Poll: Kitchen flooring--tile, vinyl, wood

[Donnalee]

I will be replacing my kitchen floor in just a few months. I am debating over vinyl or tile. I have pets, so I don't think wood would be a good idea. Tile is cold, can chip or break, or become loose. Vinyl can gouge. So I am trying to see what you CL buddies have found works best for you. Any suggestions?

[kwormann]

TILE!!!!!!

Vinal always looks dirty and shows every nick! We love our tile and are also putting it in our new house! (ps, it is also the blacksplash at this house!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif)

Kim

[Curleytop]

I put in a ceramic tile floor in the kitchen,laundry room and front entrance (inside). This was 12 years ago, and I still love it! Dry mop every day, and easy to wash with Simple Green! My counters and back splash are also tile (ditto the bathrooms)

[This message has been edited by Curleytop (edited 02-06-2001).]

[Vanessa]

Tile! I was just talking about this with a friend. It seems so many houses have vinyl floor in the kitchen and lots of scuffs marks. Also when you pull something out of the oven and all spaces are taken there is the floor for a hot pan you cannot do that with vinyl or wood. Friends have wood floors and they have to be careful with spills etc. You will be happier with tile!

[Liz K]

It's actually pretty hard to break or chip tile. The object would have to hit it just right. In fact, it's much more likely that whatever you drop will break.

[sneezles]

Love tile! We have had it in the last two houses. I had a beige one in the last and had the grout to match-nothing worse than white grout gone dirty! Putting it in the new house.
We have vinyl in this little kitchen and so far it seems to be holding up allright. We replaced it in September. Of course the dogs aren't inside but the boys are! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[patrice]

I have hardwood floors in my kitchen and I love them. However, I believe tile would be the best choice.

[alice*]

We have pets and hardwood and couldn't imagine life with either. If I had to pick between tile and vinyl, I would say tile. We have it on our front porch and it is very nice. Good luck!

[cas]

Definitely tile. We have vinyl and would love to replace it already and it's only 5 years old.

[HARRYET]

another vote for tile, had ceramic tile in my last house and now have satillo tile in this house, and i love it!

ann

[Grace]

I just put laminate in my kitchen. (Like Pergo, but a better quality brand - the store I bought it from won't even sell Pergo anymore because they had too many problems with it). It looks like hardwood (the kind I chose is called Country Cherry), and is guaranteed not to scratch for 20 years (unlike hardwood - we have 2 labradors). I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!! I can't tell you how much I love it. I don't like tile because it is cold and you have to clean that stupid grout all the time. And vinyl, well, that would be my last choice. Anyhow, you might consider at least looking at laminate (it's almost all they use in Germany - all my friends and relatives there have it). It's beautiful, durable, and sooooo easy to clean. Good luck with whatever you choose. My old floor was 50 year old linoleum. Horrible. Putting in the new floor made me very, very, very happy! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Gail]

I'm going to be obstinate and put in a note for vinyl. As those of you who've been around here a while know, I'm a disaster waiting to happen in the kitchen-- hurricane Gail, if that gets the point across. I drop things, splash things, do just about everything wrong I can possibly do. And while I think tile is lovely and esthetically probably the best choice, for someone like me it would be mistake-a-rooney. There's a bit more cushion or "give" to a vinyl floor, thus I've actually dropped things and had them (and the floor) survive. My floor's been in since 1991 and hasn't had a gouge or a scuffmark yet. It's easy care-- although every once in a while I do have to get a bit more zealous with certain areas-- and for all intents and purposes, it looks just as good now as it did ten years ago. Perhaps the low-end vinyls end up looking dirty or dingy, discolored or in some other manner worn-- however, we paid a bit more for something durable and with a good reputation. I don't have a single negative to say on the subject. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[JulieAnn]

I'll put in my vote with Grace. We just put in 350 sq. feet of flooring and chose tile over laminate. I like it, but it is sooooo cold and I find it a pain to sweep because the dirt like to stay in the grooves of the grout. It is durable my 3 year old has dropped a metal chair on it about 4 times and nothing happened to the floor.

