Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

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Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Poll ended at Mon Mar 31, 2014 7:47 pm

Hardwood
76
54%
Tile
65
46%
 
Total votes: 141

Topic Author
TRC
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Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by TRC »

Debating to redo our first level and my wife is set on having hardwoods in our kitchen. I'm worried about spills and water. I know it looks beautiful, but wondering how practical it is to have hardwoods in the kitchen. Curious what my fellow bogleheads have?
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runner9
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by runner9 »

We have linoleum. Are you asking which is better, or what people have? There are certainly more options that people have.
gkaplan
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by gkaplan »

I am closing on a loft condo two weeks from today. Except for the bathroom, which is tiled, the unit is all hardwood. When I was looking for a condo, having hardwood floors was a primary criterion.
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terpfan122
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by terpfan122 »

a couple of thoughts...

1) if you like hardwood you would be surprised at how well hardwood holds up over time - I had hardwood in my kitchen for 10 years and it looked great - even after spills and dropping things on it, and kids, and dogs!

2) laminate flooring is awesome - I have used this twice, once in hardwood design and once in a tile design (our current kitchen) - looks great and is very durable

best of luck!
Topic Author
TRC
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by TRC »

runner9 wrote:We have linoleum. Are you asking which is better, or what people have? There are certainly more options that people have.
I'm simply asking "Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?" :D
tjhutchi
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by tjhutchi »

Tile

It's the slow leaks behind the dishwasher and refigerator that are killer.
Saving$
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by Saving$ »

Hardwood, by choice. Installed it over 10 years ago, still looks great.

Using the same flooring throughout a level makes the space seem larger, especially if you have an open floor plan.
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SnapShots
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by SnapShots »

Our home, except for the bedrooms, is tiled throughout the house with the same tile.

I had a home with wood flooring and found it to be a lot of work. However, I think today's wood is treated differently and is easier to maintain.

Wood is softer and easier to stand on for a long time. I use area rugs through out the house, including the kitchen.

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sscritic
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by sscritic »

I have tile, but I have wood elsewhere in the house. I had wood in the kitchen of a previous house. The key is to have rags and towels ready so that any spills can be cleaned up immediately, whether you are talking kitchen or bedroom or study (why did I spill that coffee?).
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Peter Foley
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by Peter Foley »

We have hardwood in the kitchen of the house we bought about 3 years ago. Based on the previous owner's records, the floors are about 10 -12 years old. They look like new and it is little work to maintain them.
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cheese_breath
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by cheese_breath »

Linoleum right now, but we're looking too for the kitchen and laundry room. We would prefer tile if we could find a color my wife 'loves' (she's very particular in her decorating choices). We found one she really liked at a flooring store, but when we went to the tile store for additional samples the color didn't match. It seems die lots can make a difference in tiles, in this case a big difference as the latest samples don't have the warm look as the older one. And yes, we verified it's the same tile. So what you see in the store isn't necessarily what you get unless you can go to the tile factory and pick out the boxes you want before they ship them.

So we've been thinking about wood too but I'm also afraid of water spills, especially in the laundry room if a washer hose broke. The rest of the house is already hardwood and the flooring stores are trying to convince us they would have to sand and restain all the old floor in order to guarantee the new floor would match. This seems like a major ripoff to me. Our current floor was installed in three different years, and those installers didn't have any trouble matching the previous stain.
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davebarnes
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Hardwood

Post by davebarnes »

Had it for 24 years in old house.
Have it for 3 years in new house.

More comfortable on the legs/feet than tile.
Flows from living/dining. We have open floor plan.

