Ask Ken: Are Wood Floors in the Kitchen a Bad Idea?
Ken's Quick Answer:
"All wood floors scratch, dent, gouge, and scuff. There’s no getting around it. They’re also not friendly to water. If you want wood in the kitchen (and sometimes it’s what makes most sense from a design standpoint) be sure to take care of it.”
Ken's In-Depth Answer:
Many times, people ask me ‘what about wood in the kitchen?’ I almost always sigh. It’s not my first choice for a few reasons. First, wood and water don’t mix. In addition, kitchens often get heavy foot traffic and show a lot of wear and tear.
But... open floor plans generally mean the kitchen flows into the dining room and living room. In this case, from a decorative standpoint, you want to choose the same type of flooring throughout all of the rooms.
In other words, wood may not be the best product for the kitchen, but you may want to use it from a design perspective. If that’s the case, here are three tips about wood in the kitchen.
”Put a rug in front of the sink. Think about putting a rug in front of the refrigerator. Rugs are a great way to protect your wood floor.”
See More Flooring FAQs
First, make sure that you understand water and wood don’t mix. Wood and steam also don’t mix. Be careful how you clean your floor. Do it in an approved way and minimize the moisture. If you want to learn more, we have another video about cleaning hardwood floors.
Second, don’t wear shoes in the house. (At least, don’t wear shoes in the kitchen!) The more that you take debris from the outside and track it into your kitchen, the less attractive the wood floor is going to be.
Third, scatter rugs. Put a rug in front of the sink. Think about putting a rug in front of the refrigerator. Rugs are a great way to protect your wood floor. Think about it: If you have a wood floor in the living room you typically put down a rug to protect it. You also do the same thing in the dining room so that the chairs don’t scratch the floor. Regardless of your design style (you can use one runner or many rugs) the key is that it will help protect your wood floor.
Wood floors all scratch, dent, gouge, and scuff. There’s no getting around it. If you want wood in the kitchen (and sometimes it’s what makes most sense from a design standpoint) be sure to take care of it.
If you have any questions about wood in the kitchen or how to take care of a wood floor, don't hesitate to give us a call at 401-214-0285 or visit our showroom."
About Ken: Ken Fain is the co-owner of Island Carpet in Middletown, RI and a floorcovering veteran of more than 40 years. His popular 'Ask Ken' video series answers common flooring questions on a variety of topics. It has reached thousands of viewers on both YouTube and Facebook.