7 Kitchen Flooring Materials to Boost Your Cooking Comfort

Article By: Jennifer Ott

I love the look of polished concrete floors in kitchens, but concrete — along with other nonresilient floor surfaces, such as stone, ceramic and porcelain tile — can take a toll on your joints. I've heard complaints from many homeowners who regret putting in a hard flooring material in their kitchen because of the subsequent knee, hip or back pain they feel after standing or walking on it for a long period. Fortunately there are plenty of softer, resilient kitchen flooring types available that are as functional as they are good-looking. 

Contemporary Kitchen by San Francisco Architects & Designers Zack|de Vito Architecture + Construction

Cork

Sustainably harvested from the bark of the cork oak tree, cork is an excellent resilient floor choice in a kitchen due to its high level of cushioning. It's available in a variety of colors, patterns and textures, and in tile or plank formats. It is somewhat self-healing but can get scratched and dented. You can mitigate this by regularly applying a protective layer of wax or polyurethane and by using protective felt pads on the feet of your furniture.

Material cost: $4 to $14 per square foot 

Contemporary Kitchen by Lexington Architects & Designers Pohl Rosa Pohl

Linoleum

Not to be confused with vinyl flooring, linoleum is made from all-natural and renewable materials such as linseed oil, pine rosin and powdered cork. It's soft underfoot yet quite durable, and it comes in a wide range of colors and patterns. As with cork, applying and maintaining a protective finish will keep it looking good for many years.

Material cost: $5 to $10 per square foot 

Contemporary Kitchen by Palo Alto Architects & Designers Ogawa Fisher Architects

Rubber

This is a bit of an unusual choice in a residential kitchen, but rubber flooring is becoming more common in homes. Soft, springy and durable, it is a terrific choice if you want to stand for hours in your kitchen without bringing on the aches and pains. Rubber flooring is available in tile and sheet formats, and should be sealed after installation and again every year or two, depending on traffic and wear. 

Material cost: $6 to $12 per square foot 

Eclectic Kitchen by Nashville Interior Designers & Decorators Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist

Vinyl

A popular budget-friendly option, vinyl flooring comes in both sheet and tile formats and in an endless array of styles and colors. I like to have fun with vinyl; I like to use bolder colors or lay it out in an interesting pattern. However, it's not as durable as other resilient flooring options and can get dinged up pretty easily. Therefore, it tends to have a shorter life span than other options.

Material cost: $2 to $10 per square foot 

Contemporary Kitchen by Austin Architects & Designers Merzbau Design Collective

Wood

A favorite flooring material for kitchens, wood is more forgiving on our joints than stone, ceramic, porcelain or concrete. It also looks and feels warmer than nonresilient flooring. Some drawbacks to wood are that it can get scratched and dinged easily, and it also must be protected from contact with water. In kitchens I recommend going with a site-finished wood floor rather than a prefinished floor. Yes, it's a messy business sealing the floor after installation, but by sealing it after installation you also seal up the joints, preventing water and dirt from collecting in them.

Material cost: $5 to $20 per square foot 

Contemporary Kitchen by Charleston Architects & Designers DLB Custom Home Design

Bamboo

Not technically wood — it's actually a grass — bamboo has many of the same advantages and disadvantages as wood. It's a good option if you are looking to use a sustainably harvested material for your kitchen floor. Not all bamboo flooring is the same, however; be sure to look for moso bamboo, as it's considered the hardest and most durable.

Material cost: $5 to $12 per square foot 

Contemporary Kitchen by Lethbridge Interior Designers & Decorators Galko Homes

Laminate

Similar to vinyl flooring products, laminates are a budget-friendly flooring choice and are soft underfoot when compared to rigid flooring materials. They tend to be more moisture resistant than wood floors, but because they are not a solid material all the way through, they can't be refinished if damaged. 