Tile in bathrooms.
Hardwood in kitchen.
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JonnyDVM
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by JonnyDVM »

We have hardwood. Now that you made me think about it, I think I like it better than I would like tile.
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vkfu
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by vkfu »

We bought a house in July that has engineered hardwood on the entire first floor including the kitchen and powder room. Most of the kitchen and powder room floor is covered by rugs. So far everything is ok, but I still prefer tile in the kitchen/bath.
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mfswatz9
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by mfswatz9 »

We have hardwood floors in the kitchen and in the adjoining sitting room/tv room. We love the look of real hardwood as opposed to laminate. We were told that if you have a leak with laminate, you have to tear up the whole floor whereas with real wood you just replace the damaged pieces. It is a little trouble to maintain; we don't mop it with water, for example, because it is not sealed. We spray a cloth with a cleaning solution and wipe the floor with the cloth. It's about 10 years old and looks great! We're probably more careful than we need to be.
angelescrest
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by angelescrest »

Neither.
NOLA
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by NOLA »

Hardwood floor all throughout the main floor, even the bathroom. We bought it 4 years ago and love it. If we would have built our own house we probably would have chosen tile in the bathroom, but would never have anything but hardwood in the kitchen.

Good luck.
MktGoddess
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by MktGoddess »

Hardwood in our open floor plan kitchen/dining room (installed 13 years ago) and love it. It's warm and easy to maintain. Glasses and other breakables often don't break when dropped, and it still looks beautiful. Water is not a major issue; a big leak can cause damage to any floor.
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mhc
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by mhc »

I have hardwood. A number of years ago the icemaker leaked, and I didn't notice it until the wooden floor buckled. I fixed the leak, and within 6 months it was almost impossible to tell that the wooden floor ever buckled.

Everyday spills are not going to harm wooden floors. I would not want tile in the kitchen. I would be afraid that anything dropped on a tile floor would explode into a million pieces. Wood is also easier on the body if you are going to be working a lot in the kitchen. Tile is also colder on the feet than wood.

I live in a cold, arid part of the country.
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GerryL
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by GerryL »

I voted "Tile," but it is LVT -- luxury vinyl tile.
Just had my floors (and everything else) done last year. I picked out the LVT even before I learned that Consumer Reports gave it high marks. I really like it, and everyone who has visited (including my handy-guy) has been impressed. The pattern I have looks like slate tile, but it is softer on the legs (and on falling dishes) than stone or ceramic tile.
carolinaman
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by carolinaman »

We did a total kitchen remodel 2 years ago. Replaced tile with 3/4" hardwood. It looks really great. I had the same concern as you about leaks and wanted a high grade of tile but my wife wanted hardwood. She has more votes than me.
Leesbro63
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by Leesbro63 »

We have tile and dislike it very much. The tiles sometimes crack and the floor is cold. And it's a pain in the butt to clean due to the uneven surface of the grout. If I had to do it all over again I'd do wood. At least with wood you can get it refinished every so many years without too much cost.
gloomydog
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by gloomydog »

Hardwood, came with the house we purchased, about 10 years old, wearing very well.

But I find HW can get too slippery which is really dangerous in the kitchen, so have to use little foam mats in the kitchen danger spots like the area from sink/dishwasher to stove. Mats also useful for cushioning feet.
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Kenkat
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by Kenkat »

We have hardwood (#1 red oak) in the kitchen. It's about 15 years old and has held up well. We had it re screened about 5 years ago (basically a reapplication of stain and urethane sealer short of a full, down to the bare wood refinishing) and it looks great.

I think hardwood is warmer and easier to stand on. It is actually very resistant to spills and stains as long as you don't have any long term water issues like a leaky sink. My experience with tile is that it is hard to keep grout looking clean although maybe there are sealers that help with this issue long term.

The main downside to hardwood that I can think of is scratches. If you have a kitchen table and chairs or bar stools at a counter, the legs tend to wear down he finish over time. And if you have kids, it is amazing the ways they can manage to scratch things. We do use felt pads on all the chair legs. A little stain or even shoe polish does a pretty good job of covering these up between more involved refinishings.
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kingsnake
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by kingsnake »

We have tile but it looks just like wood, and many people say they like our wood floors. They are amazed when we tell them its tile.
I think it is made by a Finish company but cannot remember the specific name. Our kitchen floors take a lot of abuse with 2 kids under age 4.
Nukeboilermaker
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by Nukeboilermaker »

DAK wrote:We have tile but it looks just like wood, and many people say they like our wood floors. They are amazed when we tell them its tile.
I think it is made by a Finish company but cannot remember the specific name. Our kitchen floors take a lot of abuse with 2 kids under age 4.
We are looking to move and possibly buy a nicer but remodel or build so likely be choosing our floors. There are some VERY nice tile that look like wood planks out there... But reading the comments on here makes me want to go with all wood.
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Nuvoletta
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by Nuvoletta »

Saving$ wrote:Hardwood, by choice. Installed it over 10 years ago, still looks great.

