Decision fatigue can get the best of all of us, but if you’re anything like me, brainstorming your next home improvement project may well be a serious source of dopamine. Before you get to the pure aesthetics, though – I’m thinking paint colours, cabinetry finishes and hardware – there’s the practical foundations to tackle first. In a kitchen, the flooring is quite literally that foundation.
And so, I’ve whipped up this guide to the best flooring for a kitchen, covering all angles. I’ll be homing in on performance and durability, but also factoring in price points, DIY-friendliness and, the big one, style.
Skip to:
- Must-Have Kitchen Flooring Qualities
- The 6 Best Flooring Options for a Kitchen
- Is There Anything You Should Avoid?
- Conclusion: It’s Time to Take a Look at Some Samples
First of All, What Does Your Kitchen Flooring Need to Do?
The best design choices are always grounded in an understanding of your objectives, and perhaps even more so for your flooring, which has to withstand thousands of footsteps’ worth of daily wear and tear.
As a professional flooring fitter who has earned his stripes, these qualities ought to be your bare minimum:
- Moisture resistant: The kitchen is a notoriously moisture-prone part of the house; there’ll be steam as you pop on the kettle or whip up a curry, not to mention spills if it’s also the spot for dining.
- Easy maintenance: Leading on from spills, your future self will thank you if you opt for something wipeable and easy-to-clean. Tiles, for instance, can handle a deep cleanse with a steam cleaner, whilst engineered hardwood is more suited to the damp mop treatment.
- Strong durability: It’s a given – you want your floor to last a long time, or at least as long as you’ll live in your current home. Therefore, a stable core and tough wear layer are prerequisites, and it’s doubled if you have pets.
- Heat retaining: With the UK’s changeable weather, it can get chilly at the drop of a hat; therefore, picking a thick, heat-insulating flooring is a natural consideration.
- Aesthetically pleasing: The heart of the home is also the heart of entertaining, so it stands to reason that the design is a top concern. Some materials offer a greater breadth of styles, patterns, colours and surface textures, so do bear that in mind.
- Solid warranty: Warranty massively varies between flooring types and brands, but most sit between 5-20 years, depending on whether it’s intended for residential or commercial settings.
Now, time for some nice-to-haves:
- Underfloor heating compatibility: If underfloor heating is written in the stars for you, another key consideration has got to be how well your chosen flooring performs under heat. Whether warding off the chilblains or simply for the luxury of feeling toasty, who says a kitchen floor can’t be indulgent?
- Easy installation: Lastly, installation type makes a huge difference if you’re DIYing it. Vinyl click systems, for instance, are going to be much more beginner-friendly than a herringbone or parquet design. (Top tip: I’d leave the latter to the professionals).
The Best Flooring Options for a Kitchen: Derwenthorpe Flooring’s Top 6 Picks
Now, those considerations are stewing in the back of your mind, let’s get to the meat of this article. Here are my 6 picks for the best flooring for a kitchen.
Luxury Vinyl Tile: Best All-Rounder
Luxury vinyl tile, or just LVT, is one of the most popular flooring types we fit for kitchens, and looking at one of our recent projects in this York-based open plan kitchen, it’s easy to see why.
Easy on the eyes, and just as easy on the feet, it’s available in a variety of styles and colours and can be installed either using adhesive or as a click system.
For me, the standout feature has got to be the level of water-resistance. Totally moisture-proof and with a lifespan of 25 years, you can trust that it’ll withstand anything chaotic family life throws at it.
Cost: ££
Best brands: Karndean, Luvanto, Polyflor
Pros:
- Waterproof
- Very hard-wearing yet comfortable underfoot
- Underfloor heating compatible
- Easy to install
- More affordable than engineered wood
Cons:
- If you’re going for a wood-look, there are more realistic imitations
- Less scratch-resistant than options, like tiling
Engineered Wood: Best Statement Kitchen Flooring
If trends are anything to go by, then homeowners are itching to drench their kitchens in wood. What better way to do so than with a stunning engineered oak herringbone? That’s what we fitted for a client recently, covering the entirety of the downstairs.
The customer was blown away by the durability of the stuff, but it’s also longer-lasting and more repairable than LVT – give the surface a resanding and a touch of refinishing, and any knocks and scratches disappear.
Yes, it’s more costly, but seeing it in situ curbs the sting; it’s the closest match to solid hardwood, at a fraction of the price and combined with superior water resistance.
