FLOORING suggestions for a kitchen/famiy room combo....hardwod, tile, etc... (vinyl, hardwood floors)

[deeds]

Looking for flooring suggestions for a large area consisting of a kitchen and family room area....somewhat l-shaped going into family room rea...want to keep a good flow of areas....

[chet everett]

There are tons of threads on this.

Basically there are handful of paranoid types that falsely assume anytime you have hardwood (or engineered hardwood, or bamboo, or cork or anything other than tile...) near a kitchen it is a ticking time bomb.

Millions of homes have hardwood in the kitchen because it is an excellent option -- much easier on the feet/legs/knees/hip/back/shoulders than tile, easy to care for, wide range of options, very economical.

Toss in things like engineered hardwoods and other natural materials and your have even more options.

Tile is great in a bath (especially with underfloor heating) but it is not a top choice for familyrooms / kitchens where it is so unyielding.

[Brian_M]

Too add on to chet, you CAN put down a Vinyl tile over normal subfloor and have another VERY easy to care for floor that's slightly more robust than wood but just as easy on the joints. This is normal VCT in my kitchen right now:



But there are Luxury (LVT) options that look like wood, stone, tile, etc... some are even a simple click-together system that ANYONE could DIY.

[eddiehaskell]

That VCT you have looks cool....inexpensive and durable to boot.

[Billy_J]

Tape a WHITE piece of linoleum over a high traffic area of your existing floor. DON'T WASH it for two months. After two months take it to the flooring store and get that color of flooring (dirty color).

[KathrynAragon]

All sorts of flooring options have pros and cons. At some point the cons outweigh the pros (take, for example, the past trend of indoor/outdoor carpeting in kitchens - BLECH - or carpet in bathrooms - DOUBLE BLECH!).

I considered hardwoods in my kitchen but my contractor reminded me that this space would include the laundry room as well as the powder room. So many water lines and potential problems, and get this - within TWO WEEKS of the new flooring being laid down (we opted for travertine) my ice maker line in my freezer leaked up under the fridge. So water leaks do happen and can cause damage (didn't damage my travertine flooring though!). But for some people the risk is outweighed by the positives that they prefer, so there you have it.

[chet everett]

If your laundry runs into your kitchen I probably would not use hardwoods either. It is not just for fear of leaks, but the noise issues and access would make me want to go with some kind of durable flooring.

There are some nice looking vinyl flooring options -- VCT is inexpensive and has lots of design flexibility but it never really has much appeal to buyers if that is a consideration. Sheet vinyl is top notch for ease of care, but again not something that buyers feel is worth 'premium'. Newer vinyl planks can be amazing effective as a mimic for natural materials which much lower cost / easier installation...

[chet everett]

If your laundry runs into your kitchen I probably would not use hardwoods either. It is not just for fear of leaks, but the noise issues and access would make me want to go with some kind of durable flooring.

There are some nice looking vinyl flooring options -- VCT is inexpensive and has lots of design flexibility but it never really has much appeal to buyers if that is a consideration. Sheet vinyl is top notch for ease of care, but again not something that buyers feel is worth 'premium'. Newer vinyl planks can be amazing effective as a mimic for natural materials with much lower cost / easier installation...

[cjmeck]

Hardwood floors, hands down.

[aaliyahm22]

I have Travertine Flooring in my living room. I love them. This porous natural stone gives a luxurious look and is very popular due to their unique beauty.