Material cost: $2 to $5 per square foot 

Contemporary Kitchen

Alternate Option: Mats and Rugs

For those who simply must have their hard tile or concrete kitchen floor, there's always the option of placing gel mats or other cushioning rugs in areas of your kitchen where you spend large amounts of time standing, such as at your sink or in front of the range. 

Home Resolutions for 2013

The end of the year is a perfect time to look on the past year's accomplishments, and to look forward to new ones in the next twelve months. Resolutions have a way to up our confidence and trust that the next year will be better than the last. They anchor us into goals and hopes and help us navigate the flow of time.

Most people make resolutions about themselves: I will eat better, exercise more, be nicer to people, find a better job, give more to charity, get involved in church groups. There are so many things to do, and yet we tend to forget one of the most important things: our home. Our home is where we spend the most time, where we sleep, where we eat, where we share happy moments or weather difficult times with our loved ones. Isn't it time that you think about your home for your resolutions?

Resolution 1: I will keep clutter away

Clutter can be a sign of an unhappy heart or an unfocused mind. Especially for people who spend a lot of time at home, clutter can become distracting and reflect a lack of care about your space, and ultimately ourselves.

This year, we talked about the emotional baggage associated with clutter and how to move on without it. What are the things you're holding on to? How do these things manifest themselves in your home? What should you be letting go of?

Keeping clutter away means keeping an open home and an open heart.

Resolution 2: I will make my home greener

Strand-woven bamboo flooring with an "ebony" stain. Sophisticated, and green too. You don't have to give up one to serve the other in the 21st Century.

There's no denying it: the Earth needs help. It has been the warmest period for hundreds of years. Even though it sometimes feels like an insurmountable mountain, every small gesture to reduce your use of electricity, your waste production of your carbon footprint helps. 

From low-consumption light bulbs to eco flooring like bamboo or woven grass, there's always a way to make your home a little greener and a little gentler on the environment. Here are some more ideas:

• Start a composting bin in your backyard
• Install low-flow toilets and shower heads
• Reduce your winter heating needs with new windows or e-film
• Reduce your summer air conditioning needs with better ventilation
• Install automatic light switches and temperature control
• Start growing your own vegetables and herbs in a garden patch

How could your house be greener? Involve the whole family in choosing specific actions to do every day to help the environment.

Resolution 3: I will make something with my hands

When's the last time you made an object with your own hands? Are the clothes you wear, the chairs you sit on and the bowls you eat in all bought from stores? Have you ever felt the satisfaction of making a useful object yourself? It may be time for a DIY resolution.

Naturally crafty people tend to like having their own craft room. Magical things happen there: clothes are sewed, scarves and mittens are knitted, jewels are designed and scrapbooks are put together. It happens with patience, practice and dedication, and the reward is always worth it. Crafters are naturally generous, giving away their objects to friends and loved ones; they are creative, always inventing new patterns and transforming materials into beautiful objects.

Making and DIY is a sort of retro-volution, going back to when things were made, proudly and lovingly, instead of bought, quickly and anonymously. DIY increases your sense of belonging in a space and your independence from a capricious market. There are whole communities devoted to DIY where people happily share their knowledge, experience and tips and tricks among themselves, build community and help each other. There are even more Makerspaces scattered across North America, where people without the proper tools or space can go and work on DIY projects. 

Maybe the first step towards making something with your hands is to look up your local Makerspace?

Resolution 4: I will spend more time outside

It seems counter-intuitive to suggest spending more time outside when speaking about home resolutions, but spending more time out of doors is linked to mental and physical health. Going outdoors means being more active, having more contacts with nature and being more social.

If time is scarce, you can always get more time outside by getting an outdoor office or an outdoor breakfast nook. The point of the exercise is to breathe fresh air, move around more and get more sunlight, even in winter. 

Making your home more comfortable doesn't mean spending all your time in it... have you ever heard of cabin fever? Contact with nature is an essential part of human life, and spending time outside is just as important as having an inviting, relaxing bedroom.

What are your home resolutions for 2013?