Yes, you can use hardwood flooring in a kitchen!
I get asked all the time, “would you use wood in a kitchen?” Absolutely I would! (/wood… hehe.)
So many floor plans that cross my desk have hardwood or engineered hardwood in the great room, but not in the kitchen. Sometimes a switch of flooring tile can chop a room in half.
Meanwhile, the same flooring throughout can give the illusion of space. The trick is to choose a wood that has little to no light reflection or shine on the surface. This ensures that scratch or dent from that can of tomatoes falling out of the kitchen pantry will not be as evident as a surface that has reflection.
Choose a Matte Finish or Hand-Scraped look
When you choose a matte finish or a hand scraped look, it will hide the multitude of sins that an active family can throw at a kitchen floor. You might want to consider a hardwood such as oak, hickory or ash for the kitchen floor. Maple and birch are beautiful surfaces, but they are also more likely to show a scratch or imperfections because of the clarity in the wood or lack of grain.
Choose a sturdy species of Hardwood
Oak hardwood flooring has made a huge resurgence in the flooring world. Once known for its golden/orangey tone of the early days of modern home building, it is making a comeback because of its hardness and the way it holds so many fabulous stain colours. (Remember too that in new construction, most stairways are made from oak which makes a very easy transition for staining the staircase to match oak or hickory seamlessly!)
Porcelatin Tile and Luxury Vinyl Plank options
Still not sold on hardwood flooring in a kitchen? Remember, there are many wood-look options like porcelain tile or luxury vinyl plank that have true-to-life wood looks.
To wood, or not to wood…?
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