Until lately unless of course you had been fortunate enough to possess a hardwood floor the range of materials readily available for kitchen floors was limited to only a couple of options – vinyl, laminate or waterproof carpet tiles. The potential of using stone flooring was generally limited to individuals with large budgets.

Nowadays however, the range of affordable, top quality flooring available has elevated tenfold and even if you be enticed to purchase that lovely stone floor you’ve seen within the showroom, you need to inquire if it’ll really fit your needs. Ideas check out the benefits and drawbacks of 4 kinds of kitchen floors.

Wood

Comes either as wood flooring or engineered planks. A high quality wooden floor may last for a long time if it’s cared for correctly. Like stone however, a wood floor requires lots of maintenance – it’s harder to help keep clean than laminate or vinyl. Wood is extremely prone to water damage and mold and staining so you should regularly seal the ground. Among the advantages to this kind of floor is the range of wood types and hues that are around. Furthermore wood may also be colored or stained to create greater colour and elegance options.

Stone

Stone, slate and tile flooring has become more and more popular among homeowners. While the price of a few of the different stone and tile varieties continues to be costly compared to a material for example laminate, the cost is becoming, overall, less expensive. Maintenance should be thought about when selecting a stone or tile floor – gemstone is porus and therefore requires elevated attention and care (including regular sealing), whereas porcelain or ceramic tiles require hardly any maintenance.

When searching at stone, slate or tiles you ought to also consider selecting a choice having a textured surface to assist prevent slips and journeys in the kitchen area. Stone floors are recognized to retain cold conditions so under floor heating should most definitely get high consideration too.

Laminate

Probably the most common kinds of flooring used nowadays, Laminate floors originates a lengthy way in the two tone square print types of the late 80’s and early 90’s. With modern manufacturing processes, laminate floors will come in a variety of designs and colours – a few of the imitation wood designs on offer are : of outstanding quality. Laminate is reasonable, fairly simple to suit on your own (although it is usually better to use an expert fitter) and it is waterproof. One of the leading cons of laminate floors is it can put on easily in regions of high traffic.

Vinyl

Like laminate vinyl is definitely an affordable flooring option and comes in a number of designs. Vinyl is much more scratch resistant than laminate but could be harder to wash, particularly if the vinyl includes a complex texture.