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Expert advice on practical choices for busy spaces Anti-static homogeneous vinyl floor
In recent years, kitchen flooring has been increasingly biased towards practical and affordable alternatives to the more traditional materials like real wood and stone. Porcelain, luxury vinyl tiles and engineered wood are more affordable and easier to maintain, and thanks for advancements in design technology, they can look almost identical to the real thing.
Residential architect George Omalianakis at GOAStudio is a huge fan of the porcelain equivalents. “Solid and engineered wood flooring would give you similar aesthetics but with none of the durability and longevity of good-quality porcelain,” he says.
Michele Rodriguez-Wise, co-founder of Cheltenham-based interior design studio, L'una Design agrees: “Thanks to the advancement of technology, these amazing products can look identical to the real materials, such as marble, stone, wood and concrete. But they are much more hard-wearing and much easier to maintain, and the choice is endless.”
If you’re designing a kitchen from scratch or replacing an existing kitchen, flooring is unlikely to be the first thing you pick out, says Andy Briggs, interior designer at Optiplan Kitchens. “But getting the flooring right is pivotal to the look and feel of any room,” he says. “It’s one of the more expensive investments in the décor, one of the pieces you will change the least and one that will cause the biggest upheaval – so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is important from the outset.”
Whilst low-maintenance polished concrete is still a good choice for an authentic aged or industrial feel, it can be expensive and difficult to lay.
Concrete flooring will likely continue to be popular, predicts Jo Oliver, director at The Stone & Ceramic Warehouse, however, porcelain concrete-effect floor tiles are far more practical and easier to install than poured cement, and come in a variety of sizes, styles, and colours. “Porcelain tiles are very easy to maintain and won’t stain, scratch, wear or crack, as can be the case with real concrete floors," says Jo. "They are available in a spectrum from pale neutral tones to deeper greys and almost black. Some ranges have a very soft subtle concrete look, whereas others emulate an unfinished poured concrete effect for a more industrial style.”
Real or engineered wood is still going to be a favourite for the more minimalist or Scandi-style kitchens, says Andy Briggs: “Wood can be laid in a huge array of patterns to add simplicity or fun to any space. Patterns like herringbone and chevron work great with more classic homes, whereas long planks look effortless with more modern, open spaces.”
Robert Walsh, founder of Ted Todd, specialising in engineered and solid wood floors has seen a demand for white and light-coloured wood flooring: “Lighter flooring allows light to bounce around a room, which can make rooms feel bigger and brighter. White, grey and light flooring pairs well with a range of styles and cabinetry colours, especially with the dark kitchen trend that’s popular at the moment.”
Wood can be an effective way to zone a kitchen too. In an open-plan kitchen/dining space, wood flooring could be used in the dining area whilst an easy-to-clean tile can be chosen for the working areas of the kitchen.
The rise of softer tones reflecting the outdoors is leading to an increased demand for more natural flooring choices offering a nicely rustic colour palette, such as reclaimed wood, says Alex Main, director of kitchens and flooring company, The Main Company: “Whether it’s a dark, earthy brown Douglas Fir board or a sandy-coloured heritage oak, there is something to suit any kitchen style from modern to traditional. Not only does this provide a charming aesthetic, it allows homeowners to embrace natural materials whilst being environmentally conscious.”
If you’re keen on natural materials, you might also like to look at cork, suggests Sam Way, hard flooring buyer at Carpetright: “It has become a hugely popular environmentally-friendly material and the ideal sustainable floor covering. This biodegradable and fully recyclable material is light, resilient and boasts great sound and thermal insulation.”
George Omalianakis is a fan of wood-effect porcelain tiles because they combine the natural textures, colours, grain and warmth of wood flooring and the ease of cleaning. “You really cannot tell it is not wood unless you know, and more and more people find that such tiles have just the right balance between country aesthetics and the hardwearing qualities flooring needs when it comes to family life.”
Porcelain tiles are perfect to use with underfloor heating, and they are pretty indestructible – if a tile is cracked or damaged it is relatively easy to pull it out and replace it.
“My top tip is to explore ways to lay these tiles as you would lay wood flooring. You can lay them straight or in herringbone or chevron patterns,” he says. “But be careful with the selection of each tile to match the width and length of typical solid wood or engineered flooring dimensions. The final look will create an instant feature and give character across the kitchen.”
