Hardwood Floor in the Kitchen (sale, real estate, insurance)

[panacea82]

I like to have hardwood floor in the kitchen for consistence with the rest of the house. But my real estate agent said hardwood floor looks good in the kitchen but it will give me a lot of headache later on, such as scratched or chipped by utensil and buckled because of the moisture. So anyone who has hardwood floor in the kitchen could share any experience? Thanks!

[momof2dfw]

Your realtor doesn't know what she is talking about. I've got hardwoods (not engineered hardwoods) in my kitchen that are 10 years old annd not a dent or scratch one. Two kids and a total of 4 dogs on them, entertain a lot, a pool (people coming in onto the wood wet), millions of spills and dropped everything and they look great. They are easier on your feet/knees than tile and no transition as you said. I have plenty of friends with wood in the kitchen and they don't have any problems either. If you want the wood then go for it, you won't regret it.

[austintilelady]

I have to agree with momof2dfw and I sale and install hardtiles.

[lakehighlands]

Find a new real estate agent, the one you have now apparently has no experience.

[loves2read]

you can't ignore the possibility that there will be water issues--
know someone that builder did house for and put wood (real) in kitchen/family room...
they came back from vacation to find that their fridge's ice maker had failed and water was all over the wood floor--some areas warped and had to be replaced--
covered by insurance but there were some issues with getting the replaced wood to blend with wood that did not need to be replaced....
if the flooring was tile that would not have been issue really...
problems holding up to dogs/traffic/general usage -- there can be issues with tile or other flooring as well--just depends on your lifestyle and what you put in
tile can chip, is hard on the feet, and can become stained

just make sure you have someone who knows how to install wood flooring--lots of problems with improper installation or choosing an inappropriate grade of wood flooring that is not suited to lots of hard traffic like a kitchen

[BigDGeek]

A lot of hardwoods are extremely durable, but also very expensive. And all you need is for the pipe under your sink to burst or your dishwasher to flood or the water line to your fridge to leak all over the place and you have a much bigger headache than you would if you had tile or vinyl flooring in the kitchen.

I have an old house that was vacant for six months before I moved in, and all kinds of things got stuck in the vent stacks during that time. Result: flooding! If I had had hardwoods in here it would have been a much bigger deal, but luckily the previous owners installed cheapo vinyl floors. 5 minutes with a shop vac and I was done, no worries about buckling or water marks. When I do replace the vinyl floor, it will be with tile. Personally I think any "wet" area in a house; a kitchen, a laundry room, a bathroom, etc., should have tile flooring.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by panacea82

I like to have hardwood floor in the kitchen for consistence with the rest of the house. But my real estate agent said hardwood floor looks good in the kitchen but it will give me a lot of headache later on, such as scratched or chipped by utensil and buckled because of the moisture. So anyone who has hardwood floor in the kitchen could share any experience? Thanks!

I've inspected many homes with hardwood flooring in kitchens and they are certainly a beautiful addition if the remaining areas are hardwood. The problems I have seen with these floors relates to the quality of the materials used, poor installations, and lack of maintenance by the homeowners.

If you are conscientious about your homes maintenance, and have the funds to use good materials and expert installation, then there is nothing wrong with hardwood floors. If you are lacking in any of these three areas then stay with tiles or other laminates that can take a beating and other unexpected occurrences.

[momof2dfw]

If you have a major water leak it is NOT going to matter what kind of flooring you have in the room. It is going to ruin more than the flooring. We actually had a water leak in the pool bath that had hardwoods in it. It was the O-rings on the plumbing for the toilet that gave way and caused a slow leak. It ruined the carpet and pad more in the adjoining family room 6' away from the bathroom w/ hardwoods in between as well. Along w/ the wood cabinetry in the bathroom. If you want hardwoods I say go for it. I LOOOOOOOVE mine.

FYI, went w/ slate in that bathroom after the leak.

[wordstringer]

I don't have hardwoods in my kitchen (slate) as I prefer tile/stone in wet areas, but in my first career I adjusted homeowner claims with two large insurance companies. Along with fire, hail, etc. I handled more than a few claims where wood flooring, baseboards, sheetrock, etc. had to be repaired/replaced due to failed ice maker lines, but that's what insurance is for, imo. I would say if you love wood, go for it.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by panacea82

I like to have hardwood floor in the kitchen for consistence with the rest of the house. But my real estate agent said hardwood floor looks good in the kitchen but it will give me a lot of headache later on, such as scratched or chipped by utensil and buckled because of the moisture. So anyone who has hardwood floor in the kitchen could share any experience? Thanks!

Are you talking real hardwood or the laminated wood? We have laminated in our kitchen and I love it. I had white tile in NM and hated it. The wood is so easy to keep clean, just use your swiffer and that is all there is to it.

Nita