Hardwood or Tile in the kitchen floor?

[Dream]

We have hardwood floor all over except in the kitchen and bathroom. About 10 years ago we remodeled the entire kitchen, cherry color cabinets and made the mistake of choosing very light colored tiles, smooth and very slippery, almost white. We have many broken tiles and it shows as its light color. We're doing other work in the house and we're considering replacing the floor. We can either replace the tile with a dark colored, rough surface tile or change to hardwood.

We cook a lot, use lot of oil and spices, we have a dog that's 11 yrs old, so now some times he have accidents. Have 2 kids. We entertain a lot. We mop the tile every other day.

Considering the above would you go with tile or hardwood? How does hardwood stand if there's a spill that stays for number of hours?

If we go with hardwood, it'll be oak color to match the rest of the house. Would oak floor go well with cherry cabinets?

TIA

[crl]

I hate tile floors. Especially in the kitchen.

I would do cork or linoleum (not vinyl--true linoleum).

Our current kitchen has hardwood and it's fine. I haven't ever left a spill for hours--I didn't on tile either though because it would be too slippery. We haven't lived here long enough for me to comment on durability.

Lots of kitchen pictures on Houzz, you could look there to see how different floors look with cherry cabinets.

Catherine

[emily]

We have wood in our kitchen. I have no experience with it but I like the cork option. I would think it's easier on the feet.

I'm also not a fan of tile.

[crl]

We have wood in our kitchen. I have no experience with it but I like the cork option. I would think it's easier on the feet.
.

It is. We put it in two previous kitchens and it was wonderfully warm and soft underfoot--I cook barefoot. The first kitchen had granite countertops and a glass would break if I dropped in two inches into that granite, but bounce if I dropped it a couple of feet onto the cork floor. If this place needed kitchen flooring, I'd be putting down cork again.

Catherine

[boolady]

We have hardwood in our kitchen. It's not original, as the hardwood is in the rest of the house, but was matched. I love it, actually. I don't know what our floors are in the kitchen. I guess they're oak, but they don't seem as light to me as some oak. I think the previous owner, who installed them, tried to match the stain to the rest of the house. We do have cherry cabinets, and I don't mind the combination. I attached two photos, but they're really tiny.

[westwoodmom04]

We have tile and I like it because it is so easy to wipe up spills. I really do not like wood in kitchens (a minority opinion), it just seems too easy for there to be problems with moisture (we do have wood floors in nearly every other room in our house, including bedrooms). Cork may be a good alternative, I don't know how easy it is to maintain.

[almostmom]

Our wood floors hold up very well in our kitchen. They have been refinished, but spills don't soak in at all. The finish is really important for that, as before they were refinished, spills did seep a little. But now I don't have any worries about them, and I cook a lot.

That said, cork sounds pretty interesting!

[Dream]

I'm not planning on leaving spills for hours, my concern is the dog, I've walked into the kitchen couple of mornings and he had peed in the night and I don't know how many hours its been there.

Cork floors? I've never heard of it. Off to google it.

[ellies mom]

I like wood or vinyl/linoleum. In our current and last house, the way the rooms flow, they really need to be the same flooring as the rooms around it or it looks chopped up. So in our last house, it was wood and in this house it will be when we redo the flooring. In the two houses before that, the kitchen was separated enough that it looked OK to have a different flooring. Both of those houses were older and had checkered vinyl/linoleum tiles (wood almost everywhere else). I loved it but it wouldn't work in just any kitchen.

So, for me it comes down to what is in the rooms around it and how does it flow better visually. We didn't have any problems with the wood in our last kitchen.

[kristenk]

We have tile and I like it because it is so easy to wipe up spills. I really do not like wood in kitchens (a minority opinion), it just seems too easy for there to be problems with moisture <snip>

:yeahthat: We have tile in parts of our house and hardwood in others. I know lots of people have hardwood in their kitchen and love it, but I just can't do it! I worry about spills and remember the time a pipe broke and water started shooting into the kitchen. I have plenty of other things to worry about in the house so it's nice that the kitchen tile isn't one of them.

[squimp]

We have wood and it's not perfect because it gets wet a lot from washing and drying stuff, but I do like it. I have a mat in front of the sink and stove. I would go with wood or linoleum - I really like marmoleum and was looking at that as an option.

