Remodeling my kitchen - contemplating wood floors

[highland145]

If you go with wood, my floor guy said the water based sealers dry harder. IDK. He did our stairs ~12 years ago and they look fine.

 

[Greenman]

If you go with wood, my floor guy said the water based sealers dry harder. IDK. He did our stairs ~12 years ago and they look fine.

The guy's that use the water based finish swear it's the best, the guy's that use oil based finish swear that's the only thing to use. The only difference I've ever noted is that the water based finish doesn't yellow, whereas the oil based material yellows a great deal, though some people like that.

 

[schmuckley]

wood floor+kitchen=fail
ceramic or laminate or vinyl.

 

[highland145]

The guy's that use the water based finish swear it's the best, the guy's that use oil based finish swear that's the only thing to use. The only difference I've ever noted is that the water based finish doesn't yellow, whereas the oil based material yellows a great deal, though some people like that.

True but I like the water guys. YMMV but the 1st finish we did was water and it did well with the dirt drive, for a long time.

I can't say about the oil. I know the water is easier/dried quicker. Walking on it 4hrs later w/socks.

 

[highland145]

wood floor+kitchen=fail
ceramic or laminate or vinyl.

Must have missed the pics.

 

[UnklSnappy]

For floor finishes Glitsa > oil based > water based
Glitsa and oil based will amber with age
Water based will tend to get bleached out, esp. in front of windows.
Imo, Glitsa is the most durable and the easiest to blend in if you ever need to do a touch up or repair.
There is also Fuming which we have been doing more of lately.

 

[CPA]

Progress pics of my remodel



This was during demo of the old kitchen

Are you doing all the work yourself? I've been going back and forth on doing it versus contracting it out. After, FINALLY, finishing my master bath remodel, I just don't think I have the energy to do the kitchen myself. Plus, I know it will take me a lot longer.

 

[DrPizza]

Wife and I are trying to make the same decision. We put in porcelain tiles a few years ago when I did the kitchen remodel. Each of the kids managed to drop heavy pots onto the floor a couple of times over the first few years; and the dog or cat has managed to get a cast iron pan off the stove or counter next to the sink a couple of times (we'd be in the other room eating dinner and hear the crash). A bunch of cracked tiles. When I got the tiles, I got a few extra boxes, just in case, and can repair the floor, but I've already grown tired of it & keeping the grout clean.

Re: travertine - I cannot figure out the attraction to it. Looks nice, but has always seemed to me to be just asking for problems down the road. My wife seems drawn to it like a magnet, and I just say/said "no" to it each time.

For me and the wife, we're debating between gunstock oak, and hickory. However, in the dozens of hours I've spent looking at materials with the wife, they now have a ceramic type of flooring that looks like wood, but is ceramic. It looks really nice. I think the tiles are around 4" by 24-30".
E.g., (I don't like the reclaimed barn wood color, but as an example), http://www.lowes.com/pd_78441-88283...1&currentURL=?Ntt=ceramic+flooring&facetInfo=

 

[Zivic]

Are you doing all the work yourself? I've been going back and forth on doing it versus contracting it out. After, FINALLY, finishing my master bath remodel, I just don't think I have the energy to do the kitchen myself. Plus, I know it will take me a lot longer.

It was finished in April last year (minus some trim work and a repaint)

I did a lot of it. after demo'ing the old kitchen I had to finish the floors where the old cabinets were. My cabinet maker installed the cabinets, I obviously hired out the counters, but I did the electrical with a friend, I did the tile back splash, installed the new vent hood and exhaust with another friend, installed the new appliances and did the minor changes to the plumbing with a help of a third friend. I had my popcorn ceiling redone in knock-down during the process; which is all the plastic you you see in the pics.

the end result is better than I expected, but the process was much harder than I expected and I expected it to be horrible. I started demo in Nov of '13 and my kitchen was fully functional again end of March '14.

 

[Stopsignhank]

We just remodeled our kitchen, Looked at floors till we were sick of them. Then just happened to stumble across a reclaimed elm floor and love it. I put a coat of polyurethane on top just because. It has handled the drips with absolutely no problem. Granted it has only been 6 months but the floor is one of the highlights of the kitchen.

 

[TheSlamma]

In my last house I put porcelain (PEI 4) tiles in the kitchen and loved it. Had a dishwasher where the door gasket hardens and goes bad every 3 years and it leaked.. no fear with the porcelain.

