Flooring

Kitchen flooring is recognized as one of the largest surfaces in the kitchen with which you have constant contact. It will affect both the function and style of your new kitchen. It has the opportunity to play a large part in your decorating scheme or it can be relegated to the background. There are a number of materials that can fit any budget. But, no matter what you select, you want to maximize your investment by choosing a product that will match your needs. As it may be a big investment, you want to get it right!

When choosing your new flooring, keep in mind that you must consider all of the following: material, thickness, color, pattern, texture, durability, maintenance, safety, and comfort underfoot. Look at the traffic pattern in and out of the kitchen and choose the best material that will provide ease of maintenance and safety.


Comfort Underfoot with a Warm Floor
You can add comfort and elegance to your kitchen floor with electric floor heating. The warm floor is controlled by a thermostat that will keep the floor at your favorite temperature (80 or 85 degrees). The kitchen is the heart of the home, and It's where you gather with family and friends. It is thus important to keep it as comfortable as possible. Electric floor heating is the solution if you prefer a toasty warm floor rather than a cold tile or wood surface.

WarmlyYours.com will supply you with your new warm floor and guide you through the process. You can click here to submit your kitchen project online to get a quotation warm floors with Warmly Yours. Nuheat.com and Suntouch.net manufacture a similar floor heating system.

When you remodel your floor, it is important to recognize how this flooring relates to other flooring materials (that butt up against it) and how it flows from room to room. Look at the aesthetic aspect of how the colors and patterns interact--you don't want them to clash. Due to the amount of traffic and moisture in the kitchen, wall to wall carpeting (including natural fibers) is not a suitable material for flooring. However, the use of throw rugs and mats will provide accents and extra comfort for heavily used work areas that require a lot of standing. They can also help to absorb and deaden noise.

When visiting a flooring showroom, it is a good idea to bring samples of the following: your countertop and backsplash material(s), your cabinet door or wood/laminate chip, paint card, and wallpaper. Our Personal Project Organizer and Tote will help you keep track of all these items and keep them clean. (See Organizer/Tote).

If your kitchen is completely gutted, optimize the floor treatment by installing your new floor from wall to wall. This means that the flooring material will go under your base cabinets and you must recognize that it will affect the final dimension between the floor and ceiling. As such, it will have an impact on wall and tall cabinet installation and their associated crown treatment. By installing wall to wall floor treatments, the appliances (such as your refrigerator, dishwasher, and range) can be moved in and out easier (for cleaning and repairs) and when the remodeling bug bites again it is very likely that you may not need a new floor.

When you begin to do your demolition, you may find underlayment, subflooring or even floor joist problems that you did not plan for in your budget. Your subflooring needs to be level and solid--it should not bounce or squeak. An experienced carpenter should be able to address any of these needs. As the subflooring is the structural part of the floor (at least 3/4" thick plywood--or thicker if possible), you want it to be in great condition. It lays the foundation for your entire kitchen. On top of your subflooring, an underlayment provides the proper substrate for your finished floor. Depending upon which flooring material you choose there are different underlayment products. Ask a professional flooring representative to review the options with you.

WarmlyYours.com Electric floor heating is the solution if you prefer a toasty warm floor rather than a cold tile or wood surface.