Hardwood floors offering a number of benefits. They are both incredibly beautiful, in addition to incredibly tardily to clean. They are a dandy alternative for allergy sufferers equally carpets tin aggravate symptoms. Even homeowners without allergies tin savor the seamless await of hardwood flooring.
However, H2O tin easily impairment or warp these types of materials. So, is it a goodness persuasion to install hardwood floors inward kitchens in addition to bathrooms? Freshome asked several experts, including designers, realtors in addition to H2O impairment restoration experts to weigh inward on this topic.
Pros of hardwood floors
You tin pick out from a diverseness of hardwoods for your floors. Image: Breadmaker/Shutterstock
Dave Murphy, the preparation manager of N-Hance Wood Refinishing, believes that hardwood floors build an fantabulous alternative inward the kitchen. “Hardwood flooring is fashionable in addition to sustainable, comes inward a diverseness of natural colors, in addition to doesn’t absorb dust or debris, making it tardily to build clean in addition to maintain,” he says. Murphy says it is also a goodness alternative for the kitchen because you lot rarely demand to supervene upon hardwood flooring. “Most repairs tin locomote easily refinished past times a professional,” he notes.
Hardwood also comes inward a diverseness of colors, ranging from low-cal chocolate-brown to gray. Image: contraaddict/Getty Images
Erin Davis of Mosaik Design in addition to Remodeling inward Portland Oregon, says hardwood inward the kitchen is a really pop choice. “It is softer in addition to warmer underfoot than tile in addition to looks to a greater extent than upscale than vinyl or laminate flooring,” Davis says. “Wood also adds a comfortable, livable experience to a infinite due to its warmer color palettes in addition to natural essence.”
She admits that liquids are the enemy of woods floors. “If left likewise long, the woods tin swell or stain in addition to therefore it is of import that spills are cleaned upward quickly.” Davis also recommends that you lot set a large flooring mat inward front end of the sink.
Clean upward whatsoever spills ASAP. Image: Hero Images/Getty Images
Susan Serra, certified kitchen designer at Susan Serra Associates, believes that hardwood floors, when properly finished, build an ideal alternative for the kitchen. She agrees amongst Davis that you lot should wipe upward spills equally before long equally you lot discover them. “Small spills, noticed later, volition non impairment a woods floor; yet larger spills, such equally a leaking icemaker inward a refrigerator, or leaking dishwasher, nearly probable volition impairment the floor, particularly since leaks oft appear nether the appliance,” Serra explains.
“The goodness tidings is that company woods floors final for decades, fifty-fifty inward the kitchen, equally they tin locomote refinished every v or in addition to therefore years in addition to volition await similar new,” Serra says. “They plow over a warm await to the kitchen in addition to it’s particularly prissy when the same flooring is connected to surrounding rooms for a prissy visual flow.”
You tin refinish company woods floors.Image: Breadmaker/Shutterstock
There are sealants that tin protect hardwood floors. But, according to Joan Slaughterbeck of Slaughterbeck Floors inward Campbell, CA, in that place are limitations. “Sealants on hardwood flooring – whether company or engineered – are exclusively sealed ‘finished’ on the top equally a protective vesture layer,” Slaughterbeck says. “Wood in addition to H2O practise non mix, in addition to therefore woods flooring cannot locomote 100% sealed – it expands in addition to contracts amongst heat, humidity in addition to moisture.”
As a full general rule, she says, hardwood floors inward the kitchen or bath exclusively confront problems from leaks. “If you lot alive inward a household amongst a woods frame, you lot would accept a occupation regardless of the impairment to the floors inward an province of affairs similar this,” Slaughterbeck says. “Quite oft the H2O from ane of these types of fixtures or appliances gets nether the woods in addition to is non caught until the flooring has bucked or swollen.” By that time, she says, the leak would impairment other types of flooring.
Cons of hardwood floors
Hardwood floors are susceptible to warping. Image: AdpePhoto/Getty Image
John Manning, manager broker at RE/MAX on Market inward Seattle, WA, advises against hardwood, in addition to fifty-fifty engineered woods flooring products. “They are prone to buckling in addition to warping when exposed to wet over time,” Manning says. He adds that drips in addition to spills tin penetrate fifty-fifty the best finished floors, particularly only about the dishwasher. “In addition, kitchens in addition to bathrooms are high human foot traffic areas in addition to equally the hardwoods vesture in addition to gets scratched, H2O tin larn nether the finish, causing unsightly stains inward the grain of the wood.”
Leaks are problematic. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock
Tanya O’Coyne, possessor at TSC Restoration, a H2O impairment restoration society inward San Diego, is totally against hardwood floors inward the kitchen or bathroom. “If your dishwasher, toilet, refrigerator, sink or plumbing pipes leak, your flooring alternative tin accept a huge touching on the extent of the damage,” she explains. “Wood floors tin permit H2O seep into their cracks, enshroud mold growth, in addition to warp after fifty-fifty minimal exposure to water.”
In fact, O’Coyne says vinyl, tile or linoleum floors would build a lot of the H2O impairment her society sees inward kitchens in addition to bathrooms less severe. “We’ve also had to rip out several rooms of interlocking hardwood floors because of impairment to only a modest one-half bathroom, since it’s non ever possible to supervene upon only a few hardwood planks,” she explains.
O’Coyne believes that hardwood floors are beautiful – but says she would never set ane inward her ain kitchen or bathroom.
Hardwood floors may non locomote kid-friendly. Image: Imageflow/Shutterstock
Although Serra in addition to Davis recommend hardwood floors inward the kitchen, they practise non propose them for bathrooms. “Hardwood floors can locomote used inward bathrooms, but amongst all the H2O that nosotros purpose inward this modest area, it’s in all likelihood best to exceed on using them,” says Serra. “Kids splashing, leaks inward fixtures, steam in addition to other H2O issues are at the ready to impairment wood, especially if the flooring has gaps.” However, she recommends ceramic or porcelain tiles. They await – although they powerfulness non experience – precisely similar woods in addition to come upward inward a diverseness of styles in addition to sizes.
Weigh the pros in addition to cons of hardwood floors earlier you lot install. Image: Caiaimage Charlie Dean/Getty Images
Davis does non recommend woods flooring inward bathrooms amongst tubs in addition to showers. He says they’re fine inward pulverization rooms, however. “Installing the same flooring inward the pulverization bath equally the kitchen is commonly a designer’s kickoff alternative due to proximity of the ii spaces,” Davis says.
For homeowners who desire a woods appearance without wet issues, Slaughterbeck recommends waterproof flooring. “We accept installed many from our hybrid fusion line, in addition to in that place are also other notable brands that build waterproof floors,” she says.
What are your thoughts on hardwood floors inward the kitchen or bathroom? Let us know inward the comments.