[twowhat?]

We have engineered hardwood which resists warping and holds up well to spills so long as they are cleaned up promptly. That's what I would go with, but it could be a challenge to make it flow with your existing HW floors, and also coordinate with your cherry cabinets.

[gatorsmom]

my first choice would be tile because it really is indestructible. I'd go with 14" tile. I just love that. But they are cold and hard on your feet. So my second choose would be pergo or another type of fake hardwood. Hardwood will warp if it gets wet and the dogs nails could scratch it. Pergo is nearly indestructible. If you leave a puddle of water on it over night it might start to warp but tha water has to stand for a very long time, in my experience, to hurt it.

As for color matching, I am no help. :(

[Dream]

I read about cork floors, sounds great but its not for us. Then I read about Marmoleum and it says it stains easily, specially with pet accidents. And I read about Linoleum and it sounded great till the part it says it scratches easily, like if chairs are dragged, which my DDs do all the time. And the dogs nails.... so I guess its not going to work.

As for color matching to the rest of the house, out kitchen is in the corner, you can walk all over the house without actually entering the kitchen. You can see the kitchen from the corridor that connects the living room with the bathroom, tv room etc. Its not visible to the living room. So do I really need to match to the rest of the flooring?

Still searching....

[Momit]

When I worked at a large home building company the president of our division refused to do wood floors in wet areas (kitchens and baths) because of the potential for water damage from a leak or spill. In our last house they'd had to replace a large section in the wood floor because of a leaky pipe but ironically enough it was in the dining room rather than an area prone to water damage, so it does happen.

With that said - we've had wood in 2 kitchens and I love it! We've gotten a couple of water spots but now we know to be more careful. I love that when I drop something it doesn't automatically shatter in a million pieces. Last time we were visiting my parents I dropped a glass vial of expensive medication on the tile floor and smashed it, I was so annoyed because I knew if I had done it on my own floor it would have been fine.

[Mermanaid]

We have engineered wood in the kitchen and I really like it. It's been installed for 4+ years and no real problems. If the dog is going to pee she usually picks my expensive rug.

How about the best of both worlds -- porcelain tile that looks like wood? http://www.houzz.com/wood-look-porcelain-tile-floor

[codex57]

Tile. Absolutely.

For OP, she needs indestructible. There's a reason why contractors generally put in tile in the wet areas.

You only put wood in the wet areas if you're going to be pretty careful about it. Clean up immediately, not too rough on it, etc.

Big dog? Leave messes for hours (no judgment, I totally get it as a parent)? That just screams tile as a necessity. I'm glad we have tile. Would I prefer wood. Of course. But, I'm like OP. No dog, but sometimes puddles get left to evaporate on their own. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Kids pulling all sorts of crap across the area that could cause scratches on wood floors. General rough use. That's why I'm glad I have tile, even tho I'd prefer wood for aesthetics.

And I looked into cork. #1, it's kinda pricey. #2, it generally works better as a layer underneath hardwood paneling to give it some spring; not as a top layer (it'd be awful as a top layer being so porous, altho I did find people who used it as such while googling)

[sariana]

I've always had tile in the kitchen. I hate wood floors in a kitchen, and laminate is not any better. It gets damaged by water too.

Very seldom I do drop things, but I am much more likely to break a glass on the counter, in the sink, or going to or from the dishwasher (bumping against something).

One tile did crack in our last home, and the builder replaced it. That is what is nice about tile.

[chozen]

One of my friends is having linoleum installed in Her new kitchen. She had me over to show me some samples, when I first looked at them I thought they were real wood. They decided on this because they like the look of wood but wanted more durability. We have oak cabinets with braz. Cherry hardwood flooring in our kitchen, it has held up well. We currently have one dog but did have two. Maybe you could check out the linoleum that my friend is having installed I truly was very suprised at how real it looked.

[KonzaPrairie]

My town home has wood floors throughout the main living level, which includes kitchen and half bath. My neighbor's TH with the exact same floor plan has tile in the kitchen and their house looks so much 'cheaper' and cup up to me. I love the continuity of our HW throughout. We have white cabinets and the HW works really well.

