The best flooring for kitchens

TILE

Tile is one of the most versatile options for kitchen flooring with wide varieties of sizes, colors, designs, and textures. Tile is a very strong, durable option.

Porcelain and Ceramic tile is the most popular tile variety. Tiles are made from various clay materials and fired in a kiln. Ceramic tiles can be coated or uncoated, though most ceramic tile floors in Lancaster County are coated. Since ceramic tile is manufactured, it comes in a wide range of shapes and colors for almost every room type. Although the hardness of the tile may need to be considered for areas where you will be standing for long periods of time.

TRAVERTINE TILE

Travertine is a natural limestone created by hot mineral spring deposits and it is mined all over the world. The locations of the limestone and the composition of the rock make color and pattern variations that are unique with every tile. Travertine is a naturally porous stone but stone sealants are applied for better performance and to bring out the rich textured qualities of each stone.

MARBLE

Marble is THE classic floor tile as it has been used for floors throughout history. Marble floors are extremely durable due to their hard composition and come in a brilliant array of colors, patterns, and shade variations. These variations do make it hard to match tiles if new tiles are needed from a different batch, so it is important to have a few extra tiles should repairs be needed.

WOOD LOOK TILE

Wood look tile is quickly becoming a Lancaster County favorite. These ceramic and porcelain tiles have the warm textures and color of wood and the durability and easy maintenance of ceramic tile. If you have not seen wood look tiles, then it is time you did.

HARDWOOD

Hardwood flooring is a great option for a kitchen, especially if you have an open floor plan and want the flooring to flow from room to room. It is a great way to bring natural beauty and warmth into your home, and it looks great with painted cabinets. Wood floors are very easy to clean and maintain, although you will want to make sure that you wipe up any spills quickly.

One of the beautiful things about hardwood floors is that it is a natural product. There are many different species that offer different graining patterns. Wood can also be stained or painted, and the texture can be altered. The surface texture of wood can be altered with hand-scrapping or wire-brushing. Finish techniques include the more common urethane or aluminum oxide coating and now, a hard oil/wax finish.

LUXURY VINYL TILE

Luxury Vinyl Tile, or LVT, is a great alternative option when you want the look of hardwood, but are maybe concerned about the use of hardwood in your kitchen, or when you want the look of tile, but you do not want the cold/hard surface that tile offers.

LVT is a very comfortable flooring option. It has better heat retention than ceramic tile, making it warmer underfoot, it is next in line for sound absorption after carpet, it is resistant to water damage (because its vinyl), and it is easy to clean.

Modern techniques allow LVT to beautifully reproduce the look of stone, wood, and ceramic tile. In most cases, it is very hard to tell the difference between vinyl and the real thing!

Fairly new to the world of LVT, is the water-proof core (you will sometimes see this referred to as WPC). The water-proof core products make for great applications in basements, bathrooms, and of course, kitchens!