The overall look and finish of your flooring can make a big statement throughout your home. Not only are your floors the foundation of your home’s aesthetic, they can potentially increase the value of your home significantly if you have a high-quality flooring and an on-trend finish.
If you’re remodeling your kitchen, you need to know what flooring options are available to you so you can make the best decision for your new space. Lucky for you, we have all the information you’ll need right here!
What to Consider When Choosing Flooring
When choosing the right flooring option for your kitchen during the remodel process, it’s important to consider everything from budget to style to environment. You should have a firm understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of your preferred flooring option before committing to such a large renovation project as replacing your floors.
Here are some questions to consider as you begin deciding on the right flooring for you:
- Does this flooring fit my budget?
- Will this flooring increase the value of my home?
- How durable and long-lasting is this flooring?
- Can this type of flooring hold up to foot traffic?
- Is this flooring available in a style and finish I love?
- Will this flooring go in a high-moisture part of my home?
- Does this flooring require a lot of maintenance?
You should also determine whether or not your flooring of choice is refinishable. If your flooring cannot be refinished, you’ll need to replace it a lot sooner. Hardwood can easily be refinished more than once to completely refresh the look of your home and remove any wear and tear. Even older hardwood flooring can look good as new!
Pros and Cons of Popular Flooring Options
To help you identify the right flooring option for your kitchen and budget, here is a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular flooring options. Each of these four options can be refinished, making them all an excellent choice for long-term use in any home!
Hardwood
Hardwood is one of the most popular, and most expensive, flooring options on the market. Maple, oak, and cherry are the most common hardwood floors, but there are several other more costly options as well. If you’re interested in hardwood but have a tighter budget, engineered hardwood may be a great option. The variety of woods and finishes available make it easy to create a truly custom flooring look throughout your home to make a statement.
Pros:
- Increases the value of your home
- Long-lasting and can be refinished multiple times
- Several wood and finish options, including engineered hardwood
- Strong and durable
Cons:
- More expensive than other options
- Can scratch easily in high traffic areas or from dragging furniture
- Not recommended for bathrooms, laundry rooms, or basements where water and moisture are common and can cause damage
Bamboo
Many homeowners love bamboo flooring because although it may look like hardwood, it’s actually grass! Bamboo floors have the same beautiful appearance as hardwood with the added benefits of being more sustainable and less costly.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Eco-friendly
- Comparable quality and durability to hardwood
- Simple to install
Cons:
- Very moisture sensitive
- Limited grain options available
- May scratch easily in high traffic areas
Laminate
Although it may not achieve the same beauty and investment potential as hardwood and bamboo, what laminate lacks in aesthetics, it makes up for in cost! Laminate is a very inexpensive flooring option and even comes in some very wood-like finishes!
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Easy to clean
- Scratch-resistant
Cons:
- Doesn’t offer a natural wood look for feel
- May not increase the value of your home
- Less durable and more susceptible to chipping
Wood Look Floor Tile
Tile is an excellent flooring option in high-humidity areas — like our hot and humid Kansas City summers — because it is waterproof. If you choose a wood-look floor tile, you can get a similar effect to hardwood, though it certainly won’t have the same feel underfoot, being much harder and colder.
Pros:
- Waterproof (great option for bathrooms and laundry rooms!)
- Durable
- Long-lasting
Cons:
- Expensive
- Time-consuming to install
- Can be cold underfoot
- Not as comfortable as wood or laminate
Vinyl
Vinyl flooring is a synthetic material, similar to laminate, favored for its durability and functionality. In recent years, it has become an increasingly popular flooring material because of its ability to fight off moisture, its versatile appearance, and its affordability. Vinyl flooring can realistically mimic wood, stone, marble and a vast array of other luxury flooring materials.
Pros:
- Water-resistant
- Long-lasting
- Relatively inexpensive
- Can mimic other luxury flooring options
Cons:
- Difficult to remove
- Can be inconsistent throughout
Benefits of Refinishing Your Existing Flooring
If you already have hardwood in your home, we recommend looking into refinishing it rather than replacing it! Refinishing your existing hardwood flooring is much more cost-effective than replacing it entirely. You can even achieve an entirely different look from the same flooring by choosing a different finish, making for an unbelievable before and after moment!
For our friends in the Kansas City area, Cross Kitchens offers hardwood flooring refinishing or new flooring installation during your kitchen remodel process. Our attention to detail and bespoke custom work will make your old, worn-in flooring look as good as new, and bring a completely fresh look to your home!
Our goal isn’t to just perform a renovation for a client and move on — we want to partner with you to create the home of your dreams. We dedicate ourselves to your project every step of the way, from your budget to laying the groundwork to those beautiful final touches.
Ready to give your kitchen flooring a well-deserved upgrade? Contact us today for a free estimate!
