you don’t like. 

We’ve had wood repairs in 4 rooms and nobody can tell which is the original and which is the repair wood. 

[KathyBC]

How long have you been in your home? If you've managed hardwood in your kitchen and it still looks good, I would be hesitant to change.

[jen3kids]

 

We have lived here for 16 years and while the hardwood is in pretty good shape, it does have some damage and we would really like to do something to change it up.

The floor is definitely thick enough to sand and remove the bevel.  Unfortunately, maple is notoriously difficult to stain.  I have been researching ways to change its colour, so we'll see what our contractor says about it and then get an opinion on how it would look from the designer.  Neither my husband nor I are great at visualizing colours and how they work together so we hired a designer to help with that.  Her advice will be key.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.  

 

 

[regentrude]

2 hours ago, jen3kids said:

I thought linoleum and vinyl were the same thing!

Oh no, absolutely not. Linoleum is made from canvas, cork and linseed oil, all renewable resources and very eco friendly. 

Vinyl is a chlorine containing petroleum product.

Edited August 26, 2018 by regentrude

[Mergath]

I have LVP in my kitchen, and there isn't much of a groove between the planks. I mean, you can see the line where the planks meet, but there isn't any gap at all. I can't even stick my fingernail between the planks.

[Sugarfoot]

We have cork in the school room, and I love it so much. It is so much easier on my feet than the hardwood we have in the kitchen / hearth room. It's been super easy to care for, as well.

[madteaparty]

When I ever redo a kitchen, I’m putting g Moroccan style tiles on the floor. My kitchen is used, hard and even the vinyl that’s all over the first floor is not ideal.

I have butcher block countertops and am replacing with white quartz. Love marble but like I said, heavily used kitchen. DH thinks it’s too much white (floors are white, the walls white, the cabinets gray), but it’s what it will be.

[Liz CA]

3 hours ago, regentrude said:

Oh no, absolutely not. Linoleum is made from canvas, cork and linseed oil, all renewable resources and very eco friendly. 

Vinyl is a chlorine containing petroleum product.

 

Yes, and marmoleum is a relatively new hybrid - supposedly 97% biodegradable.

[nevergiveup]

You could just paint it.

I vote rubber.  That is what I am going to have whenever I finally get to finish the floor.  I have it in my entry and love it.  Check out Nora flooring.

My sister and a friend have cork and it has not withstood the use at all.

[Acorn]

5 hours ago, Liz CA said:

 

Yes, and marmoleum is a relatively new hybrid - supposedly 97% biodegradable.

I think the other major brand is Forbo. I had to google websites and get the manufacturers to list local dealers. There was a local flooring company in my neighborhood. I got the impression that their linoleum clients are commercial buildings. They only have 1 linoleum installer (quote “because these young kids just don’t know what they’re doing.” I did need a seam. Some of the vinyl trend is due to linoleum coming in smaller rolls and needing seams. I have since recognized the colors in our new children’s hospital, but they then used a high gloss and I left mine matte.

We have asthma and allergy concerns here. The vinyl that came with the house had worn through but I left it for years because I thought new vinyl was my only option. I wish I had known about linoleum and used it sooner.

[wintermom]

12 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

if it's real wood - what about refinishing it? (most engineered would should take at least one refinish. check the thickness of your wood layer)  it will have to be sanded, which should cut down the bevel, then you can stain it a color you like before putting a finish on it.

I would definitely look into doing this. Wood flooring is not something you want to remove unless you really have to. It's so popular, practical and beautiful - not to mention really expensive to replace in the future if you ever miss having it. I also believe that it is superior to any other flooring you mention. If it's simply the colour of the wood and the shape of the boards you are tired of, then there are alternative solutions without having to change out flooring.

Edited August 26, 2018 by wintermom

[KungFuPanda]

Can’t you just refinish the floor? Or get a different color table? You can even paint (not stain) the floor any color you’d like. I’d research painted floors before ripping it out. 

[Carrie12345]

I'll just throw out there that we have laminate planks in our kitchen and dining/entry area. (ETA: also in the girls' room.)) It has held up a million times better in the kitchen than in the dining/entry.  And my family is HARD on the kitchen!  I step in puddles and sticky stuff way more than anyone ever should.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Carrie12345

[gardenmom5]

13 hours ago, regentrude said:

Oh no, absolutely not. Linoleum is made from canvas, cork and linseed oil, all renewable resources and very eco friendly. 

Vinyl is a chlorine containing petroleum product.

linoleum can last a long time - but it can become very brittle.   at least I remember the old stuff being very brittle.

[fairfarmhand]

15 hours ago, madteaparty said:

When I ever redo a kitchen, I’m putting g Moroccan style tiles on the floor. My kitchen is used, hard and even the vinyl that’s all over the first floor is not ideal.

I have butcher block countertops and am replacing with white quartz. Love marble but like I said, heavily used kitchen. DH thinks it’s too much white (floors are white, the walls white, the cabinets gray), but it’s what it will be.

