One of the major selling points of hardwood flooring is that fact that it provides a continuous look that is able to tie several rooms together, if not the entire house itself. Many times one of the rooms will be a kitchen, and this is where things can get touchy. The kitchen is the most heavily used room in the house, bar none. This automatically means it will get the most amount of foot traffic which makes the floors susceptible to wear. Beyond that, there is a lot going on in the kitchen; you’ve got appliances that leak, pots and pans that can fall and cause damage and even liquids that can drip on the hardwood floors and cause stains and discoloration.
When we get calls for repairs, the problem area is almost always the kitchen. Again, boards buckling from a leaky appliance, dark spots near the sink caused from accumulation of water droplets, etc. Since hardwood flooring a kitchen can be problematic, should it be avoided? I say – yes and no. No if the kitchen is open and connected to the other rooms. Yes if the kitchen is tucked-away or positioned in a way that going with another type of flooring won’t break up the sense of flow.
That may sound shocking coming from a hardwood flooring contractor but I must speak the truth! Now, if hardwood flooring in the kitchen is an absolute must, there are things that can be done to mitigate the possible problems down the road. First thing would be to ensure the hardwood floor is sealed with a moisture-barrier sealant finish. This will protect the floor from those little water-droplets near the sink area. Another thing that can be done about that is putting down a small mat near the sink area. It goes without saying but I’ll say it, always a good idea to inspect the appliances to ensure they are not secretly and slowly leaking water onto the hardwood floors.
In regards to the floors themselves, best to use a species of wood that is durable and won’t react dramatically to a little bit of moisture. Examples are red and white oak and maple. This will also help protect the floors from the heavy traffic. When site-finishing or refinishing hardwood floors in a kitchen, best to go with extra coats of poly-urethane. This will offer a durable layer of protection that will help the hardwood floors last longer.