I probably would not have originally chosen it if I had had a choice. However now I'm not scared of it at all and prefer it to tile for the kitchen. We have one spot under the corner of the fridge where I think someone forgot to wipe up water that they dripped, and the wood feels a little 'ridged'. I think it's something that can be fixed when we refinish the floors which needs to happen anyway.

My MIL has cork and LOVES it. It is soft and warm to walk on. However I don't like her pattern very much, so I think you have to be careful to get a pattern that looks nice.

[KLD313]

I'm not planning on leaving spills for hours, my concern is the dog, I've walked into the kitchen couple of mornings and he had peed in the night and I don't know how many hours its been there.

Cork floors? I've never heard of it. Off to google it.

This is my problem nightly with my elderly dog. I agree with a PP that it's the finish that makes the difference and how well it's sealed. I've never had staining from pee during the night. However, there's one section that wasn't sealed well and the dog went there repeatedly and it got down the seam and it darkened the floor.

[YouAreTheFocus]

We had tile in our last house--never again. The grout was such a PITA to keep clean. It was so hard to stand on (really bothered our backs if we were working in there for an extended time). And, it was not indestructible for us--after living there for a few years we had several cracked tiles. That tile was the bane of my existence!

[crl]

If you have pet accidents that sit potentially overnight, I would get tile. Much as I hate tile, I think it is the only flooring that's really going to stand up to that (well, polished concrete, but I don't think that's an option here.).

I would get BIG tiles with tiny grout lines (chose a tile that allows for the small grout lines) and use epoxy grout. I would also be very careful not to chose a tile with divets and such. That's so hard to get really clean--our last rental I had to get down and clean it by hand to get the dips and divets cleaned out.

Catherine

[smilequeen]

My feeling is to go with what you like the look of. I've had tile and I have hardwood now. I like the way the hardwood looks. They both have pluses and minuses so I went with the look I preferred :)

The tile was cold. Things broke so easily if dropped. The grout got dingy.
The hardwood scratches more easily and that's harder to fix.

[crl]

And I looked into cork. #1, it's kinda pricey. #2, it generally works better as a layer underneath hardwood paneling to give it some spring; not as a top layer (it'd be awful as a top layer being so porous, altho I did find people who used it as such while googling)

Cork used as flooring is sealed. It's pretty much like wood in terms of care.

Catherine

[westwoodmom04]

If you have pet accidents that sit potentially overnight, I would get tile. Much as I hate tile, I think it is the only flooring that's really going to stand up to that (well, polished concrete, but I don't think that's an option here.).

I would get BIG tiles with tiny grout lines (chose a tile that allows for the small grout lines) and use epoxy grout. I would also be very careful not to chose a tile with divets and such. That's so hard to get really clean--our last rental I had to get down and clean it by hand to get the dips and divets cleaned out.

Catherine

We have exactly this and the tiles have a stone look to them. The grout is dark and there is really no issue with keeping it clean. Yes, tiles do crack, but they also can be fixed; just buy extras.

[Dream]

If you have pet accidents that sit potentially overnight, I would get tile. Much as I hate tile, I think it is the only flooring that's really going to stand up to that (well, polished concrete, but I don't think that's an option here.).

I would get BIG tiles with tiny grout lines (chose a tile that allows for the small grout lines) and use epoxy grout. I would also be very careful not to chose a tile with divets and such. That's so hard to get really clean--our last rental I had to get down and clean it by hand to get the dips and divets cleaned out.

Catherine

Oh that's bad, I was thinking if we take the route of tiling then I would prefer a tile with dips, but you're right, it'll be hard to clean.

For those who have hardwood, let's say if there's water damage, does it get removed when you cut, sand and re-stain? Or do you have to replace the wood?

[Dream]

We have exactly this and the tiles have a stone look to them. The grout is dark and there is really no issue with keeping it clean. Yes, tiles do crack, but they also can be fixed; just buy extras.

Do you have a picture of the tile you have? I would like the stone look, but doesn't it have dips like the PP mentioned?

[crl]

Oh that's bad, I was thinking if we take the route of tiling then I would prefer a tile with dips, but you're right, it'll be hard to clean.