Using the same flooring throughout a level makes the space seem larger, especially if you have an open floor plan.
This is us, for the open floor plan reason, it would look strange to switch to tile for our house configuration. Installed 6 years ago, but ours in the kitchen is looking a bit worn. It gets a LOT of traffic. No regrets…we would do hardwood again, we just need to finish it again.
JohnF
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by JohnF »

Previous owner installed hardwood in our kitchen roughly 25 years ago. From kids and dogs it’s a bit worn, but still looks fine to me. Something to watch for, they installed the hardwood with the dishwasher in place trapping it under the counter behind the flooring edge. There’s got to be a better way.
sport
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by sport »

We have a premium textured vinyl tile called Permastone. It looks like ceramic tile, but is not has hard or as cold. It is durable and easy to maintain. It is now seven years old and still looks like new. When we have told some guests that it is not ceramic, they were amazed, and actually got down on the floor to feel it.
Jeff
ahnooie
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by ahnooie »

Tile (which I installed right after we bought our house). I like the look and it feels nice and cool in the morning with bare-feet which is great in a warm climate). Now that I've moved to a colder climate I probably wouldn't consider tile.

Almost everything that gets dropped on tile breaks and for me the most likely place for things to get dropped is the kitchen so if I was to do it over again I would want something that gives a little more--I'd probably go with wood or linoleum that looks like one or the other.
ahnooie
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by ahnooie »

JohnF wrote:Previous owner installed hardwood in our kitchen roughly 25 years ago. From kids and dogs it’s a bit worn, but still looks fine to me. Something to watch for, they installed the hardwood with the dishwasher in place trapping it under the counter behind the flooring edge. There’s got to be a better way.
There is a better way. The proper way to do it is to put flooring under the dishwasher (assuming you still have enough vertical clearance with the floor underneath--the legs of the dishwasher are adjustable but only so much). When I installed tile I removed the oven and dishwasher and tiled under both but I was surprised to learn many people think that's too much work and trap theirs in.
RNJ
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by RNJ »

Tile - but switching it out for hardwood over next couple of months. Tile is loud, unforgiving, and uncomfortable to work of foa any length of time. Also, hardwood NEVER goes out of style.
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cheese_breath
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by cheese_breath »

Our first dishwasher was trapped in by two layers of linoleum and subfloor. I had to saw the legs off to get it out, not an easy job considering the space constraint. I built up the floor in the DW space before installing the new one.
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tadamsmar
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by tadamsmar »

TRC wrote:Debating to redo our first level and my wife is set on having hardwoods in our kitchen. I'm worried about spills and water. I know it looks beautiful, but wondering how practical it is to have hardwoods in the kitchen. Curious what my fellow bogleheads have?
Based on a small sample, most kitchens with hardwoods that I have examined has water damage in front of the sink. I have only seen one that had no damage.

Hardwoods expand and contract due to temperature and humidity changes, so the cracks between boards open and close, so I don't think the cracks can be truely sealed and waterproof. They can also be damaged by spills from watering plants. Also, the sides and ends are bare wood, they tend to get water damage near external doors, or sometimes from the bottom up near the stoop.

I wonder if all the people who have hardwoods in the kitchen took a good look, how many would find damage? I looked for it and found it the last time I was house hunting. But if you own the house it happens slowly and you might not think you have it till you look.

I suppose if you are careful to always wipe spills in the areas where spills are common then you can avoid the damage.

