Looking to remodel your kitchen? In addition to redoing kitchen cabinets and updating countertops, don’t forget to revamp your floors during your kitchen makeover! While design and color are important considerations when deciding on new kitchen floors, be sure to also factor in comfort, durability, and care. Check out these 13 ways to upgrade your kitchen floors!
Revive Solid Hardwood Floors
Photo via @theshakerworkshop and @studio.maple
Have your hardwood floors lost their shine? Instead of replacing them, simply restain or refinish your hardwood floors to buff out scratches and dullness! Refinishing your hardwood floors doesn’t have to run up the tab on your kitchen renovation, either. This affordable DIY project is a long-lasting kitchen update that only needs to be completed every 10 years or as often as you notice deep scratches, discoloration, or a dulled finish.
Add a Fresh Coat of Paint
Photo via @andreacoish
Whether you’re wanting to revamp linoleum, wood, or tile, you can bring your kitchen floors to life with a fresh coat of paint! As a budget-friendly alternative to ripping out kitchen flooring, painting your floors can quickly refresh the room to match any home style. Looking to update your dark wood floors and bring a touch of cottagecore charm into your cooking space? Consider whitewashing the floorboards! Or add a fun design to your tile flooring with stencils.
Bring the Heat to Your Feet
Photo via @step_heat
If you’re tired of having ice cubes for feet in the winter, install electric floor heating! This kitchen flooring will not only provide you warmth, but it’s also energy-efficient and worth the potential bump in your electricity bill. While it’s possible to have heated wood floors, radiant floor heating works best with heat-conducting materials like tile, marble, and stone. And though you can install heated flooring yourself, it’s best left to the professionals because of the electrical work required.
Avoid the Mess with Vinyl Flooring
Photo via @oakandorange
Great for those who need sturdy kitchen floors that are easy to clean, luxury vinyl flooring is waterproof and can mimic expensive floorings like hardwood, ceramic, or porcelain without the high price tag or constant maintenance. There are many different types of vinyl flooring available, ranging from sheet flooring, tiles, planks, and more. Plus, LVT flooring can be installed right onto your subfloor, making the process quick and easy! As a more permanent kitchen update, grout the vinyl tiles, or consider redoing your kitchen floors with peel-and-stick vinyl tiles for a rental-friendly option.
Channel Retro Vibes via Linoleum
Photo via @tudorrosecottage
Bring the “Wow” factor to your kitchen renovation with linoleum floors! With a variety of colors and patterns to choose from, you can restore a retro kitchen or bring the old-school flooring type into the modern era. Different than vinyl floors, linoleum floors are made of all-natural materials, water-resistant, easy to maintain, and extremely durable—making them a logical choice for high-traffic areas like the kitchen. With so many different types of linoleum, from sheets and tiles to click-and-lock linoleum, it’s best left to the professionals to install.
Elevate Your Kitchen Using Manufactured Tiles
Photo via @alisonandersoninteriors
Upgrade your kitchen floors to a material that is durable and resistant to stains—manufactured tiles! While there are many great tile materials, some of the most popular flooring tiles for kitchens include ceramic and porcelain. While ceramic tile is very durable and affordable, it’s not as comfortable during long periods of standing, so avid chefs might like rugs or padded mats over their ceramic flooring. Porcelain tile looks amazing in a minimalist kitchen and is known for its durability and versatility. When deciding on a type of tile, keep in mind that trendy large-format tiles in neutral colors ground a colorful kitchen!
Energize Your Kitchen with Patterned Tile
Photo via @thathousedownthere
Your new kitchen floor doesn’t have to be a traditional floor design—play with bold patterns or printed floor tiles to compliment an eclectic, boho kitchen! For a vintage-style cooking area, try mosaic flooring or checkered tile. Or lay a geometric pattern—triangles, diamonds, or hexagons—for an eye-catching modern kitchen design. Another contemporary kitchen design is mixing tile with wood flooring to soften a busy pattern. Since patterned tiles have such an intricate design, it’s best to leave this type of kitchen flooring to the pros.
Use Marble for an Elegant Finish
Photo via @therutlandcleaning
Common in luxury homes, marble is one of the most elegant flooring materials you can pick for your kitchen! Since no two slabs of marble are the same, you can be sure that the marble floors in your kitchen are a one-of-a-kind masterpiece suited for your home. While this type of flooring and installation comes at a higher price point, marble floors hold up well in high-traffic areas and are available in a variety of colors. It’s also good to note that durable marble can still scratch and show imperfections without proper care.
Try Rustic Engineered Wood
Photo via @ryangarvin
While hardwood flooring is one of the most desired home features buyers want in a new home, there are excellent alternative flooring options that mimic solid wood floors at a lower price point! With many colors, widths, and types to choose from, engineered wood floors are one of the most versatile kitchen floor options. Engineered wood floors are easy to care for, as they simply require sweeping and occasional mopping to prevent stains. And with its tongue and groove assembly, you can easily install it yourself over concrete or existing flooring!
Go Industrial with Concrete Floors
Photo via @82mmphotography
Concrete flooring is the perfect choice for an industrial home style or a modern home interior! Concrete floors work well in kitchens because they are very durable and long-lasting, while also being low-maintenance and resistant to stains when sealed. Plus, compared to other types of kitchen floors like marble, polished concrete floors are also relatively inexpensive. Because concrete floors offer a wide variety of design options and require many important steps to put in, installing concrete floors is best done by professionals.
Opt for Laminate Floors
Photo via @alterior.living
Looking for a DIY kitchen flooring option? Interlocking laminate flooring features a tongue-and-groove construction, so the planks can be snapped and locked into place for easy installation. When sealed properly, laminate floors can prevent water from reaching your subfloor—but it’s still best to clean up spills as soon as possible and use a laminate finishing putty on any nicks. Not only is it a DIY-friendly kitchen update, laminate flooring is also an inexpensive flooring option that comes in a variety of textures, finishes, and patterns to match any home decorating style!
Stay Timeless Using Natural Stone Floors
Photo via @mystonefloor
Known for its classic beauty, longevity, and value, natural stone flooring is scratch-resistant, heat-resistant, and won’t stain. Stone floors come in a variety of colors and materials like travertine, limestone, granite, and sandstone, so your stone kitchen flooring options are endless. Due to the many types of stone flooring and their complex design, this type of kitchen flooring is best left to professionals to install. To keep your natural stone floors looking beautiful, be sure to keep your floors clean with a soft bristle broom and avoid acidic chemicals like vinegar or harsh cleaners.
Install Sustainable Kitchen Flooring
Photo via @hyggehenriksenhouse
If you’re designing a sustainable kitchen, consider using eco-friendly materials—like reclaimed wood, recycled tiles, and rubber floors—for this green kitchen upgrade! Blending style and durability, bamboo flooring is stronger than most types of wood and an eco-friendly kitchen upgrade. You can choose from different colors and patterns of bamboo flooring tiles or planks for your new kitchen floors, and even install them yourself to save money! Another easy DIY option, cork flooring can be installed in your kitchen in many ways—from peel-and-stick to click-together—and with proper care, cork flooring has one of the longest lifespans out of any of the flooring options.
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