[SusanL]

Grace, we are in the minority!
We have hardwood floors in our foyer, livingroom, dining room, kitchen, and office on the first floor. Our bathrooms have tile and are very cold in the winter-why didn't we think of that when we ordered them in the summer? Our builder showed our home to prospective buyers and has since sold mostly hardwood (laminate) floors. It is easy clean up and we don't worry about spills, a soft rag and warm water.

[food girl]

When I WIN the CL kitchen makeover I am having hard wood flooring put down in my kitchen. I have the grossest and cheapest linoleum that you have ever seen.

I have friends who have tile/stone and say it makes their feet and legs tired when they cook for a long time. Does anyone else have this problem??

I love hardwood floors. Our house has 95 year old hard wood floors that are holding up nicely and thankfully never show dirt. I would think if you carefully finished the floors and added an extra coat of polyurethane they could withstand kitchen use without any problem.

Lisa

[Leonard]

Donnalee:

I would vote for tile. I have 2 dogs. One large German Shepherd, the other a 60 pound Basset Hound. My tile in the kitchen holds up beautifully. I agree with the other members that you would have to drop quite a heavy object to get a large chip. Tile is easy to clean. Last year I replaced the carpet in my house with Bruce Hardwood floors. I was cautioned about having these floors with pets. The solution is to get their nails "clipped AND grinded" every 6 to 8 weeks. It's not as bad as it sounds. I have a standing appt. with a dog groomer. He charges under $20 total. Not bad. But I kept the tile in the kitchen. Water damage is your worst enemy with wood.

[BethH]

I have tile in my kitchen and I think it looks great. I really love the way my kitchen looks--and its an apartment! I'm so lucky!

I sweep it--but there are still usually little bits of whatever I've been making that will stick to my feet. The crumbs don't annoy me too much though--my OC tendancies are in other areas (in particular, my kitchen counters must always be sparkling) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

If I'm doing alot of cooking, I put on my tennis shoes with arch support so my feet don't get tired. But, I've always done this, regardless of the floor selection.

Just two cents from an apartment dweller! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Kelli Kerrigan]

I would go for wood floors. If you plan on spending time in your kitchen, standing on your feet, it is the best thing for your legs. Natural wood gives to the pressure of your body's weight, whereas tile and ceramic do not. I have 90 year old maple and oak floors in my house plus two cats. I do have to say, I have a couple of scratches where they have played "Go Speed Racer" but all-in-all the floors look and feel wonderful. MUCH warmer than the cold ceramic in the bathroom.

[mb]

i would go with either tile or the wood-like laminate (like pergo or whatever brand you want to use). both are very sturdy & long-lasting.

we recently had some problems with tile in our home due to settling (our house is only 2 years old). When there is settling, tiles can crack or pop up. our tile guy said that the laminate doesn't have those problems because it sort of floats over the floor. he's also replaced all the tile in his house with laminate...

if your back starts hurting you while working in the kitchen and you have a tile floor, i've found that it helps just to put down a small floor mat.

also, in terms of cleaning, tile & the laminate are very easy & fairly low-maintenance. we use a Swiffer all the time to pick up dust that manages to accumulate on the tile that you can't really see.

[LIsaP]

I have to put in my 2 cents about wood in the kitchen...
I have had 2 houses with Bruce hardwood in the kitchen, both were brand new when we moved in. I also have a 115 pound dog.

After my experience with the first house, scratched floors, water spots etc, I swore that I wouldn't put hardwood in again. However, I love the look of it and I absolutely can't stand how vinyl looks. I was worried about the hardness of tile-I have trouble with my feet and couldn't imagine standing up on tile for a long period of time. Also, I am prone to dropping things.
So-I put wood in the 2nd house as well. Yes, it is getting scratched, but I still think it looks great, is easy on the feet and I can drop glasses on it and they don't break.

I have come to accept that wear and tear is a fact of life (although I still cringe every time my dog gets up or runs around)

[Grace]

And just one more thing about laminate....it goes in over most existing floors (no pulling up that old vinyl or linoleum!). They put a layer of cushioning down first, and then the sections of the floor are placed over that. They are not nailed or glued down in any way - it's called a "floating floor". I find it softer and more cushiony than my old linoleum, but I have yet to spend a marathon day in there since the new floor's been put in, so I can't honestly say whether it's easier on my feet/legs or not....my guess is on a marathon day, standing on pillows wouldn't help much! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif And don't forget, it is guaranteed not to scratch for 20 years (no worry about the dogs toenails).