We have some kind of vinyl floor covering. It's waterproof except for the edges.
SDBoggled
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by SDBoggled »

We have pre-finished engineered hardwood, more than 5 years with 3 kids - no sign of kitchen wear.

I was concerned about putting hardwood into the kitchen, but we have an open kitchen which flows into the family room - so we risked the hardwood. It shows no signs of wear different to other areas (dog claw scratches).

I am careful to clean up spills and think the biggest danger is the water line to the fridge breaking.
Ron
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by Ron »

We upgraded our kitchen last year, replacing the original sheet flooring with Italian Porcelin tile in a hopscotch pattern.

Since we travel to Euroland quite often, we wanted to capture the essence of an old Italian square. This (in the color/pattern that complemented our new countertops) did the trick. We liked it so much we had the flooring extended down the hall to our (large) main entry area. Since Porcelin tile can be used both indoors and outdoors, we may carry the same flooring "out the door" when we get rid of our deck and replace it with hardscape in a few years. However, we'll still have to order/store the additional tile until we're ready. You never know when the manufacture may drop the pattern/color in the future.

IMHO, like in most things in life, your choice is probably a reflection of your lifestyle and how you want to live (assuming you can afford the change/upgrade).

- Ron
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GerryL
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by GerryL »

jsl11 wrote:We have a premium textured vinyl tile called Permastone. It looks like ceramic tile, but is not has hard or as cold. It is durable and easy to maintain. It is now seven years old and still looks like new. When we have told some guests that it is not ceramic, they were amazed, and actually got down on the floor to feel it.
Jeff
I get the same reaction with my luxury vinyl tile. Probably same type of product, different brand. The guiding principle of my remodel was PRACTICALITY -- even before cost. I wanted low maintenance and easy to keep clean (or looking clean). Insisted on slab-front cabinets so there would be no edges to collect grease and dust. LVT was more pricey than standard vinyl but looks great -- and the natural stone pattern hides the dirt! :D
retired recently
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by retired recently »

We have hardwood and thanks to a slow leak in our fridge we did not catch I need to have the floors replaced/fixed in the kitchen. I was slow to get around to fixing the floor which turned out to be good since there was a leak in the wall which I caught quickly but still ruined the floor near my bedroom so I need to get both places fixed. Our next house will definitely not have hardwood floors in the kitchen...we lived overseas and we had tile in the kitchen which I think was better than hardwoods.
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englishgirl
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by englishgirl »

jsl11 wrote:We have a premium textured vinyl tile called Permastone. It looks like ceramic tile, but is not has hard or as cold. It is durable and easy to maintain. It is now seven years old and still looks like new. When we have told some guests that it is not ceramic, they were amazed, and actually got down on the floor to feel it.
Jeff
Ahh! Is that what it's called? The previous owners of my house installed luxury/premium vinyl tile throughout the kitchen and living area, but I never quite figured out what it was called based on their limited explanation. I love it! I never liked tile because it's so hard and cold on the feet (and hard on things you drop). This stuff looks like a really high end tile, but is so practical.
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MathWizard
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by MathWizard »

I put laminate in a porch which can get water tracked in.

I have 3/4 in. oak hardwood throughout the rest of the house,
but vinyl in the kitchen and bathrooms. Hardwoods and water do not mix.

The laminate works well, so you might be able to go that route. It is pretty easy
to put down.

We considered tile for our large kitchen, but it would not work because the floor deflects too much
due to the floor being built on trusses rather than floor joists.
larryc
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by larryc »

Our cork floor is a couple of years old. It's softer and warmer than wood, and has held up fine so far. Our friends have a heated tile floor which is very nice. Glass will break when dropped on tile.
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damjam
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by damjam »

We remodeled around 2008 and put hardwood everywhere except the bathrooms.
We do have a faux sisal rug in the high traffic area between the sink and the range. It's an indoor outdoor rug that can be easily cleaned.
Even tile can become worn if not swept/mopped often enough. I also think, depending on the style, tile can look dated pretty quickly. I can think of a few different styles that were once popular that are not all that popular now.
likegarden
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by likegarden »

For those people who have hardwood, open up the space underneath refrigerator, sink and dishwasher occasionally. Leaks can develop, you will not notice it on time and will deform wood when not wiping it off and fixing it.
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plannerman
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by plannerman »

We are currently in the process of replacing hardwood in the kitchen with tile. In fact, the tile installer just finished grouting the tile a few minutes ago.

