What Type of Kichen Flooring Do You Have?

Updated on October 07, 2011
N.N. asks from Ecorse, MI
29 answers

Happy Thursday Mama's

Our vinyl flooring in our kitchen is starting to peel due to water getting underneath(the water is coming from the girls simply mopping the floor and using to much water). We are going to replace the floor soon, I would love to have a wood kitchen floor, what type do you have, hate and love?

I worry about ceramic tile getting chipped if something falls on the flloor.

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☆.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Large ceramic tiles. They are grey and the grout was dyed to be almost the same color as the tiles - so it does not look dirty. A couple times my son has decided he wanted a smoothie and proceeded to drop the blender motor trying to get it out of the cabinet and so far we have not broken any.

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❤.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

We used to have vinyl. I didn't really like it. It was very dated and I felt
like I could never get it truly clean since it had been in the house long
awhile before we bought it.

We changed it to the "fake" wood. I think it's called laminate. Love it.

Have had it for about 6 years now & so far it's help up pretty well (know
wood ha ha).

It looks nicer and matches some of the "real" wood flooring in other parts
of the home.

Hubby installed it.

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K.L.

answers from Savannah on

We have the ugliest linoleum! I hate it, but we are renters, so we can't so anything about it. It looks filthy even after I scrub it :(

My sister in law ahs laminate flooring that looks like wood. That seems nice!

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More Answers

K.J.

answers from New Orleans on

We have tile. I love/hate it at the same time.lol... I love them b/c they are hard and pretty easy to clean messes up that are spilled. But also hate them b/c the cracks seem to get dirty and have to get on hands and knees and scrub the cracks which seems like we are cleaning them about twice a month. But also we have a pretty big size family(1 small dog,cat,3 kids,husband and myself). The rest of our house it wood floors and same relationship also.(Love/Hate) Easy to clean up,but seems like I'm always sweeping the floors and can notice easy if it has paper,dust etc. on the floor. But love them more than carpet. :)

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B..

answers from Dallas on

Ceramic tile. We chose to not have wood in our kitchen. We have dogs and a toddler. We can seal tile, and you can sort of seal wood. However, moisture is bad news for wood flooring. Between washing dishes, a kid, two large dogs, my clumsiness...we just didn't want issues with spills damaging the wood. We really like our tile. We are going to get a nice rug for the middle (Our kitchen is massive. The only large room in our small house!), it can get chilly in the winter.

P.S.
I have never chipped our tile. I have dropped everything known to man on those suckers :)

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V.T.

answers from Dallas on

We have tile. While I love that it doesn't soak up spills like hardwood, I hate it. I hate the look, I hate that mine has chipped and some have cracks in it. I would go hardwood anytime. I've had laminate, hardwood and tile in the 3 homes I've had, and by far I loved the hardwood the most. You just have to be quick with the spills. I know for laminate you have to put down a special barrier on the floor for water, and in kitchens they recommend that you glue them down, not just use the snap and lock. I'm assuming the same would hold true for hardwood. In our home now, we have handscrapped hardwoods on the main floor, besides the kitchen, and I love how durable it is, and because of the handscrapped look, you don't see our dogs nail marks and we have dropped tons of stuff on the floor and you can't tell.

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J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Ceramic tile because it is the only thing that can hold up to water. Wood likes water as much as vinyl does but is a lot more expensive. Same thing with laminates.

The only drawback is it is slipper as hell when wet. When I first put it in I wiped out every time I mopped because I kept forgetting. Very amusing for the family mind you once they figured out I wasn't dead. :(

If you do your research they do make slip resistant tiles which is what I put in my bathroom. Clearly I care more for my family than they do for me. :p

You can also lay it yourself and save about half the costs. Granted it is very labor intensive but if you can cut a straight line with a saw and use a tape measure you have to skills to do it.

Oh yeah it does get cold but they make a grid you can lay under it that heats it. :)

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R.D.

answers from Richmond on

We have 1/2 dead, ugly, awful hardwood in our kitchen (we rent)... If I could choose, I'd either do ceramic tile (18 inch) or bamboo hardwood.

