Since the kitchen is a high-traffic area, you need a durable flooring material that can withstand wear and tear. Consider materials like ceramic or porcelain tile, natural stone, or hardwood floors that are strong enough to handle foot traffic and heavy furniture.
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.
“For heavy foot traffic areas such as living rooms and kitchens, I recommend getting vinyl plank flooring with an enhanced urethane finish,” Lewis says. “They have a high-gloss look and are damage-resistant.” However, for lower traffic areas, no-wax finishes are best, she says.
Vinyl flooring outperforms laminate flooring in the area of water resistance, making it a go-to flooring material for areas that are prone to water and moisture exposure.
Laminate is a good option where there is not a lot of moisture. Vinyl is a better option to stand up to rooms with a lot of spills and splashes.
Ceramic Tile
It's a hard and durable flooring material that's impervious to water and stains, making it an ideal kitchen flooring option. Ceramic tile is also resistant to heat and breakage. Under normal conditions, ceramic tile can last indefinitely with little change to its appearance or function over time.
Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring looks and feels just like hardwood, but it's harder and more durable than wood. Bamboo is also more resistant to water and spills, so it has become a popular choice for homeowners who want waterproof kitchen flooring.
So, what flooring looks cleanest? Typically, lighter color woods show less dirt and dust. Dark floors can easily show dust, while lighter floors mask it. Similarly, matte floors show less smudges, foot and paw prints than high gloss flooring.
'Typically, darker cabinets are coupled with a lighter floor color to break up the space and to prevent the kitchen from feeling too enclosed,' says Chris Dance, head designer and director at InHouse Inspired Room Design. 'With lighter cabinets, there's often a greater diversity of flooring choices. '
Neutral shades such as light brown, gray, and black are timeless classics that will look good for years to come. These hues make a great backdrop for any room in your home, so you can easily accessorize the space without worrying about the color clashing with your floors.
#4: Light Neutral Colors
Another top flooring trend in 2023? Light and neutral flooring. Modern grey wood flooring continues to be popular, as are light floor colors like blonde and beige. A great way to add these lighter flooring shades to your home or business is to use bamboo flooring.
Con: LVP May Dent
Luxury vinyl flooring can dent and even scratch or scuff, especially from heavy appliances, furniture, or other weighty objects. Just because it's resistant to something doesn't mean it's impervious to it. However, do know that LVP resists scratches better than real hardwood.
Sheet vinyl: Sheet vinyl is a 100 percent waterproof solid surface. Usually, it has very few, if any, seams that allow water to penetrate to the substrate. Luxury vinyl flooring (LVF) planks: Luxury vinyl flooring (LVF) comes n long plank strips, typically 7 inches wide and 48 inches long.
Be Sure To Clean Regularly
Then, all you need to do is sweep or dust it on a regular basis and it will stay clean and scratch free. Laminate flooring is a perfect choice for your kitchen because of its strength. It is stain and scratch resistant, so you can keep your laminate flooring for years to come.
Neutral colours like white and cream give natural wood space to shine; stick to pale wood for small or narrow kitchens where dark corners are a risk, or create contrast in a larger kitchen with white units and dark wood floors.
Tile flooring made from har material such as ceramic or porcelain are among the most scratch-resistant flooring you can find. Tile flooring is also one of the most versatile, customizable flooring options with a multitude of shapes, sizes, colors, patterns and styles.
Ceramic tile with matte finish is an affordable option that works well for keeping dirt out of sight. This finish will also make your tile much less slippery when wet. Be sure to keep your tile sealed to keep moisture, stains and maintenance to a minimum.
WPC and SPC Vinyl is a great waterproof option for bathrooms and other wet, high traffic areas. Vinyl can look like wood planks, stone, and even ceramic tile. WPC and SPC Vinyl flooring are rigidcore products, combining the durability, scratch resistance and waterproof features of vinyl.
What is more waterproof: Vinyl or laminate? While both vinyl and laminate can wick away moisture easily, vinyl is completely waterproof, which means you should go with vinyl for rooms that get a lot of moisture and high traffic.
Manufacturing vinyl flooring requires the use of toxic chemicals, and after installation, vinyl floors have been known to emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Off-gassed VOCs can adversely affect health and an indoor environment, particularly without windows or ventilation, will lead to higher concentrations.
Some disadvantages of vinyl flooring include: Cannot be repaired. Can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) Shorter lifespan than wood floors.
Not Impervious to Damage
Luxury vinyl flooring is much more durable than natural hardwood. Yet, while luxury vinyl is resistant against stains and scratches, it isn't immune to damage. Luxury vinyl plank flooring is not repairable and will need to be replaced to remove scratches, scuffs, dents, and dings.
Tumbled Effect Porcelain Trend
A big trend for 2023 kitchen floor tiles is tumbled effect porcelain - together with the character and variation from tile to tile, this soft tumbling effect lends itself beautifully to rustic, and modern country-style kitchens.
50 Floor researched the most popular flooring trends of the year, and we found that homeowners are choosing dark wood, light wood and grey wood flooring color options. Many flooring options, such as luxury vinyl and hardwood, give a classic and traditional look that is functional and aesthetically pleasing.