You’re excited to finally replace that cracked tile floor in your kitchen but aren’t sure which options are best for your new kitchen flooring.
We’re excited to discuss kitchen floors because there’s nothing more exciting than remodeling your kitchen!
The most important thing in choosing the right kitchen floor is choosing one that looks modern and is in style but still functions the way you need a kitchen floor to function.
One thing that’s undeniable- wood seems to always be in. Or at least flooring that looks like wood. One great thing about 2020 is how technology has changed flooring. Now just about any floor can mimic a realistic wood look without wood maintenance.
If you look on social media there are hundreds of gorgeous kitchens with seemingly perfect wood floors. But we bet you’d be surprised to know that most of those are engineered floors.
Durability is extremely important because kitchens are high traffic areas. It’s also an area prone to spills, stains and water. It’s also important to make sure your floor isn’t sensitive to spills, water stains, etc. Kitchens get messy.
In 2020 there are SO many options. You don’t have to just choose between tile and wood. You’ll see lots of trendy kitchens that are practical as well.
In fact, the endless flooring options available are leading to more variety than ever before. Expect to see trending styles such as contemporary, farmhouse, industrial, rustic and more.
So what’s trending for kitchen floors in 2020 (and over the next decade)?
Low Maintenance Wood Look
Laminate
Laminate was the original wood-look kitchen flooring. In fact, before laminate really took off, you didn’t see many kitchens with wood (or wood-look) floors.
Before laminate took off, kitchen floors were often tile, vinyl or old school linoleum. But throwing an inexpensive wood-look option into the mix really changed things.
As technology evolves so does laminate flooring. You’ll see more convincing wood looks and all of the current wood trends including distressed and high color variation.
Now, there’s even waterproof laminate! This is flooring that’s perfect for the kitchen! Engineered
Engineered wood is relatively new. A step up in durability from laminate, engineered wood is the only option ( besides solid wood) that is made from real wood.
Engineered wood has a thin veneer layer of solid wood but the base of the product is made up of man-made materials.
Rigid core engineered wood has a waterproof core and a premium underlayment. This waterproof core allows you to use real wood in your kitchen without the worries of water damage. So you don’t have to compromise style for durability.
If you want real wood in your kitchen, engineered wood is the way to go. Bamboo
As we discussed flooring needs to be durable and bamboo is the most durable flooring option on the market. That’s why more and more homeowners are using bamboo for kitchen flooring.
Bamboo is highly renewable, making it an eco-friendly option. Environmentally responsible floors are on trend.
Bamboo may be the most durable but it is also the most temperature and moisture sensitive. That trade off is too high so we feel this is not the best kitchen option.
Natural Stone Look Natural stone looks are becoming more popular due to their surge in accessibility.
For example, most people can’t afford marble flooring in their kitchen. The truth is, natural materials are expensive. But now you can achieve gorgeous stone looks without the high price tag.
Popular looks include marble and slate. Marble has an upscale, smooth look. Slate is more natural and edgy. Both can be done in ceramic or vinyl tile. Vinyl Tile That Looks Like Ceramic
One of our other favorite trends is vinyl tile that looks like ceramic. The problem with ceramic tile on floors (especially kitchen floors) is that they feel cold and break easily.
Vinyl tiles can be large or small and have grout lines (or not) just like ceramic. They come in various patterns or colors and look real. Large tiles will make your kitchen look larger. So will lighter colors.
Want to see what different floors would look like in your kitchen? Go to our flooring website on your mobile device and click on the flooring viewer. You can try several different colors and styles to narrow down your options.
Then call Xterior Plus to pick out your perfect kitchen flooring. 276-228-9017