Guide to kitchen flooring

With so much choice available from materials to finishes, and of course cost, how do you pick the right kitchen flooring?  Here is our guide to making the best choice for your home.

Family and budget friendly

Choosing a budget friendly floor does not mean that you have to compromise on quality or appearance, as there are some great options to pick from these days.  Laminate and vinyl flooring are both practical, hard wearing choices that look great, stand up to a busy family life and don’t cost the earth.

Laminate flooring is made by fusing together multiple layers in a lamination process; an inner core or base layer, which is usually composed of fibre board materials and melamine resin, an image layer and also a transparent wear layer.  This super tough flooring is both scratch and scuff resistant, so is a great choice for any household with pets.  Waterproof laminate is ideal for the kitchen as it can be a humid environment, where spills are bound to happen.  Laminate is easy to install which helps lower the cost, and you can have an imitation wood, stone or ceramic finish.

Alternatively, vinyl is a great low cost flooring for the kitchen.  This tough material is constructed of layers of different synthetic materials, available in either sheets, planks or tiles.  If you want a stone or wood effect, choose planks or tiles.  For a really budget friendly choice, sheet vinyl is the best and is also completely waterproof.  Vinyl is also really easy to keep clean by sweeping regularly and mopping once a week.

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When looks matter

If your main concern is the appearance of the floor, wood and LVT (luxury vinyl tile) are both stunning and easy to maintain choices, each with their own advantages.

It’s hard to rival the look of a stunning hardwood floor, with all its warmth and character.  Properly maintained, a hardwood floor can last you for a lifetime and even add value to your home.  Engineered hardwood is also a great choice, which is more stable due to its layered construction, so is also very practical for the kitchen.

LVT is an ideal choice if you want a natural looking floor but at a lower cost.  It is available in a wide range of colours and finishes, designed to perfectly imitate wood, ceramic and stone flooring.  The 3d and embossing techniques that are used now mean the design layer can actually have the pattern of a wood grain, which makes it hard to tell it is not real wood.  LVT has the added advantages of being durable, waterproof, scratch resistant, and slip and spill resistant for safety underfoot.  It also has great image retention so will look stunning for years to come.

Whether you choose real wood or imitation wood flooring, there are different styles that you can pick from.  Parquet flooring is the on-trend style, which means the planks are laid in repeating patterns like squares, triangles and lozenges.  Herringbone and chevrons patterns are the most common.

Wood and LVT are also the best choices for asthma and allergy sufferers, as they are both hypoallergenic.

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Ideal for the eco-friendly

If you are looking for eco-friendly flooring, wood is again one of the best options.  This natural material is long lasting and it is recyclable.  Many manufacturers, like Ted Todd, use sustainably sourced wood from forests that are environmentally conscious, responsibly managed and socially beneficial.  Check for FSC certfication, as this guarantees the wood is sustainably sourced.  Not only is wood eco-friendly but it is also a great investment for any home and one of the most beautiful types of flooring.

Reclaimed wood is another option, this is wood that has been repurposed, so it is not only reused but also no extra trees need to be cut down.  Ethically sourced reclaimed wood has a tight grain, which means it is highly durable and also gives a great deal of character to a room.

Engineered hardwood is also eco-friendly if sustainable wood has been used to make it.  The manufacturing process is incredibly efficient, using plywood and a top layer of solid wood, which produces very little waste.  It can be used with underfloor heating, conducts heat well and is more stable than hardwood flooring, which is ideal for the kitchen.

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Whatever look you want to achieve in your home, we can help with all your flooring and carpet needs.  Contact us here to book a free estimate with our friendly and professional Herts Carpets team today!

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