Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

Thoughts?

We are ripping up the tile regardless, and I was originally planning on putting in hardwoods-- and have it match the rest of the house. I also have a sun room off the kitchen, that has tile too-- but I want to replace those floors as well.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

Personally - i went for a combination of both......i have a bad back so tile is too hard to stand on for all the time i spend in the kitchen....wood has much more give to it but i didnt want to "wood overkill" with the floors and cabinets so i chose a laminate that looks like tile.

So i guess i love the look of tile but its not practical for me

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

i currently have tile and are also about to re-do our kitchen and are trying to make the same decision.

I LOVE the look of wood especially since my dinning room and living room will have refinished oak floors - but I think i'm going to end up with tile in the kitchen.

Our kitchen is a high traffic area because it is right by the entrance so you pretty much always have to walk through the kitchen to get anywhere in the house. As much as I love the look of wood I tend to feel like it's just not practical enough for my kitchen.

A friend of mine just had her kitchen re-done and had wood floor put in. Within a week's time she already had scratches from the barstools

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

We went with the wood. I love the look. It is a very high traffic area and it's fine.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

We have hardwood in our kitchen. It you are worried about table, chairs or stools, we put felt pads on the bottom of everything. Works for us. Are there scratches on our floor, yes there are, but any floor will get scratches on them.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

I prefer tile, only b/c I am not really a fan of open floor plans (which we have) - so we separated the areas with flooring. Carpet in LR, hardwood in DR, tile in kitchen.

So I would go with tile.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

wood 100%
looks nicer IMO
better for your back when standing on it for long periods of time

and a cracked tile can happen as easy as a deep gouge into the wood from something

if your concerned about a dishwasher or sink, know that it could happen to tile or wood. friends of ours had a dishwasher break while they weren't home and ruined their tile floor since the water sat there for a while. You can also get an area rug for in front of the sink for any dripping. (you would need this for tile too because it would get slippery)

you have to go with what your budget can afford and then what you think is a better look

Neither will hurt your re-sale value though

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

we have wood and I love it! there are scratches here and there but I really think it adds character

We also have our dishwasher, washer/dryer, sink in there... last year we had a major leak with the washer and the wood survived just fine

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

We had hardwoods in our kitchen, and I hated them. We just took them out. They are a PIA to clean, and they scratch. We were refinishing them every year. Tile is just so much easier IMO.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

I love the look of wood, but it is not very practical in a kitchen. I have wood in my kitchen and so does my in-laws. You are never able to clean it as good as a tile floor.
My in-laws kitchen wood floor is all worn out by the sink and all the high traffic areas. This is after only 4 years.

Message edited 6/8/2010 7:31:49 PM.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

We recently gutted our kitchen and put in a hardwood floor. We tried to match it to the hardwoods in the rest of the house, which are 80-years-old. It's amazing how well they match. I absolutely LOVE how it looks.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

my only concern about wood floors in kitchen is that with things spilling and everything they may get damaged. I think tile is easy maintenance...

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

We have wood floors in our kitchen and we LOVE them. Tile always seems to look dirty quickly, but with wood flooring, I do not feel like I have to constantly wash it. As for scratches we have felt pads on our stools and we rarely wear shoes in the house.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

I went with wood b/c tile is hard on the legs.
Plus I love the way it looks.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

We have hardwood throughout. It was like that when we moved in and was beautiful so we did not change it.

If I had the choice I would pick tile though, the shiny marble kind ...It just feels more "kitchen like" to me personally.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

We just put down stranded bamboo in what will be our new kitchen. Strongest natural material available. Almost as strong as tile.

I like the look of the wood better than the tile, and for me, it's easier to clean. The wood is a perfectly flat, uniform floor. If we got tile, it would be textured, meaning nooks and crannies for things to get trapped in, and the grout lines as well. I have textured tile in the bathroom, and it's always a bit of a pain to get it totally clean.

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

We have HW in our kitchen. It didnt originally have it and we added it. We are very happy with the decision. no grout to try and keep clean or worrying about breaking cracking tiles. We have not had any problems cleaning or maintaining it

Re: Tile vs Wood in the Kitchen

I love hardwood in a kitchen