For those who have hardwood, let's say if there's water damage, does it get removed when you cut, sand and re-stain? Or do you have to replace the wood?

Depends on how bad the water damage is. And pet damage is pretty hard to get out.

Catherine

[marymoo86]

Tile. Absolutely.

For OP, she needs indestructible. There's a reason why contractors generally put in tile in the wet areas.

You only put wood in the wet areas if you're going to be pretty careful about it. Clean up immediately, not too rough on it, etc.

Big dog? Leave messes for hours (no judgment, I totally get it as a parent)? That just screams tile as a necessity. I'm glad we have tile. Would I prefer wood. Of course. But, I'm like OP. No dog, but sometimes puddles get left to evaporate on their own. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Kids pulling all sorts of crap across the area that could cause scratches on wood floors. General rough use. That's why I'm glad I have tile, even tho I'd prefer wood for aesthetics.

And I looked into cork. #1, it's kinda pricey. #2, it generally works better as a layer underneath hardwood paneling to give it some spring; not as a top layer (it'd be awful as a top layer being so porous, altho I did find people who used it as such while googling)

:yeahthat:

I love my tile in the kitchen. I am not in there hours on end so it doesn't bother me - and I have a bad back. If you decide on tile, I would be sure to get a darker grout since you are in a high traffic, spill prone area.

Also - pet urine if left untreated can bleach your floor which could be a large disaster depending on how big.

[JBaxter]

My last house had tile and I loved it. Neutral colored hid dirt well. We bought this house in December and has wood on the whole first floor NOT loving the wood in the kitchen AT ALL. I want my tile back. If I had a choice TILE HANDS DOWN. People mentioned it being cold in another thread. I never had that issue in my hold house.

[glbb35]

We had tile in our last house and holy moly it was hard on your back and feet especially for long periods of time. I liked the look but hated the clean up and anything I dropped automatically broke or was dented. I hated the coldness on my feet and it was hard to keep clean. I LOVE hardwood. We have it in our house now and we make a ton of messes and it has kept up very well. Our freezer was even leaking for a while and we would find water on the floor and we had no damage. IT is a nice fluid look too.

Now If I had my choice, I would go with cork. My SIL/BIL have this and love it. IT is soooo unbelievably durable and the color choice they have is really nice. IT is soft on the feet and back and nothing breaks if you or the kids drop something on it. so that is nice! DS even fell off a stool at their house and landed on his head with little trauma!

B

DS 03, 06, twins 09., 11

[sarahsthreads]

I HATE my hardwood kitchen floors. If I were doing a remodel I would tile in a heartbeat. I also have an older dog who sometimes has accidents in the night, and while it hasn't really stained the floor yet I feel like it's only a matter of time. And the floor under the chairs and table is so, so scratched up despite having protectors on all the legs, etc.

Our kitchen is also a high-traffic area because we have sliding doors that lead to the deck, and eventually the pool, and that walking path was visibly worn less than two years after the floor was finished.

By contrast, my tiled foyer floor (12" tiles) is so incredibly easy to keep clean and holds up to tons of traffic (and dog accidents) without breaking a sweat.

Ideally, I'd have moderately textured large tiles that weren't super slippery when wet if I could pick out any flooring.

Sarah :)

[Corie]

How about the best of both worlds -- porcelain tile that looks like wood? http://www.houzz.com/wood-look-porcelain-tile-floor


This is what I was going to suggest. :)

It's gotten really popular on the HGTV shows. I see it being used
all the time. I would love to use it in my kitchen.

[SASM]

We have stone tile and absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! It hides a ton, so I do not feel the need to constantly sweep, vacuum, and mop, unike when we had HWs. Also, when we had HWs, over the years they started to separate, causing little grooves for food, etc, making a lovely little sugar ant highway. I am not against HWs (LOVE them throughout my home) but the stone tiles are wonderful in the kitchen. I have dropped my Le Creuset 7.5qt Dutch oven on the tiles and it did not leave a mark...it cracked my pot and lid but no mark on my floor! They are laid on a cement slab which might have something to do with the cracked pot.

If I could figure out how to post a photo, I would post a photo for you...LOVE THEM!!

