Skip to content
Sponsored Content

Which floor for your kitchen? Meet the top 3 contenders (and two more possibilities)

From tile to hardwood, vinyl + concrete, kitchen floors are working hard and looking great doing it
30467649_web1_220926-Impress-VNE-MACRenovations-KitchenFloors_2
Which floors are right for your kitchen? It’s a space that must function well, but we also want it to look great too. MAC Renovations photo

What’s the No. 1 question the MAC Renovation design team gets asked? It’s not about space planning or eco-friendly product choices, or even about colour selection. No, the top question is: “What should I put on the kitchen floor?”

The workhorse of the house – the place we spend hours cooking, prepping lunches, entertaining – kitchen floors must function well, but we also want them to look great doing it. That’s especially the case with today’s open floorplans, where the kitchen is open to the rest of the home – considerations include continuity and complementary textures and colours as well as more practical matters.

Extending hardwood into the kitchen can create a seamless flow throughout the living space, and options like wide planks and long lengths can create a real ‘Wow’ factor. MAC Renovations photo
Extending hardwood into the kitchen can create a seamless flow throughout the living space, and options like wide planks and long lengths can create a real ‘Wow’ factor. MAC Renovations photo

With all that in mind, we chatted with Azucena Saavedra Onuszkanycz, Senior Interior Architectural Designer with MAC Renovations, to explore the most popular options for today’s kitchens:

  • Tile – Still a classic choice, tile has evolved considerably over the last decade or so and today offers homeowners numerous options for colour, size and pattern, meaning there really is a tile for just about every home. However, tile can be cold and uncomfortable to stand on for long periods, so Onuszkanycz recommends adding in-floor heat for greater comfort. While durable and easy to clean, choosing grout to match the tile can also create a more seamless look.
  • Vinyl plank or sheet – A go-to choice for more and more homeowners, today’s vinyl can replicate everything from tile to wood, and as it’s warm to walk on, doesn’t need in-floor heat for comfort, Onuszkanycz says. Vinyl is one of the best choices for those with children and pets as it’s easy to clean, scratch-resistant and stands up to the water and spills that can happen in the kitchen. And, in the event that a plank gets damaged, it’s easily replaced without impacting the surrounding surface.
  • Hardwood – Engineered hardwood is a perennial favourite for its warm, natural appearance in an array of possible colours, sizes, grains and textures. Extending hardwood into the kitchen also creates a seamless flow throughout the living space, and with options like wide planks and long lengths, “it can create a real ‘Wow’ factor,” Onuszkanycz says. All that does come at a higher price point than some other options, however, and in the case of spills, they must be cleaned up promptly. For those who have hardwood elsewhere and want to match their kitchen, a skilled hardwood installer can perfectly integrate the new and existing floors, she notes.

While these tile, vinyl and hardwood tend to be the top flooring choices for the kitchen, other possibilities include new laminates that claim to be more resilient to spills and water, for example. For a more modern, minimalist home, concrete is another option that can offer an array of different “looks,” however depending on the chosen finish, it can put the price into the realm of high-end hardwood, Onuszkanycz notes.

To learn more about how you can create a kitchen you love to live in, visit macreno.com or call the design team today at 250-384-6091.

READ MORE: 4 things you can do today to fall in love with your home again