New place has 90 year old wood floors and I don't care for it knowing what happened at my last place, I prefer tile in the kitchen by far. Dishwasher here though is a Kithenaid made in USA in 1993 so of course the door gasket can't go bad like the new China BS does so at least I can rest on that. Oh well if it does ever happen I actually enjoy tiling and that is the direction I will go.

 

[joutlaw]

Most of our house is heart pine including the kitchen. If I had to do it over again, I would not use heart pine. It dents and scratches easily.

 

[RagingBITCH]

We're researching contractors for our kitchen now. I swore I'd never use wood, but now we're seriously considering it as tile would clash very much against our current wood elsewhere. Will ask the various contractors about tile vs wood, but from a design standpoint, it would translate better sticking to a uniform flooring.

 

[Moonbeam]

I just put engineered hardwood in my house minus the bathroom entry and kitchen where I put a porcelain tile. The tile and the wood all blend well but took a lot of effort to select. I'm getting a lot of complements from various workers coming through and I like what I see. I used almost black tile in the kitchen and everybody warned me not to. It looks really good in my opinion.

 

[RagingBITCH]

I just put engineered hardwood in my house minus the bathroom entry and kitchen where I put a porcelain tile. The tile and the wood all blend well but took a lot of effort to select. I'm getting a lot of complements from various workers coming through and I like what I see. I used almost black tile in the kitchen and everybody warned me not to. It looks really good in my opinion.

Any pics out of curiosity? Would love to see what you did.

 

[Greenman]

I just put engineered hardwood in my house minus the bathroom entry and kitchen where I put a porcelain tile. The tile and the wood all blend well but took a lot of effort to select. I'm getting a lot of complements from various workers coming through and I like what I see. I used almost black tile in the kitchen and everybody warned me not to. It looks really good in my opinion.

It's satisfying when your selections work out well, and can be very difficult to make happen. Props to you for not taking the safe rout.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I prefer tile in the kitchen, but that's only because of the water. I don't know how often I drip water on the floor after washing dishes....kids drop food, cups, etc....I prefer mopping tile to wood because I don't have to worry about the subfloor holding the water as much. (fewer cracks and not an issue at all if you seal your grout properly)

 

[Anubis]

we did VCT in the kitchen when we redid it,

it had wood, that was a mistake

 

[bunker]

We put 3/4" hickory throughout the house including the kitchen. It's held up great for the past 2 years. It's a light color and you can hardly notice any scratches/dirt, my wife and I love it.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I prefer tile in the kitchen, but that's only because of the water. I don't know how often I drip water on the floor after washing dishes....kids drop food, cups, etc....I prefer mopping tile to wood because I don't have to worry about the subfloor holding the water as much. (fewer cracks and not an issue at all if you seal your grout properly)

With wood just do what my dad did and put a zillion coats of polyurethane on it. Makes it really durable and no cracks for water to get through that way

It has been probably 15+ years since he put the wood floor down in the dining room. With the layout of the house it is a major traffic area but it still looks really good. No cracks in the wood or anything.

 

[Ken g6]

If you go wood I'd go with something pre-finished at the factory. Then put more polyurethane on it.

 

[Linflas]

We have wood-look tile in the kitchen. First time people see it they think it's wood.

We are remodeling our kitchen and that is what we have decided on as well. Rectified wood look porcelain with 1/16" gout lines. We have dogs and they always drip water around the water bowl which was one of the deciding factors on going with the porcelain. Our current floor is 1' square ceramic tile that was put down over the original linoleum floor so we are right in the middle of ripping it all up. What a major PITA. Ceramic+thin set on backerboard on linoleum on plywood stapled to the subfloor.

 

[Moonbeam]

Any pics out of curiosity? Would love to see what you did.

I don't have any recent shots and I have never posted photos. I would have to figure it out. Maybe next time I go up I can try to get some. I would like to show you what I've done.

 

[mztykal]

I've had bamboo at two houses and both are still fine. It flows through the entire first floor of both places! Can't beat it! Except the bathrooms I tiled...

 

[jagec]

My kitchen floors are hardwood. I don't like it...spills are inevitable in a kitchen situation, and wood just isn't the right choice in a damp environment.

If I were remodeling, I'd go with sealed and stained concrete, like this. Cheap, durable, impervious.