If I were to redo my kitchen this is where I’d go. Moroccan tile is lovely. And by the way, my dh picked white tile for my kitchen floor and I hate it!

[kbutton]

If you do end up removing the hardwood floor in the kitchen, you might save some for repairs in other rooms (I got the impression it matches), or you might find a local freecycle or Habitat type of group that will take flooring. We have a lot of upcycling/reclaim groups around here that do that kind of thing. 

[Selkie]

I think that since you're tired of your wood flooring,  you should rip it out and put in something that you love. 

We just did a major remodel of our main floor (still in the midst of it, actually). We ripped out all the oak and ceramic tile flooring and replaced it with hickory. I love it so much...it was $$$, but worth every penny. Some people thought we were crazy for getting rid of the oak, but I was tired of the yellowish color and the fact that it needed refinishing so often. I would never get ceramic tile again, either, because it chips and grout is such a pain. The hickory gives our house a totally different look and it should be easier to maintain since it is so much harder than oak. After living with those floors for twenty years, I was so ready for a change - so I say go for it and get something that makes you happy!?

 

[ktgrok]

I LOVE the idea of rubber. It seems to be starting to trend, too.

[jen3kids]

32 minutes ago, kbutton said:

If you do end up removing the hardwood floor in the kitchen, you might save some for repairs in other rooms (I got the impression it matches), or you might find a local freecycle or Habitat type of group that will take flooring. We have a lot of upcycling/reclaim groups around here that do that kind of thing. 

 

Funny enough, I thought we could use the hardwood from the hallway to replace the area where the island will be taken out.  But we probably are waiting to redo those floors due to the $$$.

I do plan to donate the cabinets and countertops, and if we do take up the maple hardwood, that too!

 

27 minutes ago, Patty Joanna said:

I am so out of date, but I'll say it anyway.  I do not like oak furniture or cabinetry, but honey oak flooring is timeless.  It sort of disappears while adding warmth to the home.  I have it in the house I live in now, and I get LOTS of compliments on it...which kills me because it used to just be Standard Wood Floor.  It makes the house "flow" as well, as it is everywhere from the entry to the halls, the kitchen and the family room, to the back door.  Super easy to keep up.

I'm with you on the grooves!  And re: Pergo...my sister has it on her floors and it makes a really annoying clacking sound when walked on with hard shoes.  It is also really slick and that scares my mom to pieces.  (She's 95....).  It LOOKS good but I don't like the sound.  

I've seen some nice  bamboo which has the similar glow of honey oak.  

And of the options you mentioned, I'll tell you the ones that I hate.  I can deal with dark wood, but it always looks like it need to be swept; cherry is really pretty but spendy; I agree with you that the maple is a little light, but I can live with it, although if you go with light counters, it might be nice to have a higher contrast, but I cannot stand the currently popular gray-stained wood.  It looks like beetle kill and is such a downer.  That is my opinion.  I am full of opinions today.  

 

 

There is dark cherry floor in dh's office and it always looks dusty to me.  

I agree that the light floors with the light counters may be too much light-ness.  Oh, and, dh loves the grey-stained wood floors.  His current idea is dark grey cabinets, light countertops, and grey floor, which is what we did in the kids' bathroom upstairs.  I think it is weird to repeat a colour scheme from the bathroom to the kitchen, but he sees no problem with it.  I don't hate the grey flooring, but am not stuck on it like is.

 

[jen3kids]

43 minutes ago, Selkie said:

I think that since you're tired of your wood flooring,  you should rip it out and put in something that you love. 

We just did a major remodel of our main floor (still in the midst of it, actually). We ripped out all the oak and ceramic tile flooring and replaced it with hickory. I love it so much...it was $$$, but worth every penny. Some people thought we were crazy for getting rid of the oak, but I was tired of the yellowish color and the fact that it needed refinishing so often. I would never get ceramic tile again, either, because it chips and grout is such a pain. The hickory gives our house a totally different look and it should be easier to maintain since it is so much harder than oak. After living with those floors for twenty years, I was so ready for a change - so I say go for it and get something that makes you happy!?

 

 

Tempting, and we may do that.

4 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

I LOVE the idea of rubber. It seems to be starting to trend, too.

 

Considering it.  

[maize]

12 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Can’t you just refinish the floor? Or get a different color table? You can even paint (not stain) the floor any color you’d like. I’d research painted floors before ripping it out. 

I've about made up my mind to paint the beat up cork flooring in my living room. I just have to decide on a color.

I painted a bedroom floor a couple of months ago and like it so far.

Edited August 27, 2018 by maize

[Storygirl]

I always consider resale when I'm planning what to do with my home, even if I am not planning to sell it. Because we have now sold three homes that we thought were going to be our forever home, so I have accepted that I can't completely predict what the future will bring. And we've had a harder time selling a couple of houses, due to features that were not as appealing to buyers.

In our area, hardwood is highly desired, so it would be a mistake to switch from hardwood to something else. If I were in your position, I would patch the area under the island if needed and refinish the floors. You may want to make sure you know what the desired flooring is in your area before you make the decision.

Edited August 27, 2018 by Storygirl