Family-Friendly Kitchen Flooring: Guide to Durability, Safety, and Style

Good news: You can have pretty much whatever you want in your kitchen, as long as you follow a few smart guidelines.

Featuring the engineered wood flooring in Rima’s kitchen

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The decisions to be made when designing a kitchen can feel daunting—the sheer number alone, let alone the anxiety.

Will this material truly work in a busy cook space? Will it hold up to daily life? Will I still love it in five years? Factor in a growing family and those worries begin to multiply: What if the kids drop their juice boxes; will it stain? What if my child falls…will they hurt themselves? After all, the kitchen isn’t just a place to cook; it’s the heart of your home.

Beyond just looks and function, you need to consider what type of traffic your kitchen flooring will truly experience. Is your kitchen a direct landing zone from the garage or a deck, tracking in dirt? Do you have beloved pets whose claws might scratch or who bring in water and mud? Is a high chair frequently dragged around in one area, or has your child graduated to their own mini-vehicle for playtime, adding to wear and tear? Health is a critical factor, too.

Any manufactured flooring and/or its finish should provide clear ratings for its various contents and performance, including VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions and slippage.

Take all of these crucial factors into account as you consider the following materials underfoot. The even better news: With a few smart precautions, you can install just about whatever you want, and continue to enjoy it as your family grows.

Hardwood

Sought out for its natural elegance, wood also delivers a lot of practical benefits: It offers a slight pliancy underfoot, meaning items you drop are less likely to break than on a harder surface like tile. You’ll find two basic wood options:

Solid Wood

If you love the timeless appeal of solid wood, opt for prefinished floors (also known as “factory finished”). These floors arrive with a hard-wearing top coat of aluminum oxide urethane, offering superior protection from scratches and minimizing upkeep like waxing; daily sweeping should suffice. Always ask your dealer about the warranty, which should be provided by the manufacturer—not just the installer—for greater recourse if the floor needs a major or immediate repair. This type of floor can also be refinished multiple times, as long as the dings aren’t too deep. If your preference is for hardwood but you worry about those inevitable dings, take a look at “distressed” styles that cleverly disguise any new imperfections.

Caution: This type of floor will fade with regular exposure to strong, direct sunlight, so reconsider placing it by a window that ushers in intense daily sun. You also need to be very mindful of moisture exposure—say, a leak at the dishwasher or fridge, or water constantly splashed by the sink. And if your toddler drops food by the high chair, take the simple precaution of placing a mat underneath to prevent spotting or stains.

Engineered Wood

The other popular option in this category is engineered wood flooring. This is made of a thin veneer of real wood attached to a structural plywood base. It should cost a little less than solid wood initially, but depending on the thickness of the veneer, you may not be able to refinish it. This makes considering long-term durability and potential replacement costs important.

Caution: Formaldehyde, often used as an adhesive, can be found in some engineered wood floors, including bamboo. At the present time, this chemical is not strictly regulated. It’s crucial to inquire with the salesperson or manufacturer regarding any floor made with pressed wood or medium-density fiberboard (MDF) to understand their VOC ratings.

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Bamboo

Although technically a grass, bamboo is often grouped with hardwoods for many of the same reasons: it looks natural and warm, endures light to medium wear, and is easy underfoot. Most bamboo flooring is made of a bamboo veneer attached to a backing such as plywood or MDF.

However, you need to be mindful of quality. Bamboo is treated with many chemicals to transform it into a suitable flooring material, so off-gassing can be a significant factor. Additionally, as a relative newcomer to flooring, manufacturing sources vary widely, and quality control is not yet highly regulated. Investigate thoroughly, as you would with any product you bring into your home.

Laminate

This type of flooring is similar to laminate countertops, in that it’s composed of dense fiberboard topped with a photographic image of real wood (or other material), which is then sealed with a clear protective layer. With the development of HD printing, laminate now offers a vast array of realistic wood looks, and you can even mix several styles (e.g., a pale oak with a colored border) to achieve unique effects.

It tends to resist light scratching and fading from sunlight remarkably well. That hollow sound that once turned off many homeowners has largely been eliminated by manufacturers who incorporate sound-muffling materials like cork underneath.

Laminate is installed as a “floating floor,”meaning there’s no glue or nails. Boards connect by means of an interlocking tongue and groove design. Since there’s no need to connect the boards to a subfloor, they can be installed over any uneven surface as long as it’s sealed and remains dry. This makes laminate a good, versatile solution until little ones are more grown up, especially if you anticipate replacing it eventually with tile or real wood.

Caution: Laminate wears well but, like real wood, it won’t withstand prolonged exposure to water, and it’s slippery when wet. Also, it cannot be refinished. If there’s significant damage, you’ll have to replace the entire board, so it’s wise to order extra to have an exact match if needed for future repairs.

Resilient Flooring

Mostly vinyl falls into this category, but there’s also linoleum. As the term “resilient” indicates, this flooring is easy on humans—ideal when little ones fall, or adults stand for long periods prepping a meal. If you drop a dish, it’s also less likely to break on this surface than on tile or even wood. Resilient flooring also handles a lot of wear and sunlight exposure, and it’s remarkably resistant to stains from food and drink spills, as well as crayons and magic markers.

Vinyl

Recent advancements in manufacturing have significantly improved vinyl’s performance since the days when it was relegated to your grandmother’s laundry room. You can now find vinyl that infuses the surface with cultured diamond particles for increased protection against dents, scratches, scuffs, and stains. HD printing advancements allow you to choose vinyl that genuinely looks like wood or tile. While you might know it’s vinyl upon close inspection, the faux effects can be part of its fashion-forward appeal. Vinyl remains probably your thriftiest choice, depending on the patternand quality.

Linoleum

Linoleum is sought after for its range of saturated colors or marbled effects, its inherent resiliency, slip resistance, and excellent everyday wear. It comes in large sheets, offering an almost seamless appearance, as well as tiles if you want a classic checkerboard or just prefer that look. Made of linseed oil and other naturally sourced materials, linoleum is often marketed as a “green” flooring choice. However, it still requires some chemical processing to arrive at the finished product, so it’s important to ask the salesperson about off-gassing and VOC ratings.

Caution: Both vinyl and linoleum wear well but cannot be refinished. Always buy extra material in case of future repairs so you can perfectly match the area you need to patch.

Tile

While tile comes in both ceramic and porcelain, the latter is the harder of the two and thus more appropriate for most floors that see a lot of foot traffic. Completely resistant to fading, scratches, and moisture, tile is an excellent choice for a busy household. And since it’s sealed with a fired-on glaze, it’s a good option if allergies are an issue. However, you will want to take some precautions with youngsters in the house.

Until children are old enough where toddling and falling is not a primary concern, use a soft rug in areas where little ones congregate. An expansive indoor/outdoor area rug that can be easily taken outside and hosed off will help protect little ones while adding a splash of colorful style. Many tiles are also slip-resistant, as they are often used in commercial areas, so be sure to ask the salesperson about this specific rating.

Caution: Dishware will almost certainly break on this super-hard surface. Tile can also crack if not installed by a qualified professional on a perfectly smooth, prepared surface. Remember that a rug used to protect little ones will likely need to be cleaned regularly.

Thinking of re-doing or refinishing your wood floors? Check out our guide on why natural wood is reclaiming its place in American homes for everything you need to know to get started.

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