Wood Flooring for Your Kitchen: Why It's A Classy And Practical Choice

The kitchen is one of the busiest areas in your house. It gets a lot of foot traffic and as such, it needs to have a durable flooring system. While strength is a major deciding factor in choosing your flooring material, you shouldn’t compromise aesthetics. If you’re wondering if light wood floors in your kitchen are a classy and a practical choice, this article is for you. 

The Benefits of Wood Flooring

Ask local kitchen cabinet makers why homeowners choose hard wood as their main kitchen cabinet and flooring material, and you’ll most likely receive this answer: It is durable and has a warm appeal. 

Hard and light wood floors in your kitchen showcase a great combination of function and aesthetics. They can make your kitchen look — and feel — cozy. Compared with other flooring materials, wood is more comfortable underfoot. It also evokes a sense of calm and continuity. 

Additionally, wood is a natural resource that boasts the resale value of your home. In the past, moisture was a huge concern for this type of flooring material. But thanks to modern advances (e.g., the use of sealers and premium polyurethane finishes), this issue can now be addressed. 

When it’s properly finished, wood requires low maintenance. And given the proper maintenance, it can last for decades.

Another great thing about wood as a flooring material is the sustainability of wood. Should you choose to sell your house for whatever reason, you can guarantee a price higher than when it may use a manufactures material such as vinyl.

Different Types of Wood Flooring

When speaking with custom kitchen cabinet makers and flooring experts, you’ll learn that there is a range of wood flooring options that you can choose from. Each has its advantages, which you can leverage depending on your specific needs, preferences, and household lifestyle. 

Solid hardwood. As its name implies, this flooring material is 100% hardwood. It is timeless when maintained, and extremely durable. Some of our favorite hardwoods for flooring are oak, hickory, and maple species. These three are the hardest wood species found domestically in the US and are least susceptible to wear and tear. 

Engineered hardwood. This wood flooring option is only 100% natural wood on top. The bottommost part is a material and in between is a stable core consisting of several layers of plywood. Because of its complex anatomy, it’s more resistant to expansion or contraction, which is a common problem when a material is exposed to moisture and humidity. The thicker the top layer is, the more durable the flooring system will be. 

Reclaimed wood. Can be solid or engineered, reclaimed wood is ideal for the environmentally conscious homeowner. If you wish to minimize your carbon footprint of your kitchen project, this reused wood material is a great choice. Though it’s not new, its capability to resist decay and pests is still top-notch. Its natural look can also help create a cozy atmosphere in your kitchen. 

Bamboo. Though bamboo is a woody grass, it’s commonly grouped with other wood flooring materials. Whether it’s solid, engineered, or strand woven bamboo flooring, it’s consistently durable and moisture resistant. It’s also more environmentally friendly because bamboo is fast to grow and can be quickly replaced.

Kitchen Designs for Todays Professional

As the kitchen is the heart of the home, careful planning should be done to make it efficient, functional, and aesthetically pleasing to its owner’s preferences. For the in-home chef, a kitchen should be a comfortable space where no inch is wasted — and a space that can cater to their specific needs. This is also why many of them turn to a custom kitchen design company that brings their kitchen ideas into fruition. 

If you're not yet quite sure about how you want your kitchen to be designed, this read is for you. Here are kitchen design tips and ideas suitable for today's busy homeowner. 

A multi-functional kitchen space. Today, luxury kitchen design in NJ doesn't just mean having top-quality kitchen elements. Now, it also involves cleverly transforming the traditional space for cooking and preparing food into a multi-functional one. It's become a place where you can dine, enjoy a good cup of coffee with loved ones, and even work remotely. 

Quality cabinetry is a key. For a kitchen to be functional, cabinetry should be meticulously planned and installed. Having sleek kitchen cabinet styles should also be part of your checklist. But apart from that, there is a preference for more drawers that glide. You should also work on beautifying both the interior and exterior of your cabinetry. 