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S.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I'm piggy backing on Momof2boys- luxury vinyl tile is the way to go if you still have kids and or pets. Wood is great except if you have any major spills, the water can seep underneath and it would be hard to get it all up. It isn't impossible to keep wood nice, but it is not easy.

luxury vinyl is like vinyl with poster board behind it. More cushion but sturdy

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A.H.

answers from Chicago on

I own rental property and a SF house and have learned that standard ceramic tile is not the best choice for a kitchen. The surface of it can crack, and with constant traffic, things falling on it, toddlers banging on it, the tiles themselves can also break. Then you lose the bond between the tile and the adhesive, also the grout starts to crack, and you'll have to replace the whole floor eventually. Stone tiles or hardwood is the way to go. Hardwood wins out slightly for me because it's a bit softer of a surface so if someone slips and falls or drops something, it's an easier landing.

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J.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

We have laminate. We did have an issue of some of the planks warping because our refrigerator had a leak. But the water had been on it for a long time, and that's the only area where you can see any kind of irregularity. Otherwise, we have been very happy with it. You get the look of wood without the cost or maintenance hassle.

I like the look and ease of cleaning of ceramic tile, but I hate how unforgiving it is. Our friends have tile, and she said that every time they drop ANYTHING on it, it breaks. They've broken a ton of cups and dishes since they've moved in. It's a hassle, especially with small children in the house. It can also get really cold on winter mornings.

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D.G.

answers from Dallas on

In our previous house we have put luxury vinyl tile in our kitchen & dining area. I loved it. It was installed like ceramic. It was hard (not floppy like vinyl) but if something was dropped on it it wouldn't chip. When I get to replace the yucky vinyl in my kitchen and yucky tile in my bathroom that's what I'm going to do again.

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A.B.

answers from Detroit on

I recently had my kitchen redone. Nothing over the top just updates to help sell the house. We went with wood floors. I don't want to sound like an ingrate but I do not like them. I have a four year old son ---spills, crumbs,toys being dropped are all a problem. Sure, the floor is beautiful but it drives me crazy. Even loading the dishwasher is a problem. Every little drop of H2O shows, the crumbs are in the cracks of the woods (esp. if you sweep with a broom), dropped toys dent the wood. I want my old linoleum back. We redid our counter tops with granite. Another decision I regret, especially with kids. You have to be extra careful when setting dishes down, you can't really see the spills or food on the counter (so you have to feel if you missed any area when wiping down) and you can't use any cleaners with bleach, ammonia etc. I guess my point is think about what you want and what you don't want to be worried about. I wish I had talked to more people about the pros and cons before I made my decision. Good luck.

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D.N.

answers from Chicago on

Ugly, nasty vinyl. I hated it when it was purchased and the guy that put it down did a horrible job. As soon as we can we are going to tear that stuff up and sand and varnish the floors underneath. We will then have wood floors throughout.

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L.C.

answers from Houston on

In the kitchen at our last house we installed vinyl flooring that looked like tile and I loved it. It even fooled some people. One friend asked how I kept my grout so bright and clean. We have real tile in our new kitchen and it's difficult to keep pretty. Mainly the grout. I would be worried about wood or laminate in the kitchen if you're already having water damage issues.

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K.P.

answers from New York on

I have hardwood floors and love them! The only thing I would say is that my feet hurt after standing there for a while- the hubs found a great cushioned kitchen rug and we're fine now, but those first few months... ouch!

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F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

We are in a rental and have Saltillo tiles thru the whole house. WE HATE THEM!!! They literally are made of mud and are not even, so when you step on them just right barefooted, they really hurt. And the landlord didn't have them sealed so they are dirty and gross. Even tho they are very expensive and popular here in AZ, I will NEVER have them in a house we own. I love wood floors but in the kitchen with spills I would think tile would be better. Just my opinion. Hope you find something you love and works for you!!! =)

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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I have tile. It is 10 years old, indestructible and very easy to clean although I wish I selected a darker color grout. I can not imagine having wood in the kitchen although I love it else where in my house.
Our builder had to put extra support under the floor to support the weight of the tile. If you do not, the tile will likely crack.

