Adding wood floors can certainly complete the look of your kitchen’s design. However, it can be complicated to pick the right wood floor for your specific needs. The appropriate wood flooring can handle the humidity, though flooring typically does not go well with moisture, however. Today, we at Mike’s Custom Flooring would like to offer some tips for choosing wood floors in your kitchen.
What to Look for when Buying Wood Flooring?
Below are shopping considerations.
Kitchen Traffic – Kitchens naturally have a lot of foot traffic. Being used in open living spaces for eating and socializing, the floors are always walked on. Knowing this, it’s essential to find the right one for such a high-traffic area. Designed to handle a high level of traffic is premium quality flooring.
Wear and Tear – To help prevent wear and tear, hard floors with texture are better suited. Utilizing kitchen mats can protect the floors from potential spills as well.
Wood Floor Finish – For your wood floors offers better coverage and more consistent color, select a water-based finish. Oil finishes appear soft and more natural and it’s easier for your flooring to receive scratches and stains. It may require you to care for it more often, though much easier to maintain. Polyurethane is a more durable option against wear and tear. It may be harder to fix if you have a scratch on it, however. Replacing a board or recoating a section of the floor is common.
Satin or Gloss Finish – People tend to choose satin over gloss, though wood flooring comes in multiple finishes. This is because it hides dirt on the floors more than gloss would.
Wood Species – Many types of wood to choose from. The room’s design is significantly impacted by the wood you decide to use for the flooring. Also, different types of wood offer additional benefits. Because they are harder, some species of wood are more durable than others. Oakwood is stable and works well with different stains, for example, and is very common. You can achieve warmer tones with walnut. Hickory and maple as well as Brazilian cherry, bamboo, and mahogany are also options.
Wood Grain Pattern – One of the most crucial factors in deciding what type of wood flooring to use is grain pattern. It will create a different pattern on the wood planks, depending on how the wood was cut. Plain-sawn lumber is the most common and it includes traditional wood grain with designs that are called cathedrals.
Wood Floor Installation
You need to select installation method before installing. You could use the click-lock form or the nail-down installation method to glue the floorboards, for instance. Prep your baseboards before installing the flooring. Prepping involves leveling and smoothing out the subfloor, laying down a moisture inhibitor, and figuring out how you will have to lay out the floorboards. The method you choose dictates how you install the floorboards.
Wood Flooring Maintenance
It is simple to maintain hardwood floors. To avoid dirt build-up, you need to sweep daily. Follow up with a dust mop to pick up the remaining dirt and dust that the broom did not get. Clean the floors with a hardwood floor cleaner around once a month. Every three to five years, you may also find it helpful to reapply the finish and sand and refinish every ten years.
Hardwood Floor Installation, Repairs, Refinishing & More in Charles Town & Eastern Panhandle of Berkeley & Jefferson Counties in WV | Winchester & Frederick County | Round Hill & Loudoun County | Berryville & Clarke County | Herndon & Fairfax County VA
When you are looking to install wood flooring, or need assistance with repairs or maintenance, call Mike’s Custom Flooring and let us take care of you!
