Kitchen Floorings Remodel
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Kitchen Floorings Remodel
In today's market in Naperville, most kitchen floorings will run an average of approximately 10 to 20% of your overall kitchen remodel budget. Not an insignificant amount when many kitchen remodeling jobs can run into the tens of thousands of dollars.
Since there are many choices in kitchen flooring today, let's look at the most popular.
But first, some general rules of thumb that you should remember when planning any kitchen flooring project.
1.Traditional interior looks often work best with smaller tiles. Smaller tiles are what you'll probably need if you want to have patterned floors.
2. Generally speaking, lighter colored flooring of any kind will make a room appear larger.
Also, laying tiles on the diagonal rather than parallel to the walls makes a room seem larger.
3. Another point to remember is larger tiles, at least a foot square and up, look best in contemporary/modern kitchens. They also have an advantage of minimizing the appearance of grout lines.
Linoleum Kitchen Floors
Linoleum was a leading kitchen floor material until after World War II. Then it rapidly fell out of favor due to newer materials and linoleum's lack of new styles. However, today linoleum is staging a bit of comeback.
It has won favor with environmentalists becuase it's made of all natural products -- linseed oil, pine resin, and wood flour.
Today's linoleum is durable and inexpensive and comes in matte finished solid colors and marbleized patterns. The color choices are greatly expanded from years ago.
Designers today are recommending it for retro-style kitchens.
It complements a 1950's overall kitchen feel, which is actually gaining popularity again. So, what's old is new again!. Linoleum is also a very affordable for homeowners on a budget. There's a lot to like today about the 'new' linoleum.
Vinyl Kitchen Floors
Vinyl is today's most popular kitchen flooring.
Why? Because it's easy to install, durable, easy to maintain, and lower cost compared to many other kitchen flooring materials.
Vinyl is available in sheets and squares vinyl and offers the greatest range of styles at a price. remodelers can choose from '50s styles to ancient marble tile looks to faux wood syles and almost anything you can think of.
Mid priced vinyl may also offer a urethane wear layer, but it won't be as thick.
Budget-grade vinyl has a vinyl wear layer that's best for spaces without pets or kids.
Sheet vinyl is very popular and is usually best installed by a professional.
Amongst it's many advantages, is it eliminates tile lines/seams and any possibility of tile lift-up or peeling due to standing water.
the do-it-yourself standard in vinyl is vinyl tiles with self-stick backs. They can be easily installed by most homeowners as long as the driections are followed closely. Vinyl tiles also let you design with patterns or borders, by using several complementary colors.
The better/upper grade quality vinyl flooring features what is called "inlaid construction" with color and pattern uniform throughout, instead of just a printed design on top. Top grade vinyl floors usually have a thick urethane wear layer that offers the most shine and shine retention. These premium floors also have the greatest stain resistance.
While they will typically cost the most, for many applications they can be well worth it.
Laminate Kitchen Floors
Synthetic flooring options took a leap forward with laminate flooring. Laminate looks like very much like actual wood, or stone, or even marble because the pattern is actually a true photograph of the real organic product.
Laminate flooring is actually made of multiple layers, including a hard plastic top layer (for wear) over the layer with the photographic imprint of wood or stone or marble.
Laminate is much more wear-resistant than even countertop laminates.
Laminate can usually be laid directly over an existing floor since it is so thick and can effectively cover most small surface blemishes.
It's still very important to do the installation properly. While laminate can be installed by an experienced do-it-yourselfer, in most cases it's better to have an experienced kitchen remodeler handle the job. Plus, the pro will typically warranty his work.
Real Wood Kitchen Floors
Hardwood kitchen floors can last a lifetime and harmonize with just about any kitchen decor. Warm, natural, and resilient, wood floors only gain charm and character with life's inevitable nicks and dents. Wood kitchen floors go without almost any decor.
There are an endless variety of natural woods of course. Oak is always popular, with its pronounced grain, and is great for country style kitchens; fine-grained cherry and maple create elegant looks; ash and birch add a sleek and modern look.
Other attractive choices include pecan, hickory, walnut, mahogany, and teak. Also, there are the softer woods, like pine, which can give a country style look but tend to show wear and are more easily damaged than hardwoods.
