Wood Floors in Kitchen Pros and Cons

Wood Floors In Kitchen Pros And Cons

Wood floors are one of the most commonly sorted for flooring on the market; their aesthetic value and durability makes them a valuable addition to a home.

So, it is of great importance that you know everything about wood floors in kitchen pros and cons included. Pros like easy maintenance, variety of options, and improving the air quality of the space and cons like cost, and development of issues when exposed to moisture.

But if you would want to enjoy their long-lasting benefits and features, wood floors are best installed in areas free of moisture and with a stable temperature level.

Wood flooring is undeniably durable but somewhat high-maintenance and is a poor choice for wet locations. Installing hardwood in areas like the kitchen does not seem like a completely bad idea but let’s take a look at wood floors in kitchen pros and cons to confirm it truly is a great idea to install wood in a moisture-prone area like the kitchen.

Related: Do Hardwood Floors Make Your House Colder?

Wood Floors In Kitchen Pros and Cons

Some wood floors manufacturers insist that their flooring is sealed with water-resistant finishes, but it’s worth noting that hardwood floors can never be waterproof regardless of the applied treatment.

When exposed to too much moisture, the floorboards can become discolored, and the fibers begin to swell; this causes huge damage to the entire flooring surface, which eventually leads to buckling. 

So with the preexisting knowledge of how damaging moisture is to hardwood floors, why would you want to install hardwood in rooms that can be described as semi-moist or sporadically moist – the kitchen. Well, here are some reasons it doesn’t seem so crazy to install wood floors in the kitchen.

Read: How to Restore Hardwood Floors Without Sanding

Advantages Of Wood Floors In Kitchen

Variety Of Available Options

If you are maintaining a particular aesthetic appeal in your home, you might want a flooring that complements the style.

Wood flooring has impeccable authenticity due to the wide array of choices available. Depending on your budget and availability; the varying shade and color of every wood plank also enhance its aesthetic appeal.

You can also change the color of your floor by applying a new stain.

Easy To Maintain

Keeping your wood floor clean requires easy procedures like vacuuming to remove dust and mopping to remove stains, then allow it to dry completely. Wood floors do not attract too much debris, dust or dirt because of their non-electromagnetic nature.

It also calls for simple general maintenance like wiping up spills immediately they occur and allowing the floor to dry completely after cleaning. Wood flooring will hold up well in the kitchen as they are quite resistant to liquid spills.

Improves The Air Quality Of The Space

Wood floors have a smooth flat surface, so they cannot hide any type of parasites like fleas, dust mites or spores.

They are also unable to attract any type of allergens, animal dander or molds, that can trigger allergies. This keeps your indoor environment pretty safer than what you would get with other types of flooring, such as carpet.

If you have children in your home, they are more susceptible to allergies, and doctors usually recommend wood flooring as the suitable flooring option for allergy sufferers.

It has a hypo-allergic nature and does not trap unpleasant odors. When installed in the kitchen, wooden flooring cannot trap food spills, so you can thoroughly clean up every bit. You can also install an underfloor heating system with wood floors, which effectively keeps the house warm.

Can Be Easily Installed

Installation of wood floors can be undertaken as a DIY project as long as you have adequate floor installation knowledge.

You may, however, want to hire a professional to get the job done for you, so you do not make any errors that can ruin the entire look of the flooring. Wood planks are fairly thick, so a slight unevenness in the floor height can be managed, unlike other floorings like laminate.

Disadvantages Of Hardwood Flooring In Kitchen

Cost

The cost of acquiring and installing hardwood flooring is much higher than regular carpets or tiles. So, you might want to put it into consideration before installing it in an area prone to wet conditions like the kitchen.

Hardwood flooring requires a stable and moisture-free subfloor, making the installation a little bit complicated. If you hire a professional, this also increases the overall cost of the flooring.

Develops An Array Of Issues When Exposed To Moisture

Water is no friend of hardwood flooring; they can be dealt a great blow if left exposed to moisture for too long.

There are different occurrences moisture damage can cause; one of these is cupping, which occurs when the edges of your wood floorboards lift higher than the center. This is due to the gradual expansion of the wood, which further leads to compression of the hardwood planks.

Another issue you may deal with when you install wood floors in the kitchen is crowning. This is the opposite of cupping and occurs when the center of the wood board becomes higher than the edges. This is also caused by high humid conditions when too much moisture in the area.

It would not be surprising to spot the growth of molds or fungus on your wood floor in the kitchen. Mold thrives in humid and wet areas and can hide in the gaps and joint points between the top and sub-layer of the floor.

Mold spreads very quickly and may begin destroying and causing a great deal of damage to the top layer of your hardwood floor before they become visible.

Wood floors that have been extremely ravaged by mold will need replacement as they may be difficult to get rid of.

Read: How to Get Rid of Grease on Kitchen Floor

Conclusion

After accessing the topic “wood floors in kitchen pros and cons” that dissects the highs and lows of installing wood flooring that is extremely sensitive in high humid areas, you should have an idea of what you are up against.

If you seem to want wood floors in your kitchen in order to complete your home’s style or you simply find them more hygienic, being that their flat smooth surface lacks grooves that can make cleaning up food and liquid spills difficult, also keep in mind that their high sensitivity to moisture can have you replacing the floor earlier than you should.

So ensure to give your decision a thoughtful process.

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