Vinyl and Hardwood for Your Kitchen Floor
Choosing the right flooring option is an important decision for any part of your home. Perhaps nowhere in the house is this more important than in the kitchen. This area is a high-traffic area that often produces more wear and tear on the flooring. It is also one of the areas in the home people spend most of their time.
As with any other room in the house, there are a number of viable flooring options for the kitchen. These two most common, vinyl and hardwood, provides various advantages and disadvantages and weighing these pros and cons will help you find the perfect match for your new kitchen floor.
Vinyl
This is the most traditional option for any kitchen flooring.
Benefits
The reason vinyl is such a standard choice for kitchen flooring is because it is relatively cheap. Vinyl offers a serviceable flooring option that is more affordable than other choices. It also provides versatility in style as it can mimic the look of other flooring materials such as hardwood or tile quite effectively. One of its biggest advantages in the kitchen is that it is easy to clean and repels water better than most other flooring options.
Disadvantages
A drawback to vinyl flooring in the kitchen is that although it is very affordable, it is not the most durable flooring option. Vinyl stands up well to water, but can be damaged by sharp objects and can dent from heavy furniture over time. Also, if vinyl flooring is frequently exposed to sunlight its color can fade. When compared to other types of kitchen flooring, vinyl has a relatively short lifespan.
Hardwood
A classic flooring option throughout the home, hardwood has recently been gaining popularity in the kitchen.
Benefits
The first advantage to wood flooring in the kitchen is that it will add resale value to your home. Hardwood boasts an attractive and stylish look which can be combined seamlessly with other rooms in the house with wood flooring. This can be taken a step further as hardwood floors can accent wooden cabinets wonderfully. In contrast to vinyl flooring, hardwood floors have one of the longest lifespans of all flooring materials.
Disadvantages
In contrast to vinyl flooring, hardwood does not stand up well to water. This can be a problem in the kitchen where water often spills and it is imperative that you clean up any standing water immediately. It is also worth noting that hardwood can be scratched easily and these types of damages are difficult to repair. Although wood is aesthetically pleasing, it does not provide the most comfort when walking around on it.