Your kitchen needs to be a space you love, and it needs to be functional. Are kitchens with wood floors a good idea? That is the question we hope to help answer in this post.
If your home is anything like ours, your kitchen is the most utilized room in the house. It is where you cook delicious meals. It is where everyone gathers when you have guests. It is where you and your family share the details from the day.
Choosing the right flooring for your kitchen is essential, and knowing the advantages and disadvantages of hardwood floors in kitchen will help you make a well-informed choice.
Pros of Hardwood Floors in Kitchens
Beauty
There is no question that hardwood flooring provides a natural beauty and elegance that other flooring options cannot match. There is also no comparison for the warm and cozy feel wood flooring can provide in a home.
Hardwood flooring remains timeless and does not have any style or decor limitations. Additionally, with endless choices of species, colors, and widths, you can easily create the look you envisioned.
Durability
Hardwood flooring is one of the most durable flooring options for a homeowner. Certain species last longer based on their hardness, but with proper care, all hardwood flooring can stay beautiful for decades.
One of the many reasons hardwood flooring is such a popular choice is its ability to handle everyday traffic and wear and tear. You should expect scuffs and scratches over time, but severe damage should not be an issue. Scuffs and scratches give character and make a home feel lived in, which is how it should be.
When you feel that your hardwood flooring has reached its limit of abuse, you can refinish it! There are two primary types of hardwood flooring: engineered hardwood and solid hardwood.
Solid hardwood flooring is exactly as it sounds. It is a solid piece of wood you can sand and refinish multiple times throughout its lifetime. Engineered hardwood flooring is similar to solid hardwood in appearance but not composition. Unlike solid hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood is comprised of layers of plywood and a thin layer (the veneer) of solid wood as the top layer.
The number of times you can refinish engineered hardwood is more limited than solid hardwood. With engineered hardwood, the number of times you can refinish them is determined by the wear layer, which varies. On the other hand, you can refinish solid wood flooring as many times as needed.
Easy to Clean
One of the most significant advantages of hardwood flooring is its low maintenance. Regular sweeping or vacuuming and damp mopping are all that are required to keep hardwood floors looking beautiful.
I always recommend following the wood flooring manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning. They typically recommend a certain cleaning product be used to ensure the longevity of the flooring.
Easy to Install
Another reason to love hardwood floors is that you can install them yourself. You do not necessarily have to hire a professional.
Installation methods for hardwood flooring include the floating method, the glue-down method, nailing, or a combination. If you do plan to do the installation, I highly recommend educating yourself on the best material and approach for beginners.
Cons of Hardwood Floors in Kitchens
Susceptible to Water Damage
Unfortunately, unlike many alternatives, wooden flooring is prone to moisture damage. It will swell and warp when exposed to water. While engineered hardwood is more water-resistant than solid hardwood, there is potential for moisture damage with both.
There is certainly a fair amount of risk in a room with multiple water sources, like a kitchen. One of the ways you can reduce the risk of damage to your kitchen floors is to check for plumbing leaks before installing hardwood flooring in the kitchen. Also, remembering to inspect for leaks regularly will help protect your wood floors.
Maintenance
While keeping hardwood floors clean is easy, long-term maintenance is not as simple. Every ten years or so, depending on how well-lived a home is, you will likely need to refinish your hardwood floors.
Sanding and refinishing hardwood flooring can make it look like new again, but unfortunately, it is not a one-day project. It can take several days and potentially create a huge mess in your home. During this time, you would obviously not be able to utilize your kitchen and may even have to stay out of the home during that time.
Prone to Dents and Scratches
Hardwood floors are durable, but if you drag heavy objects across or drop them onto the floor, they will likely leave a dent. Depending on the type of flooring finish, scratches will be more apparent. A lacquered finish sits on top of the flooring, while an oil finish is soaked into the flooring. Scratches are much more likely to be noticeable with a lacquer finish.
Cost
In the case of hardwood flooring, beauty certainly comes at a price. While more affordable hardwood flooring options are becoming available every day, it is one of the more expensive choices.
Depending upon whether you choose solid or engineered wood floors, you should expect to pay between $4 and $28 per foot for material and installation.
My husband and I paid under $6 per square foot for beautiful engineered hardwood flooring (shown in the photos) and installed it ourselves. If you choose hardwood for your kitchen, you can save quite a bit of money by doing the installation yourself.
Summary
In this post, we shared the advantages and disadvantages of kitchens with wood floors. Making the right flooring choice for kitchens is no easy task, but understanding the pros and cons should help make that decision easier! If you are debating between carpet and hardwood in other areas of your home, you might be interested in my post, Carpet to Hardwood Cost and Other Key Differences!
