“Hardwood flooring is stylish and sustainable, comes in a variety of natural colors, and doesn't absorb dust or debris, making it easy to clean and maintain,” he says. Murphy says it is also a good choice for the kitchen because you rarely need to replace hardwood flooring.
Some experts recommend gently lifting and placing the refrigerator onto the floor protectors and then sliding it away. By not using a hand truck, you can avoid wheel marks on the hardwood. Try not to move the refrigerator too far. The closer it stays, the less risk of floor damage.
Another step you can take to reduce damage is to install a thick piece of plywood underneath the appliance. This plywood will reduce the amount of shock that is distributed into the floor by creating a barrier between the appliance and the hardwood.
Installing flooring before your cabinets is the best choice for most hardwood floors. When professionals install floors then cabinets, it's easier to get everything to standard heights. It's also a safer installation process for your cabinets since you won't risk any damage to them as professionals install the floors.
One of the best and easiest ways to protect your hardwood flooring from water damage is to lay down mats and rugs throughout the house. Place mats at the entrances to your home to keep wet, muddy shoes from traipsing onto your floors, and put a mat at the base of any sinks to protect your flooring from splashing water.
For kitchen flooring, durability and ease of cleaning are top criteria. Good choices are linoleum, ceramic tile--both very common--and wood. Linoleum is inexpensive and provides an easy-to-clean surface and comes in countless designs. Ceramic tiles are even better.
It is not necessary for your kitchen floor to be darker than the base cabinets or wall cabinets. The color of your kitchen floor can actually be a little lighter or darker than the cabinets. This creates a proper balance in the room.
Water is the enemy of hardwood flooring. Due to the porous nature of wood, moisture can be easily absorbed into the material. So your flooring may show signs of staining from small spills. The wet floor may also begin to buckle and cup when large amounts of water are absorbed as the planks swell.
Mold grows on organic materials in environments with high humidity or trapped moisture. Unfortunately for your hardwood floors that means they are vulnerable to damage and mold growth underneath them when there has been water or flood damage.
While refrigerators and stoves can be removed easily to install the flooring, the same cannot be said for kitchens with a dishwasher. However, it is possible to install laminate flooring under a dishwasher without completely disconnecting it.
Yes, just make sure that you cut the flooring cleanly with a tile saw so it aligns with the cabinet base. Replacing kitchen flooring without removing cabinets saves you time and money. You won't have to install flooring under the cabinets that no one will see.
In most cases it's best to raise the front legs to allow the flooring to run under about two to three inches or where the stop area won't be visible. For thicker flooring the dishwasher may have to be removed. Otherwise if it has to be serviced it may not come out without causing damage to the floor itself.
No, and yes. Putting a fridge on the carpet is not encouraged unless under some circumstances we will discuss later in this post. Carpets are not the best location to install your fridge because they hold heat and prevent air circulation from the cooling system, fan, and compressor.
To remain cool, your refrigerator needs to be well-ventilated. Having any of its vents or other aspects of its compressor or cooling system obstructed by carpeting can cause it to overheat, which won't just cause your food to spoil, but can likewise result in some of that aforementioned unfortunate leakage.
Put soft furniture pads on the bottoms of kitchen tables and chairs to keep them from scratching or denting the wood floor. Check frequently under the sink and around the dishwasher and fridge for signs of leaking. If you discover a leak, shut off the water to the kitchen and call a plumber.
Don't apply other coats of stain / polyurethane finishes on already finished engineered hardwood flooring. When cleaning your new hardwood flooring, ensure that you don't use any wax-based cleaners or harsh detergents that will dull the finish of your flooring.