Wood floors in kitchen?

Watch if you get the laminate....the floors become a skating rink when wet!!!!

Very very dangerous, I took several nasty falls and won't put the stuff back in.

When we built our house after losing the other to fire, we couldn't agree on the flooring. Since we spent so much on the slab, we just painted it and put down throw rugs. Ease of cleaning is a big plus and the look goes well with the primarily southwestern design in the house.
Remember that wood floors were the norm longer than not.

I mop the floor with an old bath towel under my feet, and dry it as I go along. If it's really humid, I'll set up a floor fan, too.

__________________
Je ne suis pas Alice

http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/

Just thought I'd post this: when we replaced the wood floors in our old house a few years back, I chose an old-looking linoleum for the kitchen. We did use the pre-finished, actual wood flooring (not the prefinished veneer type) but since the finish is applied before you install, there is the teeny tiniest chance of water going between the boards. I have cats that just love water, love to splash their water bowls, and have the occasional hairball incident. And I'm sorta messy when it comes to cooking and cleaning - dishwashing involves almost as much water on the floor as on the dishes for me, somehow...

Opposite of you, I got advice from everyone to put the wood in the kitchen. I stuck with the linoleum and loved the look and feel of it. Just figured I'd post the one nay-saying opinion...

However, since what you do want is the wood, go for it! So actually, my opinion is, do what you want!! Seems any floor would work in a kitchen except shag carpeting!

We have hardwood (sugar maple) flooring in the kitchen and wide pine boards through out the rest of the house on the original floors and wide hemlock in the floors I've put in. I like wood floors.

That said i would not do wood in the kitchen around the sink. Our house was build some time between 1776 and 1825 (accounts differ) and the area around the kitchen sink, which was the original summer kitchen, is in poor shape. I put a 1/2" plastic sheet over that area which protects what remains. I like having the rest of the kitchen floor wood.

I would strongly suggest using movable runners or throw rugs for the heavy traffic areas. If they have rubber backing then they stay in place pretty well and don't seem to trip one up.

For finishes, I prefer oil as opposed to varnishes and the like. On the hemlock I've not done anything and it looks fine.

I would recommend against laminates. Go with solid wood. But then, I'm biased, I raise, cut and sell the timber for making good hardwood flooring...

Cheers,

-Walter
in Vermont
up to 6F from
-13F yesterday

__________________
SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

I'm on my second hardwood-floored kitchen, and all I can say is this:
-anyone who worries about a ding in the floor or a scratch from an animal should be on the This Old House website, not this one. Wood is meant to have character, and there is no surface that more graciously wears the tear of a household, nor better hides a dirty floor until you can get to it.
-wood is THE BEST for avoiding fatigue problems for serious (or slow) cooks. I routinely spend entire days on my feet in mine (my kitchen is a licensed catering kitchen) and rarely do I have back issues like I would on concrete or tile.
-Ken, if you can leave a hot pan on the floor long enough to brand it, well, then, you probably get what you deserve... :haha:
-our floors are unstained and sealed with 7 coats of water based polyurethane and they daily see the likes of two adults and two toddler boys who wear their shoes in the house, two greyhounds and formerly a Jack Russell terrier who loved to spin out everywhere, and a full-blown catering operation.