Professional-level smart appliances. You can further promote efficiency in your kitchen by having luxury kitchen appliances that are high end brands. And speaking of appliances, don’t neglect the kitchen sink. A hot trend for years has been extra deep kitchen sinks with motion sensing faucets. Incorporating smart technology is also advised to help you conveniently sustain your kitchen lifestyle. 

Clever storage solutions and concealed appliances. To keep the decluttered look of your kitchen, it pays to have clever storage solutions. And these include permanent storage for bulky appliances such as ovens and microwaves. Not only does concealing appliances help you save space, it also helps protect them from several air borne elements — ultimately allowing you to maximize their lifespan. 

Resorting to easy-to-clean surfaces. Non-porous materials such as glass and metal are also a staple in the kitchens of today’s professionals. As we're living at the time of a pandemic, having easy-to-clean and non-pathogen-harboring surfaces in your kitchen should be a consideration. 

Little details mean a lot. As mentioned above, the kitchen has now become a space where many other non-kitchen activities can be done. This is why incorporating even the tiniest details to make your kitchen more "you" are now part of the kitchen design process. From installing an elaborate coffee bar to adding plants to equipping the kitchen USB ports and internet connected flat screen devices, these things matter a lot to a busy professional’s effort to personalize this portion of his or her home. 

Consult with a custom kitchen design company in NJ that understands the needs of younger professionals. Professionals like you know how advantageous it is to work with field experts. If you want your kitchen construction or renovation project to be as smooth and resource-saving as it can be, it's a must to hire a kitchen design center in NJ. They will help you achieve the look and functionality you want for your kitchen, and even provide you access to industry suppliers and vendors to make your project more cost-effective.

Kitchen Design Software: Free & Paid Versions

Remodeling a kitchen is no easy task, but kitchen design software is making design more accessible to homeowners. Although there isn’t kitchen-specific design software that is free or affordable for a one-time use, you do have some apps that feature a good kitchen design component. Otherwise, your only other option is professional-quality design software, which can cost $1,000 or more. Let’s take a look some of the programs available to homeowners:

Paid Software

1. Encore 3D Home Architect Design Suite

This software costs between $35 and $70. It’s easy to use, which is one of its pros, but it’s not effective enough to hand off to your contractor to use. It’s also not limited to your kitchen, so you can use it for other rooms in your home.

2. Custom Cabinet Software

Cabinets account for about 75 percent of your new kitchen costs, but high-end custom kitchen cabinetry design software can run upwards of $400 per year. If you make cabinets, this software does the job, but for many homeowners, it’s too specialized.

3. Punch! Software Home Design Studio Pro

This almost-professional design software is one of the best on the market, but it does cost $250 or more to use. It does have a learning curve, but most people master it within a weekend of using. With this software, you can almost hand over your design to your contractor and be ready to move forward.

Free Software

1. SketchUp

This design tool is food for all rooms in your home and is truly free. Many home remodelers use this tool. (It does have a Pro version that costs around $700.) You’ll find a lot of support for use, but only peer support.

2. IKEA Home Planner

Home Planner used to be a tool only for kitchen design, but it has expanded its scope. Make sure to set up an account before creating a plan, because it’s been known to delete plans that were set up without an account. This software is great for cabinet placement.

3. Prodboard

Prodboard is Ukraine-based, but it does have a lot of nice functions. There is a dedicated closet planner, which is uncommon in most 3d home design software tools. You have to use Prodboard on the company site, and you cannot purchase products. However, it is completely free to use.

As with most products, you get what you pay for. Even with kitchen design software, it’s still a good idea to work with a kitchen designer in North Jersey to make sure you’re staying within good design parameters that may not be addressed by the software tools for home users. We recommend you work with a kitchen designer for quality custom kitchen cabinetry design that is familiar with the kitchen design software you have been playing around with. Perhaps together you can craft a kitchen you will love.