When redesigning your kitchen space, choosing the material and style of flooring is essential. The texture, colors, and overall design can considerably impact how you feel about the space. Depending on your needs, some materials will do the trick than others. Hardwood floor has become a popular and luxurious choice among homeowners for its natural aesthetic appeal and warmth. Hardwood floors are stylish, durable, and water-resistant and offer you countless options for customizing your floor. If you're planning to install a new kitchen floor, here are a few tips for choosing the best type of hardwood flooring.
Type of Flooring
First, decide whether you want engineered or solid wood flooring. Engineered hardwood floors have become increasingly popular. A thin veneer layer of hardwood gets laid on top of numerous layers of plywood and composite material. These multiple layers help protect the flooring from shifting. However, some engineered floors have a thin top layer, making it hard to sand down and refinish over time. Solid floors have thick wood planks. They get joined with a groove and tongue along both sides. Solid hardwood floors feature a thick board, allowing you to sand down and refinish several times in the future.
Type of Wood
Wood type is another significant factor to consider when choosing hardwood flooring for your kitchen. There's an array of options for wood types, which can significantly impact the overall design of your home. Oak is a popular choice among homeowners. It's durable, has an eye-catching, natural grain, and takes stains well. In addition, it's widely available in the market. Walnut is another ideal choice. Although softer than oak, it offers a rich and warm tone, making it a perfect choice for you if you want your kitchen to have a darker finish. Other popular types include cherry, ash, Brazilian, mahogany, and bamboo. The choice largely depends on personal tastes and preferences.
Grain Pattern and Appearance
When choosing hardwood flooring for your kitchen, the grain pattern is another crucial factor. There are three ways of cutting wood, plain-sawn, quarter-sawn, and rift-sawn, which result in three different grain patterns. The plain-sawn pattern is the most popular. It features conventional grain with patterns called cathedrals. Rift-sawn has long, consistent grains with no cathedrals, while quarter-sawn resembles rift but features irregular patterns that form a unique, in some cases, 3D pattern. Some manufacturers combine multiple grain patterns to create a unique pattern for you, but you can still have exclusive types if desired. There's no wrong or good pattern when it comes to wood grain- it largely depends on the application and personal preferences.
Finishing Options
The finishing will determine how you will clean and care for your hardwood floor. When shopping for wood floors, you can purchase them unfinished and let a professional finish them after installation, or prefinished, which comes with the topcoat and stain already applied. When you opt for prefinished hardwood flooring, you can see exactly how your kitchen floor will look. Also, you can view samples in your kitchen to determine how the finishing will match with your current décor.
Unfinished floors come raw and unfinished. The technician will apply the finishing layer after completing the installation. This option allows you to include a personal touch and determine the stain and sheen of your kitchen floor. It can be a perfect option if you're looking to pair new planks with the existing flooring.
If you want the appeal of natural flooring material, hardwood flooring is a perfect choice for your kitchen, but you must be diligent about maintaining it. It might be a less successful option if you have a messy or busy family or budget concerns.
