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by Rachel Lyon, The House Designers’ Assistant Editorial Director
As perhaps the most traveled area of your home, your kitchen’s flooring needs to be carefully chosen. Not only does it need to withstand persistent foot traffic, but it should also stand up to the burden of spills and have the strength to endure dropped pots and pans. Since this is a room where strength and durability are key, you definitely want to pick a suitable flooring. With the options available today, your kitchen can feature anything from a sturdy bamboo to a majestic hardwood. Have a look at some of these fantastic floors that will hold up to your kitchen and look great doing it.
Try Hardwoods
This seems like the obvious choice, but plenty of people are wary of investing in hardwood flooring for their kitchens considering the damage that can be done to them. When you choose hardwood for your kitchen, you want to try to find a species that has a higher Janka Rating, which measures its durability against wear and tear.
You can also protect your kitchen floor against water damage by making sure that it is properly sealed and finished. Prefinished flooring is especially hardy, but it can also have very small gaps between the planks compared to floors that are finished on site. Choose what you think is best for your situation, and remember that one of the great things about hardwood is that it can be refinished several times to renew its appearance.
Look at Laminates
Laminate flooring is a great solution for kitchens. With so many looks to consider, from different colors to floors with a natural wood grain detail, you will have a harder time deciding on which kind to install than you did when trying to figure out what should line your floor in the first place.
Laminate flooring is made to look like beautiful, natural hardwood, but the best thing about it is the no fuss, no muss upkeep. Resistant to scratches and stains, this might just be your perfect kitchen floor. Laminate also resists regular wear and fading, so it will look fantastic while providing the durable flooring you need.
Consider Cork
In your kitchen, cork doesn’t have to be just for wine. Cork flooring is amazing because it is a natural, renewable product that is harvested from living trees without damaging them. It also has a cushiony feel that makes it a great choice for any room where you intend to do a lot of standing.
Cork is also a practical choice for your kitchen. It is very simple to clean in case of mishaps. Just make sure that it is properly sealed to protect against water damage, and cork will repay you with years of comfortable cooking. Like hardwood, cork can be refinished, so you can refresh the floor if it starts looking a little worn.
Check out Bamboo
Bamboo flooring is very popular nowadays, and it is finding use in every room. The main reason for this skyrocketing popularity is its highly renewable nature, but it is also a great option where durability and value are concerned.
Bamboo labeled “strand” has been produced under intense heat and pressure to yield supremely hardy flooring, so it can stand up to what your kitchen has to throw at it. You can also choose handscraped and other distressed types to help disguise any damage that your floor eventually develops, but be assured that it will look amazingly aged rather than sadly worn. Bamboo is the best of both worlds—it has the natural beauty and durability of hardwood, but it is also highly renewable—so it will integrate seamlessly into your kitchen while giving you peace of mind.
Think you might have found the perfect flooring for your kitchen? Find a Lumber Liquidators location near you and see these gorgeous floors and many others in person.