Patterned tiles are a fantastic way to soften the more clinical kitchen. Tiles can be printed or embossed in innumerable ways and solid floor tiles can be mixed and matched in patterns and colours.
“Patterned tiles offer a contemporary and versatile kitchen flooring option,” says Andy Briggs. “They offer complete versatility. You can make your floor compliment the rest of the room or be the focal feature.”
“Tiles are ideal for the kitchen from a practical and a visual perspective,” says Ben Bryden, sales and marketing director at RAK Ceramics UK: “Practically, ceramic or porcelain tiles are so easy to look after, spillages and muddy footprints can be wiped clean away and a mop over with a mild cleaning agent and some warm water will bring them up shiny clean.”
In lieu of a total upgrade, colour and paint expert Annie Sloan suggests painting existing floor tiles with specially-formulated floor paint: “Painting floor tiles is a simple and cost-effective way to add pattern. Anyone can paint tiles, the only skill you need is patience. Geometric shapes look fabulous and are easy-peasy to create. Bowls, plates, use them as templates and you don’t need anything more complicated than that to create a pattern that packs a punch.”
Engineered marble is a more affordable and durable alternative to natural marble which can be prohibitively expensive especially in larger kitchens. Unlike its natural counterpart, engineered marble comes without the cost of quarrying and cutting, and is made from a composite of stone, resin, gel coating and coloured pigments to achieve the distinctive high-gloss finish and colourful veins of real marble.
Engineered marble is particularly useful too if you want a uniform finish on your floors – there isn't the natural variation in pattern, colour or texture in engineered marble and so large tiles can be made in a neat and uniform way.
It's also a good choice in areas prone to marks and spills. Where natural marble is porous and needs resealing every year, an engineered marble is non-porous and thus very low maintenance.
If you’re looking for a practical, hard-wearing and inexpensive kitchen flooring choice, you can’t go far wrong with vinyl.
“Not only is this solution highly-durable, it can also help to transform a space and make a design statement in the kitchen without a large investment," says Sam Way. "Additionally, these styles are particularly easy to maintain, offering a visible level of cleanliness and satisfaction with a light sweep and mop."
A good quality vinyl should be one of your go-to choices of flooring in a high-traffic kitchen. For a country kitchen, have a bit of fun by offsetting more traditional architectural details and shaker cabinets with some interesting pattern and colour.
If you thought elegant parquet was an impractical choice for kitchens, think again.
“We expect to see more traditional flooring styles being chosen for kitchens," says Karen Wilding at Forbo Flooring Systems. “Although parquet flooring was seen as an expensive luxury during the Edwardian era and the 1930s, this is no longer the case. Thanks to technological advances, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) can now enable you to replicate the intricate patterns of parquet flooring at a fraction of the cost, compared to its real counterpart.”
LVT parquet-effect flooring is available in a range of realistic embossed wood effects, such as oak and pine, which feature natural colour variations and a variety of colours, from light timber and white oak to deeper hues such as rustic anthracite grey and chocolate oak.
This fascinating composite material, which combines chips of marble, quartz and glass with cement or resin to create a decorative speckled effect, has become a popular and playful choice in the kitchen.
Whilst it’s a more expensive choice on our list, it a great contemporary option and adds interest and texture to your flooring. “Terrazzo not only adds decorative depth to your design but you might be surprised to learn that it is also extremely robust and easy to clean, making it an excellent option for kitchen floors," says Andy Briggs.
As long as you securely fix rugs or runners to the floor with carpet tape, they are a great option for adding warmth underfoot. The washable rugs at Ruggable should be your go-to here.
“Choose a striped runner, because stripes add visual interest to the floor,” says Jon Flannigan, product manager at home retailer Kersaint Cobb “And for rooms tight on space, linear stripes in the form of Moroccan runners can help to elongate the appearance of a room; this is especially effective in galley style kitchens.
“Striped flooring is also ideal in busy family kitchens as it will withstand the effects of dirt and day-to-day wear. A playful striped runner can provide an attractive focal point and is an ideal way to experiment with bold and vibrant pattern on a smaller scale.”
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