[luv2cook]

I put a vinyl floor in my kitch almost three years ago and I HATE IT. It has scratches, dig marks from I dont' know where and it's hard to keep clean. Tile is a disaster for a clutz like me and wood is not an option because I am so messy - like Hurricane Gail http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif But I have tile in my LR, laundry room and bathrooms and it's great. I have a mini vac and just vaccuum up the dog and cat hair. The wood in my DR is all scratched from my dog now dogs. So in short, I guess tile is the lesser of the two evils. If you're going to cook for long periods of time, you can buy those mats to put on the floor to stand on and just pick them up when you're done...

[Leanne]

Tile! It just looks so good. I've dropped pans & jars, etc on the tile & it's held up - most glass jars have broken though.
I also found in looking at new floors for the kitchen, that the nice laminate tiles were more expensive than the cheap, but still nice ceramic tiles.
My mom has hardwoods. They do get scratched & stained.
On the tired leg issue - put down a rubber mat & then cover with a little oriental rug (or whatever kind of rug that goes with your house.) Another trick from mom. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[lsdesign]

LAMINATE! I put in Pergo over the WHITE vinyl floor that existed in our last house. I hated that floor, it never looked clean and gouges were easy to make. I miss the Pergo and have hardwood everywhere in this new house and it is so hard to keep clean I can never stay on top of it. My kitchen and bath both have the cheap do it yourself tile squares and I can't wait to get rid of them and do laminiate. The only downside to laminate I ever found was that when you drop something on it like, car keys for instance, it is LOUD.

[SusanJoy]

Wood, wood, wood. Does that count for three votes?

We replaced white tile this summer with oak and it is fabulous - even with a huge dog and two small girls, it is holding up great, never looks dirty and is warm and comfortable and we love it.

We used a sealer called Gymseal - made by the McClosky company - the same stuff they use to seal gym floors. Took a long time to cure but is tough as nails. We only have a few dents from doggie and he's a wild one sometimes.

Go for the wood - you won't regret it.

[Beth H]

I would vote for tile. I put it in about two years ago and love it -- it is easy to clean and I don't think the tile itself breaks easily. Things dropped on it, however, are almost certain to shatter. One tip: choose a dark grout -- spills like tomato sauce or olive are hard to clean out of the grout, and it would probably be impossible if the grout was light.

[MrsReber]

I have to join the minority here. I bought a very good quality, thick, vinyl floor almost 2 years ago. I love the pattern, and it has held up quite well so far. I am afraid of tile because it's cold and because, like Gail, I drop many things on the floor and would hate to have them break. Not only am I klutzy about dropping things, but I would also be the one to end up with glass in my foot. Ouch! Anyway, my husband is also a disaster and very rough on my floor since the garage is attached to the house through a door in the kitchen. He frequently tracks god knows what onto my floor- grease, tar, dirt. The tar came off quite easily. I can't remember the brand name of the floor I bought, but it comes in big sheets, not on a roll. It was more expensive. Held up well so far!

One more note on the hardwood. We do have hardwood floors under our carpeting. It's not even so much that the poor dogs scratch it, but that they can't walk on it because they slide all over.

[This message has been edited by MrsReber (edited 02-07-2001).]

[Beth]

I have an off-white tile floor that I loved when I first saw the house, but I would go for something different if it were a choice I could make now. It is so hard to keep looking clean, anything that drops breaks, and it does have some chips. Still, pretty durable for 9-10 years, and taking out tile would be a huge expense. And tile seems to be beast for resale.

We had hardwoods in our last kitchen and had no problem with food or water, but had some dents and such before we even moved in. Two cooks and 2 kids added a few more. Not bad, but I have wondered about the laminates, but our kitchen would join the dining and living rooms with a dark wood. I think a good quality wood with a really good finish or a high quality laminate would work well in a kitchen.

I'm wondering if anyone here has seen or had experience with cork? I wonder about it in a kitchen or even our master bath and bedroom when we replace that carpet.

