new floor for kitchen???
 

i am in need of new kitchen floor.
thinking of putting down click laminate floor, but was not sure if you spilled lots of a liquid ( a cup), on it, would it leak into and ruin the floor.
i put similar flooring in two bedrooms and the hall, where you had to put down a seperate under pad. the floor in the hallway keeps moving and seperating, as you leave 1/4 inch around the outside so it can float, and FLOAT it DOES.
this new flooring has the under pad attached, so thinking it won't move. also was thinking of putting up tight against the cupboards and wall, so it couldn't move.
i have read on here where lots of you have put this in their sewing rooms.
my questions are, should i put this in the kitchen and also any and all suggestions for installation.
thank you all in advance for any information you have, pro or con.
sis

I really like the Allure Flooring we put in our bathroom. It went down over the old lino and looks great. It is vinyl, easy on the feet, waterproof and easy to install.

I agree Allure is great and wonderful. We have it in our Utility room W/ washer and dryer. Daughter has it in her kitchen. I want it in my kitchen too, if we ever redo it. A radio home improvement guy said to be sure and pick out color you really like as it will last at least 25 years.

Laminate is a photo. When it gets wet...and in a kitchen it is likely to get wet...the laminate will be compromised. It will leave a blurred spot from the water damage.

I had sheet vinyl installed in my kitchen remodel. It looks like wood flooring. I love it! Easy to clean and since I have pets who dribble their water...much nicer to clean up. Armstrong. I had it professionally installed. Worth every penny!
Sandy

I had a good quality laminate installed in my kitchen a few years ago and I really did not like it at all. I did not like the seams where (as you said) spilled liquids could seep. I did not like the looks of it. Even though it was a high quality and expensive flooring, we thought it looked cheap after it was in for a year or two. We replaced it with porcelain tile and I love it. It looks wonderful. The only hing I don't like about the tile is dropping a glass jar on it. Wow! Talk about shards of glass everywhere! But that has happened only once, so far! Other than that, I just love the porcelain tile!

Now, I have laminate flooring in my sewing room and I love it there!

Cork flooring is soft underfoot, waterproof, warm, and easy to install over exsisting flooring. You can glue it down. Almost forgot....it is beautiful!

I would go for cork or laminate. We have real wood in the kitchen (dh's insistence) and it has gotten dented and scuffed up. Laminate floors I always find to be loud (noisy).

thank you for all your replies. still undesided. hope to hear more.

Tiles are great for kitchen floors, especially if you have a concrete base. There are also some great quality linoleums available, even some that mimic wood....and the high end ones are quite thick and have a "comfort layer" which deadens noise and makes it easier on the feet.

We have the laminate in every room except our bath rooms and kitchen. We have had no problems! wouldn't want any thing else!

Go to www.bhg.com. It is a great siteto explain the pro and con of each flooring.

I also love Www.houzz.com. It is a shelter site. You can search thousands of photos of whatever you are looking for. Example: laminate flooring. Thousands of photos will populate . I used this site to start an Ideabook saving the photos of ideas that i love. When we redo our bathroom....i plan on showing the contracter my ideas for inspiration.

There are articles on Houzz. I love this site!

Sandy

Cork in the kitchen is the best IMHO. It's waterproof, easy to install, doesn't get as cold as ceramic, slightly squishy underfoot. There are a lot of different patterns out there now. It's easy to install. Also, it's renewable and will eventually biodegrade, unlike vinyl.

We do also however, we have tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. I love the laminate in my sewing room!

I have high end wood tongue and groove oak in my entire house (except the bath, of course) and I love its resilience. A quick damp mop with Fabuloso is all it needs to clean up. Spills are not an issue as it has several coats of clear varnish (factory finish). If you love the look of a wood floor, treat yourself to the best you can afford.

We put down 18" tile throughout our family room, kitchen/utility, all the hallways and bathrooms. Excellent for clean up. Like it in the winter, too, as its a quick mop clean up, and we wear slippers in the house anyway. I wouldn't do laminate in the kitchen -- you will regret it the first time you spill water, and it doesn't wear well there. We put a high end laminate flooring that looks like aged wood in our bedrooms, living room and dining room, and love it there. The plus is we put down area rugs under sofa's, a runner down the hallway and throw rugs in the bathrooms (those wash easily!). It cushions, adds color and those are easily cleaned, too. We won't ever do carpeting again -- pulled up carpet that was 38 years old from this house when we bought it, and it cured us from ever wanting wall to wall carpet again!

We built a new home 2 years ago and used vinyl plank. It is wonderful and no noise when you walk on it like with the laminated or tile. Just added on to the house for a quilting room and used the same vinyl plank. Love it.

I had the laminate that looks like tile installed in my kitchen last spring. I am very careful about water, however. I moved the cats water bowl to the bathroom to be sure that there was no long term exposure to water. But I do mop it and have had no trouble with it whatsoever. Looks brand new, still, and I have three cats eating on it several times a day, along with a husband who never takes his shoes off when he comes in. Seems pretty durable!