[Dream]

This is what I was going to suggest. :)

It's gotten really popular on the HGTV shows. I see it being used
all the time. I would love to use it in my kitchen.

I don't mind going this route but then I have to match it with the rest of the house right? Looking at where my kitchen is I don't know whether it really 'need' to flow with the rest of the house.

[arivecchi]

We have terracota tiles in our kitchen, mudroom and breakfast area and I love it. Super easy to wipe spills, mop and keep clean, my great dane cannot scratch it and she can be a slobbery mess while eating and I don't care. So low maintenance. It also really warms up the kitchen.

We had hardwood floors in our last two kitchens and high traffic areas start getting worn after a while, so the wood looked discolored in those spots (particularly by the kitchen sink). It drove me nuts. I love how HW floors look in general, but for kitchens, I think tiles are a better choice.

We have some damaged planks in our DR HW floors (water damage) and replacing that tiny chunk of wood and refinishing the room is nearly $1,000.

[MSWR0319]

We have Congoleum Duraceramic in our kitchen. I love it because it doesn't have to be grouted, but can be, and it's easy to clean. If you don't grout it, you can seal it to help stop stuff from getting in the cracks. It doesn't crack as easy as real tile and is super easy to clean. It's also not cold on your feet like real tile, but looks very nice. We have dropped a couple really heavy cans on the floor that have left a slight dent but you can't see it unless you really are looking for it and it didn't crack or break the top "layer". I wouldn't get anything else. There are other brands out there now, but I'm not sure what they are right off the top of my head.

Oh, and long standing spills wouldn't bother it. DS let a Popsicle melt on the floor under his little table that I didn't know about. The next morning I found a bright blue puddle that was hard and it cleaned right up.

[westwoodmom04]

Do you have a picture of the tile you have? I would like the stone look, but doesn't it have dips like the PP mentioned?

If I can find the cable to connect my camera to the computer, I will:). Ours are an adobe-ish color that definitely would not work in your kitchen (our cabinets are white); my parents have a similar size travertine-ish tile with dark wood. Neither tile has a flat finish, but they are both easy to keep clean.

[KLD313]

We have Congoleum Duraceramic in our kitchen. I love it because it doesn't have to be grouted, but can be, and it's easy to clean. If you don't grout it, you can seal it to help stop stuff from getting in the cracks. It doesn't crack as easy as real tile and is super easy to clean. It's also not cold on your feet like real tile, but looks very nice. We have dropped a couple really heavy cans on the floor that have left a slight dent but you can't see it unless you really are looking for it and it didn't crack or break the top "layer". I wouldn't get anything else. There are other brands out there now, but I'm not sure what they are right off the top of my head.

Oh, and long standing spills wouldn't bother it. DS let a Popsicle melt on the floor under his little table that I didn't know about. The next morning I found a bright blue puddle that was hard and it cleaned right up.


I had this in my lower level playroom and loved it. Since you mentioned pet urine if you go this route seal the floor. They sell a sealer for it, they may tell you you dint need it but insist on it. Ask me how I know? Lol

[squimp]

Do the tile people never drop anything? I drop stuff all the time and would be constantly breaking things. We would never do tile for a kitchen but I love in in a bath.

I would go with linoleum or marmoleum in your situation - warm and hard wearing. Or even vinyl - there are lots of really nice vinyl options these days that look like stone.

[Simon]

I have several friends who have dropped and broken family china pieces on tile and also some who have terrible back pain (or ankle, or knee) from standing on hard tile so much of the day. Some have had luck with those foam mats in front of the sink or island, but its overall still a problem for them.

[sarahsthreads]

We had tile in my parents' house when I was growing up, and I don't recall there being a single broken thing because of the floor. In the sink, a few times, and once I took a hot Corelle plate out of the microwave and it literally cracked in half and fell on the floor, but that wasn't the floor's fault!

I'm certain we must have dropped things, I was one of three kids and we all learned how to cook (and set the table, etc.) in that house...

Sarah :)

[cono0507]

We are remodeling our kitchen and taking out the tile and putting in hardwood. The rest of the house has hardwood so we like the continuity but really I hate the tile! In the last two months we have dropped and shattered a jar of spaghetti sauce and a large full bottle of wine. What a mess. I know wood isn't perfect either but we have had it in our previous home's kitchen and were happy with it.