[Leslie w]

One word about tile. Make sure you buy a very hard, industrial strength tile. We purchased a "cheap" tile (and it does exist) several years ago to put in our old house and it chipped and stained. When we built our new home we brought several tiles home w/ us and tested them . The one we bought is very hard, stain and chip resistant. My builder also installed heating vents on the baseboards of my cabinets so my feet stay toasty warm in front of the stove and sink. My SIL put hardwood flooring in her kitchen but had to remove it after a water pipe broke and damaged all the wood. We had a slow leak coming from the icemaker in our freezer and although the tile and grout got wet, I think the leak must have been going on for several months, there was no damage or staining.

[SHERRY]

I have had experience with all three, tile, vinyl, and hard wood. Our current kitchen has hard wood and I wouldn't change it for anything. My mom has ceramic tile in her entire kitchen and mud room.. I always have this terrible fear of dropping anything because I know it will break...not to mention stain the grout..as mentioned before it is cold on the feet and I find it more difficult to clean because of the grooves(grout)...I also have two babies and when they were learning to walk, grandma's house was a nightmare, they always slipped on the slick tile and I just knew it would crack their heads... I do admit though, tile is beautiful..

I love the hardwood floor, ours is protected by polyurathane(sp) coating, and all I do is run a swifter over it and it works great.. I like the look most of all. It blends into the cabinets and just feels cozy..

A good comprimise...I recently saw a kitchen renovation where the owner/chef, put tile infront of the high traffic areas,,,,,the stove and sink, and hardwood on the rest of the floor, it was beautiful.. that way, if something from the stove splattered, like grease, it was easier to clean up. yet he still had the overall feel of a cozy hardwood floor... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[JillC]

I'd have to put in another vote against tile. I've lived in two houses with tile floors. As others have previously mentioned, the floor is always cold, I notice my legs/feet feeling more tired when I'm standing for long periods of time and it's very unforgiving if you drop something. One house had smooth tile that showed every little spot, my current house has rougher, marble-y tile that doesn't show dirt as much but is much harder to clean. I've found tile impossible to clean with a mop (because of the grout) and so always have to get down on my hands and knees and scrub. Also, I've noticed that the grout can stain.
My choice for a kitchen floor would be a wood laminate.
Jill

[laden]

Another vote for hardwood. I bought a house with hardwood floors about 10 years ago and I love it in the kitchen. I have two dogs and it's never been a problem.

Tile would be my second choice. Looks great and holds up well too.

[julia]

I'd like to add a vote for tile. When we did our kitchen last summer, I really wanted vinyl, and not just any vinyl, but the same pattern we had in our old house because I loved it so much. Well, it turned out that Armstrong discontinued that pattern and all the new stuff looked like tile. We decided if the kitchen floor was going to look like tile, we would just go with tile and believe me it took a long time to find one I was satisfied with. It's porcelain and is greenish-blue with texture and the edges are jagged, not smooth. It looks like it's had little chips taken out and has a nice effect. We used a silver coloured grout and it looks wonderful. If you go with tile, I really suggest going with epoxy grout - it's something new and is more expensive than other grout but it DOESN'T STAIN - which is a really great feature. I've had tomato sauce spill on it, soya sauce and it cleans up like a dream.

Good luck, it's a big decision.

[julia]

I'd like to add a vote for tile. When we did our kitchen last summer, I really wanted vinyl, and not just any vinyl, but the same pattern we had in our old house because I loved it so much. Well, it turned out that Armstrong discontinued that pattern and all the new stuff looked like tile. We decided if the kitchen floor was going to look like tile, we would just go with tile and believe me it took a long time to find one I was satisfied with. It's porcelain and is greenish-blue with texture and the edges are jagged, not smooth. It looks like it's had little chips taken out and has a nice effect. We used a silver coloured grout and it looks wonderful. If you go with tile, I really suggest going with epoxy grout - it's something new and is more expensive than other grout but it DOESN'T STAIN - which is a really great feature. I've had tomato sauce spill on it, soya sauce and it cleans up like a dream.

Good luck, it's a big decision.

[Anne]

I would vote for wood, inspite of a large, active dog. I have one friend that insists that her cork floor is the best thing ever- easy of the feet, warm, and very durable while another friend says his cork is a disaster. Both houses had cork in place when the friends moved in so neither know the history. Anyone else have experience with cork?