Your kitchen floor, in addition to complementing the interior design style of your home, needs to be easy to clean and durable, as well. The floor you choose has to be practical considering that it has to stand up regular spills and stains, withstand lots of foot traffic, and make a great statement while doing it.
One of the biggest concerns when choosing your kitchen floor is its waterproof capabilities. Moisture is unavoidable in the kitchen environment, either from ordinary processes like splatter as you wash groceries or utensils, or from catastrophic events, like when there is an undiscovered leak from your dishwasher supply line.
The Risk of Water Damage
Water is a major concern for most floors. Even porcelain and ceramic tiles that are considered water resistant, have absorption limits. This means that a ceramic tile will eventually absorb the water if it is not wiped off fast enough. Porcelain tile, is harder and less porous compared to regular ceramic, which makes it suitable for kitchens where spills are likely.
Laminate flooring can also get damaged if the water finds its way to the core. But as long as you take the necessary precautions to keep water away from the core, it can be used with care.
Waterproof Kitchen Flooring
The only material that is considered to perfectly impermeable and ideal for kitchen floor is sheet vinyl or luxury vinyl plank (LVP). Sheet vinyl, or sheet resilient flooring, is non-porous and practically has no seams. LVP offers the aesthetic properties of laminate, as well as 100% waterproof capabilities to make it one of the best for kitchen flooring.
Sheet vinyl is also stain-proof, easy to clean up spills and splashes, comes in a wide range of styles and colors, and has resilient flooring, which means that it is slightly soft underfoot to ease fatigue from hours of food preparation, plus it is forgiving if you drop any glasses or bowls.
Other waterproof materials to consider for your kitchen floor include cork and linoleum, though they need a protective coating to protect against scratches.
