Kitchen Remodeling: 3 Steps to Finding Your New Hardwood Kitchen Floors

Kitchen Remodeling: 3 Steps to Finding Your New Hardwood Kitchen Floors

Let’s admit it – hardwood floors are the bee’s knees for kitchens with all styles of décor. It can match with any kitchen vibe, including traditional, contemporary, old-fashioned and country.

There’s a place for hardwood in the heart of everyone’s home. The key is finding the one that best suits the design. You have so many different types of wood you can opt for, including light brown, dark brown, cherry and honey.

As you’re shopping around for materials for your kitchen remodeling project, you will come across the different versions that are available.

In this guide, we’ll cover three steps you can take to find the perfect hardwood flooring for your kitchen renovation.

Let’s get to it.

1. Choose Between Engineered and Solid Floors

As you begin doing research for your hardwood floor options, you’ll find there’s a great debate between engineered and solid flooring. There are major differences between the two, so it’s important to note them.

The one you should choose will come down to various factors, such as where the floors will go and your unique needs. For instance, if it’s placed in the kitchen or bathroom, where there’s a high probability of moisture and spills, then engineered flooring may be better.

It also comes down to the type of substrates will be installed on top, such as concrete or gypsum concrete.

Engineered good is a great choice for installations in above-grade or below-grade environments. Plus, it’s ideal for installation over radiant heat. Solid wood, on the other hand, is more ideal for installations in above-grade environments.

If your kitchen has fluctuating humidity, then engineered wood is the best option. This will prevent the floors from cupping and gapping. For the kitchen, it’s best to go with unfinished engineered wood. This way, you can avoid the beveled edges that can sometimes be hard to clean.

That can be a real concern, given the kitchen requires constant cleaning.

If you end up going with sold floors, then you may want to choose rift sawn versus plain sawn or quarter sawn.

2. Select the Finish for the Wooden Floors

Next, it’s time to determine what type of finish you want for your new hardwood floors. The type of finish you select will play a big role in maintaining the appearance of the flooring. Keep in mind the amount of foot traffic your kitchen gets when deciding.

It’s best to choose a finish that is resistant to water, since your floors will be prone to spills in a kitchen setting. It’s also essential for the finish to be durable to where it can handle lots of foot traffic.

Say you choose to go with unfinished wood – in this case, you should go with a catalyzed water-based urethane finish. This will help prevent water damage better than an oil-based finish. Another option is to go with moisture-cured urethane, which is known to have moisture-resistance and durability.

For increased durability, it’s good to go with UV floor curing. This process makes hardwood floors stronger in high foot traffic locations, such as the kitchen.

3. Find Inspirations for Your Kitchen Remodeling

It’s not always easy coming up with ideas for your kitchen remodeling project, even when it’s just the floors you’re doing. Whether you’re planning to redo the entire kitchen or just the floors, you can use ideas.

There are a few great places on the web you can check out, along with home design magazines.

For instance, say you’re looking for a kitchen design that’s sleek and modern. In this case, you should go with a dark wood color, such as mahogany or a stain that’ll give it a dark color.

Then if you want to go for extra-durability, then hickory wood is a great choice. It’ll give your kitchen a distinguished look.

However, if you want a kitchen that’s more rustic, then wide plank Eastern white pine is a great choice. It’s traditional and will give your kitchen a homey feel.

Hand scraped, or distressed wood floors are the perfect option for a kitchen design that’s rustic and hip. But if you want a simple, classic style, then white oak that has a clear, natural finish is suitable.

There’s a lot you can do with your kitchen design based on the color, texture and material of the wood you choose. So, make sure to shop around a lot before you decide.

Shopping for Beautiful Hardwood for Your Kitchen Remodeling

There are many places you can buy hardwood from, but not many will deliver and install it for you quicker than we can. At GBC Kitchen and Bath, we have a knack for fabricating and installing hardwood in record time.

Purchasing from us ensures you get your hardwood floors much faster than buying from a big box store. Then having the floors installed by the same company that sells the wood makes everything run more smoothly.

We have a local showroom you can visit to look firsthand at our beautiful wood options. We carry hardwood from top-notch brands, like Armstrong, Bruce, LM Flooring and Zickgraf.

All hardwood products come with manufacturer warranties as well. Plus, all our contractors are licensed, bonded and insured, which means you receive ultimate protection during the installation and long after.

You won’t find any other hardwood floor installation company in the area that offers better rates, quality of products and quality of craftsmanship than us.

At GBC Kitchen and Bath, we take great pride in the products and services we provide. Whether you’re looking for a complete kitchen overhaul or simply want to makeover the floors, we can help.

Give us a call today to get your free consultation and estimate!