All different types of flooring are used in kitchens and the best one for your home depends upon your habits and home conditions. But the trend currently seen is mostly hardwood flooring in recently built homes in the kitchen area.
Your flooring decision in the kitchen may also depend upon whether you have an open kitchen, which is part of a larger family room or a separate enclosed room for your kitchen.
Tile:
The first type of kitchen flooring you can think of is of-course tiling. Tiles can be found in the kitchen in older homes as well as apartment buildings and was the traditional choice of flooring during the past few years. However as construction technology has progressed, other types of floorings are now installed in kitchens.
Tile Advantages:
The advantages of tile in the kitchen seems obvious as it is durable, good for wet areas and is available in different colours. It may also be easier to clean, mop and maintain around the sink area.
Cost:
Tile costs around $2 per square feet with around $5 per square feet for installation. Installing and removing tile is however cumbersome and requires specialized labour skills and a lot of time.
Laminate:
Laminate flooring is a lower cost alternative to hardwood flooring. Laminate comes in different colors and is also easy to maintain.
Advantages:
Laminate is easier to install than some of the other flooring, more like plug and play. It can be installed in the kitchen in a matter of few hours and is available in a wide variety of colours and textures.
Cost:
Laminate could cost between $1-$3 per square feet depending upon the thickness and is available in upto 12/15 mm thick.
Hardwood
Advantages:
Hardwood is the closest form of natural wood and comes in beautiful grains of wood and is therefore appealing to look at. It may however require more maintenance than tile or laminate and may need to be protected by mats. It is usually not water resistant.
Cost:
Hardwood is one of the most expensive of the kitchen flooring options with a square feet cost between $2-$4 and an additional $6 per square feet for installation.
Luxury Vinyl:
Advantages:
Vinyl is waterproof and also resistant to marks and scratches. It comes in a wide variety of textures and is a durable kitchen flooring. It can be a low cost option if the kitchen is a separate room and an enclosed space as you would not want to extend the vinyl into the family room in an open concept kitchen.
Cost:
Vinyl cost is substantially lower as it can start around $1.4 per square feet for the material. Installation cost is also comparatively lower.
Latest Trend:
The trend currently in recently built homes in North America is hardwood flooring in the kitchen area, specially when the kitchen is an open concept and part of a larger family room. The flooring in the family room extends to the kitchen area. Although hardwood is more expensive and needs to be protected by rugs in the kitchen, it has become the preferred choice in single family homes.