Kitchen Flooring Ideas
Learn about a wide variety of kitchen flooring ideas and see how homeowners use hardwood, laminate, slate, and more to create the perfect blend of style and durability.
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Pine floors warm a room with a light amber color that harmonizes well with other woods, such as the cherry cabinetry in this Arts and Craft kitchen. The quarter-round molding matches the natural pine finish rather than the white baseboard to further emphasize the beauty of wood.
The versatility and durability of decorative concrete make it a popular alternative to stone or tile. A mottled-brown stain and black marble tiles give this kitchen's concrete floor a distinctive warmth and old-world character. The faux grout lines were created by scoring the hardened concrete with a circular saw and masonry blade.
For your next kitchen remodel, go green and create a natural glow with this bamboo flooring. Thanks to its good looks, fast growth, and abundance, bamboo flooring's popularity is at an all-time high. Using rapidly renewable bamboo reduces our dependence on hardwoods, which can take 60 years to mature.
Wide-plank walnut floors stained chocolate brown bridge the style gap between traditional and contemporary in this large kitchen. A word of caution: Walnut is softer than other hardwood flooring and more easily damaged by high heels and dropped dishes. A satin polyurethane finish gives the flooring a rich, subtle sheen and helps downplay any denting.
Because they are moisture- and stain-resistant, ceramic floor tiles are a classic choice for many kitchen floors. Here, hexagonal floor tiles help ensure authenticity in the remodel of this 1900s kitchen and entry hall. For a playful touch, the kitchen's mostly white floor is accented with scattered brown tiles tiptoeing in from the hallway, while random white tiles in the hall break up the expanse of color.
A popular flooring choice for heavy-traffic areas, slate has a dense, smooth texture that makes it durable, moisture-resistant, and impervious to most stains. These homeowners chose slate tiles for the kitchen's heated floor because they radiate warmth efficiently. They also require little care and suit both vintage and contemporary styles.
One advantage of hardwood flooring is that it can easily be refinished. Discovered under three layers of linoleum, this narrow-plank maple floor was refinished and sealed to give the kitchen rustic charm. Left its natural color, the maple enhances the room's open feeling.
Walnut has a smooth, straight grain, and planks cut from the heartwood are naturally dark in color so they need no staining. However, they can be stained even darker for old-world ambience. To give the boards in this kitchen a reclaimed look, the homeowners burned all the edges of the floor after it was installed.
Wide-plank, old-growth hardwood flooring contributes to this kitchen's authentic Colonial-inspired style. Featuring intricate graining and characteristic knots, white pine ages to a warm orange-yellow hue that enhances country and rustic interiors.
The travertine floor was the inspiration for the rustic interior design of this kitchen remodel. The tumbled finish is one of four options available for travertine (the others are polished, honed, and brushed). Tumbled travertine resembles old stone pavers, but in this kitchen the floor is warmed by radiant heat for modern comfort.
Easy to install, vinyl kitchen floor tile is an inexpensive and durable choice for do-it-yourselfers -- especially those who like to update things from time to time. These homeowners wanted to make a bold visual statement with their latest kitchen remodel and knew the vinyl tiles would be easier -- and less costly -- to replace for their next kitchen design.
A great-looking floor comes at a price -- but not always the highest price. Available in a variety of woods, laminate floors are easy to maintain and much less expensive than hardwood. As a result, these homeowners were able to afford extending the laminate from the kitchen area into the dining area, visually enlarging the space.
Because spills must be wiped up immediately, some homeowners feel oak flooring isn't durable enough for the kitchen. One solution is to use slate tiles in the work zones -- in front of the oven, refrigerator, and sink. Here, the homeowners applied a gray stain to the oak floor to conceal spots where new wood had to be spliced in around the tile.
The crisp white cabinetry in this kitchen sets off the colorful slate tile floor in blue and rust. Slate is a popular flooring choice due to its durability, slip-resistant texture, and natural color variations. Because it's a porous natural stone, slate flooring requires a protective sealant.
Random-width Brazilian-cherry planks line the floor of this spacious kitchen. Brazilian cherry is a popular, durable floor choice -- it is open-grained like oak but more than twice as hard. It features dark brown or black streaks that contrast with a base color that ranges from dark orange to reddish brown.
Walnut planks with a sculpted surface run throughout this updated kitchen with vintage touches. The wood's finish and texture evoke images of timeworn European country kitchens.
