Best Flooring in Kitchen?

suzialwaysbroke

We need to get some new flooring down in our hall/downstairs loo/utiliy & kitchen. Has anyone any recommendations, words of wisdom or warnings that we should take account of? I quite like the look of wood laminate, but would it be hardwearing enough in the kitchen?

Thanks for any ideas,

Suzi xx

ryandj

In our last house we had a light coloured wood laminate in the kitchen and living room, and it is fine for hard wearing, although it probably depends on what type you buy in terms of the grade.

I would say that it gets very slippery when wet so it could be dangerous in the kitchen.

Now, we have wooden floor in the kitchen which looks lovely, is a bit more expensive than laminate but I think it should last for ages.

Also, check up what cleaning products you can use on the laminate - some do not like bleach or certain cleaning products I think.

SarahReid

Hi, Just adding my experience. Personally I would go against laminate. Especially if you have children, or men infact! My mum had laminate in her bathroom, which thanks to my little boy and some not very careful adult men, got a bit smelly when they missed the pot. It sort of sinks into it. Its also something that happens in a kitchen too. My mate had a leask in the sink and it ruined the laminate, it bubbled and got damaged. Her kids were very hard on it too and marked easily with them playing and running about. They slid alot too.

I however, have floor tiles in my kitchen. Very hard wearing, easy to clean, I use dettol. And really easy to sweep, hoover etc. The only down sides are its cold on your feet, I dont wear slippers so tend to hurry around in there. Its also fatal if you drop something glass. No chance of survival, 100 pieces immediately. Otherwise I like it alot. I personally would reccomend tiles.

I think wood is rather expensive, although does really look good. There is def a quality diff compared to laminate.

Good luck with the decisions!

Sarah x

phill99

A number of issues:
I have many discussions with customers about this subject. People seem to think that all laminate flooring is the same. This is untrue. If you get a good quality laminate which is professionally laid it should give you many years of service. A cheap DIY style laminate (£3.99/m2 from B & Q) will last a few months only. Additionally, Water Tolerant laminates are now available which are designed for kitchens and bathrooms. These also come in tile effect and look very attractive.

In terms of water resistance be under no illusion - NO FLOOR COVERING IS SAFE IF FLOODED from a washing machine etc. Vinyls bubble and go mouldy when water gets undernreath, carpets are an obvious nightmare and tiles can easily pop up if flooded especially if laid on a timber sub-strata. Wood will simply absorb the moisture and warp.

The advantaqge of Laminate is that it is cost effective and not so offensively priced so that if in 5 years you don't like it, then it is going to break the bank to replace it.

Al;ways clean with a simple solution of mild detergent in warm water (Fairy Liquid is fine). Special laminate cleaners are a con. The top surface is effectively the same as most kitchen doors and worktops and you don't need special cleaners for them! Just ensure the mop is well rung out ie a damp mop rather than a wet mop.

Hope this helps the discussion.

ukwoody

I HATE laminate in kitchens, and as previously mentioned on here, following an accident by one of my customers would never reccomend it in kitchens. basically it's far too slippery and theres too much moisture and grease about.

I now refuse to fit it in kitchens.

woody

suzialwaysbroke

Thanks for your feedback - we will certainly give it a great deal more thought. Perhaps we will go for tiles?

suzi xx

sarah_elton

I'm getting kitchen and bathroom floor tiles laid on Sunday.

If you have a house where it's worth it, and money to burn, get under-tile heating - it's magical! Sooo not worth it in my flat though so I'm not bothering.

One thing - floor tiles vary massively in how slippery they are. Don't pick online. Go to tile shops and run your hand over the tiles, put the samples on the floor and try sliding your foot on them.

I found Topps and the other big chains pretty uninspiring. My town has two independent tile shops and they were great - really helpful and surprisingly competitive on price. If you're anywhere near North Essex then I'm getting mine from Hayland Tiles in Witham - much recommended. They're doing the fitting to.

ryandj

suzialwaysbroke wrote: »

Thanks for your feedback - we will certainly give it a great deal more thought. Perhaps we will go for tiles?

suzi xx

I also forgot to mention, we had lino on the bathroom floor when we moved into the house, and it was all bubbled up and creased, think maybe it had got wet underneath and was not properly laid. Anyway, when we moved in we got some tiles laid, the tiles were not overly expensive - B&Q - and although the laying of them was quite costly, it was such a neat job to get a professional in to do it, and he finished in a morning. He even cut it perfectly round the toilet and the sink. I think if it was in the kitchen, I would have tiled it myself as it is all square and less cutting to do.

sassybooboos

in my old house i had ceramic tiles they were very cold and i found that they chipped easily ( and i didn't have the cheap ones) so buy a spare box just in case.

in my new house i have those laminated tile effect thingies. im really shocked how many people have thought they were tiles( must be drunk) but they are really warm compared to the wooden laminate flooring in the front room and the tiles i had in my old house.

so when i re do the kitchen if i can find some of the laminated tiles effect things that i actually like ( mine are yukky blue) i might go with them.

Bungarm2001

Use porcelain or ceramic tiles, or slate. All of them are really good and you can get slip resistant tiles. Slate will need sealing once in a while, but it looks terrific and is actually relatively cheap.

Underfloor heating is great too and also, not as expensive as you might think.

I would never put laminate or even the so called 'kitchen and bathroom' laminates in a kitchen. They all stain or wear quicker than any other type of floor covering unless you take great care of it.