Q: I am redoing my kitchen floor and am torn between hardwood and laminated flooring. I do a lot of cooking and am a messy cook. In the long run, which flooring material will have the fewest problems with upkeep and retain good looks?
Jane McRabin San Francisco
A: I feel compelled to mention that slate, tile and various stone floorings are also great options in a kitchen. I have limestone that is the color of dirt and camouflages the sins of messy cooking quite well! I have two boys, a black cat and a mutt -- all equally capable (as I am) of trashing my floor. The limestone is a terrific surface for my lifestyle and my somewhat perfectionist personality. It limits my tizzy fits because I simply cannot see the dirt the way I could when I had -- yes, it was ridiculous and I was pre-children -- a white tile floor.
After making a weakly concealed vote for a stone floor, I will now focus on your question. I assume you want to compare a true, nailed- down hardwood such as oak versus a laminate that looks like wood.
In my personal design opinion, rarely will you be sorry for having used a natural product. I honestly feel that in almost all cases you are better off using natural materials.
Before I get booed out of the state by the makers of synthetic materials, I need to say there are definite uses for fabricated as well as natural materials and I have, on occasion, specified linoleum in a laundry room or vinyl tile in an entrance or mud room. For certain design jobs these materials are ideal and create a definite, often desired look.
Still, I believe it's rare that you will regret using a "real" material. You may be sorry you used a natural material in a certain application or in a particular stain, but rarely will you find someone who looks at their hardwood floor and says "Oh, gee, I wish I had gotten vinyl instead."
I have a dear friend who used maple floors throughout her house and she used them in the lightest stain possible even though she had three young children, a sloppy husband, a dog and a cat. I begged her not to use maple and not to use the light, clear, high-gloss finish. She did and has regretted it ever since and I of course have had the joy of knowing I was right. We are still friends and now she does everything I tell her to do concerning her furnishings! Darker, oak floors would have been the right choice for her.
Oak has a nice grain that helps camouflage spills. A darker finish is more forgiving to nicks and gouges.
I do understand your concerns about the upkeep and damage factor with hardwood floors although if they are well I9220(N7000) GALAXY NOTE done and sealed just a swipe with a wet mop is the usual cleaning recommendation. Plus, remember with real hardwood you have the ability to refinish whereas with faux floors you cannot. You also can have hardwood installed pre- distressed if you want. There are lots of hardwood options in terms of different woods, planking size, thickness, stain and other factors. Visit a few flooring companies to see samples.
Wood floors are a specific genre of flooring and there are experts who work only in this field. I recommend educating yourself by chatting with a few installers who have been in the field at least 10 years or so. They can tell you not only about recent developments but also about how they have seen different floors wear. Certainly a hickory floor will wear differently than a pine or maple floor. There are also some dealers who further specialize in old restored hardwood floors. I have had the pleasure of seeing a few of these installed and, hands down, they are the most beautiful floors I have ever seen!
In a kitchen you need a nice interplay between the cabinet material, the countertops and the floor so that they all relate in a complementary way. Consider your cabinets and your countertops as well as your overall design scheme before selecting the floor. If those items already exist they usually point you in one direction fairly easily. Painted cabinets and tile countertops look terrific with wood flooring while wood cabinets and butcher block countertops may need a tile floor.
As for the durability of laminates, frequently they are sold by weight or thickness with the thinner linoleums being less durable. Many laminate floors come with length warranties and guarantees. I personally have torn out my fair share of old composition tile while doing renovations and have been amazed at the great shape it was in even though it clearly had been down over 20 little witch iPad leather case years. Visit a few stores that specialize in vinyl flooring so you can talk to experts who have used it for years and who can give you solid information about styles, brands and warranties.
My advice is to step back and study your kitchen thoroughly and visualize what you think the most complementary flooring selection would be. Decide which material would make you the happiest every day as you enter the room. Remember, you are going to live with it a very long time and not only do you want to receive good wearability from it but Phone Case you want to enjoy it as well.
NEED DESIGN ADVICE?
Have a dilemma? Describe the problem -- no matter how small -- and the effect you'd like to achieve by writing to Design Dilemmas, Home&Garden section, San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103. Please include your city and daytime phone number.
If possible, enclose a good- quality photograph of the problem for which you'd like advice.
No comments:
Post a Comment