Open floor plan. Should I put wood or tile in the kitchen? (hardwood floors, tiles)

[ChessieMom]

Originally Posted by blue777

I already have wood in the living room as well as every other single room in the house. But now I'm just trying to figure out if I should put tile in the kitchen or should I just go ahead and put the hardwood in there? As of right now, there is really cheap vinyl in the kitchen that has to come up . I really don't know what to do at this point and I need some suggestions. Thank you

That is COMPLETELY up to you. I have wood, carpet, tile and LV in my home. Tile in bathrooms, carpet in bedrooms, wood in living/hall/dining and LVP in the kitchen. I am very happy with it. Did not want wood in the kitchen as I have a thing about leaving ice cubes on the floor (not seeing them in the morning when I would leave for work) and I don't want water puddles left on wood. Also I just don't like the look of wood in my kitchen. Love the look of tile, but didn't want to deal with the breakage issue or the cold/hardness issue. Putting a good quality LVP in my kitchen was perfect for me. You need to consider your own needs and preferences.

[TashaPosh]

Originally Posted by blue777

I already have wood in the living room as well as every other single room in the house. But now I'm just trying to figure out if I should put tile in the kitchen or should I just go ahead and put the hardwood in there? As of right now, there is really cheap vinyl in the kitchen that has to come up . I really don't know what to do at this point and I need some suggestions. Thank you

What type of wood in the living room? I would do wood to match so it’s consistent flooring. It looks much better IMO…especially if you have a newer type of engineered wood that is super versatile & easy maintenance. It can look so pretty & clean.

[rfomd129]

Originally Posted by rabbit33

Ceramic tile, or true linoleum. When (not "if") there's a big water leak or major spill, you'll be glad to have waterproof flooring in the kitchen.

The water connector to the refrigerator seems to be a major culprit even when the refrigerator is moved fairly frequently to clean behind it. We've had the "unwelcome home" to find that darn connector somehow failed us and the age of the house/plumbing wasn't a factor.

[TashaPosh]

Originally Posted by rabbit33

Ceramic tile, or true linoleum. When (not "if") there's a big water leak or major spill, you'll be glad to have waterproof flooring in the kitchen.

I don’t know what type of wood flooring the O.P. has….BUT the newer engineered hardwoods are waterproof & super easy to use in a kitchen for reasons like this.^^ Anything cleans up easily with no worry about kitchen spills staining, ice cubes, water leaks or ugly grout darkening.

edit:

Originally Posted by blue777

Open floor plan. Should I put wood or tile in the kitchen?

Especially since you have an open floor plan, I would do the wood flooring to match so it’s not choppy or broken up between 2 rooms open to each other.

[salonva]

While I love the look of one flooring throughout and certainly think wood is nicer , I would still go with tile in the kitchen. And yes to the suggestion of making sure you buy extras for down the road.
I have had tile in the kitchen in my last home and this one, and I never noticed it hard with standing or whatever. The only downside is if/when you drop something it will absolutely shatter.
The ease of cleaning tile and the inevitability of water damage to wood has me in the tile vote.

[steiconi]

You can get tile with a wood grain pattern. You probably can't match the existing wood, but you could complement it.

Tile is hard on my legs, so I'd rather have vinyl. We've got vinyl planks, but when the fridge connector leaked, it soaked straight into the subfloor, and did some real damage. I'd choose sheet vinyl or linoleum.

[ChessieMom]

Originally Posted by TashaPosh

I don’t know what type of wood flooring the O.P. has….BUT the newer engineered hardwoods are waterproof & super easy to use in a kitchen for reasons like this.^^ Anything cleans up easily with no worry about kitchen spills staining, ice cubes, water leaks or ugly grout darkening.
.

Water puddled on a wood floor, and LEFT, for hours, does NOT "clean up easily". Read your warranty.

[TashaPosh]

Originally Posted by ChessieMom

Water puddled on a wood floor, and LEFT, for hours, does NOT "clean up easily". Read your warranty.

I’m talking about the new engineered wood that is waterproof…it cleans up beautifully. No water is absorbed so it doesn’t matter if the water sits there…it’s different than the traditional hardwoods ofc. As a matter of fact, it cleans up way better than spills or water on tile grout. It’s beautiful. We are looking at a home in OC that has that type of wood flooring throughout the 1st main floor with an open kitchen & living area.

[ChessieMom]

Originally Posted by TashaPosh

I’m talking about the new engineered wood that is waterproof…it cleans up beautifully. No water is absorbed so it doesn’t matter if the water sits there…it’s different than the traditional hardwoods ofc. As a matter of fact, it cleans up way better than spills or water on tile grout. It’s beautiful. We are looking at a home in OC that has that type of wood flooring throughout the 1st main floor with an open kitchen & living area.

You might be surprised at what you think is wood. Just do your research.

https://www.flooringstores.com/blog/...wood-flooring/

[Taz22]

Originally Posted by Tigger84Ag

I had wood in the kitchen before and would never do it again. I would only put tile in the kitchen.

Agreed, wood is very high maintenance especially if you have dogs and live in a wet, muddy climate. Next kitchen, no matter the climate, it’s tile only.