Cost: ££-£££
Best brands: Timba Floors, Brooks
Pros:
- Simple to lay (nailed, glued or floated)
- Performs well with underfloor heating
- Great for high traffic rooms
- Makes a stunning statement floor
Cons:
- A bit pricier than other options
- Fewer aesthetic options than LVT or laminate
Ceramic: Best for Easy Upkeep
If easy upkeep is a priority for you, then allow me to suggest ceramic tiles for your kitchen makeover. Besides being very affordable and pliable to any aesthetic with thousands of designs, they’re 100% waterproof, allowing for zero-thoughts cleaning. Pop on a podcast and grab the mop or steam cleaner, because it really is that easy.
Do note that there are a couple of strings attached to the lower price point: more care is needed to prevent cracks and chips, so if you’re the clumsy sort, it might not be the best option.
Cost: £-££
Best brands: Fired Earth, Mandarin Stone, Ca’Pietra
Pros:
- Affordable price tag
- Comfortable underfoot
- A huge breadth of style options
Cons:
- Less durable than other options
- More complicated installation
- Offers scarce sound absorption
Porcelain: Best High-Traffic Kitchen Flooring
Similar to ceramic, porcelain tiles offer an effortless cleaning experience and an impressive array of style options. The difference, though, lies in porcelain’s higher durability. Thanks to their denser clay and higher firing temperatures, the tiles are typically more durable and less porous – ideal for a bustling kitchen.
As one of the hardest-wearing materials out there, it’s a great option for both pets and their human companions, but, of course, the timeless aesthetic is up there among its pull factors.
Cost: ££-£££
Best brands: Bert & May, Baked Tile Company
Pros:
- Super strong
- Easy-to-clean
- Stain and scratch resistant (more so than porcelain)
- Offers a convincing imitation of terracotta and limestone
Cons:
- Can be cold underfoot
- Complex installation
- Some grout maintenance might be needed
- Little to no sound insulation
Vinyl Roll: Recommended Kitchen Flooring for Scratch Resistance
Regular vinyl roll, in my book, is a trusty wood floor alternative that meets the needs of the majority of homeowners. At once affordable, stylish and soft underfoot, it combines practicality with charm, all for a reasonable price tag.
Coming in a variety of aesthetic options, from faux stone tiles to traditional wood-look graining, it does the job very nicely, despite being a budget choice.
Cost: £
Best brands: Tarkett, Polyflor
Pros:
- Fast and easy to lay
- 100% water resistant
- Great scratch resistance
Cons:
- Difficult to repair
- Can be dented by heavy furniture
- Low-quality vinyl fades under sunlight
Laminate: Best Option for Affordability
Although many households will be swayed against laminate under the assumption that it’s an inferior product, manufacturing techniques have actually improved in leaps and bounds over the years. Yes, that means laminate is now as durable, attractive and water-resistant as any of the mid-range options on this list.
I go into the top laminate flooring brands in more detail in our dedicated guide, but the TL;DR is that many of them are compatible with underfloor heating systems, grant you simple, hands-off maintenance, and come with a decent warranty of 10+ years and a long lifespan to match.
Cost: £
Best brands: Quick-step, Lifestyle, Balteiro
Pros:
- Affordable
- Easy to install
- Works with underfloor heating
- Impressive number of styles, patterns and colours available
Cons:
- Less scrubbable than LVT
- Lacks the inherent warmth of engineered wood
- More difficult to repair than some higher-end options
Is There Anything You Should Avoid?
I don’t need to insult your intelligence about carpet (just imagine the stains!), but what other flooring choices are best left to other rooms in the house?
Well, despite its reputation for strength and charming patina, solid wood flooring is generally a no-no. Yes, in a cosy living room, its charm exemplified, but add moisture into the mix and what you get is a recipe for rot, warping and, ultimately, a floor that’s more hassle to care for than it’s worth.
In a similar vein, budget laminate flooring wouldn’t be my first choice. Actually, if a customer came to me with a cheap laminate install for a kitchen or bathroom, I’d do my darndest to persuade them against it, because of all the wood-look alternatives, its performance under damp conditions is the worst. The good news, though, is that if you upgrade to a more specialist, higher-grade laminate, you can get that essential water-resistance at a more affordable price tag than, say, premium LVT.
Conclusion: It’s Time to Take a Look at Some Samples
Settling on the best kitchen flooring for the heart of your home should never be about shoehorning in a trending style. Remember, this is a long-term decision. Therefore, your ultimate foundations should be longevity, moisture-resistance and the floor’s ability to age with grace.
With modern manufacturing techniques, even the less prestigious flooring types can elevate basics to beauty; you just need to find the glass slipper that meets all of your day-to-day requirements.
Now, all that’s left is to shop around and browse to your heart’s content – trust me, the brands I’ve shared above are going to look stunning in your new kitchen.
