Most homeowners love the chic look of stone, porcelain, and ceramic kitchen tile. However, they also hate the pain they can deliver — back, hip, knee, and leg pain — after walking around or standing too long when prepping and cooking meals. Luckily, there are many different alternatives that are more resilient and forgiving on the body, but are just as beautiful and functional.
Wood Flooring
This is one of the most beloved kitchen flooring materials because it is very forgiving on the joints. It likewise feels and looks warmer than other flooring options.
On the other hand, wooden flooring can get dinged and scratched fairly easily and prone to water damage. If you must use wood, don’t buy prefinished wood flooring and instead ask your local flooring dealer in Santa Ana if they can finish your wooden flooring after installing it in your kitchen. This way, the joints will also be sealed to prevent dirt and water from accumulating.
Linoleum Flooring
While it’s easy to confuse linoleum with vinyl flooring, it’s actually manufactured from renewable and natural materials like powdered cork, pine rosin, and linseed oil. It is durable, but soft on the joints and comes in many different patterns and colors. You just have to apply a protective coating and maintain it regularly to extend its service life.
Cork Flooring
This is a great option for those susceptible to joint pain because of the cushioning it provides. You can buy it in plank or tile form and comes in various colors, textures, and patterns. As cork flooring is easily dented and scratched, you should apply a protective finish of polyurethane or wax regularly to it and place felt pads on your furniture’s feet.
Vinyl Flooring
This is one of the most popular affordable flooring options, and it's available in tile and sheet forms as well as a wide range of colors and styles. It is not as resilient as other flooring materials, however, and it usually has a shorter service life.
Rubber Flooring
Resilient, springy, and softer than all flooring materials, this is the most suitable option if you spend most of your time in the kitchen. You can choose between sheet or tile options and must be sealed right after installing and resealed every two years or so depending on wear and traffic.
Laminate Flooring
Much like vinyl, laminate flooring is softer and more affordable than other flooring options. But, while they’re more resistant to water than wooden floors, you can’t just refinish when it gets damaged since they’re not solid all throughout.
If after looking at all the different kitchen flooring options you still want concrete or tile flooring, consider putting gel or cushioning mats in certain sections in the kitchen where you will be spending most of your time standing, like in front of your sink, range, or island. Otherwise, give your achy joints some much needed TLC when working in the kitchen and choose from one of the various kitchen flooring materials suggested above.
