Kitchen Flooring Choices

Getting the right flooring for a kitchen takes some thought.  Kitchens are usually one of the most used rooms in homes so the flooring needs to be hardwearing.  It will also need to be easy to clean as it will have food dropped on it regularly. Practical, durable and good looking choices for kitchen floors include:

Natural flooring such as seagrass carpets, sisal carpet and coir are completely unsuitable for kitchens as any food spilt may get stuck between the fibres and be impossible to clean.

Vinyl, Linoleum & Designer Vinyl Tiles

Vinyl sheet is the cheapest option for a kitchen floor. It is available in a huge range of colours and patterns. The advantages of vinyl include that it is soft and quiet underfoot. Some of the more expensive types are anti-slip. Vinyl sheet comes with patterns already printed on them. Over the last few years the quality of vinyl has inproved siginficantly, however the colours can look very different in daylight compared to artificial light so make sure you see your choice in day light and at night before deciding.

Linoleum and designer vinyl tiles, like Karndean have all the advantages of vinyl sheet but comes in plain colours so you can create your own design. The vinyl tiles also have feature strips which mean you can get the affect of ceramic, slate or quarry tiles without the cold underfoot.

Laying Vinyl Tiles & Flooring : It is essential that vinyl floor are laid on a smooth, dry and clean surface.   If you lay a vinyl flooring on quarry tiles or an uneven surface it will soon start to wear on any areas where the sub-floor is raised. Vinyl will also discolour if it is laid on top of an old vinyl floor or thermo-plastic tiles. In all these situations floor preparation will be required and you should budget for the same amount on floor preparation as on the flooring itself.

Laminate or Engineered Wood Flooring

Wood laminate flooring and engineered wood flooring is a more expensive option than vinyl.   Wood flooring can compliment wood cabinets and worktops but make sure it does not become too overpowering.  If like me you are always dropping your crockery and glasses the other advantage of wood is that it can be forgiving and you may get them to bounce. The only thing to be aware of is that even the smallest water spillage that is not noticed and cleaned up immediately can result in you floor warping and you may not notice the problem for a while.   So make sure your radiators, dishwashers, sinks etc do not have a leak however small.

Carpets & Carpet Tiles

Carpets and carpet tiles should only be used in kitchens if they are specifically designed to be stain resistant, for example Flotex. Carpet tiles have the advantage that they can be moved around when they get badly stained. For example the tiles under the table could be moved to in front of the kitchen sink.

Floor Laying in Kitchens

Flooring in kitchens should be laid under the plinths.  If you are having a new kitchen fitted, get the flooring fitted before the plinths are installed.  If you are using your existing kitchen cabinets your plinths may need some adjustment after the new kitchen flooring has been fitted.

DIY Fitting of sheet vinyl and vinyl tiles is not recommended but if you are a confident DIY’er why not fit your own laminate or engineered wood product. You can order it online from our online shop www.sgflooring-online.co.uk.   There is information on how to estimate flooring. Whats more if you are within a 20 mile radius of our base near Warwickshire and Leicestershire we deliver the product to your door with NO DELIVERY charge.

If you are based in the Leicester, Northampton or Daventry areas and you would like a FREE no obligation quote at home for your new kitchen flooring please contact Stewart on 07860 869169 or 01788 860002.

Take a look at our blog for a range of information about carpets, vinyls and wood flooring.