Styles of Real Wood Flooring
Lets start with plank flooring. Plank floors are basically boards approxinately three to seven inches wide and three-quarters of an inch thick. They are then cut to lengths up to about eight feet long. Wider planks show off the grain of the wood and are more traditional in look. This traditional flavor can be enhanced with wood dowels, plugs, or decorative nails to anchor the boards. It makes for as realistic look as yo can get!
Next is strip flooring. Strip flooring uses narrow boards (under three inches wide). Strip flooring works for both casual and formal, and traditional as well as modern kitchens. Strip flooring boards should run parallel to the room's long side. Using only "shorts" (boards shorter than 18 inches) makes a room seem larger and using borders can give a very custom look.
Next, Parquet is patterned wood flooring. It's made of 5/16-inch-thick geometric shapes fitted together in puzzle-like pattern to make larger pieces approx eight- to twelve inches square. Parquet, with its multidirectional patterns, is less likely than strip flooring or plank flooring to draw attention to a floor with irregular dimensions.
Here are some decorative wood floor effects you can also choose:
Most wood floors accept colorwash stains that let the grain show. They also take well to being painted. Very contemporary and classic looks include checkerboard squares, stripes, and diamonds using two alternating different color stripes. Homeowners can also choose faux-stone looks and they can be combined with diamonds/check patterns as well. The possibilities here are really enormous!
Floor stenciling is another popular technique and gets much of its character from the color choice: medium blue with red, pink, white, and black for Pennsylvania Dutch style; goldenrod, hunter- green, spice-brown, and rust for Mission/Arts and Crafts style.
Stencil motifs can reflect certain styles: hearts and birds for Pennsylvania Dutch and acorns and oak leaves for Mission style. Any of these when rendered in oil paints and protected with a polyurethane finish, can provide lasting beauty for many years.
Customers who value authenticity use natural oil treatments to resist moisture and staining. However, most people today (lessd demanding ones) choose a polyurethane, moisture-cure urethane, or waterbased urethane finish.
Some wood floors are given a 'distressed' finish at the factory.Also, in some cases homeowners hunt for dismantled barn planks and have them planed and installed as flooring. You cannot get more 'rustic' than that!
Ceramic Tile Kitchen Floors
Ceramic tile has been a decorative remodeling material since ancient times. Ceramic tile retains its colorful charm practically forever. Ceramic is made of clay that is pressed, glazed, and fired. In fact, ceramic tile has many stone-like qualities as well. It stands up well to hot pots and other utensils and is cool to the touch. Ceramic does wear well for years (even decades) but, like stone, can chip or crack under heavy or repeated abuse.
Ceramic tile is available in an unlimited range of colors and designs/patterns. In addition you can custom-order tiles that are hand-painted with color schemes and motifs that you personally specify. This way ceramic tile can be made to coordinate with your unique kitchen design theme.
High-gloss finishes make it easy to wipe splatters from countertops and walls, but for floors, it's safer to select matte or textured-glazed tiles to reduce slipping when the surface is wet. To minimize grout discoloration from mildew and food stains, specify a grout with mildewcide in the mixture or a midtone grout (taupe and gray are practical and popular), and use a mild bleach cleaner.
Quarry and Terra-Cotta Tile Kitchen Floors
Quarry tile is a mix of clay, shale, or earth extruded by machine to create an unglazed tile. Terra-cotta by the way, means "baked earth". It's tile made of clay that's been fired, but not glazed. So it will have a bit of a rough natural appearance.
Some manufacturers ship terra-cotta tiles with a baked-on sealer; other terra-cotta tiles and quarry tiles should be sealed to prevent permanent staining.
Terra cotta tiles tend to look more rough/rustic but can also be glazed for more lustrous color and a more refined look. This finishing technique can give them a more universal application.
Natural Stone Tile Kitchen Floors
Limestone, tumbled marble, and a variety of slate tiles are some of the most elegant, rich flooring choices available.
Natural stone tiles share characteristics with marble, granite, and other stone materials, but are appreciated especially for their interesting and unusual textures. a
Natural stone tiles have to be sealed to prevent stains. porperly protected these floors can provide a beautiful appearance and last for many years.
Of course, there are still more kitchen floorings surfaces and custom ways to employ them, but this overview should help you begin choosing the best floor for your new kitchen floorings remodel in Naperville.
