Floor covering for the kitchen: which is better to choose?

The choice of flooring for kitchens is no less important than the decision about the composition of household appliances, bathroom fixtures or the color of the walls. The slightest mistake and miscalculation threaten to turn into constant problems and inconveniences, the need to redo the work, re-invest in repair. To avoid this, it is better to focus on the recommendations of specialists. It is very important to understand what requirements are put forward to the kitchen floor.

The kitchen is a special room; there is absolutely inevitable the appearance of dirt and moisture, even in the most careful owners of the inode dishes, heavy and cutting objects fall.

Therefore, it is better to immediately make a floor that:

• Easy to wash;
• Resistant to water ingress;
• Little damage from mechanical stress.

Each of the materials has its own strong and weak positions.

Laying out the base of the kitchen with ceramic tiles is quite a traditional solution. Mechanical hardness and long service of a covering, simplicity of laying, reasonable cost testify to his favor. With proper selection of tile floors look very elegant and fit into the most intricate environment. Glossy effect looks attractive, although it is more difficult to clean this floor.

Cork surface is not inferior to ceramic products for durability, it is ecologically safe. Unfortunately, making it yourself is much more difficult, and the cost is quite high. It will not be possible to use the floorboard in the kitchen on your own, and there is no sense in that - it is too susceptible to the destructive effect of moisture.

Natural wood (boards) is also afraid of moisture, it costs a lot of money, it is extremely difficult to install such a coating. Both coatings are more convenient, simpler and more economical to imitate using laminate or linoleum.

If strength is most important to you, it is worthwhile to prefer porcelain stoneware; but note that only trained masters should install it.

The polymeric self-leveling floor is very expensive, but its wear resistance justifies this disadvantage, especially considering the high resistance to water ingress, ease of maintenance and wide design possibilities. Liquid polyurethane, freezing, forms a brilliant mirror, under which three-dimensional images, various small objects can hide. This is the rare case when the flooring is able to dominate the interior of the room, set the tone for it.

In some cases, it is absolutely necessary to level the base of the floor, otherwise no cover will be able to lay exactly and neatly. But it should be noted that the choice of permissible floor covering also depends on the screed material. So, the tile is compatible with any substrate, under it you can pour even a simple cement mortar.

Some people try to use wallpaper for painting the kitchen walls, but the variety of their appearance is largely limited by compatibility with the floor.

Receiving a combination of two different coatings used in a particular functional area is not new. Most often, the working part is covered with ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware, and the area occupied by the dining table is finished with wood or materials based on it. Important: to lay two coverings is only in large kitchens, combined with living rooms.It is more correct to cover a small space with a material of one type in order not to excessively reduce the observed area.

The choice of color for the kitchen floor should be tied to the choice of material. No less important consideration is the relationship of color and geometry of space. Depending on the chosen tone, the kitchen becomes larger or smaller, lengthens and shortens, the ceiling can either rise or fall. Dark color is appropriate only in a very small number of kitchens, where the reduction of unnecessarily large space is actual. In a normal city apartment, even quite spacious, this situation is unlikely to arise, it is more typical of mansions and cottages.

Unfortunately, natural flooring makes it impossible to apply the entire range of colors, they are able to demonstrate only a natural shade. Therefore, lovers of color experiments should definitely make a choice in favor of tile.It can be stuck on the walls, the entry of tiles in the same collection automatically removes the question of stylistic divergence.

The floor itself can be multi-colored, such a distinction is especially recommended if the flooring is different. It does not matter if a bright red, blue, yellow tone is chosen - the main thing is that the color combined with it does not create the sensation of an unnatural mixture and allows you to organize a planned transition. Drawing up a sketch will help to avoid mistakes when decorating, even a non-professional will notice shortcomings on it.

Light colors are recommended not only for small spaces., but also for kitchens where there is little natural light. Best of all, white, milky and gray paints expand the room, with which it is easy to combine the rich colors of furniture and contrasting design elements. In addition, you need to take into account the style: for example, white is optimally used in the atmosphere of high-tech style or minimalism.Pay attention to the practical properties of painting - no matter how attractive the idea is to decorate a very bright space, cleaning it will be much more difficult. Beige and gray tones interspersed with textured details are much more convenient, they mask various stains and dust.