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K.D.

answers from Provo on

We have tile. I have dropped all kinds of things on it and not broken any. However, one of the tiles was cracked when we moved in. Having dropped other extremely heavy things on it, I have to wonder what they dropped on it to make it do that!
I had a laminate wood floor in my kitchen in our last house. I liked it, but if you are worried about cracking and chipping then you need to worry more about it with laminate than you do with tile.
And if you have water getting underneath your vinyl flooring, no matter what floor you replace it with, you need to solve that problem first.

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C.D.

answers from Eugene on

We have bamboo in our kitchen, dining and living room and I HATE it! It was installed by the previous owners just before we moved in, and it looked so beautiful then. We have only lived here 4 years and it has not held up well at all... EVERY time you drop something it dents the floor. Our dog scratched it up almost the first day she walked on it. It just scratches so easily. The cracks between the boards look grimy and you are not supposed to steam clean the floor, so I have no idea how to clean it effectively, other than with a mop. You are not supposed to even walk on them with heels! Ugh! I would go with hardwood floors or vinyl tiles in the future if we had the money to replace the floor.

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A.S.

answers from Detroit on

I have 1980's linoleum garbage. Cracking, peeling... Who wouldn't just LOVE that? <sarc

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L.B.

answers from San Francisco on

I have ugly old vinyl. I would love a hardwood kitchen floor but it can be pretty tough if the dishwasher leaks or the icemaker on the fridge goes awry (my dh installed wood floors professionally for 15yrs and did many many repairs for people.) Me? My next kitchen floor is going to be tile and I joke that it will be dirt colored so you won't be able to tell it's not clean. ; )

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T.N.

answers from Albany on

I have an old fashioned white porcelain tile floor with red diamond inserts. I hated it and had intended to replace in when I bought the house. However, it's grown on me and now I think it's cute! It is indestructable, was very well laid, goes with everything. Major drawback though is it's so VERY white, one little speck of dirt screams at you! But it is very easy to keep clean (not that I keep it clean, tehehe).

I love hardwood in the kitchen, very warm and homey and durable!

:)

*I love questions like this. It's interesting reading what everyone's house looks like, you know? Yeah, yeah, I know I need to get a life!

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K.F.

answers from Cleveland on

I have ceramic tile and I hate it! The grout is black (dirt) from the previous owners and my kitchen is HUGE and I can't stand the thought of scrubbing it and then sealing it so it won't get dirty again. I have a lot of chips in it that look like a piece of food is stuck on it, it's not easy to clean, you drag a chair across the floor and it leaves a permanent mark on it.

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A.G.

answers from Houston on

I have the worst kitchen floor known to man. Its white and cheap linoleum. Before i bought this house my dad lived here and he was in a wheelchair. he bought it cheap and ugly because it was going to get messed up anyway.............ugh

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S.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

I replaced my floor in my kitchen. I used vinyal self adhesive squares that look like wood. I love the effect, and it was very easy i did it all my self during my son's nap. we ended up doing the same in our bedroom, and will be doing the same in the nusery (we bought trafficmaster laminate planks but they were warped and didn't lay flat) The only down side to this flooring is it is very slick for the first week after you lay it down.

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G.H.

answers from Chicago on

i have bamboo throughout my 1st floor. it is easy to clean & looks beautiful BUT it dents & scratches easily.

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

We have tile in our entry way that is covered by a rug because some of them are cracked.

In our kitchen we went with stone-patterned vinyl flooring for now. Maybe later we'll upgrade. I forget what a friend has. It's not wood. Pergo? Seems to be holding up well.

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A.F.

answers from Fargo on

I have beautiful hardwood floors and I LOVE them, but I might love them so much because my kitchen was under construction for a YEAR and every time I go into my kitchen I can't get over how beautiful it is. ;)

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