In today's market in Naperville, most kitchen floorings will run an average of approximately 10 to 20% of your overall kitchen remodel budget. Not an insignificant amount when many kitchen remodeling jobs can run into the tens of thousands of dollars.
Since there are many choices in kitchen flooring today, let's look at the most popular.
But first, some general rules of thumb that you should remember when planning any kitchen flooring project.
1.Traditional interior looks often work best with smaller tiles. Smaller tiles are what you'll probably need if you want to have patterned floors.
2. Generally speaking, lighter colored flooring of any kind will make a room appear larger.
Also, laying tiles on the diagonal rather than parallel to the walls makes a room seem larger.
3. Another point to remember is larger tiles, at least a foot square and up, look best in contemporary/modern kitchens. They also have an advantage of minimizing the appearance of grout lines.
Linoleum Kitchen Floors
Linoleum was a leading kitchen floor material until after World War II. Then it rapidly fell out of favor due to newer materials and linoleum's lack of new styles. However, today linoleum is staging a bit of comeback.
It has won favor with environmentalists becuase it's made of all natural products -- linseed oil, pine resin, and wood flour.
Today's linoleum is durable and inexpensive and comes in matte finished solid colors and marbleized patterns. The color choices are greatly expanded from years ago.
Designers today are recommending it for retro-style kitchens.
It complements a 1950's overall kitchen feel, which is actually gaining popularity again. So, what's old is new again!. Linoleum is also a very affordable for homeowners on a budget. There's a lot to like today about the 'new' linoleum.
Vinyl Kitchen Floors
Vinyl is today's most popular kitchen flooring.
Why? Because it's easy to install, durable, easy to maintain, and lower cost compared to many other kitchen flooring materials.
Vinyl is available in sheets and squares vinyl and offers the greatest range of styles at a price. remodelers can choose from '50s styles to ancient marble tile looks to faux wood syles and almost anything you can think of.
Mid priced vinyl may also offer a urethane wear layer, but it won't be as thick.
Budget-grade vinyl has a vinyl wear layer that's best for spaces without pets or kids.
Sheet vinyl is very popular and is usually best installed by a professional.
Amongst it's many advantages, is it eliminates tile lines/seams and any possibility of tile lift-up or peeling due to standing water.
the do-it-yourself standard in vinyl is vinyl tiles with self-stick backs. They can be easily installed by most homeowners as long as the driections are followed closely. Vinyl tiles also let you design with patterns or borders, by using several complementary colors.
The better/upper grade quality vinyl flooring features what is called "inlaid construction" with color and pattern uniform throughout, instead of just a printed design on top. Top grade vinyl floors usually have a thick urethane wear layer that offers the most shine and shine retention. These premium floors also have the greatest stain resistance.
While they will typically cost the most, for many applications they can be well worth it.
Laminate Kitchen Floors
Synthetic flooring options took a leap forward with laminate flooring. Laminate looks like very much like actual wood, or stone, or even marble because the pattern is actually a true photograph of the real organic product.
Laminate flooring is actually made of multiple layers, including a hard plastic top layer (for wear) over the layer with the photographic imprint of wood or stone or marble.
Laminate is much more wear-resistant than even countertop laminates.
Laminate can usually be laid directly over an existing floor since it is so thick and can effectively cover most small surface blemishes.
It's still very important to do the installation properly. While laminate can be installed by an experienced do-it-yourselfer, in most cases it's better to have an experienced kitchen remodeler handle the job. Plus, the pro will typically warranty his work.
Real Wood Kitchen Floors
Hardwood kitchen floors can last a lifetime and harmonize with just about any kitchen decor. Warm, natural, and resilient, wood floors only gain charm and character with life's inevitable nicks and dents. Wood kitchen floors go without almost any decor.
There are an endless variety of natural woods of course. Oak is always popular, with its pronounced grain, and is great for country style kitchens; fine-grained cherry and maple create elegant looks; ash and birch add a sleek and modern look.
Other attractive choices include pecan, hickory, walnut, mahogany, and teak. Also, there are the softer woods, like pine, which can give a country style look but tend to show wear and are more easily damaged than hardwoods.
