Welcome back to our 2024 flooring trends series! This week we will be discussing the third flooring trend of the year: hardwood in kitchens! Make sure to check out our previous two blogs here if you haven't already.
Hardwood in kitchens is on an upward trend
Its no secret that hardwood is not the traditional choice for a kitchen, but its been trending over the last few years for good reasons. If you're like us, you absolutely LOVE the look of hardwood in kitchens! Not only does it create a visually seamless surface between the the kitchen and adjacent room, hardwood also provides a warm and soft sensation on one's bare feet. This is preferrable to porcelain and ceramic tile which tend to feel uncomfortably cold when walked on.
Things to keep in mind
If you are thinking about implementing this beautiful trend in your kitchen, its important to consider these things first:
- Wood and water don’t mix
- When hardwood is exposed to (a significant amount of) water, it can warp, split, and even crack. Damage like this could be caused by a leaking dishwasher for instance. However, as with all flooring, prolonged exposure to water is not ideal.
- A splash here and there from kitchen activities poses little risk, but spills should be cleaned up promptly.
- Select a hard species
- Its good to go with a harder wood for the kitchen as your heavy duty appliances such as your stove will go in this room. Appliances may need to be moved from time to time for maintenance, so it is important to choose a durable species to go in this space. Examples of hard wood species are White Oak, Hickory, Red Oak, and Ash.
- To find how to measure the hardness of your hardwood, checkout our blog on the Janka Hardness Scale.
- For more information on wood species that work great in kitchens, check out our video.
- Avoid dark and glossy hardwood
- The use of dark hardwood with a high sheen will show every dent and scratch. As your kitchen is a high traffic area, high maintenance floors such as Walnut and Cherry are not recommend.
Our recommendations
If you've decided that this is exactly the upgrade your kitchen needs, keep reading to find out our recommendations for your kitchen reno:
- Go with light and low sheen hardwood
- In contrast to dark and glossy hardwood, light hardwood with a low sheen is ideal for kitchen floors. This is because scratches and dents do not show as easily on light floors.
- We also recommend a wire-brushed finish for your kitchen floors as it discretely hides general wear and tear.
- Proper floor protection
- While using light and low sheen hardwood flooring in your kitchen will help hide dents and scratches, we still recommend the use of Flexi-Felt pads on furniture for that extra layer of protection.