Wood can be the right design choice in an open-concept home. But before you commit, think through water, shoes, traffic, cleaning, and the areas that will take daily abuse.
That is the real decision. A kitchen floor has to work with the look of the home and the way the room gets used every day.
If you like the look of wood but want less kitchen worry, start with a floor category that is easier to live with around water, traffic, and everyday cleanup.
If the kitchen flows into the dining room and living room, wood may make the most sense visually. Just go in knowing it needs special care.
Ken explains why kitchen traffic, water, shoes, and difficult repairs can make wood a complicated choice for a kitchen.
All wood floors can scratch, dent, gouge, scuff, and stain. There is no getting around it. In a kitchen, that problem gets worse because the floor is exposed to water, steam, spills, shoes, grit, and constant traffic.
That does not mean wood is never the right choice. In an open floor plan, the kitchen may flow directly into the dining room and living room, and using the same flooring throughout can make the most sense from a design standpoint.
The tradeoff is maintenance. If you choose wood for a kitchen, clean it only in an approved way, minimize moisture, take shoes off when possible, and use rugs or runners in the areas that take the most wear.
Put a rug in front of the sink. Think about a rug in front of the refrigerator. If the floor also runs into a dining room or living room, the idea is the same: rugs help protect wood from the areas where people stand, walk, and move furniture.
Repair can also be more complicated than people expect. Sometimes board replacement is possible, but a kitchen with built-in cabinetry, a center island, or stone running down to the floor can make that repair much harder.
Engineered wood can be especially unforgiving because it may not give you the same ability to sand and refinish later. If you want wood in the kitchen, choose it with your eyes open and take care of it from day one.
Come see us at our Middletown showroom. We will talk through the room, the traffic, the look you want, and what kind of maintenance you are comfortable with.