When it is impossible to choose a certain color, there is a doubt which option to prefer - you should think about a dark covering, which is stylistically neutral. Such a step will help to form contrasts and visual transitions between the functional parts of the room.

Uneven, deformed floor is undesirable to paint in bright colors, it is more correct to mask defects with combinations of warm shades or patterns.

Immediately find out whether the warm floor will be installed, if the answer is positive, you will have to completely abandon a number of flooring options.Think it will be more convenient; if the base (rough floor) is incompatible with the selected option, it will be necessary to begin a deep rework. And it is difficult, expensive and very time consuming. Sometimes it is better to choose an alternative option than to try to solve these problems.

With rare exceptions, the kitchen floor is made concise., it becomes only the background for other surfaces of the room. If the kitchen in the apartment is not autonomous, but combined with other rooms, you can put different materials in its individual parts. The coincidence of flooring style throughout the house or differences in different parts are dictated by the design concept and personal taste.

Choosing linoleum for the kitchen, you need to focus on the brand with the thicker protection. The synthetic version of this material does not require complex care, perfectly dampens sounds and can be laid without the invitation of professional installers. In addition to the traditional moves, when parquet, wood or stone is imitated, some manufacturers began to make linoleum depicting metal or tile. Professionals recommend not to save on this coating and immediately check how strong its smell is,always get familiar with the markings. Some of the options are not suitable for dining and generally can be used only in non-residential rooms.

When there is a desire to use a completely natural material, you should look at the cork coating. It is environmentally clean and comfortable when walking, soft spring effect reduces the load on the musculoskeletal system. Sound damping is much better than the most expensive varieties of linoleum, and even if water is poured, the probability of deformation is very small. But the laminate does not tolerate contact with liquid; but there is an important advantage - the table top and other furniture surfaces can be finished with the same material.

A versatile option can be considered ceramic tiles., but its eternal problem - coldness - requires the need to equip a warm floor, this is especially important in a private house. Experts recommend choosing matte varieties of tiles without glaze, they are less slippery. The optimal values ​​of wear resistance 3 and 4, and strength - 4 and 5.Also look at the labeling of chemical resistance: it is advisable to choose tiles labeled A and AA, as a last resort B. Only they guarantee the possibility of normal cleaning with all available means from any likely contamination.

The pressed tile is dense and durable, it is more moisture resistant than that produced by extrusion. Resistance to moisture should be at the level of AI or BI, this is quite enough for kitchens. But the 3rd category is not recommended because it absorbs too much water. The relief should not be too deep, otherwise it will quickly become clogged with mud, which cannot be avoided. Do not save on security, buy only ceramics with a slip protection ratio of at least 0.75.

Stoneware is twice as strong as tiles, it is also worth taking to the kitchen not in polished, but in matt version.

How to choose coverage, what signs it is worth paying attention to - you already know. But it is equally important to be able to use the material for finishing the floor, apply it correctly and beautifully. And for starters, choose a stylistic concept and strictly follow it.

• The classics are presented both in light tones and inconspicuous pastel shades; ideal flooring - marble and wood, or their imitation (tile, laminate).
• If you do not want to make the kitchen very old-fashioned, we can recommend a country style that includes a maximum of natural colors. A stone or a tree is laid on the floor in such an interior, decorated with the effect of accelerated aging.

• In the modernist style, any material is appropriate, any color, even black, just to observe the visual zoning of the floor. Artificial surfaces are also allowed. If you set a goal to get away from natural materials as much as possible, then this requires you to arrange a high-tech kitchen. In this case, it is recommended to use self-leveling floors, ceramic tiles and linoleum. The geometry should be straight, only in a few places add a circle, no excess and luxury is not allowed, only strict functionality.
• The white floor in the interior is now becoming more and more fashionable, the designers highly appreciated its ability to create an original look, to bring a feeling of comfort and tranquility. In the kitchen, it is more correct to set such colors using tiles or porcelain stoneware, but white wood is considered completely impractical.With a skillful design approach, even a combination with walls and doors of the same key will not seem faded. Moreover, there will be a feeling of airiness and freedom, which is very difficult to achieve by other means of design.

Brown color of a floor well looks under observance of three conditions:

• fairly intense lighting;
• space in the kitchen;
• combination with furniture lighter tones.

Tips for choosing flooring, you can find out from the video below.