WOOD KITCHEN FLOORS

Wood flooring is becoming increasingly popular through the household and there's no better place for it than the kitchen given it's easy to clean properties and its stylish look which goes well with any kitchen, whether wooden or not. Choosing a style of engineered wood floor can be difficult though as it needs to match not only with the kitchen units but other elements of the room such as window frames and doors, as well as feel continuous with other rooms' floors.

Hand scraped wood flooring is really in at the moment, given a hickory style floor. Generally the floor will be several layers thick giving it protection against all the bumps and scrapes that kitchen floors will inevitably get no matter how well they are looked after.

Oak is perhaps the most ubiquitous timber used in kitchen flooring. It's versatile enough to come in a whole range of stains which look far enough apart to be used together but look like different timbers. The stuff can be picked up at almost any DIY home improvement store relatively cheaply and fitting together using common methods such as the G5 locking system and in different thicknesses and shades. If you're wanting something a bit more original however character oak would be perfect, although if you want a classy pure look then make sure you get prime oak.

Bamboo technically isn't a timber (it's actually a grass) but works perfectly as a timber style flooring when engineered. It certainly has a mid-century look, although one that maybe has dated more than most timbers.

Wooden floors have different types of installation method that if you're installing yourself you need to consider which one you want, whether you want to staple or nail them in, or would prefer to glue or even float them. Staples and nails can give a rustic look but interrupt the smooth flow of the floor, the choice is not just one of aesthetics but practicality. Make sure you know what you're doing before attempt to install yourself as a mistake at the start might not be found until you're on the last board. If you've got underfloor heating you need to ensure the product you buy will allow the heat to radiate though.

You need to choose between having solid wood flooring, engineered wood which effectively is similar to having several thick veneers placed on top of each other and laminate. Laminate wood flooring will almost always be the cheapest, it's simply photographic image of wood protected by plastic on top of a cheap board such as MDF. Their lifespan is less and they are often quite obviously laminates, but nevertheless look good. Engineered wood has a thick 3 to 7mm veneer of real wood, giving a real wood surface that can even be sanded but without the expense of using a thick layer of real wood, which of course is the final option. The advantage of real wood is that it's going to last a very long time, the disadvantage is of course the expense.