I agree with fayzer. We do have cork flooring in our kitchen and it's great. I especially like the 'cush' under my feet AND it's environmentally friendly!

We just put Allure plank flooring in our kitchen, DR and down the hall. It took a little getting used to stepping out of the bedroom onto the hall floor(had been carpeted) but I really like it. It is a very nice looking floor. We have laminate in the entry area. I also like that but it's a little more particular. It needs to be wiped up immediately if water is dripped/spilled on it. It's a big decision. Good luck!

I had high end ($4 sf) in my living room. Renter had cat. Had to rip out expensive flooring because it got wet (and very stinky).

No matter how expensive, if you spill water on a laminate floor and don't wipe it up immediately, you will have damage. Plus, if you don't leave 1/4" expansion around the edge, it might buckle up at the seam.

Our SIL installed them on their house and if water sits for any amount of time it will cause bubbles in the laminate and it will not go back to normal.If you can afford it tile is GREAT in the kitchen

I had laminate wide plank dark put in my house including the kitchen. The contractor leveled the solid foundation floors with a foam padding. Footsteps don't sound hollow on it. I haven't noticed any movement or any gaps at all at the joints. It's not a floating install. I had one spot that felt like it gave a little when stepped on and the contractor fixed that. It is scratch proof and water resistant according to the warranty. I mop it with cleaner at least twice a week and no problem. Ceramic tile is a good choice but very hard on dropped dishes. LOL

I am a fan of hardwood floors. It has been 20 years and, yes it is scuffed. I just need to have it resanded and recoated, but it has been 20 years with 4 children and constant use. If you have animals, it will need to be resanded and recoated much earlier. They advised us to have it refinished in 5 years...haven't done it yet. We put in oak....not the substitute wood so that we could refinish it when necessary.

I am in the kitchen constantly....I LOVE to bake and have to cook due to DH's food allergies. Ceramic tile is VERY hard on your legs....lived with that for 9 months while we built and HATED IT. It is cold and glass will shatter if dropped on it...but most important...so hard on your feet and legs. My legs just ached all of the time.

We have vinyl planking in our studio, my bathroom and bedroom (easier to clean dog hair). It's easy to install, cuts with utility knife and is waterproof. Just be sure to follow the installation instructions and be sure that the planks are clicked together. The click together planks are better than the ones with the glue strip, especially for a kitchen.

I have laminate in the kitchen and family room. It is noisy and when the sun shines on it you can see every water spot. I have tile in a bathroom and hallway. Keeping the grout clean is a nightmare. It is also noisy and don't ever drop anything on it. I have Armstrong inlaid vinyl that looks like a rustic tile in the two upstairs bathrooms. It is a breeze to clean and looks like real tile. If I could afford to rip out the tile and laminate I'd put the Armstrong vinyl in it's place.

They have tile that looks like wood now also.hadwood can be refinished as can pre finished wood. Pella is a laminate, so keep that in mind.

thanks everyone. there are so many varying opinions. i am still undecided.

Once you start pricing your options, that may help you decide.

I thought that i would share my floor with you. It was installed this past summer.
Good luck with your decision!
Sandy

thanks that lookes lovely. so is your helper. blends in with floor.

We have a concrete base and have laminate in our den and like it, color is good and cleans up easy and don't experience any noise. In the kitchen and dining room we have sheet vinyl in a stone pattern and love it. Friends suggested tiles or stones as they are more high end and better resale value for our home. While they are nice looking I do not like walking on them, they are cold and my feet always seem to slide on them, probably because I walk barefoot in the house. We've been here 52 years and aren't planning on moving any time soon so we need to please ourselves and not some unknown people who might buy our home after we're gone. May in Jersey

I think different people have different choices. Personally I would prefer a laminate flooring in house and I already have one in my kitchen. Last year I replace a ceramic tiles with a laminate wood flooring. I think if you really want to make your kitchen beautiful then you have to use a laminate wood flooring for a kitchen.

Laminate is a PHOTO. That is the risk of water getting on laminate flooring. It can seep into the seams. I LOVE my hardwood-look sheet vinyl kitchen flooring. My dogs drool, slop their water bowl and my senior dog has "accidents". Laminate would have been toast!

i posted a photo a few posts previous within this topic.

sandy

I have ceramic tile in my kitchen, breakfast room, utility and living room. I wish I'd put it in the dining and bedroom, too. I love my ceramic tile! It's pretty much impervious to anything. Dogs peeing on it, husband's spilling on it, overflowing washing machines, hurricane leaks, pretty much anything. But pick something you like and can live with because it's pretty much forever.

We also had laminate that looked like tile. It was nice but when we redid our kitchen we put in real tile. I like but but the tile really make it look so nice One nice thing about the laminate is you can easily reuse.