Kitchen Flooring...

[mugsy27]

Im getting ready to re-do my kitchen. I will be going the granite countertop route, and am also having the floor re-done as well.

I am thinking of going with slate flooring. Does anyone have experience with this.

Also, what kind of flooring do you have in your kitchen, and what are your thoughts on it (good / bad, etc).


TIA!!

btw...I will post some pix tonight, and hopefully you can all give even more feedback!

 

[Jeekinz]

I have a floating wood floor because it's easier on the legs feet and back.

 

[GotGarlic]

I don't have experience with slate flooring, but we're mostly done with redoing our kitchen. We went with porcelain ceramic tile. So far, I like it a lot, although it's still not done (DH is putting it down on weekends). There's grout available now that has anti-microbicides integrated into it, to help reduce staining, but no, we didn't use white grout

 

[kitchenelf]

How porous is slate?
How hard is it to stand on for prolonged periods of time?
Is it uneven or smooth?
When sweeping will dirt get trapped in little edges?
If mopped will water stand in little puddles in indentions?

My biggest thing, like Jeekinz, is the issue of standing. Hardwood, bamboo, cork are all options for when we redo ours. Right now ours is plywood - used to be vinyl but the dog pulled it all up when she only weighed between 3 and 4 pounds!!!!

 

[licia]

We have just gone thru quite an ordeal redoing kitchen, pantry and hall. We were going to use a laminated product that looked like marble, but the cracks didn't fill up no matter how much it was worked with. I can't stand working on ceramic so we went with a very good grade of vinyl and it looks great - is easy to care for and gentle to the feet = also, not slippery when wet.

 

[Yakuta]

I have prefinished oak flooring in the kitchen and throughout my first floor. If I had to do it all over again I would go with tile (no question about it). I had tile in my previous home but given we were going for a consistent flow from room to room we settled for wood.

Wood while is much softer and warmer on the feet is definitely difficult to upkeep. There must be millions and millions of small scratches and dents on my floor. I call them patina .

Tile is hard on your feet and cold but it is definitely easy to take care of (strictly my perspective). Slate is beautiful. It is uneven and can hide dirt (if you go for darker colors) but is stunning to say the least. All the best and I think you will not go wrong with slate.

I love natural stone and travertine and slate along with ceramic tiles (I like the ones that have some texture and not the smooth kind) are on my list of nice to haves.

 

[carolelaine]

I had slate and it was really pretty and fairly easy to clean, but it is rough on your feet and back. Hope that helps.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

We have just gone thru quite an ordeal redoing kitchen, pantry and hall. We were going to use a laminated product that looked like marble, but the cracks didn't fill up no matter how much it was worked with. I can't stand working on ceramic so we went with a very good grade of vinyl and it looks great - is easy to care for and gentle to the feet = also, not slippery when wet.

I ended up putting commercial vinyl tile too and I love it. Easy to care for, softer underfoot, stuff chips or breaks less when you drop it, tons of colors available, easy to lay and easy to replace an individual tile later if necessary, solid vinyl so the color and pattern goea all the way through, very inexpensive. I would also consider cork, the new real linoleum that is being made again, and even industrial rubber. I would have gotten the rubber but the lead time in ordering was just too great at the time. It's wonderful, practically indestructable and soooo easy on the legs. The down side is a limited range of colors and the fact that it does have an industrial look so that might not work with your decor.

 

[Green Lady]

This past spring we tore out our ceramic tile of 15 yrs. and put in oak hardwood. We didn't stain it but instead had 3 layers of polyurethane on it. Love it. It doesn't show the dirt, is easier on my legs, no grout to deal with, and gives a uniform appearance with our other flooring which is hardwood. We ran it on a diagonal and it looks great.

Today I was shopping for tile for my mud room and attached powder room. I don't want wood there because the dog's kennel is in the mudroom. I saw something I had never seen before at Century tile (I'm sure other stores carry it, too). It was vinyl squares that look like stone and/or slate. Heavy & textured, they are beautiful. They could be installed with or without grout. I am seriously considering them. There is a 20 yr. guarantee on them, too. I liked it because it looked like the real McCoy, but also, because it won't crack like tile/slate tends to do. The grout they use for this is an epoxy and lasts longer and is not porous like regular grout. If I get this for my home, I probably won't use grout but instead butt the ends together. Also, there was a brand where the tiles interlocked and so there was no need for gluing them down or for using grout. These new products have me excited!

 

[Katie H]

If you plan to spend a lot of time in your kitchen, I would recommend flooring that is kind to your feet, legs and back. As much as I would be tempted to put ceramic or slate on my kitchen floor, I would definitely opt for something more "body friendly."

 

[Robo410]

Hardwood as in the rest of the house. I have a couple of those easy on the feet mats in front of range and sink. Swiffer daily (about 1 minute) and Murphy's monthly.