Wooden floor in kitchen?
We kept the pine sub-floor as under the linoleum in our kitchen. It looked fine for many years, but is kind of shabby now . I don’t think it can be sanded again without exposing the tongue ang groove (tongues and grooves?). When we skim coat and re-paint our kitchen (in the next year or so) we’ll either have something laid on top (probably new wood) or just make some minor repairs and paint the floor.
BobMarvin
in Brownstoner Renovation 13 years and 10 months ago
10
Please log in, in order to post replies!
10 replies
brownieinhk | 13 years and 10 months ago
Hello Brownstoners,I wanted your sage advice about kitchen flooring materials. We have original pine plank floors on the parlor level, and I would love to keep them in the new kitchen we are installing here, but I am worried that they may not be suitable. We cook a lot and have kids running around, so I am not sure if it is better to something else instead.If wood can work in a kitchen, can you give me any tips about how to best protect the floors in such a highly used, water prone, and high-traffic part of the house?Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
jockdeboeraia | 13 years and 10 months ago
You are not a good canidate for wood flooring in a kitchen. Put down granite if you tend to drop pots a lot. You will not be able to install a waterproof membrane unless the floor floats over it. Since you cook alot, have high traffic and kids it would not be a great idea.
talock | 13 years and 10 months ago
While deboerarchitects may be right, it all depends on how you live, and what you mean by “protect”. For instance, take a look at old farmhouse kitchens, almost all of them had wood floors and i’d be willing to bet there were pots dropped and kids running around – the main difference is those floors were not sanctified (which, incidentally, is how many of them took on the distressed character we now prize and want to protect). If you are willing to let the floor wear with use, then it’s fine. Work with your architect on getting the proper finish for your comfort level of wipe-ability then try your best to forget about it.Secondly, i’d consider what it is you are trying to protect. If it’s the flooring itself then it won’t matter what you put under it (such as the waterproof membrane suggested by deboerarchitects) but rather the finish you use for the floor itself. Consider the qualities you are after and go from there. If you are looking to protect the subfloor and building structure under the floor, a water proofing membrane would be a suitable addition, but would only be possible if you were willing to take up the flooring and reinstall (as deboerarchitects said) which would be much more costly.
daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 10 months ago
What talock said. A few more coats of poly and they be fine and look great. besides, wood is best on your feet. Standing on hard tile for extended periods is uncomfortable and therefore many people put down a rubber or gel mat because of it. You won’t have that issue with wood. Dropping a heavy pot may “distress” the wood but it’ll likely crack a tile.
masterbuilder | 13 years and 10 months ago
I usually try to steer clients away from wood floors in kitchen toward tile or stone. However, some of my clients who deliberated over keeping their pine floors – and finally decided against it – allowed some of my other clients to take some of it for their project. Even the filthiest planks that we found in the cellar, much abused by a leaky foundation and mud, turned out to be gems.It really does come down to your taste.If you scroll down in this blog, you will find some sections regarding the use of reclaimed yellow pine for park benches and so forth. http://www.brooklynbridgeparknyc.org/news/blog/(If you do decide to get rid of it, make sure to offer it up for reclaiming. Someone’s old junk pine is someone else’s gold.)
daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 10 months ago
Also, reclaimed southern yellow pine as well as reclaimed river cedar are both especially impervious to water.
slopegirl | 13 years and 10 months ago
I agree wood supporters, have also heard of cork floors in kitchen which are also very comfortable and I think come as tiles. Try standing for several hours on a tile or stone floor… wood is much more comfortable and you’ll lose fewer dishes and glasses to smashing. Real linoleum (sold as marmoleum)–not vinyl–is also very flexible and very durable. It’s not cheap, but long lasting and GREEN… it’s made from a mix of sawdust and linseed oil. You can buy in sheets in almost any color so you can have some fun with that in your design, if that’s your thing. We just put marmoleum in our rental kitchen and when we renovate our apartment, I’m eyeing a marigold yellow for us. Bay Ridge Carpet carries and has samples.
dazednconfused2 | 13 years and 10 months ago
Marmoleum and cork are GREAT products! They both feel terrific underfoot. I tend to agree with Jock on a lot of things, but I disagree on this one. I never suggest stone flooring for the kitchen. The hardness as well as the tile joints both make it very uncomfortable to stand on, especially if you’re one of those families who takes their shoes off at the door. Standing on tile in socks or bare feet is awful. We’ve had cork for years and it’s withstood the wear easily. It’s even helped save a few dishes and glasses from breaking when falling. If those aren’t in your taste or budget, then go with a wood floor matching the rest of the house. As an avid cook, your back will thank you.
bowl-of-dicks | 13 years and 10 months ago
My parents have wide-plank pine floors in their kitchen and because of many many years (~40) of neglect, they are a royal mess. Path of travel wear, grease stains, and evidence of spills. Gouges from the kitchen table chairs. Only do wood floors if you intend to care for them properly.
wholesalerbill1 | 13 years and 10 months ago
And the key word here is Pine. When we did our kitchen over we decided to go with the original pine floor from 1930\. It looked great at first(in 2006), but wears easily and it looks like crap now. Remember, pine is a soft wood. You’ll have to put many many coats and even that won’t last, especially with alot of traffic. When builders put in hard wood floors in a time long forgotten, oak was usually used in rooms like the living room and dining room areas because they weren’t covered and can hold up to lots of foot traffic. Pine was normally used(cuz it’s cheaper) in bedrooms and kitchens because they were normally covered with carpeting or in a kitchen, a linoleum type product. My wife just went back to work after a two year lay-off. One of the first things we’re spending money on is tiling the kitchen floor.