[JBaxter]

I've broken more things on my granite counter tops than my tile floors

[edurnemk]

I'm not planning on leaving spills for hours, my concern is the dog, I've walked into the kitchen couple of mornings and he had peed in the night and I don't know how many hours its been there.

Cork floors? I've never heard of it. Off to google it.

Then I'd avoid hardwood. Dog pee can really damage it. We have hardwood everywhere but in the kitchen and bathrooms. The previous owners had a dog and I can tell exactly where she had accidents, it stained the wood floor in the master bedroom.

I like tile in the wet areas, it's indestructible as it's been pointed out, and there's very nice tiles to choose from nowadays.

[queenmama]

This thread cracks me up! Clearly, this is subjective! "Tile is awesome!" "I love hardwood!"

It does sound like tile would be better for your situation, considering the doggie accidents.

I have had a ceramic tile kitchen floor for 15 years. It is a nice medium-light neutral with dark grout, and it has held up beautifully.

Having said that, I would never ever everrrrrr have tile in another kitchen. I have the same complaints as the other tile haters: cold when barefoot, everything breaks (those of you that say otherwise must be using only Tupperware or melamine! Tile is unforgiving if you drop any glass or ceramics!), and it is so hard on the back.

Fifteen years. I'm so over it.

I would love wood (we have wood everywhere except kitchen & baths) or real linoleum. Cork is lovely but it depends on the house.

For the OP, tile. I hate it and loathe the recommendation but it does make the most sense.

Lara

[hellokitty]

For the OP, tile. I hate it and loathe the recommendation but it does make the most sense.

Lara

:yeahthat: With the pet situation, tile is the most practical. I am one of those who loathes tile. I do not like that it feels cold, is hard on your back and I hate cleaning it. I have HW in my kitchen right now and we do ok. However, I am anal about cleaning up any wet spots right away. My mil put HW in her kitchen AND bathroom (stupid, if you ask me), and her DW was leaking and she had a rug in front of the DW, so didn't even notice until the rug was so soaked that it was squishy. She was upset that the HW floor under the DW is damaged. Luckily, it was just under it, so really nobody will care, since they won't see it unless the DW is pulled out. We have a small water spot where the tray under the fridge must have leaked a little. It's not a big deal, but after hearing about leaking DW and stuff, I'm not sure that I would do HW again for a kitchen. For now, I feel lucky that we have been ok, but can also see the potential for issues.

I'd probably consider the high end vinyl that looks like tile that we used in our recent bathroom renovations. However, it also depends on the layout of the house. For our current house, our kitchen flows into our family room. It looks really nice that we have HW floor throughout all the areas (except foyer, kept the tile there, due to it being an entrance), and it flows. However, it would look REALLY odd if we had different flooring in the kitchen to be quite honest. I had not thought about that until someone else here mentioned it, but in our case that would definitely be an issue. I can see that a kitchen that is set apart from the other areas would be ok with different flooring, but the way our house is set up, I think it would really screw up the way our house looks.

[twowhat?]

OK I missed the part about the dog peeing in the middle of the night and the pee just sitting there. I change my vote.

Tile.

[c914]

We have friends that have HWF in the kitchen where there was a dishwasher leak/ mishap and left a huge warped spot.

[hwin708]

We have hardwood throughout the house except for the bathrooms. I love the wood, and find it the easiest of all flooring to take care of. BUT a big caveat is that it is a very old house with very old floors. Like a century or so. So I can scratch them and it doesn't really matter - there's a lifetime of scratches and dents and character already built in. You can buy antique salvaged hardwood now, but it is very expensive, and I'm guessing does not fit with the style of the wood throughout the rest of your house. But that would be my vote, if it did work for you.

As for the topic of dog pee ruining the floors - agree with the hardwood owners who say it is all in having a properly stained and sealed floor. Ours have been refinished... well, I don't even know how long ago, but it's before our time here. And the floors remain very well sealed and resistant to water. We definitely have spilled pet dishes in the middle of the night, or a leaky ice machine one night. The floors are unstained. Though I wouldn't mind some stains. More character. Again, the benefit to old floors.