5 Best Flooring Options for Your Kitchen

5 Best Flooring Options for Your Kitchen
As one of the most used (and abused) rooms in your home, the kitchen needs to be as durable as it is aesthetic. In this guide, we’ll take you on an exploration of the best flooring for kitchens in Toronto and around the country.
Making the right choice when evaluating kitchen flooring options can transform your kitchen space into an area representative of your personal style, while enhancing the aesthetics and architecture of other elements such as cabinets and lighting.
Best Flooring for Kitchen
Unlike other home flooring options best flooring kitchen requires special considerations. After all, the kitchen is an area prone to heavy foot traffic and moisture (spills).
CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CHOOSING THE BEST FLOORING FOR KITCHEN
1. Lifestyle/Use
Are you frequent diners at your favorite restaurant, spending most of your meals out on the town? Perhaps you are an aspiring or amateur baker, whipping up a mess that even Martha Steward would frown at. Or maybe you’re a working parent needing an efficient kitchen to quickly and comfortably whip up meals between running errands. The type of kitchen flooring best for your home will be dependent in part on how you intend to use the kitchen.
2. Personal Style and Existing Designs
Just like picking out an outfit, you want a floor that best expresses your personal style. Similarly, you want a kitchen floor that complements the existing elements of your kitchen and the overall design of your home.
3. Comfort
Although a lesser consideration for most, comfort can be incredibly important. Do you spend hours in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove or prepping meals for the family? If yes, you may want to consider a material that is softer and warmer underfoot.
4. Maintenance
No one likes cleaning up. Fact is, some flooring materials require more upkeep. Some material is more prone to attracting dirt and grime, while others, such as tile or natural hardwood, may need to be re-grouted or re-stained after several years.
5. Price
Most of us are on a budget of some kind. Be realistic about what you can afford to pay outright for or finance. Use this as an easy way to eliminate options not in that range.
Best Flooring for Kitchen: your options

1. Engineered Hardwood
Engineered hardwood has come a long way since it was introduced to the market. Floor Critics explains that the options available today combine the best of real hardwood flooring with the versatility and cost-savings of engineered wood.
Pros:
● Moderately durable and capable of handling foot traffic
● Moderately moisture-resistant, capable of handling regular spills
● Aesthetic, effectively mimicking real hardwood
● Available in a wide range of types, styles, and patterns
● Increases the value of a home as much as hardwood
● Easy to install and long lasting
Cons:
● Lower cost per s/f options can be poorer in quality
● Moderately to high priced
● Not as durable as real hardwood
● Can not be refinished like real hardwood flooring
● Can be prone to scratching, denting or damage from heavy objects and impacts

2. Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood is the quintessential classic home flooring option, combining both beauty and warmth while being comfortable as well as durable. Ideal for open floor plans, hardwood can easily be extended well beyond your kitchen.
Pros:
● High durability
● Beautiful and high-end
● Compatible and complementary to most design styles
● Available in a generous selection of woods and grains
Cons:
● High cost
● More difficult to install
● May require upkeep after years (staining and sealing)
● Prone to warping under high moisture conditions

3. Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is not the cheap, dull, material it once was. Modern laminate has come a long way, improving quality as well as visual appeal to create an easy to install, attractive and durable alternative to solid hardwood.
Pros:
● Moderately durable
● Attractive
● Easy to install (can even DIY)
● Available in a multitude of patterns and styles
● Wide range of options mimicking other flooring types such as hardwood, cork, bamboo, tile, marble, and concrete.
Cons:
● Less durable
● More susceptible to moisture damage from spills
● Some options may feel or look inauthentic/fake.

4. Porcelain Tiles
Porcelain tiles are one of the most durable products there is on the market. It is available in various shapes, colors, prints and finishes. This flooring is not but it is worth the money spent as it will be the most resistant to scratches, stains, dirt & bacteria resistant. Porcelain tiles are easy to maintain and clean. As any tiles the price for installation will be more expansive than engineered hardwood, hardwood or laminate mentioned above.
Pros:
● Exceptionally durable
● Easy to maintain, resilient and long lasting.
● Available in a multitude of patterns, colors, styles, and finishes

● Wide range of options mimicking other flooring types such as hardwood, cork, bamboo, tile, marble, granite, concrete, limestone, and other natural stones.
Cons:
● Expensive to install & fix if broken.
● More susceptible to cracking if something extremely hard was dropped on it.
● Slippery when wet and more prone to people hurting themselves when they fall.
● Cold on your feet and hard on your back (if considering people who have back issues and feet problems)

5. Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl Flooring is the most popular form of resilient flooring (a category that also includes linoleum and cork) because it is low-maintenance, water-resistant, cost-effective, and long-lasting. Often is used in high traffic areas and/or basement of the house. It also has the perfect balance of firmness and “give,” meaning it springs a bit when you walk on it for a comfortable feel underfoot. And thanks to recent technological advances, today’s vinyl comes in a wide range of high-quality, beautiful finishes.
Pros:
● Moisture resistant and durable.
● Easy to install (can even DIY).
● You may be surprised by the striking, unusual patterns and textures you can get with vinyl flooring today. Among the convincing wood-like finishes are distressed and hand-scraped versions.
● Heavy-duty vinyl planks feel and act more like wood. They are great for bathrooms and kitchens, much luxury vinyl is backed with waterproof PVC (a synthetic polymer).
Cons:
● Vinyl floors can be tough to remove.
● Can be of inconsistent quality because if cheaper production cost.
● WARNING: The PVC used in vinyl flooring has been shown to release phthalates, which may cause reproductive and respiratory problems; certain brands have been shown to release fewer toxins
READ IF YOU HAVE VINYL IN YOUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW. Older vinyl floors were made with asbestos.
If the vinyl in your home was produced between 70’s & 80’s, it is highly likely included asbestos, which has been linked to several serious diseases, including cancer. If your floors are in good condition with no cracks on the surface, the asbestos is probably not being released and you need not worry about health risks. However, if you are considering removing and replacing an old vinyl floor, or just want to determine if asbestos is present in your home, you can buy an at-home asbestos testing kit or hire a professional to test it. If asbestos is found, you must have a professional remove the toxic flooring; do not under any circumstances tear it up yourself.

Find the Best Flooring for Your Toronto Kitchen
The best kitchen flooring is a somewhat subjective topic, but by using this guide as a reference, you can begin to sort through the array of options on the market to find that perfect floor for your home. If in doubt, do not hesitate to reach out to a professional for guidance. The team at Kitchen Land is composed of highly talented and dedicated kitchen design professionals ready and eager to help Greater Toronto Area customers find a kitchen floor that hits the mark.