What type of floor for the kitchen?

[Anonymous]

We need to replace the broken tile floor in our kitchen. We are also doing the remodel of the cabinets and the countertop replacement. What type of floor is most practical and has most longevity in the kitchen? The tile floor didn't do so well a few pieces are broken. Maybe marble would be better? Or granite? I saw wooden floors in the kitchen too, but not a fan as there are always spills and I am more comfortable with the smooth stone type of surface. I don't want slate floors either as they have lots of crevices and uneven surfaces and seem a PITA to clean.

What color should we do, our cabinets will be light oak, the countertop gray marble.

[Anonymous]

I still think hardwood's the best.

[Anonymous]

If your tile is cracking it's most likely because it was not installed right, the underfloor must not be even. We had no problem with our tile floors. Our neighbor has marble floors and they have cracks due to incompetent installation. If the floor is installed correctly it will be durable, no matter the material. The wood floors can buckle if there a leaks, my friend has that next to her dishwasher, so I would not recommend wood, other than that any tile or stone floor will work.

[Anonymous]

We have wood and i wish we didn't. They are totally scratched because the main entrance we use is through the kitchen. Our small kids also constantly spill and have stained the floors. Never again will i put wood in a kitchen.

[Anonymous]

We've loved our wood floors in the kitchen. I've found that the secret is to not wait too long before reapplying the finish. The only time we had an issue was when we waited over 5 years on this -- then the floor got very work looking and was harder to keep clean. I actually liked have wood underneath when my kids were little because I didn't worry as much when they fell down -- wood is warmer and makes for a much softer landing!

If wood's not your thing I'd go with ceramic tile, but as others have said I think the correct type of tile and installation in important.

[Anonymous]

the floor got WORN looking. Dang that autocorrect!

[Anonymous]

I love polished marble floors. You can't see every single footprint on them like on solid color matte surfaces. Marble has pattern and polish reflects light, so it conceals dirt IMO. Now I have gray tile floors and I see every footprint on them and every drop or spill, I feel like I must wipe my floors twice a day to keep them clean . I bet people like wood floors for the same reason, you can't see every speck of dirt due to the pattern of the wood. My advice, don't get anything with the light color matte surface.

[Anonymous]

I adore my ceramic tile floor, but:

--I've only had it two months, so I can't attest to its long-term durability.
--It's very easy to make and see spots, but it's just as easy to clean up the spots.
--Wood is probably even more attractive, but we wanted to keep the cost of the floor moderate, as we're selling soon.

[Anonymous]

hardwood

[Anonymous]

i know a friend who put hardwood in and they don't last as long in the kitchen as tile. Especially spills. Eventually splinters started showing up after prolonged wear of a few years.

[Anonymous]

wood and moisture doesn't go together. it makes no sense to me to put wood where there are lots of appliances using water and leaks are not sometimes visible to the naked eye until the damage is done. While scratches can be refinished, water damage cannot be repaired, the floor or part of it will have to be replaced. I know some people put wood floors in the bathrooms and that is usually viewed as odd and not very practical choice. I consider wood surfaces to be high maintenance in some situations, like when they frequently come in contact with liquids, moisture, heat, objects falling, sharp objects, etc.

[Anonymous]

OP here. We are leaning towards marble at this point. The cost is not that much more than ceramic tile as our kitchen is not very large. Is polished marble prone to scratches? Will the surface look dull after a few years of heavy traffic? We know the marble lobbies of hotels and apt buildings need to be periodically maintained and polished, will this be the case with the polished marble in the kitchen or we can't really compare to the traffic intensity of the hotels, LOL.

[Anonymous]

We prefer ceramic tiles (we have 18x18 ceramic tiles) that have a rougher surface. Marble is too smooth and becomes a skating rink when there is just a little bit of moisture/water on it. I've seen people, both adults and children, take bad spills when water got on a marble floor and no one noticed it. If your kitchen has an exterior entrance (back door, garage door, mud room) where you may come and go from the outdoors, then I would be cautious about marble because it is easy for moisture to be tracked in on rainy or snowy days and that's when I've seen the most accidents from marble floors.

I'm another one who doesn't like hardwoods in the kitchen. Too much wear and tear. I've seen families with pets who have their food/water dishes in the kitchen and the floors get massacred as the pets come and go, there are spills, moisture, food, etc that gets on the floor. Those floors get discoloration, water damage to the wood, slippery when wet, etc. If you are going with wood, go with something that has texture to it (cork is very popular now).

[Anonymous]

Vinyl is by far the most practical. I know people don't like it because it isn't fashionable, but it looks great, is comfy, perfect for a kitchen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i know a friend who put hardwood in and they don't last as long in the kitchen as tile. Especially spills. Eventually splinters started showing up after prolonged wear of a few years.

Splinters? I've never had this with our hardwoods.