Styles of Real Wood Flooring
Lets start with plank flooring. Plank floors are basically boards approxinately three to seven inches wide and three-quarters of an inch thick. They are then cut to lengths up to about eight feet long. Wider planks show off the grain of the wood and are more traditional in look. This traditional flavor can be enhanced with wood dowels, plugs, or decorative nails to anchor the boards. It makes for as realistic look as yo can get!
Next is strip flooring. Strip flooring uses narrow boards (under three inches wide). Strip flooring works for both casual and formal, and traditional as well as modern kitchens. Strip flooring boards should run parallel to the room's long side. Using only "shorts" (boards shorter than 18 inches) makes a room seem larger and using borders can give a very custom look.
Next, Parquet is patterned wood flooring. It's made of 5/16-inch-thick geometric shapes fitted together in puzzle-like pattern to make larger pieces approx eight- to twelve inches square. Parquet, with its multidirectional patterns, is less likely than strip flooring or plank flooring to draw attention to a floor with irregular dimensions.
Here are some decorative wood floor effects you can also choose:
Most wood floors accept colorwash stains that let the grain show. They also take well to being painted. Very contemporary and classic looks include checkerboard squares, stripes, and diamonds using two alternating different color stripes. Homeowners can also choose faux-stone looks and they can be combined with diamonds/check patterns as well. The possibilities here are really enormous!
Floor stenciling is another popular technique and gets much of its character from the color choice: medium blue with red, pink, white, and black for Pennsylvania Dutch style; goldenrod, hunter- green, spice-brown, and rust for Mission/Arts and Crafts style.
Stencil motifs can reflect certain styles: hearts and birds for Pennsylvania Dutch and acorns and oak leaves for Mission style. Any of these when rendered in oil paints and protected with a polyurethane finish, can provide lasting beauty for many years.
Customers who value authenticity use natural oil treatments to resist moisture and staining. However, most people today (lessd demanding ones) choose a polyurethane, moisture-cure urethane, or waterbased urethane finish.
Some wood floors are given a 'distressed' finish at the factory.Also, in some cases homeowners hunt for dismantled barn planks and have them planed and installed as flooring. You cannot get more 'rustic' than that!
Ceramic Tile Kitchen Floors
Ceramic tile has been a decorative remodeling material since ancient times. Ceramic tile retains its colorful charm practically forever. Ceramic is made of clay that is pressed, glazed, and fired. In fact, ceramic tile has many stone-like qualities as well. It stands up well to hot pots and other utensils and is cool to the touch. Ceramic does wear well for years (even decades) but, like stone, can chip or crack under heavy or repeated abuse.
Ceramic tile is available in an unlimited range of colors and designs/patterns. In addition you can custom-order tiles that are hand-painted with color schemes and motifs that you personally specify. This way ceramic tile can be made to coordinate with your unique kitchen design theme.
High-gloss finishes make it easy to wipe splatters from countertops and walls, but for floors, it's safer to select matte or textured-glazed tiles to reduce slipping when the surface is wet. To minimize grout discoloration from mildew and food stains, specify a grout with mildewcide in the mixture or a midtone grout (taupe and gray are practical and popular), and use a mild bleach cleaner.
Quarry and Terra-Cotta Tile Kitchen Floors
Quarry tile is a mix of clay, shale, or earth extruded by machine to create an unglazed tile. Terra-cotta by the way, means "baked earth". It's tile made of clay that's been fired, but not glazed. So it will have a bit of a rough natural appearance.
Some manufacturers ship terra-cotta tiles with a baked-on sealer; other terra-cotta tiles and quarry tiles should be sealed to prevent permanent staining.
Terra cotta tiles tend to look more rough/rustic but can also be glazed for more lustrous color and a more refined look. This finishing technique can give them a more universal application.
Natural Stone Tile Kitchen Floors
Limestone, tumbled marble, and a variety of slate tiles are some of the most elegant, rich flooring choices available.
Natural stone tiles share characteristics with marble, granite, and other stone materials, but are appreciated especially for their interesting and unusual textures. a
Natural stone tiles have to be sealed to prevent stains. porperly protected these floors can provide a beautiful appearance and last for many years.
Of course, there are still more kitchen floorings surfaces and custom ways to employ them, but this overview should help you begin choosing the best floor for your new kitchen floorings remodel in Naperville.