Here's the long story. The kitchen had a sheet vinyl floor when we bought the house. The vinyl had a couple of cracks so we decided to put in hardwood maybe 12 years ago. Because regular hardwood flooring is 7/8 inch thick, and this would create a slight step-up when entering the kitchen, we decided to go with Bruce, prefinished, 3/8 inch thick, oak flooring on top of the sheet vinyl. In hindsight, this was a mistake. Over the years we have had at least three water leaks--ice maker, dishwasher and water filter. Each time the water got trapped under the hard wood and on top of the sheet vinyl and caused the hardwood flooring to cup. On top of that, it got marred when the refrigerator got pulled out without raising the legs so the fridge would roll on its wheels. There were also so several pretty nasty dings where heavy objects got dropped on it over the years.

The floor was beautiful when it was first installed, but it did not withstand the test of time.

plannerman
BobStrauss
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by BobStrauss »

I have polished concrete in my apartment kitchen and love it. So easy to take care of. When I become a home owner, I'd love to have polished concrete in the foyer/kitchen/bathrooms with hardwood everywhere else.
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by livesoft »

likegarden wrote:For those people who have hardwood, open up the space underneath refrigerator, sink and dishwasher occasionally. Leaks can develop, you will not notice it on time and will deform wood when not wiping it off and fixing it.
We have hardwood in the kitchen, but it does not extend under the cabinets nor the dishwasher. We have not connected water to the fridge.

The hardwood floor was refinished (sanded, restained, multiple polyurethane coats) at 10 years of age. It is 20-years old and could use replacement. It is light-colored white oak to go with the light-colored cabinets. The kitchen is part of an open-floor plan and well-lit by many windows. Warm and inviting.

I would have preferred a rug in front of the sink, but my spouse has always been against that. The kitchen table (seats 6) does have an oval rug under it.
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epilnk
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by epilnk »

Cork. Glad to see I'm not the only one, though we're clearly in the minority. Cork is wonderful underfoot.

I have back pain, my husband has knee pain, and our son has foot pain. Tile was out of the question. Our flooring is directly over a concrete slab foundation - cork is soft and warm, and easy on the back, knees, and feet. It has stood up well to boys and cats. It is easily cleaned. We did think at one point we had water damage but you can no longer see where the water sat. No regrets.
chw
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by chw »

terpfan122 wrote:a couple of thoughts...

1) if you like hardwood you would be surprised at how well hardwood holds up over time - I had hardwood in my kitchen for 10 years and it looked great - even after spills and dropping things on it, and kids, and dogs!

2) laminate flooring is awesome - I have used this twice, once in hardwood design and once in a tile design (our current kitchen) - looks great and is very durable

best of luck!
+1 for laminate. We had same concerns about hardwood in the kitchen, and decided on a high quality laminate in a tile design about 12 years ago. It "floats" on a layer of polystyrene beads, which makes it easier to stand on for short or long periods of time. Surprisingly, some dropped items like dishes don't break as they would on ceramic tile. This floor still looks new, in spite of heavy use and a dishwasher leak (which probably would have stained and swelled a hardwood floor).

Many people that visit can't believe the floor isn't tile because of the texture in the design, and the invisible seams. Care is incredibly easy, with just occasional wet mop with water a few times a year.

One note, there are different quality laminates. Make sure to get one that is sealed from the bottom of the tile in the event you have a major liquid spill. The sealed underside of the floor keeps the material from swelling and buckling the floor.

Good luck
bpp
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by bpp »

Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?
No.
sscritic
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Re: Do you have hardwood or tile in your kitchen?

Post by sscritic »

Doesn't anyone have marble floors? I didn't have marble in my kitchen, but I loved the marble floors I did have.
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