Everything You Need to Know About Kitchens and Hardwood Floors

Kitchens are one of the busiest areas of every home. From the amount of furniture and appliances to foot traffic and spills, floors in this part of your home should be durable and long-lasting. Due to the high impacts they receive daily, kitchen flooring renovations are costly home improvement projects, especially if you plan on installing hardwood. While there are significant benefits to laying out hardwood floors in your kitchen space, they also come with challenges and costs. In this guide, homeowners can get to know everything about wooden floorings and kitchens.

Costs and Installation

On average, wood flooring costs as little as $3 to $4 per square foot, while using high-quality materials will range between $10 to $20 per square footage. But in a kitchen, going for average hardwood planks can be an issue. Due to the wear and tear it goes through every day, you need to use very dense hardwood flooring with high water resistance and little to no staining concerns.

Unlike other rooms in the house, homeowners have to consider additional factors when narrowing down their flooring options. Mid-range hardwood to softwood planks are out, but the hardwood choices left will dwindle to a few selected species that are sturdy, long-lasting, and have a high tolerance to spills and stains.

Before you begin installing your hardwood strips, checking on the warranty of your materials is critical. Remember to read the contract with your hardwood flooring provider or contractor and check for any mentions of the protection they offer. In addition, look into any remarks of the protection becoming null and void if you install the hardwood floors in a kitchen or any water-prone area. There are many instances where homeowners are unable to use material warranty when the floors get damaged.

In addition, hardwood planks are one of the most complex flooring materials to install in a kitchen. Unlike other areas, the planks require customized cuts and proper layouting for the floor to blend well with the cabinetry and other elements in the room.

Many professionals don’t recommend amateur remodelers install hardwood flooring in their kitchens for this specific reason. While an expert should handle the installation, many choose to DIY because of their costs. As a compromise, hardwood installers advise homeowners to remain cautious during the project and seek the help of a professional if something goes awry to avoid irreparable mistakes. 

Hardwood Flooring Finishes

While hardwood floors are naturally durable, applying finishes on the surfaces of your hardwood flooring in the kitchen is essential. Finishes add another protective layer to the wood from moisture, stains, and wear. Different areas of your home can use traditional penetration oils as a finish, but kitchen hardwood floors need a surface finish like polyurethane.

A surface finish seals the hardwood’s surface to keep water and staining agents from penetrating deep into the board. In addition, it creates washable and easy-to-clean flooring.

Pre-finished hardwood planks are a different matter. Unlike solid hardwood planks, the hardwood strips underwent a durable UV-cured urethane treatment. They’re also embedded with aluminum oxide crystals, making them twice as durable.

Pre-finished hardwood floors are great for kitchens because they have multiple layers of factory-cured urethane and forgo the sanding and finishing processes. But one noticeable drawback of this option is their beveled, rounded edges. Due to this, the probability of minute gaps appearing in-between boards is higher.

Caring for and Maintaining Kitchen Hardwood Flooring

Using hardwood floors in your kitchen means exposing them to their greatest weaknesses- water and stains. Spills can happen 24/7, and unattended water can seep into the boards and slowly damage them. The best way to maintain the quality of your kitchen floors is to keep constant vigilance over them. Be more mindful of spills, and wipe them off before they seep and absorb all the water.

In addition, routine cleaning with brooms or vacuums is essential to get rid of dirt and grit. Dust and grime buildup can scratch the hardwood and wear away the finish. Prefinished hardwood flooring is great, but it can be problematic to refinish in high-traffic areas as typical polyurethane may not match the factory finish.

Proper care and maintenance of your hardwood floors can prevent you from dealing with worn finishes and flooring damages. With a regular cleaning schedule and mindfulness of spills, you can recoat every few years without sanding off your old finishes.

Home Kitchens and Hardwood Flooring Services in Austin, TX

Hardwood floors work well with any room in your home. But some areas, like your kitchens, have conditions that can affect the performance, appearance, and longevity of your hardwood flooring. Understanding the ins and outs of installing hardwood floorings in kitchens can help homeowners to deal with them better. From their costs and installation to their care and maintenance, having wooden floors in such a high-traffic area requires more attention and money.

Get an expert opinion from the best hardwood flooring service in Austin now. Visit Kelly Hardwood Floors today!