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Original poster

Wood floor in a kitchen, will it be a big mistake?

14 replies

IAmOptimusPrime · 27/08/2014 16:13

I had my kitchen redone 2 months ago. White matt shaker style cupboards, pale grey/green walls and oak oiled work tops. I am very happy with it but I just can't decide on the flooring so it is still just chipboard.

I've looked at polyflor and don't really like it, same with karndean. It is a small light room and the samples just looked fake. Because it has two external walls it can be cold so tiles are out too.

I just love the look of wood or engineered wood but would it be a mistake for a kitchen?

Has anyone successfully had a wood kitchen floor?? Any suggestions gratefully received.

OP posts:
ogredownstairs · 27/08/2014 16:29

Yes - osmo wax/oiled engineered oak boards. Was very wary but absolutely love it, 7 years in. We have ufloor heating hence having to have engineered, but it's great. It doesn't look quite the same as when it went down, as it has mellowed a bit and some gaps have widened, but it still looks fab and can be refinished if needed.

In contrast we have some expensive ( as least as expensive as wood) fake stuff in 2 bathrooms and a child's bedroom. It has been absolutely great, waterproof etc, easy to clean and looks exactly the same as the day it went down. However I just don't like it and would never have it again!

Original poster
IAmOptimusPrime · 27/08/2014 16:47

I'm quite happy for it to mellow and even get dented or scarred as i think wood can take it and still look nice I just don't want it to warp. The osmo stuff sounds good too. Thanks for your input.

OP posts:
TalkinPeace · 27/08/2014 17:25

I have Bamboo - picture on my profile
its 6 years old now
it get mopped every week or two and swept daily
and apart from that gets abused
and I love it

tobiasfunke · 27/08/2014 17:27

I've matt lacquered engineered oil- it's looks great. I do have a protective vinyl mat at the sink area which avoids everyday splashes.

tobiasfunke · 27/08/2014 17:27

oak not oil

NerfHerder · 27/08/2014 17:42

I like bamboo, too- our best friend had it in their last house, and it was lovely and warm underfoot, and hardwearing.

AWombWithoutARoof · 27/08/2014 17:44

I'm looking for kitchen flooring too, I'm going engineered wood, all the flooring shops I've been to have said it's more stable than solid wood in areas where there may be steam or the occasional spillage.

TalkinPeace · 27/08/2014 17:48

I've got bamboo in my bathrooms, hall, utility room, dining room and kitchen.
Its glued straight to the floor (with the thick glue that is a DPC) and its wonderful.
Covered in dents and scratches, could probably do with a polish but in a few more years we'll just get the whole lot sanded back and resealed (its 13mm thick)
utterly forgiving of hiking boots and party shoes and cats and dogs and the odd bicycle

petitdonkey · 27/08/2014 17:53

We have wood - (Kahrs I think) I love it and recommend it to all friends redoing their kitchens. Warmer both to look at and underfoot and slightly more forgiving to dropped pyrex (more than once I have had things bounce!) Very unforgiving regarding dirt - I used to mop my tile daily but the wood gets hoovered daily (just a cordless thing) them steamed once a week (Is that gross???) maybe twice… You just can't see dirt on it.

We have a walnut finish which has faded dramatically so we are just about to have it resanded and stained after 7 years. That said, I put Wenge in another part of my house as I love the dark wood look but it shows up the scratches terribly. I would recommend oak or walnut in a kitchen.

Original poster
IAmOptimusPrime · 27/08/2014 17:54

TalkinPeace your kitchen is lovely. Thanks for all your replies, I am off to research floor suppliers in my area.

OP posts:
bonborez · 29/08/2014 08:54

We have had engineered wood in our last 2 kitchens, loved it. Also had Kahrs. Not cheap but very practical. Sometimes I've had spills which haven't been noticed and melting snow on shoes etc in the hall and it seems to have amazing capacity to restore itself ie looks warped and like it will split but look at it a day later and its gone.

MollyBdenum · 30/08/2014 07:59

I'm getting bamboo for my kitchen. Several threads on here have said that it's important to get strand woven bamboo as it is much tougher, and that certainly seems to be the case with the samples I've ordered.

MissWing · 30/08/2014 12:55

We're just about to lay bamboo...

LePetitPrince · 31/08/2014 09:27

I was all for hard or engineered wood till my father talked me out of it. We then went with Karndean wood effect which look like the real thing basically. However this is not a cheap option - think £1000+ for a medium kitchen. My dad was so right - in the first week, we had a drains problem that flooded the kitchen floor but the Karndean was unaffected. A year later we realised we had a slow leak in the kitchen under the concrete covered by the Karndean but we only knew because of a slight hiss. Out top-end kitchen and any wood floor would have been destroyed.

So I'll never have anything other than vinyl or tiles again.

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