Flooring is an important aspect of your kitchen, not only from the standpoint of aesthetic and value, but also because you need resilient, long-lasting, functional flooring to withstand the wear and tear of kitchen activity. Plus, you want a kitchen floor that looks great, with a timeless style that will last over the years as you take care of your family, entertain friends, or host big family gatherings. If it’s time to enhance your kitchen style with new flooring, then you need to know the latest flooring trends as well as the pros and cons of these timeless trends. Let’s explore.
Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors never go out of style. Always on trend and timeless, real hardwood in the kitchen is always a good choice. While oak remains a top choice, homeowners are adding their own style, using reclaimed wood, wider planks, and more exotic options. With each option comes the beauty you would expect from hardwood flooring in all its iterations. On top of being beautiful and offer a wide variety of colors and wood grain patters, hardwood flooring delivers on durability. While you may think wood can’t stand up to the spills and splatters of the kitchen, the reverse is true. Hardwood flooring is resilient, as long as spills and splatters are wiped away quickly. Hardwood flooring also delivers versatility, complementing sleek and modern kitchens as well as traditional classic styles, while offering a warm, welcome to friends and family.
Porcelain Tile Floors
Porcelain Tile continues to rise in popularity in kitchen design due to its appearance as well as the fact that it so durable it requires little to no maintenance. Porcelain offers virtually limitless options for color, style, and texture, and even can mimic hardwood without the maintenance required for real wood flooring. It also comes in greater style selection, including shapes and sizes, than traditional ceramic tile. Porcelain tile is resistant to the wear and tear of the kitchen, even pets, and is harder, thicker, and more uniform than other tiles. Lasting for years, porcelain tiles resist breaking and require little to no maintenance, other than simple cleaning (sweeping and mopping). Impervious to water damage, and resistant to hot and cold extremes, porcelain tile is durable and long-lasting. If, in fact, your porcelain tile floor is somehow damaged, you can simply replace the damaged piece. On top of that, porcelain tiles are beautiful, high quality options for your kitchen, and can be designed to suite your tastes. Choose your color, style, pattern, and size from porcelain that looks like hardwood, granite, slate, limestone, even marble.
Luxury Vinyl Tile Floors
This isn’t the vinyl flooring you remember from grandma’s house; today’s luxury vinyl tile is much improved, offered in a wide range of styles and colors, and won’t break the bank. Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) and Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) are both durable and easy to care for, while maintaining the ability to mimic natural stone and real wood. In addition to being more affordable than other popular options, luxury vinyl flooring is durable, moisture and flame resistant, and versatile. Plus, luxury vinyl tile and plank is slip resistant, while providing sound insulation, as well as a warmth and cushion effect unmatched by other options. On top of all that, cleaning LVT and LVP is simple and easy, and both options offer longevity with an average lifespan of up to 30 years.
Other Rising Kitchen Floor Trends
While real hardwood, porcelain tile, and luxury vinyl are the tops trends in kitchen flooring, concrete tiles, mosaics, and radiant heating are growing trends. Keep in mind, the choice is yours. When deciding on your new kitchen floor, finding what suits your home and your lifestyle is the key to value and style. You want to choose flooring which works for you, your family, and your lifestyle, looks beautiful, is durable, and won’t quickly go out of style.